[mythtv] Breaking Live-TV

[Michael T. Dean]

Bob Cottingham wrote:

>Whats the impact of changing the chanid? Does anyone have chanids
>higher than 1999?
>
Generally, mythfilldatabase tries to use:
    - For "normal" channels (with no separator)
        chanid = <source id>*1000 + <channum>
    - For channels with separator (i.e. "35_1" or "35-1" or "35.1")
       chanid = <source id>*1000 + <channum left>*10 + <channum right>
So a video source numbered 1 with two channels, 3 and 15, would have 
chanid's 1003 and 1015.  In the event that we have a channum > 999--such 
as 8785 (which is common on satellite sources, at least)--on video 
source 2, the chanid would be 10785.  If the "desired" chanid is already 
used, Myth takes the "next available" chanid (MAX(chanid on source) + 1).

>What is the highest reasonable number? Could you
>simply add 7000 to the chanid for all LiveTV shows and have the system
>smart enough to know that 8011 was the same channel as 1011 but
>recorded by LiveTV? That also would give an easy way of indicating
>right in the filename that it was a LiveTV recording, which may have
>its benefits as well.  I know I'm talking out of my league here, but
>hope you don't mind me throwing out ideas.
>  
>
Adding 7000 wouldn't work for a user with 8 video sources whose channel 
numbers on source 8 overlap with channel numbers on source 1 (which 
would be possible if it's the same channel on different sources--i.e. 
OTA and digital cable, for example).  Even if we add 10000, we could 
have an overlap with large-channel-numbers, although it becomes less 
likely as we choose a higher and higher number to add.

The highest channel currently available through DISH network is 9850, so 
if DISH were on video source id 10 and I had 9850 in my lineup, my Myth 
box would have a chanid of 19850.  Then, if some of the chanid for lower 
channels were taken, they would become 19851, 19852, etc.  Note, also, 
that having a video source 10 does not mean that I have 10 sources in 
use--only that I've defined 10 throughout the life of my Myth box.

Mike