[mythtv-users] Up-To-Date (UK) FreeSAT channel numbers?

[Nick Morrott]

On 02/02/2009, R. G. Newbury <newbury at mandamus.org> wrote:
> Nick Morrott wrote:
>
> > On 02/02/2009, R. G. Newbury <newbury at mandamus.org> wrote:
> >
> > > Bradley Kite wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > > Hi there.
> > > >
> > > > Does any body have a proper list of free-set channels and their
> > > > numbers? From scanning, the numbers are all messed up, like BBC 1 is
> > > > 6302 instead of 101. All the channel numbers from the scan are in
> > > > their thousands and make no sense.
> > > >
> > > > I found a list on the web here:
> > > > http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freesatchannels.html
> but
> > > >
> > > it seems out
> > >
> > > > of date.
> > > >
> > > > I'm trying to work on a way to automatically map the channel-numbers
> > > > from the scan into something more sensible, so that after a scan you
> > > > dont have to re-do every thing again in the channel editor.
> > > >
> > > >
> > >  If you are doing the scan in myth, the starting digit of chanid depends
> > > upon the card number. So this scan was done with your *sixth* card. You
> have
> > > probably played with your card setups and not re-set the card count.
> > >
> >
> > Incorrect. The starting digit of chanid depends on the sourceid of the
> > video source the channel belongs to. It seems that the value of
> > sourceid is multiplied by 1000, and then the value of channum is
> > added. During scanning in mythtv-setup, channel numbers (channum) can
> > be obtained from either the serviceid of the channel (currently for
> > DVB-S which can result in very large values of channum) or from the
> > FreeView EPG channel number (which gives more reasonable channel
> > numbering) for DVB-T.
> >
> > I'm quite sure the OP was reporting the value of channum (not chanid)
> > which was set from a DVB-S scan. The serviceid of BBC2 England
> > broadcast on DVB-S is 6302.
> >
>
>  You are correct. It is the SOURCEID which defines the first digit of
> chanid. And so, it is likely that the OP was reporting the channum and not
> the chanid.
>
>
>
> >
> > >  If you do a 'delete all cards' in mythtv-setup you will re-set that
> counter
> > > and further scans will be numbered by the order in which you enter the
> > > card(s) again.
> > >
> >
> > If what I say above is correct, choosing "Delete all video sources" is
> > what will help to reset the _chanid_ numbering, but likely not have
> > any bearing on the channel numbers (channum) seen on the OSD and in
> > the EPG if using DVB-T or DVB-S.
> >
>
>  Correct, but he will get the same number as the channum, which is not what
> he wants. Changing that will require mysql at the commandline or phpMyAdmin.

I can't think of any reason for a 'normal user' to have to change the
_chanid_ - after all this is an internal unique identifier for
channels. Updating the user-facing channel numbering is an entirely
more likely scenario, and easy to achieve without touching the
database directly.

Updating a channel's channum/callsign/name/xmltvid is a
straightforward process using either the channel editor in LiveTV, or
using the MythWeb TV::Channel Info page to update the relevant values.

>
> > Also remember that chanid must be unique for each entry in the channel
> > table. Channel number does not have this restriction.
> >
>  Worth remembering, as is the fact that the xmltvid will be unique to each
> unique channel even if you want to use the same channum to describe 2
> different versions of the 'same' channel (as in an analog and a digital
> broadcast pair (for the next 17 days!).

In the UK (where we have a much simpler TV network topology) we can
get away with having the same channel (e.g. BBC1 London, BBC2 England)
on multiple video sources use the same xmltvid (and thus listings
data) without issue - as long as each video source is configured to
use the same grabber.

Certainly the next 4 months and 17 days (if not delayed even further)
will be interesting to follow from this side of the pond:)

Nick

-- 
Nick Morrott

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