Modifying FTA Channel Frequencies

[martythompson]

Hi there

I have a UK Tivo running 2.5.5 that I have modified to run in NZ. I tried the OZTivo image a year or so ago, but the image tended to lock up the tivo every so often so I set about modifying the UK image myself. This has taken a bit of time and each mod involves backing up the box before the next changes. This has something to do with my lacking linux skills.

Anyway - my issue is that I want to be able to record TV1, 2 AND TV3 via the RF tuner and the other sky channels via the scart input. This is so I can record FTA and watch sky channels at the same time.

I can get and record TV1, but TV2 appears on TV3 and TV3 on channel 10 (which is used by sky sport). I need to know where in Tivo config files it gets this information. I've played around with the freq settings in Palmod but it doesn't change anything.

Once I get them right, and it connects and downloads the new slice, the channels revert back to the wrong place again.

I also tried a dodgy script that ran as a cron to change the number every half an hour, but this isn't very reliable.

Has anyone managed to get a workaround or can give me some ideas of where I need to be looking

Thanks

[thomson]

If you wish to map 1->TV1, 2->TV2 and 3->TV3 then you should be able to do this via a custom ukchan kernel module (which will perform the mapping) and then possibly use the ChannelMap TivoWeb module to keep the guide data happy.

I can create a ukchan.o binary for you... I just need to know the channels that require mapping. You just need to provide either the Channel number or frequency for the channels that you wish to have mapped.

For example my transmitter in Wellington uses 1=TV1,5=TV2,11=TV3,2=C4,60=Prime,44=MaoriTV and I remap these to 1=TV1,2=TV2,3=TV3,4=C4,5=Prime,6=MaoriTV.

[martythompson]

Hi there

Thanks for the quick response. I would like to take you up on the offer of a binary file if it isn't too much hassle.

I'm only interested in TV1, 2 and 3 and I live in Hamilton if that is any use to you.

Currently they sit as follows:

1=TV1,3=TV2 and 10=TV3 and I would like them mapped as 1=TV1, 2=TV2 and 3=TV3

Out of curiousity, what is involved in compiling a new .o file. I assume you take a .c file and run something on it that creates a .o file. Is it easy? Do you run this on Tivo or just in a standard linux/unix OS

Thanks Marty

[thomson]

Thanks for the quick response. I would like to take you up on the offer of a binary file if it isn't too much hassle.

I have attached both the source and binary for the modified module.

You should be able to use the following to test it:


rmmod ukchan
insmod ukchan-2.5.5_nz-ham.o



Out of curiousity, what is involved in compiling a new .o file. I assume you take a .c file and run something on it that creates a .o file. Is it easy? Do you run this on Tivo or just in a standard linux/unix OS

You have a choice, you can run it on the Tivo with a native compiler, or use a cross compiler on another platform (Linux/Unix). I bundled up a native compiler along with the ukchan source code on Minnie's Uploads page (ukchan-gcc.tgz (http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/pub/Uploads/WebHome/ukchan-gcc.tgz)).

[martythompson]

Hi Thomson

Just want to say that your zip file worked a treat. Thanks very much for your help.

One very happy tivo family. I should have asked earlier

Cheers

Marty

[Islander]

Is it possible to do a similar channel line up on a S1 SVR 2000 or Philips?

[petestrash]

Is it possible to do a similar channel line up on a S1 SVR 2000 or Philips?

For US TiVo's using the OzTiVo image you can make changes yourself using palmod_config.

See ThepalmodUserGuide.doc (http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/pub/Software/LatestPalModSeries1/ThepalmodUserGuide.doc) for details.

Peter.

[thomson]

Is it possible to do a similar channel line up on a S1 SVR 2000 or Philips?

As Peter has mentioned you can use the finetune facility under palmod_config to do this. For example in Wellington I use the following to map the channels on a US Tivo:

finetune="1:45250,2:182250,3:224250,4:55250,5:783250"

[Islander]

Thanks for the replies.

I am using the NZ image with Cable and Satellite in Auckland.

I have tried to channel map in tivoweb and do not have the FTA channels presented.
All that channelmap gives is Sky Digital (no Cable) channels.

[petestrash]

We have not suggested using tivoweb to change frequencies to suit your area. As mentioned a couple of posts above, for US TiVo's you can fine tune using palmod_config.

Peter.

[Islander]

I have used palmod_config to change the frequencies tuned by the tuner but when I press '1' on the remote I get chan 1 from Sat (VCR) not from the FTA tuner. When the frequencies are changed only the tuner frequencies are changed not the relationship between the actual channel and station the guide data selects.
How can this be corrected?

Ideally I would like:

1 - TV1 FTA
2 - TV2 FTA
3 - TV3 FTA
4 - C4 FTA
5 - PRIME FTA
6 - TRIANGLE FTA
7 - MAORI FTA
8 - JUICE FTA
9 - ALTtv

(FTA=Cable in GS)

Also I would like the same lineup from Sat (VCR) 11 onwards to enable stereo recording when needed.

Can this be done?

Thanks

[petestrash]

So you have actually choosen FTA for both cable & satellite ?

Not sure how that would work, as the channels are duplicated.

Maybe just to test, try unselecting the Satellite (VCR) channels in 'channels your receive' and then modify the channel numbering for cable (ant).

Peter

[Islander]

I have tried to deselecting the channels in Sat but when I try Channelmap I don't get any cable channels shown only Sky Digital (sat) so therefore I cannot change the chan numbers for Cable (FTA) .

[petestrash]

Do you see cable channels listed in channels you recieve ?

Peter

[Islander]

Yes I do see both Cable and Satellite channels in Channels You Receive and I can select and deselect any channel on the list.

Could the problem be with the Tivoweb Channelmap script ie. only showing sat entries?
I have looked but am no tcl expert.

[petestrash]

You could be on to something.

I have just checked one of my tivo's that has both cable & satellite selected, and uses a tuner as the cable source.

If I go into Channel map, it only shows the satellite channels and not the cable ones.

I'll ask John about this as he has been modifying most of these modules to work well with our images.

In the meantime try doing it manually, follow the instructions @ ChangeChannelNumber (http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/bin/view/Guidedata/ChangeChannelNumber)

Peter.

[Islander]

Thanks for you responses.

I have tried the ChangeChannelNumber method but the problem is that it requires repeated resetting to ensure the mappings stay active.

If there was guide data available that made, say, the first 10 channels FTA then started a 11 upwards for the sat lineup this would solve the problem. The channel frequencies could be set manually so that there would only need to be one additional lineup per country to cover those wanting to setup their Tivo in this way.

Just a thought.

any other ideas?

[petestrash]

The last time I used the manual channel mapping method suggested, the mappings remained until a change is made in the headend, in your case at the NZ emulator.

This should not occur unless new FTA channels need to be added to the headend.

Not being in NZ I don't know what the channel assignments are, but what you suggest is not needed. TiVo will happily share the same channel number with different sources. for example if sky used channel 2 and TVNZ also used channel 2. both channel numbers are correct and changing them would be more confusing for most people.

Peter.

[Islander]

Another quirk
When a sat and cable channel with the same number are selected in Channels You Recieve the channel grid in Tivoweb only shows the cable channel. If you then deselect the cable channel the sat channel shows up. This can occur where SKY digital (sat) chan 55 is BBC world but the same channel is TAB trackside racing info (FTA).

[petestrash]

This is related to the same problem you mentioned in post #15.

This is a problem with the TiVoWeb module, not the TiVo.

TiVo handles duplicate channel numbers from different sources just fine.

Peter.

[thomson]

When a sat and cable channel with the same number are selected in Channels You Recieve the channel grid in Tivoweb only shows the cable channel. If you then deselect the cable channel the sat channel shows up.

This is because TivoWeb uses an array index by channel number to store the information. To change this would require a bit of a rewrite for just about all modules as a different unique "hash" would be needed.

eg: $channeltablenum(55) would have to be replaced with $channeltablenum("55-Sky") and $channeltableNum("55-FTA").

So while technically possible, the impact could upset some people. An alternative could be to create all three indexes ("55","55-Sky","55-FTA") to allow for backwards compatibility... although this wastes memory, and odd things would happen when the hash is passed to other modules that may not have been modified.

[petestrash]

The same issue also effects the channel grid module. It will only display one of the 2 duplicated channels, though in my case it only shows the 'Cable' channel. Unlike channel map, which only shows the 'Satellite' channel.

Peter.

[Islander]

Another Quirk?

I have changed (by dbset) cable 1 to equal TV1 and moved sat 1 to 11 by channel map and changed the frequency of channel 1 on the tuner to TV1 FTA frequency.

When I press '1' on the remote TV1 is selected and tuned FTA correctly.
If I press '11' on the remote I get sat TV1 as expected but if I press '1' (and allow channel to change) the tivo goes back to TV1 FTA however if I press '1' again I get Channel 1 FTA with the screen message for program details showing 'To Be Announced'.

This toggles from displaying the correct guide info to 'To Be Announced' each time the digit '1' key is pressed.
It seems that the Tivo is toggling between Cable and Sat but because Sat TV1 has been moved to 11 there is no guide data available for this channel.

Does this make sense?

At this point I have probably wasted enough time on this problem and think I will admit defeat.

[petestrash]

What you have found is correct.

If you left the channels as they were, the first time you press 1 you should get Sat and if you press it again it will change to Cable. Pressing 1 will toggle between the two.

Also if you go to channel 2 and then press channel down it will go to 1 (cable) then press down again and it will change to 1 (Sat).

Both of these are normal for a TiVo with shared channels.

I'm still not sure why you can't achive what you want by just manually moving the 'Sat' channels that control your VCR.

Peter.