Directv Local Stations (1 Viewer)

[dobyken]

I have been setting up MP1 TV Server using a HDHomerun OTA tuner and a HD PVR connected via component to a directv Genie. Everything is working fine except I do not get any local Tampa channels for the HD PVR. I know they're available since they do show up in my NextPVR setup. I don't think MP TV doesn't use your lineups but the local stations do not show up in my Directv lineup. I tried a few times adding them manually using the same names as the OTA stations and mapping them to the HD PVR but that didn't work. I also tried combining them with the HDHomerun stations which gives me guide data but it uses tuner priority rather and 2 separate entries. I did get one thing to work but only for a day by adding the stations in setup them editing the channels in MySQL by adding the mapped name of the HDHomerun station into the mapped name field of the HD PVR station. After a day it now says no data. So the question is what is the proper way to manually add the stations and have MP1 retrieve the guide data. FYI the reason I want 2 entries is I'm 60 miles Tampa and suffer from iffy reception so if OTA is not working good I then switch over to the Directv signal. Why not just use the Directv all the time your ask? Because it takes 10 to 15 seconds to tune the channels. EDIT: OK...weirdness number one. After manually running the guide update in tv server config the added channels have guide data again.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello

I have to say: I'm thoroughly confused about what you're trying to do, and I don't understand what your problem is.

Are you wanting to end up with 2 copies of each local channel? (If so, why?)
...and have both with the same guide data?

...or are you wanting to have combined channels with 2 tuning details - one for the HDHR and one for the HDPVR?

 

[dobyken]

Yes...2 copies of the same local channe in the As I mentioned my TV signal is not very good but if it's working I'd rather use the OTA than the directv version because if I'm switching channels on the HD PVR it takes 10-15 seconds vs 1-2 seconds on the HDHomerun as in switching between two football games on at the same time. If I combine stations and the HDHomerun tuner is higher in priority and happens to be fading in and out MP will not use the HD PVR.

Lets remove the HDHomerun OTA and say the simple issue is when I configure the HD PVR and import the channels using the schedules direct plugin I get none of the local Tampa channels and have to manually add the stations but when doing so I do not get guide data unless I edit the SQL table.

 

[mm1352000]

Okay, thanks for the clarification. I think I understand now.

Lets remove the HDHomerun OTA and say the simple issue is when I configure the HD PVR and import the channels using the schedules direct plugin I get none of the local Tampa channels and have to manually add the stations...

I can only assume that this is related to the SD plugin and/or your SD account configuration, both of which are completely outside our (MediaPortal's) control.

Are the local Tampa channels actually part of your SD DirecTV lineup?
If not, I guess that explains why the SD plugin would not add them. Presumably you'd need a second OTA lineup associated with your account in order to get the SD plugin to create those channels. If you do in fact have a second lineup, it is also possible that the SD plugin has been designed to only automatically create MP channels for satellite (eg. Dish, DirecTV) and cable lineups. The configuration option does say "automatically add new digital cable/satellite channels" - no mention of terrestrial/OTA - so I wouldn't be particularly surprised.

...but when doing so I do not get guide data unless I edit the SQL table.

Presumably you're modifying the Channel table ExternalId column?

The SD plugin uses that column to link SD guide channels to MP channels. Manually creating channels/stations will not populate the column; that's entirely expected. If the column is ever to be populated, either the SD plugin has to do it (when it automatically creates channels based on your configured SD lineups, or when it links existing OTA scanned-in channels to guide data)... or otherwise you'd have to do it manually as you're doing.


In short: I'm saying that what you're seeing/experiencing seems to be as expected/designed, and if you want separate/duplicate local channels with SD guide data then the only way to achieve it could well be to do what you're doing now.

 

[dobyken]

Presumably you're modifying the Channel table ExternalId column?

Yes....I guessed at that one. Actually I saw it has the SchDir ID #'s so I assumed that was matches it found. I don't know why SD doesn't have local channels in their data...it would simplify things a lot.
Thanks!

 

[mm1352000]

I don't know why SD doesn't have local channels in their data...

SD does have local channels in their data. It's just that MP's SD plugin doesn't auto-create OTA/local channels which are usable with a capture card (like your HD-PVR). I'd guess the plugin is intentionally designed this way because most people use digital ATSC tuners (like your HDHR) to receive their OTA channels.

 

[dobyken]

I changed course a little bit and dug out a program I used a few years ago. I setup MC2XML to pull the schedules direct data and switched over to the xmltv plugin. This brings in all the Sat and local stations and I can just use the selector to assign guide channels to any that didn't get matched. I have all the local tampa stations for both Directv and OTA without having to play tricks with the sql database. Since it uses my SD lineups it only has about 60 stations. I first tried it with MediaCenter guide data and it wall a chore trying to find matches when there's 1300 channels to pick from. Now I see why you guys have been pushing the xmltv plugin over the SchedulesDirect Plugin.