[mythtv-users] Schedules Direct guide data for AU / NZ

[R. G. Newbury]

On 30/08/16 09:09 PM, David Whyte wrote:
>
>
> On Tue, 30 Aug 2016 at 14:03 Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com
> <mailto:nick.rout at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>
>
>     Robert, thanks for the 90 day trial. Is there a definitive howto for
>     setting up mythtv for the json version of SD? I have ignored all SD
>     stuff i the past as it has been irrelevant to us NZers. There are a
>     number of people keen to start trialling, but unsure which of the
>     unofficial looking howtos thrown up by google to follow.
>     (Particularly as no one wants to damage their existing setup!)
>
>
> I will second this request.  I got the 90 trial code then sat at my
> laptop and effectively stared at the screen.  I came up stumped!

For the users of mythtv, there are now THREE routes to using the JSON SD 
service. Although Robert Kulagowski (RK) claims that his mfdb-json 
program is a 'work in progress', it really is a fully featured 
replacement for mythfilldatabase and transparently enters EPG data into 
mythtv.

I was probably the first alpha tester for RK and have been using the 
mfdb-json package since at least August 2014. I have been using it with 
mythtv 0.28/master and it 'just works'. Presently I get 20 to 21 days 
data in Ontario. YMMV. It is quite a bit faster than a mythfilldatatbase 
--dd-grab-all, due to it only downloading new or changed data, and only 
grabbing one copy for all repeat showings of a program.  (I know RK 
through SchedulesDirect).


So if you are using mythtv, then:

cd /usr/local/bin
git clone https://github.com/SchedulesDirect/mfdb-json.git
That will make an mfdb-json directory.
cd mfdb-json
git checkout API-20141201
git pull

You will find a quite comprehensive README.md file in the mfdb-json 
directory.
After installing the prerequisite packages (set out in the README.md 
file), you will use mythtv-setup and the provided sd-utility.php program 
serially to configure the setup. Note that you go back and forth between 
them: don't second guess what is being done, and don't skip any steps!

NOTE that you set the channels for which you want data, in mythtv, using 
the channel editor in mythtv-setup. (step 6)

ALSL note that this will create another mysql database called 'sd' which 
will hold mfdb-json specific data.

When setup is complete you can create an executable script in 
/usr/local/bin to be called by mythtv to get the data. I call mine 
'grabber2'
The script is entered into mythtv-setup -> General ...page 4 (iirc??) 
(replacing the mythfilldatabase entry).

I update the program on every call in order to keep up to date during 
testing. So I have the following three lines before the actual data 
pull: good practice at any time.

#!/bin/bash
# grabber2 script for mythtv
cd /usr/local/bin/mfdb-json
git checkout API-20141201
git pull

# pull data from SD
#
/usr/local/bin/mfdb-json/mfdb-json.php --x --force --dbhost=localhost 
--dbname=mythconverg --dbuser=mythtv --dbpassword=mythtv --user=<your 
-user-name-at-SD> --password=<your-SD-password>
exit

If anyone has problems with setup for mythtv, they can ping me. Problems 
with actual data, ping RK. Problems with xmltv, not me: I plead the 
Schultz defence.


              R. Geoffrey Newbury