Understanding an IPTV program guide (EPG)

What is an EPG?

An EPG (electronic program guide) is the on-screen schedule in your player: a grid of channels and times showing what's on now and next. In IPTV, the guide is built by your player app from listings data that's matched to each channel — so whether it's complete and correct depends on that data, on the player, and on your device's clock.

On cable or satellite, the box and the guide come from the same company. With IPTV they're separate: the service provides channels, the guide data comes from a listings source, and an independent player app puts them together on your screen. Most of what follows comes back to that separation.

Reading a guide: an annotated example

The example below is invented — the channels and programmes don't exist — but the layout is the one most players use.

Where listings come from

Guide data is a schedule file: for each channel, a list of programmes with start and end times. Many players read it in XMLTV, a widely used open format for TV listings. The player then has to match each listing to a channel in your line-up, usually by an ID.

That gives three places things can go wrong:

• No data exists for a channel. Smaller or regional channels sometimes have no listings source at all.
• The match fails. Listings exist, but the channel's ID doesn't line up, so the row stays empty.
• The data is stale. The player hasn't refreshed, so you see yesterday's schedule — or nothing past a certain hour.

None of those means the channel won't play. An empty guide row and a working stream often sit side by side.

Why the times are wrong — and how to fix them

Listings are stored against a universal clock and converted to local time on your device. So if your guide is consistently an hour or more off, start by checking these possible causes:

1. The device's time zone is wrong. A TV or stick set up abroad, or set to a nearby city in a different zone, shifts every listing by the difference.
2. Automatic time is off. If the clock was set by hand, it won't follow daylight saving changes.
3. The player has its own offset. Some players have an “EPG time shift” or offset setting. If someone set it to compensate for a wrong time zone, it now double-corrects. Fix the device time zone first, then set the offset back to zero.
4. The device's time-zone rules are out of date. Time-zone rules are kept in a shared database that operating systems ship with their updates. When a region changes its rules, a device that hasn't been updated keeps converting with the old ones.

A useful test: pick a channel showing something with a fixed start — a news bulletin on the hour, say — and compare the guide with what's actually on. An exact one-hour shift is a useful reason to check daylight saving and time-zone settings, though it does not rule out incorrect listings data. If it's a few minutes out, the channel itself may be running behind its schedule, which the guide can't know.

Why some channels show no listings

If every channel is empty, the player probably hasn't loaded the guide yet: look for an “update EPG” or “refresh guide” option, give it a few minutes, and make sure the device has free storage — guide data takes space. If only some channels are empty, it's usually the data or the match for those channels, which isn't something you can fix from the sofa.

That's worth reporting with specifics: the channel name, the device and player, and what the guide shows. Support can check whether listings exist for that channel. We can't promise listings for every one of the 22,000+ channels, which is why the trial is the place to check the ones you care about.

What a guide can't tell you

• Whether a channel works. A full guide row says listings exist, not that the stream plays well on your network.
• Whether you can rewind or record. Supported catch-up depends on the feed and compatible player. Recording is a separate player capability; do not assume it is included or supported.
• Overruns. A live match that goes to extra time keeps playing; the guide shows the schedule, not reality.

Program-guide checklist

1. Set the device to your local time zone, with automatic date and time on.
2. Install pending system updates so time-zone rules are current.
3. In the player, set any EPG time offset to zero unless you have a reason not to.
4. Refresh or update the guide, and allow a few minutes on the first load.
5. Check three channels you actually watch: are listings there, and is the current programme under the now line?
6. Still wrong? Note the channel, device, player and what you see, and send it to support.

When to contact support

Contact support when listings are missing for specific channels, or when times stay wrong after your time zone, updates and offset are correct. Include your time zone and a photo of the guide if you can — it saves a round of questions.