XMLTV Support in Pocket TV Browser

Pocket TV Browser v1.77 now supports the North American ("na") XMLTV grabber for U.S. and Canadian TV listings, using Zap2it's "Data Direct" ("dd") service.  The internal name of this grabber is "tv_grab_na_dd".

XMLTV grabbers are not bundled with Pocket TV Browser, because we are not involved in the development of the XMLTV tools or the maintenance of any of its grabbers.  You must download the XMLTV tools yourself, and then copy them into your Pocket TV Browser folder (normally located in C:\Program Files\Pocket TV Browser).

Test versions of Pocket TV Browser v1.77 can now be downloaded for Palm and Pocket PC.  These versions have only been tested with version 0.5.34 of the XMLTV tools so far.  When testing is complete, v1.77 will be moved to the Pocket TV Browser Downloads page.

Visit the XMLTV web site to download the latest XMLTV tools (here's a link to version 0.5.34 files).  After downloading the tools, you must extract the grabber utility (xmltv.exe) and copy it to your Pocket TV Browser folder.  If the XMLTV server is unavailable, you can download the grabber utility here.

Before you can use the North American "Data Direct" grabber, you must create a member profile on the Zap2it Labs web site.  When filling out your Zap2it profile, enter the XMLTV Certificate Code "ZYZM-TE5O-SBUT" (all letters except for the "5") in the Certificate Code field.  After creating your member profile, select the line-ups you will want to download later, and check only those channels you want to download.

Once you have finished setting up your Zap2it member profile, and you have copied xmltv.exe to the Pocket TV Browser folder, you will be able to add XMLTV listings, as shown below.

When you first install Pocket TV Browser on your desktop PC, the Pocket TV Manager Listing Wizard should automatically appear.  Otherwise, you can click the TV icon on your taskbar to open Pocket TV Manager, and then go to the Listings tab and click the "Add" button to begin the following process.

The username and password that you chose earlier, on the Zap2it Labs web site, must then be entered:

Pocket TV Manager will then use XMLTV to connect to the Zap2it server and download the list of line-ups that you added to your Zap2it Labs member profile.  For example:

After selecting a line-up, you can make local name and/or number changes to any of the channels you specified in the line-up on the Zap2it web site.   For example:

Click Finish.  If your Zap2it Labs member profile contains multiple line-ups, and you want to include some or all of them in your Pocket TV Browser listings database, repeat the above steps for each desired line-up.

If you have any problems or questions about XMLTV support, visit our XMLTV forum, or email support@doublebit.com.

Note: the XMLTV tools are free, Zap2it Labs is a free service (provided you update your Zapit Labs member profile every 3 months), and Pocket TV Browser is a free application.  If you find Pocket TV Browser useful, we do accept donations to defray the costs of Pocket TV Browser development.  Irrespective of donations, we will try to address any XMLTV issues as they arise, but given our lack of control over the XMLTV and Zap2it components, and our own time constraints, we cannot guarantee any particular level of support.  Thanks for your understanding and patience.