Deleting and renumbering channels for using a TIVO

[geester]

Right i have a silly question about all of this,

I have managed to get as far getting ready to alter my channel numbers, ie i have downloaded my service file and uploaded a blank one.

I am a little confused tho as to which (for example) bbc1 to use as there are a few of them to choose from? Does it matter?

I am also having a problem changing the channel numbers. I have tried a few ways but i am lost now. I have tried just right clicking the line in DBE and then changing the nmber there but then i tells me that i need to fill in all the boxes marked with an asterisk (the only blank one being for polarization).

Also i reckon this is not the way to do it as it would take hours, so i downloaded created a few bouquettes and added the channels to the bouquettes (basing them on the ntl channel list attached in this thread). then downloaded the bouquette list in excel readable format and changed the channel numbers in the spreadsheet. I noticed that when i had set up the bouquettes it had sort of made a copy of the channels as when i looked in the downloaded spreadsheet i had 2 of each (one with the user bouquette details and one that was the original). Even when i re-imported the spreadsheet back into DBE nothing had changed.

I have looked all over the place to try and find what a guide or something on how to change the channel numbers but couldn't find anything. I think i am going a bit snow blind now. so if anyone can help me with any of my problems i would be very very greatful.


hope someone can clarify this.

Cheers

G

 

[GaryTheGolfer]

Using DreamBox Edit

Hi,


Firstly, I need to apologise: This answer is complicated......

I have replied to Geesters PM by pm re finding the correct version of BBC1 say by checking that the local news version is received (usually between 6 and 7 pm). The same applies to the ITV1 regional news channel.....as a way of identifying which is your "correct" regional programme.

Moving on to the use of DreamBox Edit (DBE).....a long and winding road:

You were doing it right withe DBE. If, for example, you open your chosen BBC1 channel which is, let's say channel 362 by double clicking on that line. The page of info that opens up in DBE will list all the necessary parameters. If you look under the lower section, "Service Data" (rather than "transponder data"), you would see "Number" listed as 362. Edit this to be 101 (to corresponds with Tivo's channel requirement of 101 for BBC1). Press the lower left "Save" button.

Make sure there is only ONE entry with Channel Number of 101 (You can sort the DBE table on channel number (or any other field) by left clicking on the field name.

Once you are back in the main DBE page, and have made any changes, you should see the "Save" toolbar button enboldened. When you have finished your editing, remeber to press this "Save" button.

You can change as many channels as you like to set up channel numbers to match Tivo.

As you correctly point out, making all these changes will take hours.....YES!!! I posted my work back in the hope of saving others A LOT OF WORK. However, my channel mapping will only be perfect for a Tivo-user in the NTL Langley area (Essex). I don't know of a quicker method (but would be more than willing to listen to anyone that has!!)

I haven't had much luck with the Bouquetter programmes.

Going back to DBE. My thoughts were that it would make sense if the "services" were exported to Excel, edited in Excel and then reimported back into DBE for uploading back to the DreamBox. DBE has the facility to export and reimport tab-delimited txt format.

However, my experience has not been too easy. For example if you export your "Services" to Excel, make NO CHANGES and then reimport to DBE, the process fails (for me). I believe this to be tied up with how DBE has evolved. I think it was developed initially for satellite use (Hence the references to "polarization" and "Transponders".

The modified DBE does accommodate cable but the import/export process frequently fails. If you look at the "satellites.xml" file you should see section details for different satellites. At the end you will see a "Satellite" section called "Cable" !!!!! The head of this cable section will list a parameter called "Position". It will probably have an entry like 9999 or 999.9.

If you export as tab-delimited txt and open in Excel, you need to edit all the column entries under "Satellite Position" to agree with "Satellite.XML eg 9999 perhaps. This is quite trivial but at least allows the tab-delimited txt file saved in Excel to be reimported into DBE. Until you can achieve this, NO CHANGES made in Excel will be any use!!!!

I have emailed the DBE developer in the hope that this (and subsequent bugs) can be fixed in the next release and also to recommend a work around in the meantime (perhaps as above).

So in short don't be surprised that you get stuck or fail or give up......No-one said it was going to be easy.

I have about 95% of my channels working properly with Tivo. I am working to fix the rest.

A few thoughts for the future:
1. All service line entries (in DBE) MUST have a unique Service ID (SID) and as well as a different channel number. If the SID already exists, the "new" channel will NOT be imported back into DBE.
2. DreamBox uses/reuses any "channel Numbers" every time a scan is made. This will disrupt your carefully renumbers "Tivo" channel numbering. I suggest you add in DUMMY channel numbers (with unique SIDs) to fill ALL unused channel numbers between 101 and 1000.
3. Keep saving copies of your file sets in different folders. You may make an error and need to fallback to a recent set.
4. DreamBox seems to keep 3 copies of services (services, services.org and services.bak). It is no clear to me yet, which set is loaded when Dreambox is rescanned or warm-booted or cold-booted (power lead removed). When I understand that more fully, I will be able to control how the Services are loaded exactly as I want them.

I'm sorry if that all sounds complicated and/or long winded. It would be easy to give a 2 line answer that would only give you another set of problems in ten minutes time.

Please feel free to add any info/thoughts on this.

Cheers
Gary

 

[Curious123]

No disrespect m8 but I have sorted out my bouquet and services loads of time without reading any instructions, but this totally confuses me in fact I have read it three times and still don't get it.

 

[GaryTheGolfer]

Tivo complications

Hi,
No probs. What us Tivo folks are trying to do is a very big change to channel numbering. My latest version renumbers some 350 channels and invents 650 new artificial channels.

Changing bouquets (in DreamBox) is indeed trivial.
Changing a few channels in DreamBox Edit is also not too bad. Again I have done this dozens of times.

We are struggling to remap EVERY channel number from those automatically issued by DreamBox to new numbers that a TIVO remote control will recognise.

Theoretically this is also easy (if tedious). Instead of using DBE, it would be much easier to manipulate this under Excel. The next problem is that DreamBox Edit's "export to txt" and "import from txt" routines don't work for cable. I have suggested a workaround to fix that so that all the services editing can work in Excel. Editing 1000+ channels in DreamBox Edit is no fun!!

Most DreamBox users probably just don't care how Dreambox chooses to number channels. Tivo expects BBC2 to be channel 102 and won't work if it isn't.

Hope that explains what we are setting out to do and why we are struggling.

Any help/advice is most welcome.
Regards

 

[Curious123]

Sorry m8. I can see what you are trying to do now. I looked at you attached file and assumed you were trying to recreate the original channel numbering that NTL uses on their PACE boxes. When I first got a 'dodgy' box I wanted to do something similar and than gave up because it seemed impossible. I than decided to set my channel number along the lines of what I would expect see where similar to terrestial tv rather than worrying about the actual numerical number. I now have a Eurovox and dreambox and I have ended making the channel numbers identical as the family expect to see tvto be the same whichever box they are watching.

 

[GaryTheGolfer]

Services and Bouquets

Thanks Curious.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I/we haven't really considered bouquets yet (since they are derived from Services (channels). And this is fairly trivial under DBE. Before I forget, it is also worth noting that Bouquets are numbered automatically and need (for Tivo users) to be limited to 100 since Tivo requires channel numbers mapped between 101 and 999.

ie
Bouquets (favourites) 1-100
Services (Channels) 101-999
Unwanted channels 1000+

The good news is that setting up Bouquets seems to be fairly trivial. The only snag is limiting them to 100!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another thought:
Unwanted/non-functional channels should be moved out of Tivos way eg channel numbers, say, above 1000.

When new channels are found later on, they will be appended automatically to the end...perhaps above 1200. If any of these new channels are wanted (under Tivo), they can then be remapped to replace one of the DUMMY channels (below 999) that I mentioned in an earlier post.

Cheers
Gary

 

[geester]

Thanks for the reply gary.

Again sorry if i am being dense, but when i have clicked on the individual channel line and opened up its box. I have tried changing the channel number in the lower section of the box but when i try and click ok it tells me that all items marked with a red asterisk must be filled in and the only empty one on the page is in the top section titled polarization. If i click in this i get a drop down with the options of horizontal or vertical?

 

[GaryTheGolfer]

Editing with DreamBox Edit

Geester,

It took me awhile to figure out why you were struggling but I think I have it:

In DBE I take a service file set with existing data. To change the channel number, I double left click on that specific (existing) channel. Alternatively, I could right click to get the context menu and then left click on "Show/Edit details". In either event, there is no reference in the form to "polarisation".

What I did find was that if you right click to get the context menu and then left click on "Add a new service", you get a blank form that includes "polarisation". I think this comes about because it looks like DBE started life as a satellite editor.

So try :
Use a valid services set (eg downloaded from Dreambox)
Double left click on the specific channel you want to edit (change the channel number).
Remember to "Save" the file set when you have finished editing.

Let me know if that doesn't help.

Cheers
Gary

 

[geester]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for taking the time to try and help me out.

I have attached a screen dump of the problem i am having.

I get to this screen by double left clicking on one of the channels (By the way this channel list is the untouched one i have loaded directly from my box).

As you can see in the top section there is a polarization field which i am required to fill.

As a thought could i have the wrong version of DBE? ie have i got a version that is for satellite and there is one which has been modded for use with cable?

 

[GaryTheGolfer]

DBE Problems

Hi Geester,

The plot thickens! I am using DBE Version V2.02.00. My Services "form" by double left clicking looks like the attached jpg.

You will see that the entry in the "Satellite position" field is "Cable" and there is no mention of FEC or Polarisation. And the (channel) number field is in a different position on the form.

It would also be worth checking that your file-set located in the folder C:\Documents and settings\G***\etc contains:
Satellite.xml and
Cables.xml

At the end of your "satellite.xml" file you should see a section that looks something like this:

<sat name="Cable" flags="5" position="9999">
<transponder frequency="338750" symbol_rate="6887000" polarization="2" fec_inner="3" />
<transponder frequency="346750" symbol_rate="6887000" polarization="2" fec_inner="3" /> ......

I hope you are simply using an old version of DBE. If not you/we need some help!
Good luck
Gary

 

[geester]

Sorry it took me so long to get back Gary.

But i have good news. seems i must have been using the wrong version of DBE. I got it with a pack of utillities for dreambox from another forum.

I have just downloaded V2.02 from the downloads section and that appears to be fine. Well the screen is the same as ur screenshot and it is letting me change the numbers.

So looks like im gonna have a busy weekend changing all the channel numbers.

Thanks for all your help so far mate, and if you need any assistance (Dont know how much use i will be but i am willing to offer) or even just someone to try things out for ya while trying to figure out how to get around the issue of changing back when you do a new scan then just give me a shout mate. I would be more than happy to assist you.

 

[GaryTheGolfer]

Update & Bouquet.xml

Hi Geester,

Glad the DBE version WAS the problem.

Thanks for feedback & offer. I see you have also noticed the bouquet.xml download at:

http://www.digitalworldz.co.uk/forums/index.php?resources/1610/

I will have a play with this next I think. It may offer a more permanent solution (when edited). I believe that after a DB scan where channel numbers change, their bouquet listing remains valid?

I'll let you know how I get on....when I get a bit of time.

Cheers
Gary