Where can I get support in case of problems?

For problems and questions about SmartEPGvu⁺ refer to the TTD Forum Vu+ corner

When will the next version be released?

New releases will be published on SmartEPGvu+ Updates in the first post for download.
In addition, in the Menu of SmartEPGvu⁺ you can set that SmartEPGvu⁺ should be updated automatically.

Which version have I installed?

The currently installed version is displayed at the top right of the SmartEPGvu⁺ menu. Alternatively you can find your Version in the +SmartEPGvu⁺ OWIF under the „About“ tab.

What do Time sync lock & Time sync do?

These functions are available in the Overview view and can maintain a time-synchronous time display when scrolling. If you are in the Overview view and scroll through the events to the right: the further you scroll, the more the times diverge. (When the view is called up, all times are synchronous with the current event).

If you then press   Time-Sync, the event where the cursor is located, its start time is taken as the default and all other events are compared to this event (at the top of the screen to the left, you can then see the time to be synchronized e.g.: ←-23:15–>)

Now you can scroll left/right again and the times diverge. This mode has the advantage that you always see one event after the other, but the start times may differ.

If you press   Time sync lock, then this operation is done automatically every time you scroll. On the channel where the cursor is positioned, event by event is scrolled, on the other channels, those that match the start time of the event currently marked with the cursor are always displayed.

The downside is that on the other channels, short events may be skipped when you're on a channel where long events are running.

What does the block and unblock feature do, why not just delete the search or the timer?

A search can also program timers that you actually don't want to have. If you delete this timer generated b the search, it will be generated again during the next search. If you block it, on the other hand, SmartEPGvu⁺remembers this program, and the search does not generate a new timer again.

A blocked timer is a timer that will not be triggered for recording.

Example: You can block a search timer…so it is inactive and you can utilize it again later (unblock).

or: You have a search that you have set with the mode: „Series“…this means that all episodes that have already been successfully recorded are found but then blocked because they have already been recorded. (in contrast in the „All“ mode, it is not taken into account whether the episodes have already been recorded or not).

Can I import my Topfield search?

Yes, SmartEPGvu⁺ can process search requests from the Topfield PVR directly. Simply copy the search.txt from the Topfield to the Vu+ directory /rootfs/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/SmartEPGvu/settings and the next time you start your Vu+, your search data will automatically be added and converted to the search.xml. After this import, the search.txt is renamed to search_orig.txt and can therefore remain on the VU+.
If a search.xml already exists on the VU+, e.g. due to an earlier import, a new import is only possible if the search.xml has been deleted beforehand.

Can I import the Topfield TMS File database?

Yes. You need the following files:

• File.db
• FileText.db
• FileTextStrings.db

to be copied to the Vu+ directory /rootfs/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/SmartEPGvu/settings. Then call up the Guide view once. The TMS data are then integrated in the Vu+ file.db. Depending on the size of the old database, it may take a few seconds before the import is complete and the desired view is dispalyed.

When importing the old TMS-FileDB, it is checked whether a recording already exists in the SQL-DB (via channel and start time). This prevents duplicates when importing multiple databases.

What is CrossEPG?

CrossEPG is a system extension and can be installed via the plugin browser. CrossEPG makes it possible to collect and process external EPG data from channels that usually only offer „Now & Next“ EPG information. For example, if you operate a second dish for 28.2 East and want to get the EPG for these programs, you can use the CrossEPG plugin. The UK channels for example only broadcast Now/Next via the normal EPG. The plugin switches to transponder 11428 H, which sends the EPG information for all programs on this satellite for 2 weeks in a data stream.

How do I enable the "cleanmetafile" parameter?

To activate the „cleanmetafile“ parameter in the settings, proceed as follows:

• Go to the settings menu of +SmartEPGvu⁺ and save - also without changes - with .

From there, the parameter is present in the smartEPGvu.xml, with the entry cleanmetafile=„False“ To change the parameter to True, you have to log on to the Vu with Telnet or similar

• Type init 4

then in the +SmartEPGvu⁺ settings folder, open the smartEPGvu.xml with a Linux format editor (only LF, no CR-LF)

• Find the cleanmetafile parameter and set it to True
• then save the modified file
• then enter init 3 in telnet.

From then on, the entry „TimerID=12345678“ will be removed from the meta file.

To test the success of the change ⇒ start a manual recording from the +SmartEPGvu⁺ Guide, let it run for about 1 minute, then stop the recording. Check the success in the smartepgvu.log or if using an archive that can display this info, then look there.

Example
Sun 2022-03-06 16:00:29 INFO Meta file from '/media/hdd/movie/20220306 1517 - ZDF HD - sportstudio live.ts' cleaned, tags before = 'TimerID=xxx' tags after = „

Shouldn't SE update itself?

„Automatic SE update“ is activated in the menu, even if the point below is activated as an alternative and then saved, nothing happens either, and the „x“ is there again after repeated calls?

Both options (Automatic SE update & Check for updates now) should then be activated, save with the green key, exit SmartEPGvu⁺ and then call up the Guide → A popup then appears asking if the update should be installed.

What to do if some timers are not deleted after the EPG scan and therefore there are various unwanted recordings in the FBEPGCheck directory?

Normally timers are deleted by the Vu itself and SmartEPGvu⁺ doesn't affect that.
So far, it could be determined that the VTi option „Automatically adapt recording times to EPG data“ causes this problem, since the FBEPGCHECK timers continue to run for up to 2 hours and the files are left over. There is currently no solution for this. In any case, it may then be that the Vu does not allow the timers/recordings set by SmartEPGvu⁺ to end, and this then means that the FBEPGCHECK timers (these are the ones from SmartEPGvu⁺ started EPG Scan Timer) continue for a few hours and the FBEPGCHECK files remain and the message No available tuner may appear, since all tuners are affected by the extended FBEPGCHECK timers are blocked.

However, a routine was added in SmartEPGvu⁺ which checks the timers against their EPG events every minute. The start and end time and whether a lost event has occurred or changed (the EPG entry for the timer disappears). Furthermore, a hash and fingerprint is used to search for an identical event within a period of +/- 3 hours and the timer is adjusted if there is a result.
This means that the VTi option „Automatically adapt recording times to EPG data“ can be dispensed without any noticeable disadvantages.

Therefore, the current recommendation to avoid this problem is:

Why doesn't the search find all timers?

The most common cause for this behavior is due to renaming of stations. e.g. changing the name from „WDR HD Duisburg“ to „WDR HD“. Then no more programs will be found on „WDR HD“ that actually run on „WDR HD Duisburg“.

Why are the OWIF, SmartEPGvu+ in the side menu, and the key to search from the EPG not displayed?

If SmartEPGvu⁺ is only visible in the new interface under Extras, and in the side menu and/or the button to search from the EPG is not visible, it is likely the „classic interface“, i.e. the old design is activated. In this case, go to Settings in the menu and activate „Use new design“ there (set a tick).
The website should then switch to the new design immediately. Click on the cog wheel at the top right corner under the Skins tab, select the primary colour. After a browser page refresh at the latest, the SmartEPGvu⁺ menu item should be visible again. The „city lights“ switch may then also need to be either switched on or off.

What to do with problems updating/installing OWIF?

Since there are a number of reasons for issues with OWIF which are not related to SmartEPGvu⁺, only limited solutions can be offered here. If problems persist , they must be addressed in the OWIF section in the Vu+ Support Forum.

Why do I sometimes have lost timers after a GUI restart?

Basically, this means that there is no associated EPG data for the LostTimers. The error can occur with every GUI restart and is independent of a scan. To have all EPG data up to date again, you can:

• Load epg.dat manually via Menu → VTi → Settings EPG → EPG data from the „epg.dat“ file.
• start a manual scan

and shortly after (a little over 10 seconds) the timers should be back as usual.

If the problem occurs repeatedly, the epg.dat on the hard disk may be defective:

• Run delete epg.dat manually via Menu → VTi → EPG Settings → Invalid „epg.dat“.

What to do if there are EPG gaps or the EPG does not contain any data?

In this case it is likely that the epg.dat is corrupted. You should then follow the instructions as described in the post above “ Why do I sometimes have a lost timer after a GUI restart?„ and either reload or delete the epg.dat.

What to do if the EPG repeatedly shows the wrong day?

In some cases it happens that the epg.dat file is corrupted. It is unclear what the cause is, as it occurs independently of SmartEPGvu⁺.
In this case you can use the VTI menu ⇒ Settings EPG ⇒ epd.dat to delete. Then restart and then the EPG scan can be started.

How can I prevent the PiGDummy skin error?

Turn off the „Picture-in-Graphics“ (Menu / VTi / Settings - GUI / General (3/3) / Picture-in-Graphics (PiG) = Off).