DVBs sorting and numbering

[soccerdad]

I am using zap2it for my epg source for my dvb-s stuff. It is really tough to map the transponders to the epg since the scan is in the order from the transponders which is pretty random. Would it be possible to be able to show the channel number information that comes off the transponder? It would also be great to be able to sort the list alphabetically. It would make it a lot easier to pick the channels out that way instead of randomly digging through a 400+ channel scan. Also being able to sort by video and radio would be cool.

As usual, thanks for the killer work you are doing on this.

[sub]

Unfortunately channel numbers arent part of the DVB specification, so there is no standard way of doing this, and each broadcaster implements their own custom/proprietary mechanism for doing it. It seems such a stupid thing to leave out of the spec...

GB-PVR implements for a couple of these channel number mechanisms, including support for the LCN extensions used in the UK and Scandanavia, and the Irdeto BAT extensions used on Irdeto systems.

[soccerdad]

I guess this is part of the reason that I can't use the dvb-epg... If you get a chance, the sort by alphabetical would help.

[flyswatta]

Hmm, so how do you do it now, soccerdad? Hopefully soon I'll have my satellite finder and (if everything goes right) will be in the same predicament. I'm just curious how you're handling channel mapping now?

[soccerdad]

Well first you set up your capture source and I select zap2it. I have a separate zap2it account for the sat stuff so I can edit the channels that I want in the epg. Then I update the epg. Then I select "map digital channels to epg channels" in config. Then I scan the channels in. Now comes the fun part. You check the enable box on the channel you want, then you click in the "tuning request" area next to that channel. A pop up box will come up with all the channels that the scan found on the sat. You then scroll down the list and find the channel that matches the EPG channel and select it. It is not hard, just tedious since there is no sorting. You can get previews of the channels if you click on the channel name on the right hand window. This helps if it is an unknown channel.

A couple of thing would make this easier. Sorting as I stated earlier, or at least a bigger popup box while you are picking the channels out. Also, make sure there is a channel available on your scan list for the channel you want to map before you open the popup box. Once you open it, you are committed to picking a channel, even if the one you are looking for does not exist. There should be a blank, or none box selection. It is not a real problem though, because if you don't find it on the list, you just don't enable that channel. It does look odd though in the list with a wrong map assigned to it.

This probably sounds complicated. It really is not. As I said, it is just tedious.

Let us know how you make out.

[flyswatta]

Hmm, sounds like what you said - tedious. I'll cross that bridge when (if?) I get to it

[ZaHayNa]

Unfortunately channel numbers arent part of the DVB specification, so there is no standard way of doing this, and each broadcaster implements their own custom/proprietary mechanism for doing it. It seems such a stupid thing to leave out of the spec...

GB-PVR implements for a couple of these channel number mechanisms, including support for the LCN extensions used in the UK and Scandanavia, and the Irdeto BAT extensions used on Irdeto systems.

I found out that the P value (service number) is the channel number on ExpressVU (using 91W). Would there be any way to have the 2691.ini file tell GB that this is the channel numbering system?

[sub]

I'll try to add some option for this.

[flyswatta]

Time to return the favor for all the help, soccerdad . I found that if you alphabetize the "scan-x.cache" file in gbpvr/BDA folder then the listing will be in alphabetical order.
For instance, I have a SCAN-4.cache and SCAN-5.cache in my BDA folder. The number refers to the device number under "capture sources" (in my case, device 4 & 5).

If you're starting from scratch, then the process is:
1. Run the scan
2. Click okay, okay, okay to exit from the config program
3. alphabetize the *.cache file
4. run config and go to map digital channels to EPG channels
5. The list on the side and in the drop down will be in alphabetical order

If you already had a scan, you'll need to delete the *.cache files under BDA, then start with #1 above.

It sounds like a lot, but once the scan is run the rest only takes about a minute, most of which is waiting for gbpvr to restart.

You can alphabetize it any way you want, but I wrote a little shell script under cygwin (the sort command is awesome). If you have cygwin installed, then you can create it as a script in your home directory and run it.

(I call it alphascan.sh)

if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
echo "Usage: alphascan.sh <cachefilename>"
echo "example: ./alphascan.sh SCAN-4.cache"
exit 1
fi
cd C:/Progra~1/devnz/gbpvr/BDA
cat $1 | sed 's/>/ /g' | sort -k2 | sed 's/T~N: /T~N:>/g' > tmp.txt
mv tmp.txt $1
exit

Usage: alphascan.sh <cachefilename>
example: ./alphascan.sh SCAN-4.cache

Basically all it does is replace the ">" symbol with a space (to create 2 columns, the second column being the Channel Name), then it sorts based on the second column, and re-adds the ">" symbol. Then it renames it to whatever the filename is.

I'm sure some of the Windows batch file guru's around here could do the same thing in a batch file - I found Windows sort command hard to work with since it uses character position instead of column location (and I do UNIX stuff all day long so it's more natural for me ).

Anyway, let me know how it works out!

[flyswatta]

Oops, made a bad assumption in my earlier script. This works (at least for me):

if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
echo "Usage: alphascan.sh <cachefilename>"
echo "example: ./alphascan.sh SCAN-4.cache"
exit 1
fi
cd C:/Progra~1/devnz/gbpvr/BDA
cat $1 | sed 's/:>/--- /g' | sort -k2 | sed 's/--- /:>/g' > tmp.txt
mv tmp.txt $1
exit