[Iluso]

Hello there,
 Is IPTV Merge able to read the tag “x-tvg-url” at the  #EXTM3U m3u file header?
 
Something like this:
 
#EXTM3U x-tvg-url="<EPG xml 1>, <EPG xml.gz 2>, etc"
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel 1" tvg-logo="https://www.logo.com/logo.png" group-title="GENERAL",Channel 1 [PT]
http://url.com/user/password/1111
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel 2" tvg-logo="https://www.logo.com/logo2.png" group-title="GENERAL",Channel 2 [PT]
http://url.com/user/password/1112
 
I did a test with a m3u list and your add-on, and didn’t work, but I would like to confirm with you that this is not possible with IPTV Merge.
 
For instance, there are other tags like “url-tag” that work with other IPTV apps external to Kodi.
 
At the end for me it’s easier to manage the EPG Urls using my M3u list instead of adding the EPG urls.
 
Thanks.

[matthuisman]

IPTV Merge 0.15.8 adds supports for x-tvg-url and url-tvg on the #EXTM3U line
Multiple urls can be provided using a , to seperated

[richardk]

I using Kodi v19 with pvr.mythtv and another addon that uses this service, however my system keeps crashing when trying to install this software from that add on.

With my mythtv add on I have left the channels as defaults so I am not sure what is going on, any thoughts?

Log file: uwicamapop.kodi (paste)

I'm having the same problem.  Kodi crashes whenever a merge is run.  I also have pvr.mythtv installed, so that's probably related.

[matthuisman]

@richardk 
@girkers

just pushed 0.15.9
see if that works better on Kodi 19

[richardk]

@richardk 
@girkers

just pushed 0.15.9
see if that works better on Kodi 19

I got the update -- had to force the repo to update first.  Ran a merge, and Kodi didn't crash.  Thanks!!

[IamDan]

Hey Matt great work! I use many of your addons. 

I have a question regarding IPTV Merge, Simple IPTV and PseudoTV. Im trying to merge Foxtel Go, Optus and PseudoTV, however PseudoTV fails to play a channel. Is there a conflict with the way they work together? If i disable either IPTV merge or PseudoTV they each work as expected.

[richardk]

With the latest update, the crashes upon executing a merge are gone.  But I'm still seeing Kodi crash sometimes when I attempt to start a stream from the "Favorites" page.  

I think this is happening when an entry changes through running a merge, and the favorites entry does not automatically change.  For example:

<favourites>
    <favourite name="UK | FRANCE 24" thumb="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/FRANCE_24_logo.svg/120px-FRANCE_24_logo.svg.png">PlayMedia(&quot;pvr://channels/tv/All%20channels/pvr.iptvsimple_467179133.pvr&quot;)</favourite>
    <favourite name="UK | FRANCE 24" thumb="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/FRANCE_24_logo.svg/120px-FRANCE_24_logo.svg.png">PlayMedia(&quot;pvr://channels/tv/All%20channels/pvr.iptvsimple_467179134.pvr&quot;)</favourite>
</favourites>


Kodi crashes when I use the first favorites entry.  I added the second entry (using the context menu in the "TV / Channels" page, and it does not cause a crash.

Thanks for all the work on this great addon, and for taking a look at this!

Update: 

I've found a solution for this.  In the addon settings "Playback" section, I turned off "Use IPTV Merge Proxy for HTTP Streams", deleted the "Favorites" items, and recreated them from the "Channels" menu.  Now the favorites reflect actual stream URLs, instead of calling the IPTV Merge addon.  (Perhaps, though, the addon code could be changed to gracefully handle an incorrect stream reference.)

[matthuisman]

@richardk
Are you sure?

even with "Use IPTV Merge Proxy for HTTP Streams" disabled on Kodi 19, I still get PlayMedia(&quot;pvr://channels/tv/All%20channels/pvr.iptvsimple_162152935.pvr&quot in favourites.

Also, its not IPTV merge crashing kodi - it's kodi or IPTV Simple
it never gets to the add-on call.
in kodi 18 - just nothing happens with an outdated favourites - so seems to be a bug in 19 crashing.

there is also no way for the add-on to update favourites.

I've had a try and even after a new merge - the favourites still work regardless of that setting.
Maybe you cleared PVR data in the settings?
That would remove the PVR unique ID mapping so would break any "hard links" like the favourites.

Also, if the favourites doesn't use the "pvr://channels/" path - then you won't get EPG / timeline when you play it from favourites.

As long as you don't clear data or change the "url" that IPTV Simple sees (one in output playlist from merge) - it should get the same ID assigned each time.
Having the "proxy" setting actually helps with this as it generates a slug. so it's url to IPTV Simple is more "stable" eg. plugin://iptv.merge/?slug=1234
the slug is generated from the tvg-id or if doesn't have that then the url.
So if the actual url changed (or changed by user), the slug remains the same and the favourite would still work.
However, if iptv simple sees "http://my_url" and it gets changed to "http://my_url2" - then a new id assigned and favourites break.

when you change that setting in IPTV Merge - it will break favourites as the exported URL will change from plugin://blah to http://blah and back again.

So its best to get it all setup then create favourites.
Favourites are generally quite "unstable". eg. a favourite to a Disney+ movie would fail if Disney+ changed the id for the movie or removed it.
The are best used for static / media you have locally.

If your not worried about the EPG stuff, then you could manually change the favourites to the same paths that are in the exported playlist (either the plugin:// path or http path)

@phunkyfish 
do you think Kodi 19 crashing with a non-existent pvr:// path is IPTV simple or Kodi bug?
Quite easy to test, just create a playlist with a URL to anything.
Scan it in and then favourite it. Then change the url in the playlist. then scan again.
then try to use the favourite.

[richardk]

@richardk
Are you sure?

even with "Use IPTV Merge Proxy for HTTP Streams" disabled on Kodi 19, I still get PlayMedia(&quot;pvr://channels/tv/All%20channels/pvr.iptvsimple_162152935.pvr&quot in favourites.

Also, its not IPTV merge crashing kodi - it's kodi or IPTV Simple
it never gets to the add-on call.
in kodi 18 - just nothing happens with an outdated favourites - so seems to be a bug in 19 crashing.

there is also no way for the add-on to update favourites.

I've had a try and even after a new merge - the favourites still work regardless of that setting.
Maybe you cleared PVR data in the settings?
That would remove the PVR unique ID mapping so would break any "hard links" like the favourites.

Also, if the favourites doesn't use the "pvr://channels/" path - then you won't get EPG / timeline when you play it from favourites.

As long as you don't clear data or change the "url" that IPTV Simple sees (one in output playlist from merge) - it should get the same ID assigned each time.
Having the "proxy" setting actually helps with this as it generates a slug. so it's url to IPTV Simple is more "stable" eg. plugin://iptv.merge/?slug=1234
the slug is generated from the tvg-id or if doesn't have that then the url.
So if the actual url changed (or changed by user), the slug remains the same and the favourite would still work.
However, if iptv simple sees "http://my_url" and it gets changed to "http://my_url2" - then a new id assigned and favourites break.

when you change that setting in IPTV Merge - it will break favourites as the exported URL will change from plugin://blah to http://blah and back again.

So its best to get it all setup then create favourites.
Favourites are generally quite "unstable". eg. a favourite to a Disney+ movie would fail if Disney+ changed the id for the movie or removed it.
The are best used for static / media you have locally.

If your not worried about the EPG stuff, then you could manually change the favourites to the same paths that are in the exported playlist (either the plugin:// path or http path)

@phunkyfish 
do you think Kodi 19 crashing with a non-existent pvr:// path is IPTV simple or Kodi bug?
Quite easy to test, just create a playlist with a URL to anything.
Scan it in and then favourite it. Then change the url in the playlist. then scan again.
then try to use the favourite.

Yes, I know the bug causing the crash must be in the IPTV Simple addon, not IPTV Merge.  It seems to crash Kodi when it gets an incorrect stream link.

I'm wondering if the source of the problem is that the IPTV Merge addon is downloading from M3U4U, and its data is changing.  So the sequence of stream links may not be the same from one merge to another.

For now, with "Use IPTV Merge Proxy for HTTP Streams" disabled, when I add an item to the Favorites menu, the hard-coded stream URL is what's added.  I don't need the EPG data, so that's ok for now.  There may not be a perfect solution for this since, yes, the IPTV Merge addon can't handle Favorites directly.  Since my favorites now don't call IPTV Simple, I shouldn't get any crashes.

[phunkyfish]

I would be curious why it crashes. It should just fail. Seeing the call stack from a debugger would be interesting if that’s possible.

[matthuisman]

@richardk
How are you creating a channel favourite?
everytime I do it, i get a pvr:// path in favourites regardless of any other settings
What menu are you creating it from? can you screenshot?
Can you PM me the playlist from M3U4U?
I'd like to see why IPTV merge thinks it's changing. The order shouldn't affect it.
Only tvg-id or the url

@phunkyfish
ill send them via slack

[matthuisman]

just pushed 0.16.2

1) IPTV Merge now supports IPTV Manager compatible add-ons (https://github.com/add-ons/service.iptv....ted-Addons)
2) Added Pseudotv live to integrations
3) Add support for tvg-shift and catchup-correction in #EXTM3U line

@IamDan
Can you update IPTV Merge to 0.16.2
Then go to playlists > add > add-on > Pseudotv live
then run a merge and see if it works?
Seems to work with my very simple setup
Only annoying thing is Pseudotv live asks to setup IPTV Simple every kodi start-up.
Seems there is no way to disable that check

[richardk]

@richardk
How are you creating a channel favourite?
everytime I do it, i get a pvr:// path in favourites regardless of any other settings
What menu are you creating it from? can you screenshot?
Can you PM me the playlist from M3U4U?
I'd like to see why IPTV merge thinks it's changing. The order shouldn't affect it.
Only tvg-id or the url

@phunkyfish
ill send them via slack

Thanks again!  I'll see if I can duplicate the failure, and get you all that info.  Will probably be tomorrow, though.

[IamDan]

just pushed 0.16.2

1) IPTV Merge now supports IPTV Manager compatible add-ons (https://github.com/add-ons/service.iptv....ted-Addons)
2) Added Pseudotv live to integrations
3) Add support for tvg-shift and catchup-correction in #EXTM3U line

@IamDan
Can you update IPTV Merge to 0.16.2
Then go to playlists > add > add-on > Pseudotv live
then run a merge and see if it works?
Seems to work with my very simple setup
Only annoying thing is Pseudotv live asks to setup IPTV Simple every kodi start-up.
Seems there is no way to disable that check

Mate you are a bloody legend! Ill have to try in couple of days as I'm away from home. I really appreciate your hard work. Ill ask the Pseudotv dev if he can make some changes on his end.

[matthuisman]

@IamDan
yeh, he just needs to make it ask when it first runs only - not every time the service starts