Build Your Own PVR

Zap2it Labs Closing Free EPG Guide Data

Articles / Uh-Oh Bad PVR News
Posted by rampy on Jun 21, 2007 - 11:01 AM

Saw the bad news on Zap2It Labs [1] via Slashdot: Zap2It Labs Discontinuing Free TV Guide Service [2]

For several years we have offered a free TV listings service to hobbyists for their own personal, noncommercial use. In October of 2004 we posted here an open letter saying the future of Zap2it Labs was at risk because of certain growing misuses of the Zap2it Labs data. Unfortunately this misuse has continued and grown. These misuses, combined with other business factors have led to the decision to discontinue Zap2it Labs effective September 1, 2007.

We thank those users who have honored the terms of the agreement, and we suggest you consider the many TV listings options offered by the commercial licensees of TMS TV listings data.


discuss the Zap2it Labs free tv guide data closing [3] in our forum.

It'll be interesting to see what comes to replace this market need for guide data for Mythtv and other free PVR/HTPC software.

UPDATE: Discussion of what this means for GBPVR [4] in the GBPVR forum. There's a lot of smart people in the byopvr/HTPC community, I'm sure we can figure out *something* to keep the free PVR software train rolling.

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  http://www.byopvr.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=679

Links in this article
  [1] http://labs.zap2it.com/ztvws/ztvws_login/1,1059,TMS01-1,00.html
  [2] http://slashdot.org/articles/07/06/20/1920224.shtml
  [3] http://forum.byopvr.com/dvr/index.php?topic=8385.0
  [4] http://forums.gbpvr.com/showthread.php?t=27373