Logical Channel Number Options...

[IanSav]

Hi,

A couple of questions/suggestions about the channel list:
- Is it possible to split Digital Radio channels away from Digital TV channels? That is, have a Live TV and a Live Radio entry on the main menu. Live TV works as it does now and Live Radio would have some on-screen visualisation to accompany the audio and create some sort of visual interest and avoid screen burn.
- Is it possible to change the listing order of the channels without renumbering them?
- Is it possible to nominate channels in the scanned channel list to be "favourites" or else nominate other channels to be hidden?

When looking at the EPG or scrolling through the channels with CH+ and CH- I would like the channels grouped in a more logical order that does not match the numerical order. In Melbourne Australia we have the following list of LCNs available: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 40, 44, 70, 71, 72, 73, 90, 99, 200, 201.

LCNs 38, 39, 200 and 201 are digital radio channels. I feel these should be available in a separate area. The order of the LCNs should be able to be specified. As mentioned above a screen visualisation can be applied to provide eye candy to support them. The eye candy could be some sort of animated/graphical screen saver, some sort of video loop like fireworks, aquarium, fire place etc, or even a slide show of photographs. I hope you get the idea.

The other LCNs I would like grouped as 2, 22, 23, 24, 20, 7, 72, 70, 9, 99, 90, 10, 12, 1, 3, 32, 30, 44, 40. You will note that some numbers are missing. Some LCNs are defined but simply copies of other streams. I would like to keep them in the channel list so I can directly select them by entering their LCN number but when using CH+ or CH- the channels should be selected, in sequence, as per the grouped list above.

What do other people think?

Regards,
Ian.

[Reddwarf]

First of all I think this belongs in the "Whishlist" forum . Second, why not just renumber the channels according to your LCN? It's a one-time operation, and I don't think Sub can build in a sorting or grouping order for everyone's wish.

The radio channels will be taken care of once the DVB-Radio plugin is rewritten for NPVR (I hope :p)

[BigMoose]

I dont understand why you dont want to renumber them? I have numbered mine in logical groupings as I see fit, including putting the radio channels in the 900s to that I never "flick" through them when randomly browsing TV channels, but I know they are there if I want to listen... I like the nPVR channel management very much as it is. Typically for channels I dont want to access with +/- I lob them in a high group somewhere (like all the BBC 1 variants I have tuned in but dont want to scroll through) but the one region I do use is in a low number along with other channels I do want to flick through...

[imilne]

Yep, it's one of the best things about GBPVR/NPVR compared to most off-the-shelf boxes, being able to pick and choose only the channels you want in *exactly* the order you want. And with the names you want too (in GBPVR anyway; not sure what the NPVR situation is yet).

Iain

[BigMoose]

You can name and number them any which way you like in nPVR regardless of what they are called in the EPG.

[IanSav]

Hi Reddwarf,

First of all I think this belongs in the "Whishlist" forum

Sorry. :o On quick inspection of the Wishlist forum it appears that it is primarily for GB-PVR wishes. Perhaps we can have an N-PVR area of the forum so the two program versions can be separated and the confusion reduced.

Also, as a new user I didn't know if this feature was available but not obvious. It seems many features are not documented and/or hidden in config files. As a new user I thought this sort of feature may have been available. Almost every STB and PVR in Australia have this sort of feature (a favourite or display channel list that is in addition to the default scanned channel list).

Regards,
Ian.

[IanSav]

Hi All,

I understand that the channels can be renumbered and renamed. I prefer not to do that. If a channel is well known by its LCN then assigning it some random number is not going to help with channel recognition.

Basically the wish is to create a new favourite channel list just like on a domestic STB or PVR. The list can contain as many or as few of the available LCNs as required. The list can be organised or sequenced as desired. I do *not* want to change the way the channels are scanned or managed as they are done now. This is an additional feature request as it appears, from the comments above, that such a feature does not currently exist. If users don't want to have a favourite list then turn the feature off, leave it blank or simply initialise it to be the scanned channel list. If the favourite list is enabled then in the EPG and for CH+ or CH- follow the list of channels as defined in the favourite list not the scanned channel list.

Regards,
Ian.

[Reddwarf]

Hi Reddwarf,

Sorry. :o On quick inspection of the Wishlist forum it appears that it is primarily for GB-PVR wishes. Perhaps we can have an N-PVR area of the forum so the two program versions can be separated and the confusion reduced.

Also, as a new user I didn't know if this feature was available but not obvious. It seems many features are not documented and/or hidden in config files. As a new user I thought this sort of feature may have been available. Almost every STB and PVR in Australia have this sort of feature (a favourite or display channel list that is in addition to the default scanned channel list).

Regards,
Ian.

It is published that there will be no more development for GBPVR, so all new items in wishlist is concerning NPVR. And I cannot for my bare life understand why you prefer not to renumber the channel list, since that will give you what you want.

[IanSav]

Hi Reddwarf,

I don't want to renumber the channels because:
- the numbers happen to match the channel names in many cases (E.g. 7 Digital is on LCN 7, Nine Digital is on LCN 9, etc.)
- the numbers allocated are well known
- renumbering LCNs still doesn't allow LCNs to be skipped for the EPG / CH+ / CH- but still allow a channel to be selected by direct number entry
- this feature would help to bridge the operational gap between N-PVR and commercial STB and PVR devices

Regards,
Ian.

[Reddwarf]

I don't want to renumber the channels because:
- the numbers happen to match the channel names in many cases (E.g. 7 Digital is on LCN 7, Nine Digital is on LCN 9, etc.)
- the numbers allocated are well known

Isn't that a good thing?

- renumbering LCNs still doesn't allow LCNs to be skipped for the EPG / CH+ / CH- but still allow a channel to be selected by direct number entry
- this feature would help to bridge the operational gap between N-PVR and commercial STB and PVR devices

What's the point of trying to look like a commercial STB? If one like a STB better than just buy a STB and don't bother with a pc-system like npvr.