CW_EPG Version 4.1.0 (updated 12/25/10)
(note: $20/year subscription to Schedules Direct TV listings required for use--but you can try it free for 7 days)
Merry Christmas!
See the QuickStart file for some initial screen shots. For more and some details on the new features, check out the new, enhanced ReadMe file.
======================
INTRODUCTION
============
The Cliff Watson Electronic Program Guide (CW_EPG) is a tool that works cooperatively with the MyHD and FusionHDTV applications and the HD Homerun tuner units to improve your television-scheduling and schedule-viewing experience.
The typical scheduling approach in both FusionHDTV and MyHD uses TitanTV as a source of programming information, which works very well for one-off captures. But it's hard to set up captures for a desired show series because (1) program schedules often vary from week to week, (2) TitanTV only shows two week's worth of programming, and (3) MyHD and FusionHDTV both have only simple-periodic recurring capture modes in daily or weekly repetitive patterns. Their built-in alternative to TitanTV is to use the PSIP programming information that is supposed to be sent along with the DTV data stream. However, that data source is often unsatisfactory, because the station either doesn't send it at all or only sends it a few hours ahead of the scheduled programs. Also, the PSIP information is only available for a given channel after you have tuned to it for a minute or so.
In contrast to TitanTV and the PSIP data, the CW_EPG scheduling approach downloads a complete schedule of television shows for all your channels for the next twelve days and (for MyHD users) displays it in the OSD EPG tables where the PSIP data used to appear. The schedule information comes from a Schedules Direct account (that you will need to set-up).
CW_EPG can handle recurring captures much better than does the hardware manufacturers' software alone. You can have CW_EPG automatically update the EPG listings daily and use the current data to schedule recordings on all your network-connected tuners. The recordings are based on matches to the list of shows that you provide via the CW_EPG control panel. VoilÃ*--you can have "season passes" to all your favorite shows!
CW_EPG, with its ability to manage scheduled events for MyHD, Fusion, and HD Homerun hardware, gives you a convenient single interface to manage your scheduled recordings. Rather than dealing with several interfaces and manually splitting events between tuners, you just tell CW_EPG how you want to use your tuners (primary, secondary, etc.). Events are then scheduled based on the priorities you have defined.
The big deal with version 4 is that CW_EPG can now handle scheduling for all the supported tuners on your LAN rather than a single PC!
Using CW_EPG, the end result is still standard MyHD, Fusion, and (CW_EPG driven) HD Homerun capture events, but they are mapped out using CW_EPG's 'brains'. CW_EPG just hands the appropriate tuner software one-time captures that make sure you record all of the shows that you have specified by name or pattern, no matter when or on what channel they appear.
DOWNLOAD THE CURRENT VERSION
==============================
To get the new package, go here and follow the QuickStart instructions to set it up. (Note: If you’re already running a previous version of CW_EPG 4.0, you may simply run the setup executable to install this version over the previous one, repeating that step for any Helpers that you are using. Just make sure to update all PCs prior to running CW_EPG 4.1 the first time. There are instructions in the ReadMe for those updating from earlier versions)
Please post any issues that you discover to this thread.
CHANGES IN LATEST VERSION (See ReadMe for complete history)
===============
12/25/10 Version 4.1.0 released
- Helper OSD EPG database (cw_epg.mdb) updated
- Timeout on stalled Schedules Direct downloads
- Don't check for channels on offline PCs
- Episode number added to mouse-over hint on the Matches pane
- Fixed mapped channel delete cosmetic bug where grid would shift
- Clear All Schedules should remove all from History database
- Check only servers that have mapped channels defined on program start
- Fixed that M*A*S*H would not properly schedule
- Fixed error when dragging to end of Programs To Match list
- Rework Schedules Direct data update to eliminate dupes that were being created
- Added multiselection for deletion on History tab
- Highlighted History item survives sorting
- Do not show success message after a failed scheduling attempt
- New DevID format in capture file names
KNOWN ISSUES
===============
- Upgrade installation with Vista/Win7 UAC in its default (i.e., on) state may cause failure to preserve old configuration data and the history database.
Enjoy!
--The CW_EPG team:
AllenDB
HdtvinCR
KAXKID
Sengsational
TPeterson
(note: $20/year subscription to Schedules Direct TV listings required for use--but you can try it free for 7 days)
Merry Christmas!
See the QuickStart file for some initial screen shots. For more and some details on the new features, check out the new, enhanced ReadMe file.
======================
INTRODUCTION
============
The Cliff Watson Electronic Program Guide (CW_EPG) is a tool that works cooperatively with the MyHD and FusionHDTV applications and the HD Homerun tuner units to improve your television-scheduling and schedule-viewing experience.
The typical scheduling approach in both FusionHDTV and MyHD uses TitanTV as a source of programming information, which works very well for one-off captures. But it's hard to set up captures for a desired show series because (1) program schedules often vary from week to week, (2) TitanTV only shows two week's worth of programming, and (3) MyHD and FusionHDTV both have only simple-periodic recurring capture modes in daily or weekly repetitive patterns. Their built-in alternative to TitanTV is to use the PSIP programming information that is supposed to be sent along with the DTV data stream. However, that data source is often unsatisfactory, because the station either doesn't send it at all or only sends it a few hours ahead of the scheduled programs. Also, the PSIP information is only available for a given channel after you have tuned to it for a minute or so.
In contrast to TitanTV and the PSIP data, the CW_EPG scheduling approach downloads a complete schedule of television shows for all your channels for the next twelve days and (for MyHD users) displays it in the OSD EPG tables where the PSIP data used to appear. The schedule information comes from a Schedules Direct account (that you will need to set-up).
CW_EPG can handle recurring captures much better than does the hardware manufacturers' software alone. You can have CW_EPG automatically update the EPG listings daily and use the current data to schedule recordings on all your network-connected tuners. The recordings are based on matches to the list of shows that you provide via the CW_EPG control panel. VoilÃ*--you can have "season passes" to all your favorite shows!
CW_EPG, with its ability to manage scheduled events for MyHD, Fusion, and HD Homerun hardware, gives you a convenient single interface to manage your scheduled recordings. Rather than dealing with several interfaces and manually splitting events between tuners, you just tell CW_EPG how you want to use your tuners (primary, secondary, etc.). Events are then scheduled based on the priorities you have defined.
The big deal with version 4 is that CW_EPG can now handle scheduling for all the supported tuners on your LAN rather than a single PC!
Using CW_EPG, the end result is still standard MyHD, Fusion, and (CW_EPG driven) HD Homerun capture events, but they are mapped out using CW_EPG's 'brains'. CW_EPG just hands the appropriate tuner software one-time captures that make sure you record all of the shows that you have specified by name or pattern, no matter when or on what channel they appear.
DOWNLOAD THE CURRENT VERSION
==============================
To get the new package, go here and follow the QuickStart instructions to set it up. (Note: If you’re already running a previous version of CW_EPG 4.0, you may simply run the setup executable to install this version over the previous one, repeating that step for any Helpers that you are using. Just make sure to update all PCs prior to running CW_EPG 4.1 the first time. There are instructions in the ReadMe for those updating from earlier versions)
Please post any issues that you discover to this thread.
CHANGES IN LATEST VERSION (See ReadMe for complete history)
===============
12/25/10 Version 4.1.0 released
- Helper OSD EPG database (cw_epg.mdb) updated
- Timeout on stalled Schedules Direct downloads
- Don't check for channels on offline PCs
- Episode number added to mouse-over hint on the Matches pane
- Fixed mapped channel delete cosmetic bug where grid would shift
- Clear All Schedules should remove all from History database
- Check only servers that have mapped channels defined on program start
- Fixed that M*A*S*H would not properly schedule
- Fixed error when dragging to end of Programs To Match list
- Rework Schedules Direct data update to eliminate dupes that were being created
- Added multiselection for deletion on History tab
- Highlighted History item survives sorting
- Do not show success message after a failed scheduling attempt
- New DevID format in capture file names
KNOWN ISSUES
===============
- Upgrade installation with Vista/Win7 UAC in its default (i.e., on) state may cause failure to preserve old configuration data and the history database.
Enjoy!
--The CW_EPG team:
AllenDB
HdtvinCR
KAXKID
Sengsational
TPeterson
Yep, they're still selling them, so there's bound to be some of us johnny-come-latelies who just installed it and haven't had any problems that made us install updates. I had actually downloaded 1.66 before the card arrived, and then forgot to apply it. I'm a HiPix veteran, so the MyHD is a vast improvement. I've been enjoying it a lot. All the addon tools are fun and useful too. Thanks to all of you!
(seems to happen more and more as I get older ?) There's WatchHDTV and MyHDAuto, MyHDPlayListManager, now CW_EPG and maybe more? Where/how do they all fit together?
I accounted for the extra large font size in the desktop settings, but not the 120 DPI. Gotta wait for the next post.
