[mythtv-users] tv guide line-up free

[Robert Current]

Rod Roark Wrote:
>
> Michael T. Dean wrote:
> [long rant about illegal software deleted]
>
> I think we're OK.  DirecTV's terms appear to be plainly expressed.
> The document speaks for itself.  What more proof is required?  Large
> corporations do not give "express written permission" to the consumer

I'd agree with you Rod, Michael T. Dean seems to be a pretty
pro-Schedules Direct guy that has already made up his mind that there
is no option other than Schedules Direct, and he seems to think
anything else is illegal and stupid.  And, he has no problem starting
long rants about how illegal or stupid you are if you oppose Schedules
Direct.

Because of his attitude, any discussion on this list of other options
is squashed.  You can forget trying to bring up anything with hopes of
working out some solution, because all you will get is name calling
and FUD.  It's this attitude that made me refuse to consider using it.
 They are 100% committed to making the project work, no matter what
good ideas are thrown aside in the process, and how much
disinformation they have to spread.

Just look at all the FUD on the Schedules Direct Website!  They have a
FAQ "What about alternatives to licensing data?"  In that, they
discuss VBI, EIT, and Screen-scrape, saying all options are impossible
or illegal, and Schedules Direct is the ONLY option.  That's simply
not true.

AFAIK and IANAL, Titan TV is desperate for traffic to it's website.  I
believe web traffic directly impacts their income.  So, not only have
the GB-PVR guys have a working XML to xmltv converter, and not only
can they pull listings, they can set up an account on TitanTV, and
schedule recordings right from the TitanTV website:
http://forums.gbpvr.com/showthread.php?t=27618&highlight=titantv

I don't know, but I suspect TitanTV is thrilled to get more people
visiting the site and using the listings.   It's like you said "Large
corporations do not give "express written permission" to the consumer
for anything."  But no one has tried to stop them.  You can sign up
for the free account with a code listed in the product package, a
hardware package, which to me is about the closest thing anyone will
ever see to express written consent.

I've said all this before, half the time I'm ignored, the other half
the time I get called everything short of Satan for even bringing it
up.  The problem isn't data sources, the problem is programmer
resources.  They are all on the Schedules Direct bandwagon.  There are
alternatives, but nothing anyone in the MythTV project is working on.
This whole thing didn't happen in a vacuum, it affected other groups
too, some have came up with other solutions.

TitanTV offers free XML listing data to download, IF you have a
partner product (Adaptec, ATi, Hauppauge, etc...).  Anyone willing to
work on it should find it is actually a more obvious source of data
than scrapers, for testing you can pull listings even without the
accounts by just tweaking the URL for the XML data:
Line ups for zip:
http://data.titantv.com/dataservice.asmx/RegisterUserZip?UUID=EGU7TZLA1JA94H679Z9WVV5ETEEG17&Zip=20176

Channels listings:
http://data.titantv.com/dataservice.asmx/RequestLineupData?UUID=EGU7TZLA1JA94H679Z9WVV5ETEEG17&Zip=20176&ProviderId=A_61513

Program data
http://data.titantv.com/dataservice.asmx/RequestProgramData?UUID=EGU7TZLA1JA94H679Z9WVV5ETEEG17&ProviderId=A_61513&DaysRequested=1

Here's where the topic dies, or Michael T. Dean shows up to call me
Satan and say it's all illegal, or both…