QAM.ini question

[mmatheny]

Does it only need whole numbers in it, i.e. if 86 is there, will it find 86.1, 86.2 etc??

Also, why would the scan listing in the Map digital to EPG screen not be sorted?

[whurlston]

Does it only need whole numbers in it, i.e. if 86 is there, will it find 86.1, 86.2 etc??

It needs to be whole numbers. Either a channel (1-138) or a frequency (507000, 509000, etc)

Also, why would the scan listing in the Map digital to EPG screen not be sorted?

It's in the order of the physical channel number, not the virtual channel number.

[mmatheny]

OK - what's the difference between virtual and physical channel number?

[whurlston]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_channel

You local NBC channel may have been channel 3 but when they started broadcasting in digital, they could not transmit on the same frequency (physical channel) so they transmitted on a different one, say channel 47. The virtual channel was used so that it would be displayed as 3.1

[mmatheny]

Aha, this is a function of the mapping file the cable company sends down, when I tune to 3.1, I'm actually tuning digital channel 47?

[whurlston]

No. Digital channels from the cable company are usually in the 100+ range on their STB. Those channel numbers are actually virtual channels that are mapped to a specific physical channel and program number. The mapping is usually sent in an encrypted stream that only the STB can read. It is a derivation of the ATSC virtual channel numbering.