[mythtv-users] How does scraped listings data compare withDataDirect's?

[Jake Palmer]

>From: Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com>
>Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
>To: MythTV user mailing list <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
>Subject: [mythtv-users] How does scraped listings data compare 
>withDataDirect's?
>Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 09:45:53 -0700
>
>I hope, as we all do, that some kind of solution--likely one involving
>fees--will emerge between now and 1 September for the end of the free
>Zap2It service. However, we should also start planning as if
>DataDirect will go away and no comparable direct feed will appear to
>take its place.
>
>I built my MythTV setup after DataDirect's debut and so have never
>known anything else. Compared to DataDirect.com, scraped data from
>tvlistings.com would lack the following:
>
>* Original air dates for TV shows
>* Episode numbers
>* Category
>* The Credits list is less detailed. For example, the _Arrested
>   Development_ episode "The Sword of Destiny" lists nine actors under
>   "Cast" on Datadirect but only five under "Credits" on
>   tvlistings.com.
>* Miscellaneous data like "Guest Stars," "Executive Producer," ratings
>   stars, and "Directed by" is completely missing.
>
>While distressing, none of these to my untrained eye is a truly
>serious loss. Lack of proper air dates is a pity given that I sort by
>it in Recorded Programs, but sorting by Program ID (which, thankfully,
>*is* available, in the URL) would, I suspect, be a mostly-acceptable
>substitute (not always, because program ID doesn't necessarily
>coincide with air order). As I recently learned here, MythTV doesn't
>actually use episode numbers.Searches, including Power Searches, would
>suffer from the lack of ancillary program data, of course. Perhaps
>IMDb's user-contributed ratings can substitute for the ratings stars.
>
>I suggest that we all start testing scrapers now, and am happy to
>volunteer once one is available to try.
>
>--
>Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com> | +1 650 776 7763 | San Francisco CA US
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