Automatically delete unwanted channels? (2 Viewers)

[The_Stig]

Sneaking in here too with an opinion: I have to admit I have deleted the unwanted channels too. I understood now, that this isn't the best idea.

Since this is a kind of wishlist-thread here, I enter what I would find massively helpful would be the following (since I have DVB-S and DVB-C and a huge amount of channels (decrypted/FTA) which I don't want):

During scanning it would be massively helpful to get a question like "New provider detected. Do you want to add these channels?". As I e.g. know I want Sky channels from DVB-C but not from DVB-S. This way unwanted channels won't get added. But I guess this is a massive amount of development...and there are more important things to do for TVE3.5...I am sure!

 

[mm1352000]

@The_Stig
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Are you able to share why you prefer to delete (or not add) unwanted channels? Is it performance improvement, ease of management... ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mm1352000]

During scanning it would be massively helpful to get a question like "New provider detected. Do you want to add these channels?". As I e.g. know I want Sky channels from DVB-C but not from DVB-S. This way unwanted channels won't get added. But I guess this is a massive amount of development...and there are more important things to do for TVE3.5...I am sure!

Oh, I should say...
With the new channel filtering capabilities you could use a filter like:
provider : "Sky" & type : "DVB-S"

...to select/show all Sky satellite (DVB-S/S2) channels. After that, ctrl+a to select all, and delete.
True, this is not the friendliest way to do what you want, but at least it is possible. Also, the filter should be (I hope...!) powerful/flexible enough to be useful for other people with different situations.

 

[osre]

I'd say not adding (or removing) unwanted channels is mainly a "easing of channel management" thing. I don't think that it makes a measurable impact on todays hardware if you have 100 or 1000 channels in the DB. Specially when you use reduced favorites lists.

 

[The Doctor]

It is very user unfriendly, escpecially if your provider changes something in the transmission details. Tv-server scanning abillities are faling in detecting the changes.

Can you please expand on this?
I'm interested to hear specific improvements that you think could be made to fix what you find to be unfriendly.

Ok I need to come back on this one.

 

[The Doctor]

Ok, what I meant with user unfriendly is for example this:


1) Last week or so CanalDigitaal changed transmission details for some transponders like the setting symbol rate, and the modulation type. Everything else stayed the same. I did a rescan and tv-server did not detect the channels with the new settings. That's fine because (maybe) tv-server does not scan the transponders in every possible combination. I guess that's why you need to refresh the satellite list which is never up to date or correct.


The only option you have is to edit every channel that has changed and that process is not user friendly, To many menu's and you have to do it outside mediaportal.


2) An other big problem is when you have multiple tuner cards (like me three) and you need to assign channels to the cards which are able to receive those channels.
That's absolutely stupid because tv-server should know which channels can be received by which card as it did the scanning. (of course manual entries do not count). In my situation I cannot even see the difference between the cards because tv-server detects all the cards with exact the same name. It would be nice if I could rename the cards.

Card1 and Card 2 is for Astra 19,2/23,5 Card3 is for Astra 28,2 When I scan Astra 19,2/23,5 and then scan Astra 28,2 I end up with a massive list of channels and it is impossible to assign the channels from Card1 to Card2 which can receive the same channels because all the channels are in the same list and you cannot see which channels are tuned by which card.

The work around is to scan channels with every card even if Card1 and Card2 are only receiving the same channels on the same satellites. You need to have this sorted correctly else it will be impossible to watch and record different channels at the same time.



Mediaportal is very user-friendly in daily use (my wife, kids, nanny and neighbors) everyone is able to use it after a few button presses of the remote. But I don't see them retune channels when suddenly providers decide to move channels to different transponders or different tuning details.


Best solution would be: When you tune to a channel that cannot be received anymore, let the tv-server rescan the channel with an (auto) updated satellite list and if it still fails to tune present in Mediaport the option to set every tuning details by hand. (with the message to find the details at sites like http://nl.kingofsat.net/ or http://www.lyngsat.com/


Tuning details are changed on an almost monthly bases at least with CanalDigitaal. So it's really a pain in the ass.


What I will try this weekend is the option to scan for a transponder list and see if tv-server can cope with it. (it never did but I didn't try it for at least 2 years)

Edit : the transponderlist scan does work. Altough I am not sure where the tv-server stores the update tuning details.

Best Regards,


Ferry Bervoets

 

[The_Stig]

Are you able to share why you prefer to delete (or not add) unwanted channels? Is it performance improvement, ease of management... ?

Hrm...to be honest, I cannot really tell why I did this. It's quite a time ago and I think it was mainly for ease of management. But there was no real reason, it was more of a a "Hey, I don't need these crappy channels, lets get rid of them".

With the new channel filtering capabilities you could use a filter like:
provider : "Sky" & type : "DVB-S"

That sounds very good for me!

 

[JDWestoby]

Wow! Sorry, didn't mean to open a can of worms.

OK, the basis for this is my (Panny) TV comes up at fairly regular intervals and says 'New channels found' - so what am I missing?

Probably not much - I admit.

But this prompts me to rescan (not always) on MP - which means I get those darned channels I deleted (or otherwise moved) back.

Now, yes, I am somewhat retentive about this, but I don't like having things around I don't want (hear that wife!). SO I'd like to say to MP, yes I know you've found Sky 1 but I can't see it (anymore since they moved to the new cards, shame) so go away.

You are probably 100% right about not having any performance impact (mm1352000) - cripes, it's running on a 3GHz AMD!
(SSD for C:, pagefile/recordings on 2TB D: and a 5GB T: for timeshifting/temp.)

The only factor in my defence is that every so often I do a C: backup and having a bigger database means it takes more space.

I also agree that the TV server config is probably the worst (wrong word but you know what I mean) bit of MP and I wouldn't like to complicate it further either.

I really didn't mean to start anything this involved - maybe I should just make FreeSat/FreeView groups and hide rather than delete the encrypted channels (as mm1352000 originally said).

Heck, glad I haven't got my motorised dish up and running!

Eeee, I'll have to have a play - when I get some time on the box (records stuff all these days anyway!).

(Just have to ignore the fact that my database is full of stuff I don't want.)

Seriously, I am absolutely gob smacked at how people here are SO engaged. If it weren't the case I would never have persisted with MP for the last 8 (I think) years.....

Thank you to one and all.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello Ferry

1) Last week or so CanalDigitaal changed transmission details for some transponders like the setting symbol rate, and the modulation type. Everything else stayed the same. I did a rescan and tv-server did not detect the channels with the new settings. That's fine because (maybe) tv-server does not scan the transponders in every possible combination.

No, TV Server does not scan with every possible combination. That would take a _very_ long time (many hours). It would also be error prone because some tuners auto-detect settings (eg. modulation, pilot tones, roll off factor) while other tuners do not. If a tuner with auto-detection is used for scanning then it can result in creation of incorrect tuning details that can't be tuned by other tuners (tuners which don't support auto-detection).

In my opinion to take longer for scanning or to create tuning details that only work for some tuners would be _far_ more user unfriendly than the current situation.

I guess that's why you need to refresh the satellite list which is never up to date or correct.

Never? That's a really big word.
We have no control over the actual satellite (transponder) list data. That data is kindly provided by FastSatFinder. So, if the transponder definitions are wrong or incomplete then please report problems to them.

Note: in case you were wondering, we don't automatically update the satellite list because that would overwrite peoples' private customisations. I'd hope you don't find it too hard to click one button to update before scanning.

The only option you have is to edit every channel that has changed and that process is not user friendly, To many menu's and you have to do it outside mediaportal.

I don't understand why any of this should be required if you click "update satellite list" and then "scan for channels".
I also don't understand how any of this is connected to the topic (automatic deletion of channels... or not re-adding channels that have been deleted).

Yes editing channels is complex, but it is expected that 99.99% of TV Server users would never have to use that function. Nevertheless, if you would like to suggest some specific improvements then I'd be happy to listen.

2) An other big problem is when you have multiple tuner cards (like me three) and you need to assign channels to the cards which are able to receive those channels.
That's absolutely stupid because tv-server should know which channels can be received by which card as it did the scanning. (of course manual entries do not count). In my situation I cannot even see the difference between the cards because tv-server detects all the cards with exact the same name.

Huh, I'm confused!
First, TV Server does automatically create mappings when scanning.
Second, how is this connected to the topic? (If you have feedback about different issues/features then best to start a separate thread.)

It would be nice if I could rename the cards.

This is possible with TVE 3.5.

Card1 and Card 2 is for Astra 19,2/23,5 Card3 is for Astra 28,2 When I scan Astra 19,2/23,5 and then scan Astra 28,2 I end up with a massive list of channels and it is impossible to assign the channels from Card1 to Card2 which can receive the same channels because all the channels are in the same list and you cannot see which channels are tuned by which card.

The work around is to scan channels with every card even if Card1 and Card2 are only receiving the same channels on the same satellites.

Okay, I understand this problem... and it will be solved with TVE 3.5.
Briefly:

• All channels with satellite tuning details will automatically be mapped to all satellite tuners (same for DVB-C, DVB-T/T2 etc. tuning details and tuners). Unmapping can be done manually.
  
• A new "mapping" will be created for satellites and satellite tuners. This enables you to configure the mapping at the satellite level rather than the channel level. So for example, you can do exactly what you said: tuners 1 and 2 can receive 19.2 and 23.5 while tuner 3 can only receive 28.2. It will take only 30 seconds to configure. Note: this mapping will also allow you to configure tuners to use different LNB or DiSEqC settings to receive the same satellite (currently not possible).

Mediaportal is very user-friendly in daily use (my wife, kids, nanny and neighbors) everyone is able to use it after a few button presses of the remote. But I don't see them retune channels when suddenly providers decide to move channels to different transponders or different tuning details.


Best solution would be: When you tune to a channel that cannot be received anymore, let the tv-server rescan the channel with an (auto) updated satellite list and if it still fails to tune present in Mediaport the option to set every tuning details by hand. (with the message to find the details at sites like http://nl.kingofsat.net/ or http://www.lyngsat.com/

Problem: rescanning can take quite a long time. Also, we can't tell if the channel can't be received due to atmospheric conditions, disconnected cable, tuner problem, broadcaster problem... etc. (in which case rescanning is actually unnecessary).

 

[mm1352000]

Hi @JDWestoby

Wow! Sorry, didn't mean to open a can of worms.
...
Seriously, I am absolutely gob smacked at how people here are SO engaged. If it weren't the case I would never have persisted with MP for the last 8 (I think) years.....

No need to apologise; not in the slightest!
Receiving and talking through feedback is vitally important. As you so rightly point out: the community would evaporate pretty quickly if we didn't listen and respond to suggestions and criticism.

OK, the basis for this is my (Panny) TV comes up at fairly regular intervals and says 'New channels found' - so what am I missing?

Hmmm, I can't speak for your TV, but I know our (generic brand) TV at home comes up with a message "new cell found" on occasion... even though I know there has been absolutely no change to the network (no new, expired or modified frequencies or channels). So, my first inclination is not to trust the TV without independent evidence that there are actually new channels.

Now, yes, I am somewhat retentive about this, but I don't like having things around I don't want (hear that wife!). SO I'd like to say to MP, yes I know you've found Sky 1 but I can't see it (anymore since they moved to the new cards, shame) so go away...

Okay, understood.
I'll have a think about how we might improve. The easiest way may well be a comma-separated list of provider names (eg. "Sky, BSkyB")... and/or an option not to add encrypted channels... though I have the feeling that this would be insufficient for the level of customisation that some people like to do.

Best regards,
mm