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Guide data engineering notes

A guide's text language does not identify the selected audio

Keep XMLTV description language, programme language and actual media tracks as separate evidence.

An EPG is programme information

Name the field being read

A title or description can be written in one language while the programme uses another. XMLTV distinguishes a textual field's lang annotation from programme language information and subtitle metadata. Do not flatten those into one unnamed language column.

In an invented entry, a Spanish description accompanies a programme language value indicating German. That is not inherently contradictory. It may be useful translated guide text describing German-language media.

Keep the media claim separate

A guide row is programme information. It does not itself inspect the tracks delivered by a media resource or determine what a reader selected. If an owned release needs an audio inventory, record that from the media or packaging review separately.

Preserve original-language metadata where supplied, and do not treat its absence as proof that no dubbing occurred. Missing optional information should remain unknown. Avoid deriving audio availability from a channel's country, a flag or a translated title.

Design useful display labels

Use labels that reveal the role: description language, programme language and subtitle language, for example. The exact interface can vary, but the underlying data should not require one field to carry incompatible meanings.

When an inconsistency is reported, save the guide revision and the relevant media generation or track evidence. A corrected description translation will not repair a mislabeled audio rendition. No actual IPTV Europe programme or soundtrack has been checked here.

Questions answered

Does a French description prove French audio is available?

No. It identifies the guide text's language, not the actual delivered soundtrack.

Does absent language metadata mean the programme is language-free?

No. It means the field was not supplied or accepted; preserve that uncertainty.

Sources & further reading

Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.

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