[mythtv-users] mythfilldatabase not getting updated lineup

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/22/2017 12:52 AM, James Orr wrote:
> I tried truncating my channel table and re-running mythfilldatabase, 
> still the channels I enabled on schedules direct are not showing up.
>
> On Thu, Sep 21, 2017 at 3:19 PM, James Orr  wrote:
>
>     I enabled some channels in schedules direct that I previously had
>     disabled, but when I run mythfilldatabase --do-channel-updates, it
>     is not adding those channels in.
>
>     Should I maybe wipe all the current listings so it can start
>     fresh?  Any other options I could try?
>

mythfilldatabase fills the database with channel listings, not with 
channels (despite what most MythTV users seem to think).  For certain 
types of channels it is possible for mythfilldatabase to add a channel 
to the database with only the information contained in the listings 
data, but this is not its intended purpose.  If you are using any kind 
of "internal" tuner and are not using analog TV (NTSC/PAL/SECAM), you 
cannot add channels to MythTV using mythfilldatabase.  Generally, now 
that analog TV is mostly gone, you can only expect mythfilldatabase to 
be able to add a channel if you use an external tuner (like 
CableCARD/OCUR/Firewire/...) and do not need any kind of tuning 
information--but instead use a tuning identifier ("channel 
number"/frequency ID)--to tell the external tuner to tune the channel 
you want using its own internal (non-MythTV) database of channel tuning 
information.

If, however, you're using an internal tuner that tunes a digital 
channel, you will need to do a rescan to pick up the new channels--and, 
specifically, the information about how to tune the new channels.  Then 
you will have to set the XMLTV IDs for the channels, then 
mythfilldatabase will do its job--of populating listings for the 
channels already in your database.

Note, too, that truncating the channels table left a whole bunch of 
connected information in your database.  Deleting channels (or video 
sources) through mythtv-setup properly deletes all the information 
associated with the channels, across all the linked tables.  I highly 
recommend you wipe your channel information and start that portion from 
scratch, otherwise, you're likely to encounter issues (in 
days/weeks/months) due to the leftover information in the DB that 
shouldn't be there.  This is important whether you are using an internal 
or external tuner--whether you should have done a scan or not--because 
truncating the channels table broke your database data.  To wipe that 
information, go into mythtv-setup, select Video Sources, then "Delete 
all Video Sources".  Then, create your new video source(s), scan for 
channels, set XMLTV IDs, and connect inputs.  See, also, 
https://lists.gt.net/mythtv/users/264034#264034 .  Alternatively, you 
can restore a backup of your database from before you messed with the 
channels table.

Mike