Provide a means of exporting and re-importing a CSV file with channel data

[sub]

Another idea:
If LCN is important you could make it selectable: if someone wants LCn (for example dvb-t in Italy has LCN and is important because every tv has the same channel numbers) chooses it, otherwise is free to choose numbers.
I think that channel number should be free for the user.

Channels always default to the LCN number if present, but the user can change it to any number they want. Chances are, if their channels have an LCN, they're in a country where channel numbers are important, and they're going to want to use it.

[sdf]

Your goals sounds mostly scanning related. Kevl64 sounds like he's more interested in sorting/numbering/etc for display in the TV Guide.

Maybe the first two:
1) it should be possible to sort not only alphabetically or by found order, but also: By provider and by frequency.
2) it would be nice to add every channel to a group and at the same time to know details of that channel (provider, frequency, dvb-t or dvb-s etc.), i.e., right clicking on it.
Thank you,
sdf

[sub]

1) Once channels are scanned, it should be possible to sort not only alphabetically or by found order, but also: By provider and by frequency.

BTW, are you aware that when you scan, you can right click to get a context menu with options, like sorting alphabetically? If you weren't aware of this, maybe I need to do something that is more obvious? At the very least it sounds like you'd want more sorting options in there.

[sdf]

Our problem is that there are some channels that are both dvb-t and dvb-s (with the same name).
In dvb-t they are unencrypted, and in dvb-s they are encrypted.
Also, in Hotbird we have several bouquets that have the same channels, i.e. we have 5-6 eurosports, discovery, etc.
So it's important to know exactly which channel I'm dealing with.
Bye,
sdf

[sub]

Maybe the first two:
1) it should be possible to sort not only alphabetically or by found order, but also: By provider and by frequency.

I took you comments as meaning, to sort the scan results for finding the channel you're interested in (for example, to check it's ticked to keep), rather than effecting the channel numbers and sort order after you click ok to save the channels. Would you expect sorting the results on the scan screen would also effect the channel numbers etc?

2) it would be nice to add every channel to a group and at the same time to know details of that channel (provider, frequency, dvb-t or dvb-s etc.), i.e., right clicking on it.

I can probably add default grouping like provider/frequency. It already adds groups for "DVB-T Channels", "DVB-S Channels" etc, and "Digital Channels", "Analog Channels" etc.

[sdf]

I took you comments as meaning, to sort the scan results for finding the channel you're interested in (for example, to check it's ticked to keep), rather than effecting the channel numbers and sort order after you click ok to save the channels. Would you expect sorting the results on the scan screen would also effect the channel numbers etc? I can probably add default grouping like provider/frequency. It already adds groups for "DVB-T Channels", "DVB-S Channels" etc, and "Digital Channels", "Analog Channels" etc.

Exactly, sub.
I want complete control over the channels list (the whole channels list). To do so I have to sort the list in many different ways; also, I want to know channels details (because only this makes me choose the channel I really want).
Once I chose the channels I want (and put them in different groups, like Free, Pay, Sports, News, etc.) I want to give them numbers and sort them.
Another important thing is that if I forgot to choose a channel, It should be possible for me to go to the "whole" channels list and choose it adding to my favourites groups, without scanning again.
Excuse my english, maybe I didn't explain myself correctly.
Thank you,
sdf

[sub]

I must admit, the changes I should make are still not clear to me. I've got to keep in mind all users, rather than one specific way of wanting to use the app.

Exactly

It's not clear to me which one you meant.

1) if I sort the channel scan results, I'm just doing it easily find a channel in the list to check it's ticked, but still want the original channel order.
2) if I sort the channel scan results, I want the resulting channel numbers to be effected by this, and the channels to be saved in this order.

I'm guessing some people would want #1 and others would want #2.

Once I chose the channels I want (and put them in different groups, like Free, Pay, Sports, News, etc.) I want to give them numbers and sort them.

Just to be clear - channels only have one number, so it's the same number and order regardless of what group you're in.

[sub]

It also gets messy when you consider we have two layers. Channels and Channel Sources, where a "Channel" is a higher level logical thing with a number and name, and Channel Source is a the actual broadcast (which has a frequency / provider etc). Each Channel will have one or more Channel Sources. You don't deal directly with Channel Sources when in your watching live tv etc. Instead you deal with Channels, and the application will choose an from the Channel Sources associated with the channel.

[sdf]

sub, maybe with an example I can explain myself better.
I will choose MediaPortal, only to explain (and make NextPVr better).
With MePo I scan channels.
All channels found are put in a list (TV channels).
I can sort this list alphabetically, by provider, by dvb type.
If I right click on a channel, it opens a menu and if I choose "edit" it opens a form with all channel's details (frequency, pid, tid, etc., and channel number).
Also, if I right click on a channel, I can add it to a group (I can create every group i want).
Every group (including "all channels" group), can be sorted by alpha or number.
So, I have an "all channel" group with 1800+ channels, a Favourites group with 100 channels, but they are numbered independently.
For example, channel "Rai 1" can be number 1 in "all channels" group, but number 100 in "favourites" group.
It seems to me that the channels database has a master table that has all the channels and their details, and the groups are other tables that only have link to the master table.
That way the channel number hasn't to be unique for the front end. It is a unique record in the table, but channel number (for the front end) is only a field in the table.
Sorry, I'm not a programmer, only a user.
Excuse for referring to other software only to explain better.
Bye,
sdf

[Kevl64]

Hi Sub et al

Would it help if I uploaded you an exported xml file from NPVR the results of a scan for the channels for UK DVB-T and the freesat channels on 28.2E

This would be a total of around 720 channels and would be contained in 2 smallish XML files.

Maybe my difficulty is that I'm trying to arrange my channels in an inappropriate (unconventional) manner but if I don't order them then changing channels will wear out the down arrow on my remote as I scroll through many screens of random channels.

I want some order established in the 150 or so channels I will filter the 700 or so down to and arrive at a list like


BBC1 HD
BBC1
BBC2 HD
BBC2

....

ITV1 HD
ITV1
ITV1 +1
ITV2 HD
ITV2
ITV2 +1

etc etc

then

Radio 1
Radio 2
Radio 3

etc.




The way to achieve this ordering is by making the channel number sequence incremental down the list.

The reason for wanting the HD channel and the SD channel is that they actually carry different content. The HD channels often stop transmissions for some programs that are on the SD channel so best have both types available. A further difficulty is that while DVB-T and DVB-S both carry (say) BBC1 (or BBC one as it might be named on DVB-T) they are actually higher bit rate on DVB-S then on DVB-T and if you have the fine MadVR renderer and codecs working nicely then you would want to watch DVB-S if you could choose - unless its snowing then DVB-T might be better :-). So best keep them as separate channels.

So maybe best to group channels into a DVB-T and DVB-S group ?????

Similarly Radio channels would best be arranged in the EPG as a group below TV channels (say) but again there is no indication from the info in the form as to which is TV / Radio. A further column (readonly) called IsRadio would help here.



If you just scan the channels into a list of 720 as described above then it is impossible (in NPVR) to tell what is what. The column called Source in the channels form just has ellipses in it (it would be better if it said DVB-T or DVB-S).

I can find no way of sorting channels using the channels form. The only option right clicking gives me are Merge and details. Clicking on the column heading doesn't do it (as it would in a spreadsheet).


If the channels form contained usable source data and an isradio flag and could be sorted by any column then the manual renumber process - though tedious - could be done without external export.

So my proposal to export this data to CSV was based on my being certain I could achieve my aim by that means. If it is too niche (and you might be right) then the proposed adjustments to the channels form would certianly ease the pain of this process.

I hadn't considered editing the sqlite database (as someone above suggested). Maybe that would be easiest for me. I'll try not to post .... Sub I edited the database and now my PC catches fire when I run NPVR type threads.


K