XMLTV / applied guide-data decisions · Primary-source explanation; no UK IPTV implementation or account test. Instructions are based on publisher guidance; a UK IPTV account was not tested on this platform.
Inspect the source before the visible duration
Suppose a guide entry appears without an end time while the player displays a short block or no duration. First inspect whether the source actually supplies stop. A blank or omitted value should not automatically be rewritten as the start time. That would turn unknown timing into a specific zero-length interval and could conceal the original data issue.
Use the DTD’s distinction
XMLTV’s DTD requires a programme start and channel but makes stop optional. The project notes that stop often matches the following programme’s start. This is useful context, not proof that every consumer applies the same inference or that an inferred boundary is the exact end of the broadcast content. Preserve whether the value was supplied or derived.
Work through an uncertain final entry
Imagine a guide contains a20:00entry followed by a21:00entry, then a final item without a later neighbour. One consumer might infer a boundary for the first item from its neighbour, while the final item has no equivalent clue. Do not assign a guessed one-hour runtime to all missing ends. Record the actual source entries and the consumer’s documented handling.
Keep recording expectations explicit
If a timer depends on the displayed interval, verify the end through the legitimate current schedule and the recorder’s supported controls. A guide-data inference is not a guarantee that a live event finishes at that instant. Report the omitted field and the observed result to the guide publisher or application maintainer. This example supplies no UK IPTV guide feed or tested timer behaviour.