That's all they provide unfortunately. So best to have merge running every hour.
Eventually I'll make it so different sources can refresh at different times just when needed. So Samsung could do every hour. The rest evey 12 hours etc
As for numbering channels, it depends if they already have channel numbers. If a channel is imported with Chan 950 it shouldn't get bumped if you add a chan 3. Often channel numbers are advertised and remembered. It would be bad to start shifting them.
You could also have two channel 3s from different providers. So yes. Can have same channel numbers.
in IPTV Merge you can set a source to not import channel numbers. Then they are ordered via their position. And their numbers are based off their position. So setting a channel number will set that to top and all others will then follow that.
So say for sumsung where numbers are pretty irelvant. You could set that to not import them. And also set them to be hidden by default. Then simply enable the ones you want and they will position themselves following your numbered channels.
Or even can set a starting channel number for them as well. So they could start at 500 for example.
Oh wait, can't remember if I made starting channel number per source possible yet.
Numbering and sorting channels is actually a lot harder than you would think. So many different ways and people who want different things
The order you see in Tv Manager is the order they should end up in after merge.
(2021-07-03, 03:06)matthuisman Wrote: [ -> ]That's all they provide unfortunately. So best to have merge running every hour.
Ok thanks, that's a pity but at least it wasn't an error on my side.
As far as channel numbers are concerned I have set them not to be imported and set my own channel numbers as this seemed to be the only way to have my own custom channel order, given the problem with Kodi PVR.
I'm not bothered about keeping the original numbers really. I used to have an extensive EPG setup in the past and for simplicity it's more important to me to have similar channels ordered together in the Guide, eg: Favourites, News, Sports, etc.
I realise that I can also use Groups for that but my Skin doesn't support that in a very friendly way so it just adds more complication for family members.
However I may well make some custom groups in the future too.
Thanks again
matthuisman ,
lately I am experiencing in issue. I have IPTV Merge and PVR all set up like usual and using Pluto TV, Stirrd, and Samsung TV all merged. However even after rerunning the merge, there are no channels for Samsung or Pluto in both IPTV Merge or PVR. This tested on both my usual setup and a fresh install of Kodi 19.1 with the same issue.
Log File:
https://justpaste.it/4drgq
You need to enable the regions you want merged
Go into pluto and Samsung, then on the regions you want, open context menu and click "add to merge"
(2021-07-06, 21:35)matthuisman Wrote: [ -> ]You need to enable the regions you want merged
Go into pluto and Samsung, then on the regions you want, open context menu and click "add to merge"
Ahhh, OK. I see. That must have changed recently, makes sense with the different country options. That worked. Thanks!!
Yup, I changed that about a week ago as lots of requests for being able to just merge "USA and England" etc.
Just added an error that should show in merge if no regions are selected so hopefully make it more obvious
Hello @
matthuisman,
I'm here in Germany and want to play NASA TV from this playlist:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jnk22/...odi_tv.m3u.
But when I try to play the channel after merging etc in Kodi PVR, IPTVMerge says that is not possible because of geo blocking and that I should try to check bla bla...
When I open this playlist as a playlist in Kodi it's no problem to play the NASA channel but not in PVR.
It's also no problem to play it in VLC on my PC so it can't be an issue with geo blocking.
Do you have any idea what's going on?
just pushed 0.18.6 of IPTV Merge that should fix that stream
Ok, works - thanks for the quick help!
(2021-07-07, 13:27)matthuisman Wrote: [ -> ]just pushed 0.18.6 of IPTV Merge that should fix that stream
It looks like that since this update, I can no longer change the output directory of the merged epg and playlist. To be precise - I can change the directory in the settings, but IPTVMerge doesn't actually output the files there, it puts them in the default addon_data\plugin.program.iptv.merge directory.
When running a merge, the Kodi log shows these lines:
2021-07-08 14:44:22.452 T:2924 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::GetDirectory - Error getting plugin://plugin.program.iptv.merge/?_=merge
2021-07-08 14:44:22.452 T:4760 ERROR: CGUIMediaWindow::GetDirectory(plugin://plugin.program.iptv.merge/?_=merge) failed
2021-07-08 14:44:26.289 T:4976 ERROR: EXCEPTION: Unknown addon id 'pvr.iptvsimple'.
The output directory I am attempting to use IS a mapped network location, but as a testing measure, I attempted to use the main local C drive as as an output location and got the same result.
Is this a "me" error (perhaps something changed in my setup around the same time as the update) or is this a plugin issue?
Thoughts?
(2021-07-08, 21:52)mastertheshadow Wrote: [ -> ] (2021-07-07, 13:27)matthuisman Wrote: [ -> ]
2021-07-08 14:44:26.289 T:4976 ERROR: EXCEPTION: Unknown addon id 'pvr.iptvsimple'.
That line can be ignored - I didn't have IPTVSimple running on that system because I only use it to run IPTVMerge and push the file to my server (similar to the internal HTTP server setting in IPTVMerge).
However after turning on debug logging and looking through, I think it's something bigger going on with this system all of a sudden, because I'm seeing errors in the log retrieving the settings of all of the plugins from the "Slyguy Repository" (the only ones I have running on this system) and these lines earlier in the log file:
2021-07-08 15:36:48.555 T:10820 INFO: ADDON: cpluff: 'Could not read plug-in directory C:\Users\mastertheshadow\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons: No such file or directory'
2021-07-08 15:36:48.604 T:10820 DEBUG: ADDON: cpluff: 'Not all directories were successfully scanned.'
Which is a directory that absolutely exists.
So my issue might not be related to the addon at all - I've now just got to figure out why Kodi can't see/read any of the actual settings.
my latest changes to merge actually made it work with output directory on the network.
Before that, using any SMB paths shouldn't have worked as the add-on was trying to open the files directly in Python.
Now it always stores them locally in the profile directory,
but copies them using kodis xbmcfs copy (which works across different protocols) after a merge to the desired output directory
A full debug log would be good
If your using all my add-ons - then it should be fine to post
(2021-07-08, 23:19)matthuisman Wrote: [ -> ]my latest changes to merge actually made it work with output directory on the network.
Before that, using any SMB paths shouldn't have worked as the add-on was trying to open the files directly in Python.
Now it always stores them locally in the profile directory,
but copies them using kodis xbmcfs copy (which works across different protocols) after a merge to the desired output directory
A full debug log would be good
If your using all my add-ons - then it should be fine to post
Ah - perhaps its the way I have been doing it then.
The output directory is a shared file on my server (that is subfolder on the webserver that I run - so that I can access the Playlist and EPG data from outside my local network to "run" my parent's Kodi setup - they're "next door" but on a different network/internet provider). Anyway - that folder is a network share that I've mapped to the "T" drive on the system running IPTV Merge - so the output I have been using in the IPTVMerge settings is "T:\IPTVMerge" (where "IPTVMerge" is a subfolder on the mapped shared drive). Thus windows was handling the mapping so that I could use a local drive letter in Kodi instead of the SMB path. So, I'm thinking maybe I should remove that windows mapping and set it as the SMB path, but I'll wait until I hear back since you are MUCH more experienced in this stuff than I.
I went ahead and installed IPTV Simple Client on that system before running the full debug log just to see - and the log is showing errors with it reading the output files on that T drive (I manually copied them over to the webserver when IPTVMerge wouldn't output them there). My other systems (on both networks) are reading those files fine, and I have manually confirmed that the playlist is not "empty" as the log on this "Primary" system seems to think.
In any event, here's the full debug log that I referenced above (all I did for this log was start kodi and go to IPTVMerge and run the Merge). Long ago, I used to have other addons installed, but stopped using them - I
think this is a clean install since then, and I don't have any remnants of other addons still lingering (but it's been 2 years since I first set this instance up to populate my MySQL library setup and my memory of if it was a clean install when I set that up, is not that great lol):
https://pastebin.com/KbbxRRkA
Thanks for your help!
I've been playing:
Somehow, the IPTVMerge playlist and EPG in my original output directory: "T:\IPTVMerge" were added as sources to the merge. I removed those from the Playlist and EPG sources and then set the output to the SMB path - I now get the expected behavior of having the generated files in the profile directory and the copy (to the SMB path) functions.
IPTV Simple is also reading the playlist file on this system as it should now.
I'm still getting the weird cpluff error about not being able to read the plug-in directory, and all kinds of errors in the log about "CAddonSettings failing to find definitions" and "CSettingsManager not finding settings" - but things are functioning (for now) and it may not be related.
those settings errors are normal. don't worry about them
ADDON: cpluff: 'Could not read plug-in directory'
You'll need to ask the cpluff add-on dev about that
ahh yes, IPTV Merge when running "Setup" will bring in the IPTV Simple current sources to try to be "nice".
But think it causes more issues than it solves. its easy enough for the user to add their old sources.
Ill update to remove that. Actually, i'll make it just import any url sources from IPTV Simple. But not local paths
Can you confirm Merge works with both windows mapped drive T:\ and the SMB:// path for you?
actually I just tried and I can output directory to a mapped drive without issue
looking at your debug log
2021-07-08 15:46:17.199 T:8132 DEBUG: plugin.program.iptv.merge - Copying: C:\Users\mastertheshadow\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\userdata\addon_data\plugin.program.iptv.merge\epg.xml > T:\IPTVMerge\epg.xml
2021-07-08 15:46:17.200 T:8132 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::Create - Error creating T:\IPTVMerge
2021-07-08 15:46:17.200 T:8132 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::Create - Error creating T:\
2021-07-0815:46:17.200 T:8132 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::Create - Error creating T:\IPTVMerge\
Seems it can't see T:\ going by those errors.