Hi All,
I would like to add some comments to channels.conf, and remove some channels I never watch. I have tried adding lines beginning with #, but this does not work, I still see those channels when I choose "channels" in VDR.
What charakter can i add in front of a line to let the line be ignored?
Best regards, Cedric
On 15.01.2012 11:56, Eric Valette wrote:
Well, it stated the facts ;-)
it could skip the line with a comment character when rewriting (and unless it changed, it may not rewrite it is no PMT/pid scanning is requested)
VDR reads the channels.conf file and doesn't store any information about "comments". It only stores the channel data. When it writes the file, it writes only the channel data, and at that point any comments in the original file would be lost.
Klaus
On 2012-01-15 13:01, Klaus Schmidinger wrote:
Even though they'd get lost when VDR writes it, allowing comments there would be an improvement so distros (and VDR itself) could ship the file with some comments in it that instruct users what they need to do before things will work, or what the file is for, or... Same thing applies to remote.conf, setup.conf, and timers.conf.
If the "AllowComments" parameter exists just for the purpose of disallowing comments in files where VDR doesn't preserve them, I suggest removing that restriction altogether and allowing comments everywhere. Allowing comments and preserving them are two different things. For files where VDR doesn't preserve them it could note that on the first line of such files, for example like:
# Warning: VDR will overwrite this file without preserving comments.
Even though they'd get lost when VDR writes it, allowing comments there
would be an improvement so distros (and VDR itself) could ship the file with some comments in it that instruct users what they need to do before things will work, or what the file is for, or... Same thing applies to remote.conf, setup.conf, and timers.conf.
The mentioned files are nothing else than a table of the database VDR. There is no solution out there, where it is possible to edit the channel list outside the normal operation, or even to think about comments within it. It is not possible within MythTV, not on commercial settop boxes, PVRs or any builtin receivers in TV devices, not even with the famous DBox'es and Dreamboxes. If you're lucky there might be tool where you could connect from another PC to the box and edit your channel list within small boundaries, so advantage VDR, 15:0 ...
So, the information has to be managed from datebases frontend, in case of VDR the OSD or "svdrp". The only sufficient solution might be to have a switch in OSDs channel editor, to disable or enable a entry in channels list, like it is available on commercial solutions. Same for all relevant conf-Files, whereas I don't see any reason to put comments into timers.conf, weird ...
Regards fnu
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: vdr-bounces@linuxtv.org [mailto:vdr-bounces@linuxtv.org] Im Auftrag von Ville Skyttä Gesendet: Sonntag, 15. Januar 2012 12:29 An: vdr@linuxtv.org Betreff: Re: [vdr] howto ignore lines in channels.conf
On 2012-01-15 13:01, Klaus Schmidinger wrote:
Even though they'd get lost when VDR writes it, allowing comments there would be an improvement so distros (and VDR itself) could ship the file with some comments in it that instruct users what they need to do before things will work, or what the file is for, or... Same thing applies to remote.conf, setup.conf, and timers.conf.
If the "AllowComments" parameter exists just for the purpose of disallowing comments in files where VDR doesn't preserve them, I suggest removing that restriction altogether and allowing comments everywhere. Allowing comments and preserving them are two different things. For files where VDR doesn't preserve them it could note that on the first line of such files, for example like:
# Warning: VDR will overwrite this file without preserving comments.
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On 2012-01-15 14:48, fnu wrote:
At least when I started to use VDR a long time ago, channels.conf pretty much *had* to be created with tools that weren't included with VDR ("scan" or something like that from dvb-apps). I haven't checked recently, but I suspect it's the same these days.
At least when I started to use VDR a long time ago, channels.conf pretty
much *had* to be created with tools that weren't included with VDR ("scan" or something like that from dvb-apps).
I haven't checked recently, but I suspect it's the same these days.
Well that is an other question and valid argument, why is there no sufficient solution to scan for channels in VDR, like is quit normal on commercial solution. Not that I like to have a stupid on, which provides me 4000 channels from satellite, whereas only 40-80 or so are really relevent for me and do have trouble to sort it out laters, like it is also quit normal on commercial solutions.
There is at a command line tool available, "w_scan" or a plugin "vdr-plugin-wirbelscan". But yes I can go with the thought, this should be rather a nativ VDR function.
But this will be pretty difficult to implement, since VDR runs with a uncounted number of DVB devices. Whereas commercial solutions do need to work just with their one and only DVB device type. It doesn't matter if it is avaiblable with DVB-C/T/S receivers, it's always just one type. So the software does need to be able to run with 3 different DVB type in max. and not with a thousend or so ...
Regards fnu
Am 15.01.2012 14:49, schrieb fnu:
I've been living with VDR's auto channel update quite well, back since VDR 1.3.x eliminated the need of the AutoPID patch.
The only thing I need an external tool for is to clean up all the dead channels from time to time. I never understood why people need external scan tools anyway, at least on an average system.
Cheers,
Udo
On 2012-01-15 16:45, Udo Richter wrote:
Does this mean that if one now starts up a new VDR installation from scratch without any channels.conf whatsoever, VDR will find some channels to show on its own? How long does it take for it to find some channels, and how does that look like from the user POV? (I suppose I could just try it out myself, but I'm too lazy to do that ATM.)
When I started using VDR sometime in the 1.3.x series, I don't think that happened automatically at all, I had to use dvb-apps' scan to generate a channels.conf. This is on DVB-C, and I don't think I've ever used an AutoPID patch.
I've been living with VDR's auto channel update quite well, back since VDR 1.3.x eliminated the need of the AutoPID patch.
I said, I can go with the thought, it should be rather a native VDR function. From the technical point of view you're right, it runs perfectly, this function for people who know what to do. But where to hack is it written down, that experts and specialist wouldn't like some comfort? Whereas this might things easier for noob's starting to become an expert ... ;-)
But again, I also know this would not be easy to implement, unlike a "small" function to enable or disable an entry in channels list thru OSD.
How long does it take for it to find some channels, and how does that look
like from the user POV?
A couple of weeks ago I did use this feature in a friend's new installation, it took around 15-20min in the background to gather ~ 500 channels from his cable provider, while we did watch live tv in foreground. Ok, you need at least one running entry in channels list, to make it happen. But this could also be pre-defined iptv entry, like it is done w/ yaVDR ...
Regards fnu
On Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 3:29 AM, Ville Skyttä ville.skytta@iki.fi wrote:
I see no real benefit in complicating file (which stores only channel information) functions with what you've suggested. It just seems like a bunch of unnecessary work inside VDR for something that isn't any more useful than simply putting such info/comments in the README, MANUAL, INSTALLATION, or other appropriate files.
On 2012-01-15 18:39, VDR User wrote:
I see no real benefit in complicating file (which stores only channel information) functions with what you've suggested.
VDR already contains code in file functions whose only purpose IIRC is to make it possible to disallow comments in some files. *That* is unnecessary complication (which also happens to get in the way in some corner cases) and I suggested getting rid of it.
There is one bit of information that I would like to add to channels.conf, and that's the channel number. This information cannot be added the README, and other files, as this is information that only I use. My channel.conf now looks like this (from memory, I'm not in front of the machine right now)
#1 Nederland 1: *a whole lot of numbers* #2 Nederland 2 *a whole lot of numbers*
This reminds me, it's now not possible to have a list of channels with gaps in it. I would like it if I can create a list like this:
#1..5 My favorite channels 1 Discovery channel 2 MTV 3 Some other channel 4 Comedy channel 5 Some other channel
#10..15 channels of my wife (just married this friday :-) ) 10 RTL 4 11 RTL 8
#20 channels we both like ;-) 20 animal planet 21 discovery channel (identical to channel 1) 22 ...
#30 radio channels 31 3FM 32 BNR 33 Veronica
Best regards, Cedric
On Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:18:40 +0100 cedric.dewijs@telfort.nl wrote:
VDR can already do that. Before each numbered group add a line ":@1 ", ":@10 ", ":@20 " etc. Exclude the quites, but ISTR there was some problem if I didn't include a trailing space. I use this to make my channels numbered the same way as Freeview and Freesat, so I'd prefer it if channels lines had an LCN field instead of putting the numbers on separate lines.
I think you can also use a : followed by a string without @ to add comments, which are shown in the EPG. So I'm surprised everyon'e saying you can't have comments in channels.conf.
On 16.01.2012 01:45, Tony Houghton wrote:
There's no, need for a trailing space.
An LCN field would only make sense if you have only channels from a single broadcaster in your channels.conf. As soon as there are several broadcasters, the numbers would most likely not be unique any more, and therefore useless.
I think you can also use a : followed by a string without @ to add comments, which are shown in the EPG.
These are "channel group separators", which you can easily navigate through with the Left and Right keys in live mode. The texts are *not* "shown in the EPG", though.
Klaus
On Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:51:26 +0100 Klaus Schmidinger Klaus.Schmidinger@tvdr.de wrote:
I know it isn't necessary, and I can't remember exactly why I use them, but one of the existing programs (either VDR itself, or scan) used to append spaces. Making my own tool do the same made it easier to detect whether the file needed updating or something.
Yes, you would need an additional field for the broadcaster or bouquet or something and provide a way for the user to select which set of channels they're viewing. Probably not easy or very practical to add to VDR at this point. Fortunately there are few clashes between Freeview and Freesat, and all I have to do is renumber a few radio channels which I virtually never use.
I shouldn't have called it "EPG". I really meant the channel list view. I'm sure when I used these group labels they were shown in VDR's OSD.
You could change the line to a lable by starting it with ": ". If I understand it correctly, using a space after : instead of @ and it becomes a label for the channels after. A way to group them sort of. You can then using it as a quick jump to the channel that follows, but it should be skiped when just surfing and it shouldn't try to save EPG data for it.
On 1/15/2012 3:56 AM, Eric Valette wrote:
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cedric.dewijs＠telfort.nl -
Eric Valette -
fnu -
Klaus Schmidinger -
Timothy D. Lenz -
Tony Houghton -
Udo Richter -
VDR User -
Ville Skyttä