XMLTV

XMLTV is an XML-based format for describing TV schedule information. It provides a mechanism to store channel information, programme schedules, and their associated metadata.

Example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE tv SYSTEM "xmltv.dtd">
<tv generator-info-name="Some tv generator">
  <channel id="1">
    <display-name lang="en">Channel 1</display-name>
    <icon src="http://site.domain/1.png"/>
  </channel>
  <channel id="2">
    <display-name lang="en">Channel 2</display-name>
    <icon src="http://site.domain/2.png"/>
  </channel>
  <programme start="20180920140000 +0300" stop="20180920141500 +0300" channel="1">
    <title lang="en">Program title 1</title>
    <desc lang="en">Program description 1</title>
    <date>Program release date 1</date>
    <category lang="en">Category 1</category>
    <category lang="en">Category 2</category>
  </programme>
  <programme start="20180920150000 +0300" stop="20180920141600 +0300" channel="1">
    <title lang="en">Program title 2</title>
    <desc lang="en">Program description 2</title>
    <date>Program release date 2</date>
    <category lang="en">Category 1</category>
  </programme>
  <programme start="20180920143000 +0300" stop="20180920141500 +0300" channel="2">
    <title lang="en">Program title 3</title>
    <desc lang="en">Program description 3</title>
    <date>Program release date 3</date>
    <category lang="en">Category 1</category>
    <category lang="en"> Category 2</category>
  </programme>
</tv>

Channel Properties

The <channel> element defines individual television channels.

<channel id="1">
  <display-name lang="en">Channel 1</display-name>
  <icon src="http://site.domain/1.png" />
</channel>

Attributes:

  • id - unique channel identifier

Nested elements:

  • display-name – provides the name of the channel with specified language
  • icon – url to the channel logo

Event Properties

The <programme> element in the XMLTV format represents an individual television show or broadcast event.

<programme start="20180920143000 +0300" stop="20180920141500 +0300" channel="2">
  <title lang="en">Program title 3</title>
  <desc lang="en">Program description 3</title>
  <date>Program release date 3</date>
  <category lang="en">Category 1</category>
  <category lang="en">Category 2</category>
</programme>

Attributes:

  • start - event beginning time
  • stop - event ending time
  • channel - links the programme to a specific channel

Nested elements:

  • title – provides the name of the programme. The lang attribute can be used to specify the language of the title
  • desc – description of the programme
  • date – pecifies the release date of the programme
  • category – genre or category of the programme. Multiple

EIT

The Event Information Table (EIT) is a part of the MPEG-2 Transport Stream (MPEG-TS) used in digital broadcasting. This table contains metadata about the scheduled events or programmes on various channels, similar to the programme guide one might find on a digital TV or set-top box.

XMLTV file could be converted to the MPEG-TS stream with EIT packets with our free tool - EIT Stream. Read More

EIT packet could be extracted from MPEG-TS stream and saved to XMLTV files with Astra.