I only just heard about this but thought it was worth a post because it's good to see big media getting smashed like this - Channel Nine have just lost a case against IceTV, a small company that provides an Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) that you can use in PVRs and media centre-type devices. IceTV also have a write up of their victory.

I still find it simply astonishing that this sort of information wasn't made available for free by TV stations. I don't really like the idea of having to pay for it but at least IceTV are making some headway ($13 / month seems pretty steep to me). Obviously if Channel Nine wanted to show some retribution they could just put an XML feed on their site that anyone could use, and hope the other TV stations followed suit.

Oh nice, this is good news. The TV networks do have their reasoning behind why they don't want to offer this information for free. What I was reading was one of the main factors behind it is they make a lot of money out of people buying printed publications that include the tv guide, e.g. the green guide, tv week etc. If people were able to get it for free (or paying someone like IceTV for PVR feeds etc) they'd lose a lot of the revenue from those printed copies. If I can find the link again, I shall post as it was only a couple weeks ago that I came across it.

If people were able to get it for free (or paying someone like IceTV for PVR feeds etc) they'd lose a lot of the revenue from those printed copies.

Yep, fair enough, but they have to balance that out with how many more people would watch their s*** if they knew what was on. (Sure, with the crap that's on free-to-air at the moment, probably not a lot.)

Exactly trog.

I don't watch tv at random, if I don't have access to a guide I don't even bother turning it on.

Yep, fair enough, but they have to balance that out with how many more people would watch their s*** if they knew what was on. (Sure, with the crap that's on free-to-air at the moment, probably not a lot.)

True, but that would hopefully (in an ideal world) encourage these networks for air better content. Hell, I'd much rather see re-run's of stuff like the comedy company or full frontal on TV than half the rubbish they have on atm. The U.S. have been allowing free PVR program feeds for ages now.

making the scheduling data available isn't going to increase viewership, improving quality and timeliness of shows that are broadcast and reducing advertising might.

I was confused by what you meant by an "EPG" so I had a very quick look at the site. Don't forget channel 9 = foxtel... so I assume Murdoch woudl want a strangle hold on that "technology" and get more people to pay for FoxIQ or whatever it's called.

Originally I thought you meant that people pay for this sort of thing: Online TV Guide

making the scheduling data available isn't going to increase viewership

It'd increase my viewership for sure; I'd happily watch movies that are on TV if I knew they were on (ie, if I had an RSS feed telling me what was on tonight). I almost never watch stuff that's on FTA except by accident ("omg, I didn't know Ghostbusters was on now!")

im the exact same trog, but in saying that even the stuff thats on free to air i can live with out, not knowing has just proven to me that i dont really need free to air television, or pay tv for that fact. if i want to watch somethign its going to be uninterupted and unscheduled at my own leisure

I'd like to see crappy tv stations die, but I'd hate to see the crap that would take their place.


right now there's a choice at least.


and there simply isn't enough kudos for the likes of ABC or SBS.

What you're forgetting is that these are the same tv networks that don't broadcast a 7 day EPG over the air, like every other DVB network in the world. (Ever wondered why your STB only shows now and next?)

btw - Windows Media Centre 2005 and Windows Vista Media Centre both have built in EPGs that currently do not f***ing work.. you have to fork out for f***ing IceTV if you want your Microsoft Operating System / Linux MythTV setup to work properly.


Funny how this doesn't happen anywhere else in the world except here in Aus and NZ.


I'm kinda surprised no-one has mentioned that yet here on Qgl

last edited by koopz at 23:34:30 10/Aug/07

I almost never watch stuff that's on FTA except by accident ("omg, I didn't know Ghostbusters was on now!")

For $2 you could rent it for a week uncensored and uninterrupted from the video store - i would rather pay $2 than watch a butchered movie on commercial tv

They still have Free To Air in Australia? ;)

channel 9 = foxtel

No, not really at all. Channel 9 owns 25% of foxtel along with newscorp (murdoch) with 25% and telstra (satan) 50%.

As for the thread I find it incredibly annoying that there is not decent xml feeds for TV info in this country but I've long since learned that TV is a freaking waste of time and an outdated business model. Why would I watch what the broadcaster wants to me to watch rather than what I can easily access online at my own convenience.

When good quality productions are offered directly to the consumer (as is now entirely possible) we will no longer need to have the wasted effort that is broadcast tv.

koopz - You can get a free EPG for both WMC and MythTV already. The data is user entered but there is usally at least 4 or 5 days in advance for all channels (including Foxtel/Austar)

http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/bin/view/TVGuide/

For $2 you could rent it for a week uncensored and uninterrupted from the video store - i would rather pay $2 than watch a butchered movie on commercial tv

I already own it on DVD, but I still watch it when its on FTA

For $2 you could rent it for a week uncensored and uninterrupted from the video store

FTA censored the ghostbusters?

Why?