EPG Normal vs UTC

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1st Official Post

    UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time Currently. Example the time in UK is 1 hour ahead. So if you choose UTC you would then need to offset by +1 now and remove offset at the end of October when clocks change. I guess normal means it will take time from your device.

    Mevi, thank you sir, but no, that's not apparently correct. Not to pick niggles, but as I'd said, I'm well aware of what UTC is.

    What I wonder is how they differ in function (as it apply so MOL). Frankly, they don't appear to be functionally different in this (current) version of the software.

    Case in Point:

    I'm in a midwestern state in the US. This time of year I'm GMT -5. I have the Z8 Pro set to "network time" and it's always correct for my area. FWIW, I've also tried it using the internal clock, and this makes no difference.

    If I open EPG and display Starz East and Starz West, they will show the exact same show on at the same time. Lets say "Jeopardy" at 3:00pm. Jeopardy will play at my local time as scheduled on EPG the "east' channel, but be wrong on the "West" (behind by 3 hours). Notice neither is correct relative to my time zone, for CA is 2 hours behind me and the east cost is 1 hour ahead of me.

    This happens regardless of if I'm using EPG time "Normal" or "UTC". And yes, each time I change it I clear EPG, hit "Refresh", power-cycled the box, and then cleared EPG again. There is no difference in display or behavior on the referenced channels (there may be on some channels, I can't monitor thousands).

    Clearly there was no need to manually enter an offset as was suggested. This implies the unit, when in either mode, is time zone aware. I suggest MOL is simply reading the time clock and determining for itself what time zone I'm in. This suggest the provider is sending a reference UTC/GMT time out as part of their EPG data, but it's equally possible MOL is simply calling for GMT time as part of it's code base.

    Thus:

    1) As has been shown, you don't appear to need to manually enter offset when in UTC.

    2) Since it's reading the time and applying offset to UTC on it's own, one again has to ask "what is the functional difference between "Normal" and "UTC"? (as regards MOL and the current software).

    As to the mystery of why I get Starz "East" shows at the my midwestern correct time and "West" shows are 3 hours behind when I"m only two hours ahead, I suggest the answer is: The "provider" is correctly referencing "Starz East" to UTC/GMT, and the MOL is correctly offsetting based on Z8 system time. Ergo I get the correct show displayed at the correct time for my time zone for that channel.

    Meanwhile "provider" has "West" time balled up in how they present it. How isn't clear, but one has to guess it's just not correctly set to report UTC/GMT time.

    Again, given the testing and examples shown above, there is no apparent difference. However, my EPG sometimes shows "no information" and for a time setting EPG mode to UTC was recommended. I'd like to know why that was too!

    Sam?

    Q1) What is the functional difference between "Normal" and "UTC"? based on today's code and hardware (Z8 Pro) as it applies to MOL?

    Q2) What was happening when you recommended, in the past, that users change from "normal" to UTC? Said another way, why did that solve folks problems?

    My thanks to all !!

    -d

    Edited once, last by dafish (April 29, 2021 at 6:42 AM).

    I'm in the -5 zone as well. For my EPG to be correct, UTC has to be set to -5, Normal has to be set to +5. Go figure.

    As far as wrong guide times, wrong programs, and no info go, pretty sure it's just garbage in/garbage out from your provider's upstream.

    And my Starz East/West are correct (for now anyway).

    Peder

    Formuler Z11 Pro, Z8, Onkyo TX-NR656, Samsung Q70A, Harmony One, Harmony 880

    • Official Post
    Quote from dafish

    Sam?

    To busy with other project :winking_face:

    Quote from dafish

    1) As has been shown, you don't appear to need to manually enter offset when in UTC.

    If you don`t need it then you don`t have to set offset if epg is shown correctly, in this case is normal epg with local time and regio ok for use.

    Quote from dafish

    2) Since it's reading the time and applying offset to UTC on it's own, one again has to ask "what is the functional difference between "Normal" and "UTC"? (as regards MOL and the current software).

    For most people will normal epg work fine. This use your current set date and time from the box and match also with provider settings. If your regio-box setting is (for example): GMT +2 it shows and get proper epg data from current channel and timeline.

    UTC use GMT +-0 if no offset changes done. Here you need to set by your own the needed offset.

    Why with some provider Normal or UTC works better i can not tell you, depends also from provider settings and user regio.

    Btw. In past, i can remember that with Normal epg offset change was not possible , only with UTC. This changed at some point and update.