Change log of nxtvepg releases

This document contains a list of all major changes between releases of nxtvepg.

Even more detailed information is available via the source code repository at the nxtvepg github site.

From 3.0.0 to 3.1.0 (Jul/23/2023)

Focus of this release are extensions to the support of the XMLTV specification and thus to the information available for display in the GUI. Additionally, a number of old bugs in the GUI were fixed.

From 2.9.0 to 3.0.0 (Mar/22/2021)

After 10 years gap in development, this new release strips features that no longer are useful (namely Nextview EPG and analog TV driver for Windows), but improves support for those features that still work, in particular import of XMLTV import and the Teletext EPG grabber. In detail:

From 2.8.1 to 2.9.0 (Mar/22/2021)

This release mainly consists of enhancements done during the years 2008 to 2011, which at that time were only published in form of "pre-releases" (2.9.0pre0 to pre4). On top of these, except for a few small corrections, more recent updates only address issues with building the software with current tools and using it with current Linux drivers. The reason for making this release on the same day as 3.0.0 is providing one final version with latest and greatest support for Nextview EPG before its removal from nxtvepg.

From 2.8.0 to 2.8.1 (Oct/10/2008)

This release fixes many large and small bugs which have come up in release 2.8.0.

From 2.7.7 to 2.8.0 (Dec/31/2007)

Version 2.8.0 was in development from 2005 - 2007 and has lived on the pre-release page during this time. Bug fixes and minor feature improvements have been back-ported to the 2.7.x line though and were released as 2.7.5 - 2.7.7. Hence the following just lists major new features and improvements.

From 2.7.6 to 2.7.7 (Jan/21/2007)

Thanks again to Néo for once more providing the installer for the Windows version.

From 2.7.5 to 2.7.6 (Aug/14/2005)

From 2.7.4 to 2.7.5 (Apr/8/2005)

This release is result of a "back-port" of bugfixes made on the 2.8.0 development branch into release 2.7.4.

From 2.7.3 to 2.7.4 (Dec/27/2004)

From 2.7.2 to 2.7.3 (Sep/5/2004)

This release contains two bugfixes:

From 2.7.1 to 2.7.2 (Aug/30/2004)

This release contains the following feature improvements and bugfixes:

From 2.7.0 to 2.7.1 (Jul/17/2004)

This release contains the following feature improvements and bugfixes:

From 2.6.0 to 2.7.0 (Apr/02/2004)

This release contains the following feature improvements:

Plus the following fixes:

From 2.5.2 to 2.6.0 (Oct/11/2003)

This release contains the following new features:

Plus the following feature improvements:

Plus the following fixes:

From 2.5.1 to 2.5.2 (July/1/2003)

This release contains the following fixes:

From 2.5.0 to 2.5.1 (April/21/2003)

This release contains the following fixes and improvements:

From 2.4.2 to 2.5.0 (March/22/2003)

This release contains two independent new main features:

In detail:

Note that this version has many changes in the rc/ini file format. Your previous rc/ini file will be automatically converted and can then no longer be loaded into older nxtvepg versions.

Windows users should also note that this release comes with a new version of the DScaler TV card driver (files dsdrv4.sys and dsdrv4.vxd). This driver version is backwards compatible, i.e. it will work with applications which expect an older version, unless these applications don't allow newer driver version numbers.

From 2.4.1 to 2.4.2 (December/8/2002)

This release fixes the following problems:

This release also contains the following improvements:

From 2.4.0 to 2.4.1 (December/1/2002)

This release fixes the following problems:

This release also contains the following improvements:

From 2.3.1 to 2.4.0 (November/19/2002)

This release contains the following new features and improvements:

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback and suggestions, especially to Thierry Ménétrier.

From 2.3.0 to 2.3.1 (October/13/2002)

This release fixes the following problems:

Also note that the nxtvepg Internet homepage has moved from tripod.com to http://nxtvepg.sourceforge.net/ because the old site no longer could handle the traffic. Many thanks to the sourceforge.net team for accepting the project and to Thomas Schlebusch and Peter Schumacher for providing temporary mirrors during the transition period.

From 2.2.1 to 2.3.0 (September/17/2002)

This release contains the following new features and fixes:

Note that this release comes with a new version of the Win32 DScaler TV card driver (files dsdrv4.sys and dsdrv4.vxd) which is not compatible with K!TV versions 1.2.0.2 and earlier. Except for multi-card support nxtvepg will work with older drivers too, hence if K!TV complains you can simply replace the driver files with older versions.

From 2.2.0 to 2.2.1 (August/24/2002)

This release contains the following fixes:

Thanks to Thierry Ménétrier for his excellent feedback.

From 2.1.2 (aka 0.7.4) to 2.2.0 (August/18/2002)

This release contains the following new features and fixes:

From 0.7.3 to 0.7.4 aka 2.1.2 (June/2/2002)

This release contains one single bugfix:

From 0.7.2 to 0.7.3 aka 2.1.1 (May/30/2002)

This release contains one notable bugfix (at least for French users) and a few minor feature improvements:

From 0.7.1 to 0.7.2 aka 2.1.0 (May/20/2002)

This release contains the following new features and fixes:

From 0.7.0 to 0.7.1 aka 2.0.0 (May/05/2002)

This release contains the following new features and fixes:

Please note that Windows TV interaction support is intentionally disabled in this release, because the interface is not yet finalized.

From 0.6.4 to 0.7.0 (March/02/2002)

Note that as of this release the database format is changed (due to a bugfix and several extensions); it's recommended to delete all database files from the nxtvepg directory before the next program start (expect to see a few warnings, which you can ignore in this case). Then start an EPG scan with the option "Refresh only" (this checkbox is located below the EPG scan message window)

This release contains the following new features:

Thanks to Jan Schuster for alpha testing and much useful feedback and to Mario Kemper for beta testing and adaptions for NetBSD.

From 0.6.3 to 0.6.4 (November/06/2001)

This release contains the following fixes:

From 0.6.2 to 0.6.3 (September/16/2001)

This release contains the following fixes and improvements;
note that all of them are available in the UNIX version only:

From 0.6.1 to 0.6.2 (September/07/2001)

This release contains the following fixes and improvements:

From 0.6.0 to 0.6.1 (August/30/2001)

This release contains the following bugfixes:

From 0.5.2 to 0.6.0 (August/25/2001)

This release contains the following new features:

From 0.5.1 to 0.5.2 (June/14/2001)

This release contains two bugfixes:

From 0.5.0 to 0.5.1 (June/5/2001)

This release completes the integration of nxtvepg with the xawtv TV application (UNIX only). Now you can not only switch the TV channel from inside nxtvepg's TV listings, but also zap through the channels with xawtv and nxtvepg's description will follow the currently tuned channel. The program's title and running times will also be sent back to xawtv. See the manual page, sections Xawtv connection and Network names, for details or see this xawtv screenshot to see the title popup in action.

From 0.4.5 to 0.5.0 (Apr/21/2001)

From 0.4.4 to 0.4.5 (Apr/1/2001)

From 0.4.3 to 0.4.4 (Feb/27/2001)


New features between release 0.3 and 0.4

Database Merging

If you compare databases of different Nextview providers, you will often find that each has one or more nice features, or covers networks, that the others lack. Instead of changing back and forth between several providers all the time, database merging allows to select and combine features or networks from several original databases into one newly created database.

Extended Acquisition Control

Previously, acquisition always worked for the provider you had chosen for the browser. If you were interested in more than one provider's database, you had to manually select them one after each other to get them up to date. Now, you can put your favorite providers into a list and have them automatically updated one-by-one. There are several modes that allow for a faster start-up time, e.g. by loading just the "Now" data of all providers in a first pass (takes about 2 minutes each) and afterwards the complete databases (takes about 20 minutes each).

Browser listbox column configuration

Previously the format of the programme listings was fixed. Now you have the free choice which attributes you're interested in. Usually you'll have at least the title, running time and channel name, and then add whatever you need most often, e.g. the major theme (movie/series/show etc.), rating, picture format, ...

Improved database and acquisition statistics

(1) Database statistics are now available independently of acquisition, and include new catagories, e.g. percentage of expired program blocks. (2) Acquisition stats can be invoked before a provider was found, and contain an regularily updated VPS/PDC and teletext reception summary, to allow debugging of reception problems. (3) Added a status line at the bottom of the browser window to give a quick overview of the database and acquisition state.

Support for other operating systems

Last but not least, nxtvepg has been ported to NetBSD (many Thanks to Mario Kemper, who's also my valued beta tester) and to Micro$oft Windows (thanks to "Es/presso", from whose Multi-Dec the driver was derived)

For a detailed description of these new features please refer to the Manual.


History of additions and bug fixes in-between previous releases

From 0.4.pre2 to 0.4.3 (Feb. 2001)

From 0.4.pre1 to 0.4.pre2 (Jan. 2001)

From 0.4.pre0 to 0.4.pre1 (Jan. 2001)

From 0.3.4 to 0.4.pre0 (Dec. 2000)

From 0.3.3 to 0.3.4 (Nov. 2000)

From 0.3.2 to 0.3.3 (Oct. 2000)

From 0.3.1 to 0.3.2 (Oct. 2000)

From 0.02a to 0.3.1 (Sep./Oct. 2000)

From 0.01a to 0.02a