I wasn’t using Docker before either. I’m running Channels DVR on a Mac. I started using Docker specifically for the Pluto integration that maddox designed so well. It is easy, lightweight, and largely invisible.
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PC...Windows or Linux? If Windows 10, you still need to install WSL (I'm running WSL2 but I think WSL1 would also work). Then need to install linux node (or nodejs for Ubuntu WLS) and npm. Then extract the PlutoIPTV code from Github. Schedule the running via Task Scheduler. Then Instead of loading the m3u and epg via http you just access them as local files.
Sorry, Windows 10. Thanks, I'll see if I can make that work!
FYI: I've noticed that the last build or so on the docker container it is setting the name of the show when recorded as "Movies" with the actual name of the show as episode title. I noticed a few rare occasions when it hasn't done this, like "Jimi Hendrix: The Uncut Story" those 3 episodes are named properly, but other music shows and movies all have the same name as "Movies". Maybe something with the tags was changed in the last build or so. I last pulled on the docker container last night.
EDIT: looked at the listing for "The Strange Case of Alice Cooper: Live 1979" in the xml file and don't see why it would name it "Movie", title tag is correct. There is a "Movie/" inserted before the title of the shows in the channelsDVR logs showing the start of recording and processing.
Can't recommend unraid strongly enough - building a nas/server with container support is a very powerful thing
Please share the entry from the xmltv file and the logs that look wrong. I'm still not quite understanding what is going on.
Is there anyway to renumber the pluto channels? i know that i can reorder them per app in favorites but wondering if there is another way
What's HLS?
@maddox is there a way to take an XML file like this one:
https://techzyon.com/epg/plutotv_guide.xml
and ADD extended guide data to it. i know nothing about it, but i am willing to learn and do some leg work. would like an alternative to the docker idea. thoughts?
All the code for the docker is up on GitHub so you can see what it's doing and do the same thing in your own preferred way.
The xmltv file has to be generated every few hours which is what the docker is set up to do.
If it's the docker part that's bothering you, you can also install node for windows and run the same commands the docker file does but directly with node.exe
It’s one of the drop down options when you add the m3u link
I think you have the Docker up and running. Correct?
If that is the case if you put the localhost:8080 into a browser it will bring up the pluto-for-channels web page. Click on the EPG link. It will bring up the XML for the EPG - let it populate until it is finished. It will eventually format into an XML format. Select all and then copy. Paste it into something like Notepad++ and then delete that first line "This XML file...." then save it as an XML.That is your XMLTV formatted file. It is formatted a little different then what I have seen, but it is a valid file.
I think though that the "extended guide data" you mention would go in the M3U. Extended Tags is what I believe you are talking about. Perhaps @tmm1 can chime in here for clarification.
All that being said unless there is some reason just point channels to the pluto-for-channels url for the M3U and EPG it is updated regularly and has been working very well for me. You can use a customized M3U file and the pluto-for-channels EPG as well - you just have to maintain it, I have it setup that way and I have made 2 changes to the M3U (as the channels in PlutoTV have changed).
that's a good option for me. forgive my ignorance here but if I run the node.exe once and generate the m3u and the xml file, do I need to rerun it to refresh it? or can i refresh it from within the app?
Yes. You’ll want to run it every three hours or so. You really should take the dive and throw docker in there. You might find it useful for lots of other self hosted services.
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I wasn't very clear, I guess I should of woke up a little more before writing. The problem is with how Channels DVR is showing the titles within the Library. If you go to Library, TV Shows, All Shows and start scrolling, all it says for the name of each show is "Movie". If you go to the recordings tab, they are listed there properly, so this is just with how Channels DVR is displaying them within the library. I had updated channelsdvr server a couple of days ago, and started seeing this.
Here's the xlmtv entry:
</channel>
<programme start="20201204214500 +0000" stop="20201204231500 +0000" channel="live-music-replay">
<title lang="en">The Strange Case of Alice Cooper: Live 1979</title>
<icon src="http://images.pluto.tv/episodes/5708221c4c5fc6aa55946b9f/poster.jpg?fill=blur&fit=fill&fm=jpg&h=1000&q=75&w=694"/>
<desc lang="en">The Strange Case Of Alice Cooper is the warped tale of one man's descent into madness, a theatrical rock n' roll spectacle that could only emerge from the twisted imagination of Alice Cooper.</desc>
<date>19790601</date>
<category lang="en">Movie</category>
<category lang="en">Music</category>
<category lang="en">Rock</category>
<series-id system="pluto">5708221c4c5fc6aa55946b99</series-id>
<episode-num system="onscreen">1</episode-num>
<episode-num system="pluto">5708221c4c5fc6aa55946b9f</episode-num>
<episode-num system="original-air-date">1979-06-01T07:00:00.000Z</episode-num>
and the logs pertaining to recording with the strange parts in bold:
2020/12/04 14:44:00.004224 [DVR] Starting job 1607118240-ch9334 The Strange Case of Alice Cooper: Live 1979 (1979) on ch=[9334]
2020/12/04 14:44:04.815442 [M3U] stream timestamps: live-music-replay: start_at=2020-12-04T14:44:00-07:00 current_at=2020-12-04T14:44:10-07:00 end_at=2020-12-04T14:44:20-07:00
2020/12/04 14:44:04.815506 [TNR] Opened connection to M3U-PlutoTV for ch9334 Live Music Replay
2020/12/04 14:44:04.838061 [DVR] Recording for job 1607118240-ch9334 from M3U-PlutoTV ch9334 into "Movies/The Strange Case of Alice Cooper Live 1979 (1979) 2020-12-04-1444.mpg" for 1h35m59.956724s
2020/12/04 14:44:05.522260 [IDX] Generating video index for job 1607118240-ch9334
2020/12/04 16:20:04.823613 [TNR] Closed connection to M3U-PlutoTV for ch9334 Live Music Replay
2020/12/04 16:20:04.882001 [MTS] Statistics for "Movies/The Strange Case of Alice Cooper Live 1979 (1979) 2020-12-04-1444.mpg": skipped=0 unhandled_packets=0 discontinuity_detected=47 transport_errors=0 invalid_pts=0 invalid_dts=0 saw_pcr=true saw_pmt=true highest_pts=5828.634933
2020/12/04 16:20:04.883871 [DVR] Finished job 1607118240-ch9334 The Strange Case of Alice Cooper: Live 1979 (1979)
2020/12/04 16:20:05.757548 [DVR] Processing file-5551: Movies/The Strange Case of Alice Cooper Live 1979 (1979) 2020-12-04-1444.mpg
2020/12/04 16:20:06.771971 [DVR] Running commercial detection on file 5551 (Movies/The Strange Case of Alice Cooper Live 1979 (1979) 2020-12-04-1444.mpg)
2020/12/04 16:33:55.964274 [DVR] Commercial detection for The Strange Case of Alice Cooper Live 1979 (1979) 2020-12-04-1444.mpg finished with 20 markers.
And photo of showing the Alice Cooper recording listed as "Movie" in the library:
EDIT - I just checked, and this behavior started on Tuesday, 1 Dec. and occurred with all shows and movies recorded from PlutoTV. The Alice Cooper listing above is just one example of many, all the other logs are similar.
Chief
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Please check this archived version of free zap2xml setup
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What would be the best system for someone with no Docker experience to make the jump into Docker. Synology NAS, Rpi4, Linux Mint or windows?
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I feel like I'm very close. I removed the QNAP program and moved my Channels DVR setup to Docker. That's working great now. (Except that I forgot to backup and migrate my database and recordings!)
I've got Pluto setup in a container and it seems to be working there:
I setup everything in the Channels DVR settings...
But it is not pulling any channels...
Anyone have any insight they can provide?
Can you reach the pluto-for-channels server on localhost:8080?? Using a browser.