Samsung TV Plus for Channels [retired]

Playground Custom Channels
#288

Matt,

I've added the last-modified timestamp returned in the header to the log output.
I'll continue running the script, but won't post any results unless I see issues.

shell script running every hour at 30 past the hour

echo $(date -Iseconds) $(TZ='Pacific/Auckland' date -Iseconds) $(curl -i "https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/" 2>&1 | grep 'last-modified:\|href="us.xml' | tr -d "\r")

Output

Time checked: Local time  Time checked: NZST time   Website last-modified timestamp: GMT time    Website content https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/us.xml Website content https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/us.xml.gz
------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
2024-05-29T19:30:01-07:00 2024-05-30T14:30:01+12:00 last-modified: Thu, 30 May 2024 02:16:25 GMT <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 30-May-2024 14:05 1647200 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 30-May-2024 14:14 292085
2024-05-29T20:30:01-07:00 2024-05-30T15:30:01+12:00 last-modified: Thu, 30 May 2024 02:16:25 GMT <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 30-May-2024 15:05 1646124 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 30-May-2024 14:31 292085

I modified the cron job to run the script 3 times each hour. On the hour, 30 minutes and 45 minutes after the hour.

The only takeaway on the guide data updates I see is this.

Your website doesn't always have an updated xml (or xml.gz) available at 30 minutes after the hour.
Channels DVR will update the xml source about every hour, but the exact time varies and is based on when it does its daily morning guide update, which varies every day.

I have set the exact time Channels DVR updates the xml source for Samsung guide data using a cron job.
If I set it to update hourly at 30 minutes past the hour, I get inconsistent (late/missing) guide data, 30-90 minutes late.
If I set it to update hourly at 45 minutes past the hour, I get consistent up to date guide data, 45 minutes late.
If I set it to update hourly at 00 minutes past the hour, I get consistent up to date guide data, 60 minutes late.

#289

Finally figured it out after running a script that checks your website every minute.
We're accessing a cached (proxy) copy of your website though cloudflare.
That cached (proxy) copy doesn't get updated until 2-3 minutes after you generate the last gzipped xml file (.xml.gz), which I've seen generated as late as 34 minutes after the hour.
So although your .xml files may be there at 5-9 minutes after the hour, we can't access them at that time.

Guess that's what you meant by this

I had to edit this post since the forum doesn't allow more than 3 consecutive posts "No more than 3 consecutive replies are allowed. Please edit your previous reply, or wait for someone to reply to you."

Good morning @matthuisman
Your website hasn't updated the SamsungTVPlus xml files for a couple hours.
Last run it did was 6am your time.

Time checked: NZST time  Website us.xml file last updated                      Website us.xml.gz file last updated
------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
2024-06-10T07:15:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:06 1608688 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:30 285860
2024-06-10T07:30:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:06 1608688 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:30 285860
2024-06-10T07:45:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:06 1608688 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:30 285860
2024-06-10T08:00:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:06 1608688 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 07:34 285860
2024-06-10T08:15:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:06 1608688 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 07:34 285860
2024-06-10T08:30:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 06:06 1608688 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 07:34 285860

Just updated

2024-06-10T08:45:00+1200 <a href="us.xml">us.xml</a> 10-Jun-2024 08:05 1608876 <a href="us.xml.gz">us.xml.gz</a> 10-Jun-2024 08:33 284766
#290

So I have all of these channels set up but none of my passes will record on them, is this related to the guide data issue? I have the XML download set for every 3 hours.

Passes will record fine if I change the channel to another provider, in my case it's BBC News which is also available on Pluto, Plex etc. Shows record on Pluto but Pluto inserts more ads so would prefer the Samsung feed if I can get it to work.

#291

most likely the guide data doesn't provide any unique identifier for the episodes, so Channels DVR thinks they're all the same episode.

What does your pass look like

Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 14-34-21 Channels Passes
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 14-34-21 Channels Passes498×573 31.7 KB

and what does it show for Matches
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 14-34-39 Channels Passes
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 14-34-39 Channels Passes498×867 52.6 KB

For the Pluto source, the developers use a unique ProgramID for each episode by appending the airing date&time to them.

"ProgramID": "pluto/65dd260c16305f0013e0f697/20240615160000--0700"

Like my HDHR Prime tuner source which gets the unix epoch time appended

"ProgramID": "SH018698720000-1718488800"

Using the Samsung+ TV source, all the episodes have the same ProgramID

"ProgramID": "BBC News/d3d91714fc1601b3b9df3367cfb4121ed79578ca6b41d57cd515733c77d13e33"
#292

It's an advanced pass with a simple title match for BBC News and the time and channel, there's no series ID. That's what makes me wonder why it won't record, because if I change the channel to Pluto one it works fine.

1 Like
#293

In order to record from a pass, each episode needs a unique ProgramID, but they aren't unique, so it would only record the first one.
If you look at the Matches tab on your pass, it will probably show every airing marked as :white_check_mark: Recorded

1 Like
#294

So in other words the Samsung data is broken, guess I'll change pass to all eps.

The frustrating part is that I can't see in the scheduler what's set to record because these only record once a day and the guide data only goes out 6 hours.

#295

Even if you removed the time from the pass, it still won't record them.

#296

So in other words it's broken and I can't record?

#297

Correct. Unless Matt can add something to the guide data.
See Channels Support - Add Custom Channels with M3U Playlists- Uniquely Identify Airings

#298

But if I set pass to all eps why won't that work? In Tivo world this is called Everything, which includes dupes.

This sounds as much like a Channels limitation as it does guide data because data is often broken and everything can cover for this in some cases. Should be an option to record all.

#299

I agree and I've asked for it.

What you can do is add a new custom m3u channel that gets guide data from gracenote and uses the Samsung+ channel.

Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 17-23-24 Channels Settings
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 17-23-24 Channels Settings798×842 41.4 KB 

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="BBCWDNA" tvg-id="BBCWDNA" tvc-guide-stationid="89542" group-title="News & Opinion",BBC News
https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/US4000033L.m3u8

Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 18-40-38 Channels Settings
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 18-40-38 Channels Settings798×267 16.4 KB

Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 17-26-53 Channels Passes
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 17-26-53 Channels Passes498×807 38.3 KB

Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 17-27-39 Channels Passes
Screenshot 2024-06-15 at 17-27-39 Channels Passes498×877 47.4 KB

Then hide/disable the BBC News channel from the Samsung source

3 Likes
#300

Thanks! I'll do that, would be way better to have Gracenote guide data anyway.

What's the easy way to get the specific M3U from Matt's data and the specific Gracenote ID for any channel? Sorry if this has been asked before. That way I can just cherry pick the channels I want from these free sources and have Gracenote data.

#301

To get the url for the channel, look in the lineup playlist file you're using, https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/us.m3u8

You can search for the gracenote station ID using OliveTin for Channels,
or in your browser using double quotes to enclose a phrase to search for
http://127.0.0.1:8089/tms/stations/"bbc news north america"
which is url encoded as http://127.0.0.1:8089/tms/stations/%22bbc%20news%20north%20america%22

In this case, I used the one for the same channel from my HDHR Prime.
You just need to verify the airings and times for the station ID you pick matches what's airing.

#302

No guide data again for me.
Manual Refresh:
2024/06/27 10:02:56.077762 [DVR] Fetched guide data for XMLTV-Samsung in 134ms
2024/06/27 10:02:56.196303 [DVR] Indexed 0 airings into XMLTV-Samsung

Screenshot 2024-06-27 100417
Screenshot 2024-06-27 1004172050×1288 202 KB

#303

Seeing the same thing here as well.

#304

Same here on his Pluto guide today also

#305

@matthuisman
The timestamp inside the us.xml file shows it was last updated yesterday.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE tv SYSTEM "xmltv.dtd"><tv generator-info-name="www.matthuisman.nz" generated-ts="1719437441">

That's Wednesday, June 26, 2024 9:30:41 PM GMT

#306

no epg data here also using docker.

#307

Just rechecked and now Matt's Plex, Pluto, & Samsung guides are not working. I refreshed from blank tivimate and then went to check the catch-up and his server stopped data as of around midnight Wednesday. The data is old even though it shows updated it's stuck using Wednesdays data... Hopefully it's a simple reboot of his scripts etc