SchedulesDirect Plugin Channel Name format (1 Viewer)

Danny Rego

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So, it's great that this plugin allows me to customize the "channel name format" as it appears in the guide, however, it doesn't seem to STICK. Everytime I enter the TV Server configuration, it resets back to a default that is not my new/customized one.

Does anyone know WHERE the configuration for schedulesdirect lives? Maybe I can modify the pre-populated list to be the format that I want? (which is just plain ol' {callsign})
 

mm1352000

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    Hello again Danny

    So, it's great that this plugin allows me to customize the "channel name format" as it appears in the guide, however, it doesn't seem to STICK. Everytime I enter the TV Server configuration, it resets back to a default that is not my new/customized one.
    Does the setting stick if you use one of the options rather than putting in your customised one?
    Do other settings stick?
    Could you post log files so I can check if there are any errors?

    Does anyone know WHERE the configuration for schedulesdirect lives?
    In TV Server's database, which is either a MySQL or SQL Server database (depending on which options you selected during installation).

    Maybe I can modify the pre-populated list to be the format that I want?
    You can... if you are willing/able to modify the code:
    https://github.com/geoffstewart/mp-schedulesdirect
     

    Danny Rego

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    It's very frustrating that all of this customization is available to set things up just the way I want them, but when I take the time to do that, something always ends up reverting it back. I make changes to the MySQL DB directly...even things like what channels show up, or the sortOrder, or channelNumber...but they get reset. VERY FRUSTRATING. I'm not sure if you have any helpful tips for that, but it'd be greatly apprecitated.
     

    mm1352000

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    Hello again Danny

    I'd be happy to share tips. However, in order to enable me to do that, you're going to need to give me specific examplest. For example: you customise the channel numbers, then XYZ happens and they all get reset. The "XYZ" part is important. I need to be able to understand why/how your changes are being reset before I can tell you how to avoid it happening.

    Regards,
    mm
     

    Danny Rego

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    The XYZ is what I can't figure out exactly. Here's an example of what I am trying to do. I have two hauppauge colossus cards that are working with my satellite set-top boxes, and I have two digital ATSC/OTA tuners.

    I want to set the OTA channels to be last in the guide, so I modified the channelNumber to be 1000+ for them...for example, 41.1 would become 1411. I also moved that to the appropriate sort position. At some point...I assume after the next guide update from SchedulesDirect, it "fixes" the channelNumber, and sort order to basically undo my changes.

    More importantly, I go through, and remove all of the satellite channels I don't want from the guide, and they start popping back into the guide...again...I have no idea how/why.

    So, I am afraid I don't know how to get to the meat of the cause.

    The only idea I have come up with so far is to write an SQL script/program that I can run every minute that can make sure the channels are setup the way I wish.

    (I just cloned the SchedulesDirect plugin from github, and started having a look at it...I am an experienced developer that hasn't done any sort of windows programming in 15 years...but I may take a stab at mofying the plugin to help with some of this, like an option to have the OTA channels not intermix with cable/satellite channels, etc)
     

    Danny Rego

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    I guess another problem semi-related to the ones above is that in schedules direct an OTA channel, adn a SATELLITE channel both have their channelNumber as "35"...so in the DB, there's only one "35" showing...instead of two.

    (so frustrating...MediaPortal appears to be rock solid once things are up and running, but all of the surrounding setup leaves much to be desired...I really hope I can get this thing setup "slick" like it was when I was using MCE)
     

    mm1352000

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    I want to set the OTA channels to be last in the guide, so I modified the channelNumber to be 1000+ for them...for example, 41.1 would become 1411. I also moved that to the appropriate sort position. At some point...I assume after the next guide update from SchedulesDirect, it "fixes" the channelNumber, and sort order to basically undo my changes.
    TV Server itself never renumbers, renames or reorders channels unless you specifically ask it to do so. Even when rescanning TV Server does not rename or renumber channels. Therefore the "interventions" you mentioned are almost certainly coming from the SchedulesDirect plugin or shortfalls in your understanding of how our database structure works.

    Here are a few recommendations I have to specifically address the scenario you mentioned:
    1. As I said above, TV Server doesn't modify channel ordering unless you do it intentionally, and I'm pretty sure the SD plugin doesn't have any capability to do ordering at all. Therefore I wonder if you're actually setting the order in the correct place. The correct place to set channel order is within channel groups (ie. as shown -->here<--). Modifying the order in the first tab ("Channels...") has no effect on the order in the guide.
    2. The standard SD plugin does automatically renumber channels, and that behaviour can't be disabled. Other people complained about that behaviour so I released a modified version -->here<-- which ties the behaviour to the existing "rename..." setting (ie. if you disable renaming then renumbering is also disabled). Unfortunately that mod seems to have gone ignored by the plugin maintainer(s). There's not much I can do about that. If you would like the modification to be included in the standard SD plugin release then please nag the plugin maintainer(s).
    3. Consider switching to mc2xml (which includes support for SD) + XMLTV plugin. Advantages/disadvantages of this alternative approach would be:
      • mc2xml can pull the new-style SD "JSON" EPG data which contains season and episode numbers
      • the mapping between SD "guide channels" and TV Server "scanned channels" is completely within your control (only really applicable for your ATSC channels... and usually the SD plugin does ATSC channels fine; it's cable lineups/channels that it struggles with)
      • absolutely no channel creation, renaming, renumbering or reordering supported (note this is a "two-edged sword", because you currently rely on the SD plugin to create your Colossus/satellite channels for you; without the SD plugin, you'd have had to figure out a way to import/create them all manually or with a DB script)

    Note that if you only care about having the ATSC channels last in the guide then recommendation 1 should be sufficient, and you can stick with the default numbers. That's probably the least hassle option.

    More importantly, I go through, and remove all of the satellite channels I don't want from the guide, and they start popping back into the guide...again...I have no idea how/why.
    Again, this is an SD plugin thing. Ensure you've unticked the "automatically add new digital cable/satellite channels" option in the SD plugin configuration advanced options tab.

    So, I am afraid I don't know how to get to the meat of the cause.

    The only idea I have come up with so far is to write an SQL script/program that I can run every minute that can make sure the channels are setup the way I wish.
    As above: anything that happens "automatically" (actually, usually on TV Server start/restart and/or when the SD plugin does its guide data update) is being done by the SD plugin.

    I am an experienced developer
    Cool. (y)

    I guess another problem semi-related to the ones above is that in schedules direct an OTA channel, adn a SATELLITE channel both have their channelNumber as "35"...so in the DB, there's only one "35" showing...instead of two.
    Hmmm, I don't really follow. The SD plugin should be responsible for creating your satellite channels. However, you should have used TV Server's scanning process to pull in your OTA channels. Therefore I'm not sure how you could end up with that situation.
     

    EW Thomas

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    Hi, Just reading ahead to learn as much as I can as to how MP processes EPG data and the json service from SD is what I believe I am going to need to be able to handle due to it having more of the schedule data I need.

    So with that out of the way .... How is the work on the implementation of this api into a working program for MP? A bit of background here..running WIN10
    with 4Gb RAM updating to 8Gb soon MP 13.0 Final Currently using MC2XML to grab xml data and hope to be able to grab json data when ready to do so.

    I apologize for hi jacking the thread here but I found it applies to my system and needs so I thought I would jump in and ask :)

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
     

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