[Livin]

Channel number is an integer in the PVR API at the moment (which it is for most regions I've seen). Never seen a channel number listed as "2.1".

2.1 will be getting converted to 2 as part of converting the string to an integer.

As the previous posted stated, this is non-starter for USA... without sub-channel support (8.1, 8.2, etc) it is 100% not usable for USA.

[fiveisalive]

The list of channels is what comes back over the MythXML interface. Have a look at what the following URL returns and see if that BBC channel is in there.

http://192.168.2.51:6544/Myth/GetProgram...1T00:29:10

Ah yes, it does appear that BBC World is in that list. I recall now when doing my initial scan via myth that the tuner picked up a number of "bogus" channels that I don't actually have access to. I had marked such channels as being "hidden" or "invisible" in mythbackend, but apparently the XML doesn't return that status. Somehow mythbox detects that these channels are invisible and doesn't show them, but perhaps it doesn't use the XML to parse that info.

[fiveisalive]

The PVR branch is delegating directly to the existing myth:// support. It has a few patches to prevent a deadlock when starting LiveTV, but that's all at this stage. Are you sure that LiveTV works if you play it though the myth:// directory structure?

myth:// definitely works fine in my Dharma installation (using the same 0.23-fixes backend) using the built-in support. Also mythbox uses myth:// for playback and that also works fine. I haven't tried the myth:// support in the pvr branch bypassing the pvr plugin, so I can't speak to that, I will try when I next get the chance.

Some debug logs confirming that would be useful.

I can post my Dharma debug logs, as well as logs using vanilla myth:// support in the pvr branch when I get the chance.

[dteirney]

Ah yes, it does appear that BBC World is in that list. I recall now when doing my initial scan via myth that the tuner picked up a number of "bogus" channels that I don't actually have access to. I had marked such channels as being "hidden" or "invisible" in mythbackend, but apparently the XML doesn't return that status. Somehow mythbox detects that these channels are invisible and doesn't show them, but perhaps it doesn't use the XML to parse that info.

How are they marked as hidden or invisible in mythbackend?

Is there any information in the channel XML data that could be used to also mark them as hidden in XBMC? "Hidden" is one of the fields in the PVR interface that I wasn't sure how we would define from the MythXML interface.

If you can post the list of your channels XML and which ones are hidden I'll see if there is anything obvious that can be used.

There is already code that doesn't return channels that have a channel number of 0 or empty.

[dteirney]

As the previous posted stated, this is non-starter for USA... without sub-channel support (8.1, 8.2, etc) it is 100% not usable for USA.

@dushmaniac, if you are following. What makes sense to do here for the PVR API?

[fiveisalive]

How are they marked as hidden or invisible in mythbackend?

You can go into the channel editor in the mythsetup and mark them as "hidden" (or alternatively you can do this in mythweb).

Is there any information in the channel XML data that could be used to also mark them as hidden in XBMC? "Hidden" is one of the fields in the PVR interface that I wasn't sure how we would define from the MythXML interface.

If you can post the list of your channels XML and which ones are hidden I'll see if there is anything obvious that can be used.

Not sure how to get the channels XML? Is this a different file to the GetProgramGuideResponse XML which is generated above? The XML that the link returned doesn't have any information about whether the channel is hidden. And I don't know how else to generate XML from myth, is there another magic URL to use? There certainly isn't a channels.xml or somesuch in ~/.mythtv or elsewhere, so I assume the channel XML is generated directly from the MySQL database on the fly.

There is already code that doesn't return channels that have a channel number of 0 or empty.

[fiveisalive]

@dushmaniac, if you are following. What makes sense to do here for the PVR API?

Ah, this would explain why all four of my WGBH channels 44.1, 44.2, 44.3, and 44.4 are getting collapsed into only one visible channel.

[opdenkamp]

@dteirney

There are two different types of channel numbers:
- backend channel numbers: only used to do some initial sorting of channel lists by xbmc. doesn't have to be unique. maybe it's used in an add-on's code, but it shouldn't.
- xbmc channel number: the position in the channel group.

So, just translate the 8.1, 8.2, etc. to channel number 8 and use the channel's unique id to identify it. XBMC will use unique channel numbers, so they'll become channel 8, 9, etc.

I'm currently working on that code in a local branch btw. The "xbmc channel number" will be moved to cpvrchannelgroup and channels can be part of multiple groups after I'm done. The "backend channel number" will only be used to sort the "all channels group", when the group is empty and new channels are added.

[TugboatBill]

Consider situations where channel #s are sequential, IE 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 9.1, 9.2 - displaying 8.2 as 9 would be confusing.

[opdenkamp]

well, I'm not going to change that right now. that would have too many implications for other parts of the code. add a "feature request" ticket for it.

[dteirney]

Not sure how to get the channels XML? Is this a different file to the GetProgramGuideResponse XML which is generated above? The XML that the link returned doesn't have any information about whether the channel is hidden. And I don't know how else to generate XML from myth, is there another magic URL to use? There certainly isn't a channels.xml or somesuch in ~/.mythtv or elsewhere, so I assume the channel XML is generated directly from the MySQL database on the fly.

The channel listing is parsed from the GetProgramGuideResponse XML. Can you please pastebin that somewhere so I can see what is in it.

[dteirney]

@dteirney

There are two different types of channel numbers:
- backend channel numbers: only used to do some initial sorting of channel lists by xbmc. doesn't have to be unique. maybe it's used in an add-on's code, but it shouldn't.
- xbmc channel number: the position in the channel group.

So, just translate the 8.1, 8.2, etc. to channel number 8 and use the channel's unique id to identify it. XBMC will use unique channel numbers, so they'll become channel 8, 9, etc.

I'm currently working on that code in a local branch btw. The "xbmc channel number" will be moved to cpvrchannelgroup and channels can be part of multiple groups after I'm done. The "backend channel number" will only be used to sort the "all channels group", when the group is empty and new channels are added.

There are 2 numbers that MythTV understands regarding channels.

Channel ID - the unique ID for the channel in the backend. This is used for all of the API calls. E.g. 1001, 1002, 1003, 1244
Channel Number - the human friendly number that is shown to users and used for sorting, changing channel via the remote number keypad etc. E.g. 1, 2, 3, 244 (and apparently 8.1, 8.2, 8.3)

The US seems to support a channel number that encodes some sort of grouping. E.g. 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 seems to imply that they belong to channel group 8 and have sub identifiers 1, 2, 3.

If the Channel Group can be specified for each channel across the PVR interface I could look at parsing out "8.1" into channel group "8" with number "1". I did find some channel group configuration stuff in the XBMC frontend the other day so this might be changeable within XBMC?

Will wait to see what the XML shows from fiveisalive but I'm pretty sure each channel with have it's own unique channel id, e.g. 1001, 1002, 1003, 1244. Without that there is no way MythTV can be functioning properly.

[dteirney]

Ah, this would explain why all four of my WGBH channels 44.1, 44.2, 44.3, and 44.4 are getting collapsed into only one visible channel.

For interests sake, how do you change to channel 44.2 using the remote with mythfrontend?

[fiveisalive]

For interests sake, how do you change to channel 44.2 using the remote with mythfrontend?

I rarely press the channel number buttons. I either use the channel up or down arrows or I go the TV Guide and scroll to find a program, then click to watch.

[Jezz_X]

For interests sake, how do you change to channel 44.2 using the remote with mythfrontend?

I'm more curious how they show up in a proper non pc enviroment like a tv or sat box or whatever it is and how you would nav in that I doubt a tv would want you to press 8.1 to get to a channel