how to remove all channels and repopulate?

[Wakalaka]

I had an experience last night with a channel not being populated in my TV Listings (plugin used from main menu) and TV Guide (during Live TV). Channel 70, E!, didn't have guide data. I got help on how to solve that, which ended up being the channel name on labs.zap2it.com changed from ETVP to EP. This process exposed several problems, and I'm not sure who owns each problem, GB-PVR or plugin author.

• Pretty sure this is XMLTV tool issue. If channel name changes, this should be automatically handled. Imagine an ignorant user trying to fix this problem. I'm using XMLTV, and found that it stores channel data in .xmltv\tv_grab_na_dd.conf. By deleting this file and running UpdateEPG.bat, I got channel 70 E! populated in both TV Listings and TV Guide.
  
  It should download channel data each time to a temp copy, and compare names for matching channel numbers, so it can realize that 70 changed from ETVP to EP. Maybe have an option to force name changes instead of warning the user of a name change was found, do you want to accept the change?
  
  
• By doing this, E was populated with guide data, but it was shown as being channel 75. I ran config.exe and edited my capture sources, and it said EP was Source Channel 70. I then did a dangerous thing ... ran SQLiteSpy.exe to see the channel listings under CHANNEL and saw that while "name" column said "70 EP", the "channel_number" column said 75! I edited it to 70, and then it was listed correctly in TV Guide and TV Listings as 70. Channel was watchable in both cases.
  
  
• I then ran UpdateEPG.bat and then had recording conflicts. I have a show recorded 2-3pm every day on a channel, I have 2 tuners, and no other shows record at that time. I searched the guide, and it had this show listed TWICE for every day at 2-3pm. Very strange.
  
  
• I then ran config.exe and manually removed every channel under Capture Sources. Clicked Empty EPG button. Clicked Update EPG button. Unchecked channels I didn't want in listing. Did this process for both tuners.
  
  
• Deleted the reoccurring recording for 2-3pm. Searched for the show. It was listed only once at 2-3pm, set the reoccurring recording again.
  

After all of the above, everything is now happy.

Things I want to understand better ...

1. What exactly does the Empty EPG button do?
   
2. What exactly does the Update EPG button do?
   
3. What happens when UpdateEPG.bat is run, either manually or according to schedule? I believe config.exe has a setting to run every day at a set time.
   
4. What happens when you click Remove button when editing a Capture Source?
   
5. How is channel data tied into the system? I have Capture Sources set to use XMLTV plugin, and pointing to my TVGuide.xml file created by xmltv.
   

If I don't need to know all of these details because there's a safer, easier way to understand and handle the problems I had, then I'll take that info instead.

[jim08127]

I have wondered about this too.

A couple days ago I think I happened on the easiest way to empty the channels. Just remove the capture source and then re-add it. Works like a charm.

[Wakalaka]

I have wondered about this too.

A couple days ago I think I happened on the easiest way to empty the channels. Just remove the capture source and then re-add it. Works like a charm.

That's not a quick task because I have to remember exactly how each is configured. Would be nice to have config.exe make a backup copy of the settings, so you can remove the tuners then add the backups to get it running quickly.

[jim08127]

For my setup it wasn't too difficult. Choose the board, check the encoder bit rates, choose the epg source, update epg, choose the channel changer option. But it was quicker than trying to manually delete 100 channels. I use I-XMLTV, updating the epg is very fast relatively speaking since the data is already on your hard drive.

[Wakalaka]

I'll type a doc that says exactly what settings I need for each tuner. Certainly quicker than removing all channels.

sub: Suggestion would be to have tuner settings backed up, and you can select from a file to restore settings to a new tuner instead of manual configuration.