Canadians out of luck?

[werb]

So every programming service I find is US based . Does anyone know of such a service for Canadian users. This is very frustrating for me for I have played with the services for the Americans and I want this as well. I am using Shaw Cable in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Any help would be appreciated.

[James]

I wouldn't say you're out of luck completely but fully native support for Canadian (and other non US countries) providers isn't there *yet*.

From the SnapStream.Net side of things, after the release of Quartz (Personal Video Station 3.0) SS.Net will soon after start the process of internationalizing our EPG services. We've yet to finalize which countries will be the first to get support (part of the picture will become clearer once CeBit is over), though English speaking countries would be the easiest for us to support first.

As support for more countries aside from the US is an often requested topic, I'll try my best to keep users abreast of any developments as I'm made aware of them.

For Canadians specifcally though, since we have access to the data for Canada in an identical format as the US, there's a strong likelihood it would be one of the first ones we hit.

[Tuck]

Originally posted by werb
So every programming service I find is US based . Does anyone know of such a service for Canadian users. This is very frustrating for me for I have played with the services for the Americans and I want this as well. I am using Shaw Cable in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Any help would be appreciated.

www.zap2it.com or www.tvguidelive.com

[Allan G]

could I suggest that SnapStream have the option to import a listings file and the format of that file be published- this would allow users without native support to filter info from their own source,

also zap2it already provides an interface to an EPG that provides listings for US and Canada

http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/iEPG

[Tuck]

Originally posted by Allan G
could I suggest that SnapStream have the option to import a listings file and the format of that file be published- this would allow users without native support to filter info from their own source,

What would be the point?

[twistedmelon]

As mentioned in another thread, the documentation of the file format used for by SnapStream's guide (offline capable guide), opens the market up for the program. Immediately you wll be able to sell to people who would not otherwise be able to use your program in their countries.

Personally, I wouldn't mind paying $100 for a new versoin of SS. But I have to be able to use its ful integrated feature-set. Paying for specialty services based on online access to SS.NET is cool for those that want it, but I'm much more interested in a prograthat can also function perfectly well when there isn't a net connection. Or more often, when the net connection goes down.

Supplying the ability to read XMLTV or publishing your guide format may in some cases detract some people from your paid service, but it dosn't have to. As long as you're able to provide unique enough and compelling enough content and features through that service. But as mentioned, it's nice to be able to use the full feature set when one is already paying for listings from another provider (or must do so because they're in a region not supported by SS's own licencing arrangements).

Bruno

[Tuck]

Originally posted by twistedmelon
As mentioned in another thread, the documentation of the file format used for by SnapStream's guide (offline capable guide), opens the market up for the program. Immediately you wll be able to sell to people who would not otherwise be able to use your program in their countries.

The EPG is not necessary to schedule recordings in PVS. It can be done manually.

Are you speaking of 2.0 or 3.0?

[twistedmelon]

This is in reference to 3.0 and specifically for use with your EPG. "Manually" can be done with any number of recorder programs.

It's seamless integration of viewing/scheduling/recording/guide that is lacking severely in this product space. It is what keeps any and all PC-based offerings firmly in the back seat when compared to Tivo and Replay.

SnapStream 3 is the first solution I see that "brings it all together" - at least it has that potential.

Bruno

[Tuck]

Originally posted by twistedmelon
This is in reference to 3.0 and specifically for use with your EPG.

That functionality already exists. By default with 3.0 users will get a program guide and the apparently of-paramount-importance "one-click recording" with an unpaid snapstream.net account. Paid accounts, of course, get more features.

[Allan G]

that is true only for US- the point would be to allow international users that do not have EPG support built in to snapstream to load the programming information via some sort of filter- for example in Canada we have access to on line programming I use zap2it- but there is no way to integrate this into snapstream- I may be way off base but I would think it would be a fairly simple process for me to download my listings and filter them into a format that could be used in snapstream

[Tuck]

Originally posted by Allan G
that is true only for US

You are correct, sir. Foreign users -- at least, SOME of them -- can use Digiguide in conjunction with the Digisnap plug-in. This isn't going to be seamless with PVS 3's FSGUI, but snapstream.net, once it is out of beta, certainly won't be confined to just U.S. listings. It is for the time being, I imagine, because U.S. residents constitute the vast and sweeping majority of our customers heretofore and likely henceforth.

I may be way off base but I would think it would be a fairly simple process for me to download my listings and filter them into a format that could be used in snapstream

See Digiguide / Digisnap. I've heard good things about it.

Regarding Canada, however, you put any EPG -- or for that matter any web page -- into PVS. There is still a "Program Guide Hyperlink" setting that can be changed to something other than PVS. No "one-click recording," though.

[dps1]

Since I too am in Canada (and I imagine there would be a sweepingly large user base here as well since, as a populace, we are much more technologically savvy than the US base), I won't be forking out any more money to support Snapstream. Instead, I'll be on the lookout for other applications.

[twistedmelon]

I suspect the user base of Canadian SnapStream users is virtually non-existent.

However, supporting an EPG that allows Canadian content is not harder to implement than one that supports US. Paying licencing fees is of course another matter.

Not supporting a documented EPG data structure or not allowing the importing of external data (in the form of XML for instance) limits the user base as mentioned before. I can't answer if it's a matter of too much work, hard to implement at this stage of development or just not a concern at all (that last one is rough). I do know that the world-wide pool of "POSSIBLE" SnapStream users is significantly reduced by this. I can't imagine there are as many people using SnapStream as Creative's software, Hauppauge's, ATI's, Cyberlink's or perhaps even Showshifter. And I do mean individually, not cummulatively.

The possible user base is tremendous. But in any case, it opens up possible markets for other creative types.

Take a look at the forum on the myHTPC.net site. Then do a search for EPG and link on the first link. Join the forum, post and a the author to support SnapStream's software (it may do so after the currently planned work anyway). Currently this is looking like the best EPG for Windows. Even if it does require .NET and is written in VB.

myHTPC is only a front end and is irrelevant for this topic - it's that forum posting that's important.

Bruno

[kelmk]

That is absolutely ridiculous to think the Canadian market is virtually non existant.
I currently use myHTPC and grab listings with xmltv for Bell expressvu in Calgary. Why not support xmltv for listings? If you check the myHTPC forums, you can see xmltv scripts for countries all over the world to get their listings. Yesterday I was seriously considering purchasing Snapstream but now it's not very likely. Licensing fees is also rediculous. Why would I pay for listings that I can get for free on various sites?

[James]

Forgot about this thread---in the private beta forums, there is some discussion about XMLTV.

I am currently working w/ two beta testers in developing an application to import XMLTV feeds into the local database that Quartz uses for its full screen program guide. A couple features end up getting sacrificed because XMLTV feeds typically don't provide all the data that these features would require (for example, "record first run"/"new episodes" requires us to know when a show first aired, its original air date).

I believe they're fairly close, but once its complete, we would provide it free of charge on our website for download, and if its ready in time, would be included on the Quartz final CDs as well.

Canadian support may well be one of the first countries we add support for, it all boils down to the demand there. From a technical perspective, it's one of the easier countries to implement since our data provider has data for Canada as well.

In any case, for any country, in the interim of us actually licensing data for that locale, XMLTV would be a viable option with a couple caveats as noted.

(Oh, and another note, for the US at least, there will be no monthly charge. Other countries may or may not be subject to subscription fees as well--this is dependent on the type of licensing fees we end up being subject to in each given country as well as the overall market size for a given country--i.e. if you're in Portugal and we determine that the interest levels in Portugal are miniscule, obviously we're not going to want to go out and license data for the area at a few thousand dollars per month.)