XMLTV, Title Missing

[rmorris]

Server Version#: 1.22.1.4228
Player Version#: N/A

OK, I thought this was (sort of) fixed, but very odd … two items recorded yesterday (XML info below). One of them, only the Sort Title is filled in, not Title nor Summary. On the other, all 3 are correctly populated. Huh? . Any thoughts on why this is?

1. Failing item,

	<programme start="20210329010000 -0500" stop="20210329030000 -0500" channel="I593.61854.schedulesdirect.org">
		<title lang="en">PGA Tour Golf</title>
		<sub-title lang="en">Corales Puntacana Resort &amp; Club Championship, Final Round</sub-title>
		<desc lang="en">The final round of the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship begins. This year's event, unlike the 2020 tournament, does not have full FedExCup points status. Brice Garnett, who won here in 2018, finished T25 at last week's Honda Classic.</desc>
		<category lang="en">Golf</category>
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v6_ax.jpg" width="120" height="180" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v2_ax.jpg" width="135" height="180" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h5_aa.png" width="180" height="135" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h5_ax.jpg" width="180" height="135" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h14_ax.jpg" width="240" height="135" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v5_ax.jpg" width="240" height="360" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v3_ax.jpg" width="270" height="360" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h3_aa.png" width="360" height="270" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h3_ax.jpg" width="360" height="270" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h13_ax.jpg" width="480" height="270" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v7_ax.jpg" width="480" height="720" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v4_ax.jpg" width="540" height="720" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h6_aa.png" width="720" height="540" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h6_ax.jpg" width="720" height="540" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h12_ax.jpg" width="960" height="540" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h11_ax.jpg" width="1280" height="720" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v8_ax.jpg" width="960" height="1440" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v9_ax.jpg" width="1080" height="1440" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h9_aa.png" width="1440" height="1080" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h9_ax.jpg" width="1440" height="1080" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h10_ax.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h2_ax.jpg" width="2048" height="1024" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v12_ax.jpg" width="1920" height="2880" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v13_ax.jpg" width="2160" height="2880" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h15_aa.png" width="3200" height="2400" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h8_ax.jpg" width="3840" height="2160" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_s4_ag.jpg" width="3000" height="3000" />
		<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00554472.6885</episode-num>
		<video>
			<aspect>16:9</aspect>
			<quality>HDTV</quality>
		</video>
		<previously-shown />
		<subtitles type="teletext" />
	</programme>

2. Working item,

	<programme start="20210328210000 -0500" stop="20210329010000 -0500" channel="I593.61854.schedulesdirect.org">
		<title lang="en">PGA Tour Golf</title>
		<sub-title lang="en">WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play, Final</sub-title>
		<desc lang="en">The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play decides a winner with the semifinals and championship from Austin Country Club in Texas. Dustin Johnson looks to become the first golfer since himself in 2017 to win the Match Play as the world's No. 1 golfer.</desc>
		<category lang="en">Golf</category>
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v6_ax.jpg" width="120" height="180" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v2_ax.jpg" width="135" height="180" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h5_aa.png" width="180" height="135" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h5_ax.jpg" width="180" height="135" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h14_ax.jpg" width="240" height="135" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v5_ax.jpg" width="240" height="360" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v3_ax.jpg" width="270" height="360" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h3_aa.png" width="360" height="270" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h3_ax.jpg" width="360" height="270" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h13_ax.jpg" width="480" height="270" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v7_ax.jpg" width="480" height="720" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v4_ax.jpg" width="540" height="720" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h6_aa.png" width="720" height="540" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h6_ax.jpg" width="720" height="540" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h12_ax.jpg" width="960" height="540" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h11_ax.jpg" width="1280" height="720" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v8_ax.jpg" width="960" height="1440" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v9_ax.jpg" width="1080" height="1440" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h9_aa.png" width="1440" height="1080" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h9_ax.jpg" width="1440" height="1080" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h10_ax.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h2_ax.jpg" width="2048" height="1024" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v12_ax.jpg" width="1920" height="2880" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_v13_ax.jpg" width="2160" height="2880" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/o2934_l_h15_aa.png" width="3200" height="2400" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_h8_ax.jpg" width="3840" height="2160" />
		<icon src="https://schedulesdirect-api20141201.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/assets/p845788_b_s4_ag.jpg" width="3000" height="3000" />
		<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00554472.6889</episode-num>
		<video>
			<aspect>16:9</aspect>
			<quality>HDTV</quality>
		</video>
		<new />
		<subtitles type="teletext" />
	</programme>

Thanks!

[SystemAdministrator-2020]

It is because Plex sees the first show (the failed one) as the same episode as the second one that was already recording. Since there is a lack of anything that defines it as a different episode in the xmltv guide (that plex goes off of anyway), it will not record. Plex goes off of the Title of the program first (“PGA Tour Golf”), and then if it is the same as a different show with the same title (again, “PGA Tour Golf”), it goes to episode number. If that doesnt exist, then original air date is used to determine if it is different. You have to have at least a SxxExx format in the episode-num xml tag, or a different original-air-date xml tag for each of these two PGA Tour Golf entries so plex will recognize that they are different/unique shows.

Same-name daily shows recordings fail to record

I dont use Plex categories either, but in the zap2it xml files, the categories are already in there. I just use the category of “series” to denote that it is not a movie since Plex treats movies differently than TV shows for the guide. Here is a sample of what zap2it comes out with, and I just key off of the category element. This one has no original-air-date, nor the proper series-episode format. <programme start="20210215200000 -0500" stop="20210215230000 -0500" channel="I304.16616.zap2it.…

[rmorris]

@SystemAdministrator-2020

It is because Plex sees the first show (the failed one) as the same episode as the second one that was already recording.

There are several different fields, including episode-num => is this not sufficient to delineate them?

@SystemAdministrator-2020

it will not record

They both recorded, it’s just the naming fields (i.e. Title) that are missing.

[SystemAdministrator-2020]

That’s interesting then if they both recorded. It may have something to do with the way episode-num is used here (i.e. using the dd_progid instead of the SxxExx format), but I am not sure.

If it were me, I would try adding the original air date tag to the xml guide data and see if plex will not only record the episodes in the future, but also import all of the data such as the title etc.

For my issues, sports, local news, cooking shows, lots of things on PBS, talk shows, etc, are treated as the same show unless there is a differentiating value in one of the three xml tags as I stated above. For me, just adding the original-air-date tag when necessary solved a bunch of issues, and now plex dvr behaves as you would think it should behave.

[rmorris]

Will give it a shot, thanks! BTW, is your source code stored anywhere (e.g. GitHub)? Just to make it a bit easier to start from.

[SystemAdministrator-2020]

I uploaded here:

Same-name daily shows recordings fail to record

(Please excuse the username, I am not a PLEX administrator in any way.) I created a simple program with python to fix this exact issue. It takes an xml guide input file (-i), an xml guide output file (-o), and anything you want to exclude (-x) but will default to excluding ‘paid programming’, ‘pay-per-view’, ‘on demand’, ‘sign off’, ‘to be announced’, and “Shopping” if nothing is specified. It adds an original-air-date record parsed from the actual air-date to the xml entries that are series …

[rmorris]

Will give it a shot, thanks!

[rmorris]

OK, checked out the code - it makes sense, very clear. Appreciate it. One thing I just noticed though … the “raw” file from SD (DD format), actually seems to contain (example one copied here),

<originalAirDate>2021-04-04</originalAirDate>

I can use that to set the episode-num (original-air-date). I admit, until I saw your code it wasn’t clear to me that there are multiple episode-num items. So it really did help to clarify. If you don’t mind - what program / utility are you using to generate your XMLTV file? And is it data from SD? It’s entirely possible that I have that messed up .

FYI, I did manually enter an original-air-date, and it took - good news there. It also seemed to help the Title … but that’s a bit inconclusive, as Title was only randomly failing before (so checking just one item isn’t conclusive yet).

Thanks again!

[SystemAdministrator-2020]

Thats great that it is working. Glad the code helped with clarity too.

I am using Zap2It as the XML TVGuide provider, but using mc2xml as the program that goes out and gets it. Works quite well by specifying which dat file to use, and you can daisy chain a few calls to mc2xml if you need more than one source for the guide (such as if you use locast2plex and HDHomeRun for cable).

You can find mc2xml here.

[rmorris]

Thanks for the pointers - will dig into this. Much appreciated!