[mythtv-users] Can mythtv generate channels.conf ?

[Jan Ceuleers]

Bolek,

Boleslaw Ciesielski wrote:
> Actually, the audio and video pids are not stored in the database. I 
> have the attached hacky script that will generate channels.conf for the 
> given sourceid with 0 substituted for the pids (edit the hardcoded 
> parameters before running).

Thanks very much!

I've actually been looking for a description of the channels.conf 
format; without much success. Moreover, I've seen different formats for 
that file, sometimes including fairly convoluted details (e.g. about 
bandwidth, FEC, coding etc).

Your script (suitably adapted to my DVB-T source) generates the following:

een:482000000::0:0:4112
Ketnet/Canvas:482000000::0:0:4128
la une:754000000:QAM_16:0:0:1
Euronews:754000000:QAM_16:0:0:4
la trois:754000000:QAM_16:0:0:3
la deux:754000000:QAM_16:0:0:2

A file I painstakingly created manually from a combination of 
extrapolation, inference and pure guesswork looks like this:

een:482000000:INVERSION_AUTO:BANDWIDTH_8_MHZ:FEC_1_2:FEC_1_2:QAM_64:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_4:HIERARCHY_NONE:4113:4114:4112
Ketnet/Canvas:482000000:INVERSION_AUTO:BANDWIDTH_8_MHZ:FEC_1_2:FEC_1_2:QAM_64:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_4:HIERARCHY_NONE:4129:4130:4128
la 
une:754000000:INVERSION_ON:BANDWIDTH_8_MHZ:FEC_AUTO:QAM_16:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_4:HIERARCHY_NONE:33:34:1
la 
deux:754000000:INVERSION_ON:BANDWIDTH_8_MHZ:FEC_AUTO:QAM_16:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_4:HIERARCHY_NONE:500:501:2
la 
trois:754000000:INVERSION_ON:BANDWIDTH_8_MHZ:FEC_AUTO:QAM_16:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_4:HIERARCHY_NONE:2081:2082:3
Euronews:754000000:INVERSION_ON:BANDWIDTH_8_MHZ:FEC_AUTO:QAM_16:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_4:HIERARCHY_NONE:2201:2202:4

Before embarking on what may be an unnecessary exercise, please note 
that what I intend to do is use the channels.conf file as an input to 
tv_grab_dvb in order to try and grab EPG information. I'm not actually 
sure that such information is being broadcast; hence my attempts at 
generating channels.conf in a way that leaves no doubt as to its 
correctness and completeness.

So: I'm open to suggestions on the suitability of either of the above 
channels.conf files for this purpose, as well as on methods for 
correcting or complementing them.

Thanks, Jan