Full install instructions for Synology - XMLTV module install and grabber

Gavin Hodgson

Hi,

TVheadend is potentially one of the greatest software packages, but it's difficult to use given the gaps in guidance. Like most people, one step forward two steps back.

I have managed to get IPTV streams working and sending through to the TVheadend client - I also worked out how to stop stuttering, which is to force h.264 in the stream section (smooth playback now, just like watching the m3u feed directly in VLC outside to TVheadend).

My basic skills are preventing me from setting up the EPG for UK channels.

Can someone please help by listing step by step the process for installing XMLTV so that it is available as an EPG source for each channel and how to continually grab the updated EPG information... I really don't understand at all how this is done correctly on a Synology hosting TVheadend.

Thanks

Robert Cameron

The problem is that you need to build the xmltv grabbers, but many of them rely upon other software of binary modules that are not part of the base Synology system or its version of Perl. To make it even more difficult, many Synology devices do not use Intel chips, so you cannot compile the software on your computer and just copy it over.

If you've ever built the xmltv-utils yourself, you understandjust how many different modules there are to build all of the different grabbers. The myriad different modules and poor native package support on Synology is why I stopped bothering with trying to maintain an install on the NAS itself. It's far easier and better for maintenance/troubleshooting to run Tvheadend on a separate machine and mount your recording folders over NFS, storing those on the NAS.

C Chakattack

I was curious whether you managed to solve your problem, as I am facing the same.
My problem is as follows:
I did download the tv_grab_kazer script (for french channels). I placed it in /usr/bin/, changed the rights and did execute it via ssh (with root account). This worked in the end, as I got a print of the xml file.
I did restart the NAS, and I could find the kazer xmltv in the tab "EPG grabber modules" in tvheadend.
I then mapped the channels to the EPG source.

Unfortunately the EPG never populates and stays empty.

I found out though that running the grabber from tvheadend does not work. It creates an empty zip file and therefore no xml file can be extracted.

PS: the username of tvheadend is not the same as my admin account for the synology.

I have no clue why this does not work. I spent days searching in the forums without success.
If someone could help, that would be fantastic.

Gavin Hodgson

I found my solution - DVBLink

https://dvblogic.com/en/dvblink/windows/dvblink-for-iptv/

Works very well and took me about 30mins to get running, compared to 1 day to progress TVheadend to the point where I could go no further.

Also works with HDHomerun as well as IPTV, and you can record any channel. You need to buy an additional bit of software from them for the EPG though. They are also launching TV Mosaic for Apple TV soon - so the entire ecosystem will be supported.

http://www.tv-mosaic.com/en/

I really like TVheadend, I think potentially the server interface is cleaner, but it's just too complicated for me - I had given up until finding this proprietary software from DVBlogic. TVheadend seems to get all the press and search results on Google, and I love what they're doing, but when you find out that this is available then it was an easy choice for me.

mpmc

You don't have to use xmltv binaries at all, you just need to supplyxmltv formatted data - doesn't matter where it comes from as long as it's valid and can be pushed into Tvheadend.

I've (in the past) used grabbers for tvguide (24 hour UK guide), atlas and webgrab++ without issue. This is obviously not on a Synology NAS though, so I suspect it's more involved, but it should be do-able, but sadly I don't have one to test on.

---

I'd be more than happy to try and help via remote teamviewer if people like, just e-mail me help28472-at-markclarkstone.co.uk (you can use anything you want before the @ just as long as it's unique). And we can set-up a time & a place :).

C Chakattack

Coming back further on this.
I have the feeling it is a permission issue.
When I ssh with root I can run the script and get an output, while when I try to do that via TVH nothing happens. The log mentions no output detected.

C Chakattack

I managed to get one step further: it had to do with rights
But now I am blocking here:
2017-10-01 18:38:05.575 [ ERROR]:spawn: 2017-10-01 18:38:05 (391 KB/s) - '/volume1/downloads/EPG/tvguide.xml' saved [4652549]
2017-10-01 18:38:08.622 [ ERROR]:spawn: sed: -e expression #1, char 85: unterminated `s' command
2017-10-01 18:38:18.669 [ INFO]:iptv: m3u parse: 0 new mux(es) in network 'IPTV Automatic Network' (total 2920)
2017-10-01 18:38:27.778 [ ERROR]:spawn: sed: -e expression #1, char 73: unterminated `s' command
2017-10-01 18:38:29.787 [ ERROR]:xmltv: /usr/bin/tv_grab_kazer: htsmsg_xml_deserialize error Unknown syntatic element: <!DOCTYPE tv

2017-10-01 18:38:29.787 [WARNING]:xmltv: /usr/bin/tv_grab_kazer: grab returned no data

The file tvguide.xml is saved in the right folder but I get a deserialize error
Any idea?