Editing channel.dat over and over

[Logandros]

While I'm fine tuning my channels.dat file and removing channels with duplicate feeds or ones I left in accidentally I was wodering ...


Is it enough to just edit the channels.dat file or do I in fact need to reset, reload, and loop after each edit?

Adding removing channels would be too easy if all you had to do was edit channels.dat. So I was curious if i was doing extra work for nothing??

Thanks

[newlooper]

The reset command is to clear undesirable channels. The loop command "should" only be needed if you want to remap your channel lineup. The channels will eventually settle where they think they should be giving you possibly duplicate numbers with completely different channels. (not good for recording since it may switch between duplicate numbers while you are recording)

Just editing the channels.dat without running any of the commands gives you nothing. (not sure if that was what you were asking.)

[Logandros]

Exactly what I was asking. What I don't understand is .... I remmed out '#' over 70% of the channels in channeld.dat I also allocated them to the 0-99 range and gave each of the channels I left in thier own numbers so I don't have any duplicates and I added the command line to scsysinit. If I bash in and manually go through the steps of reset, reload, and loop it will throw all the channels where I want them (sometimes still putting in channles I remmed out (MPL 22). But for the most part it is correct. Now having that command in rcsysinit shouldnt automatically do that for me when I unplug. After editing I unplug my system and bring it back in my TV room and it seems I lose all the work I did. Unless I reset and reload again. Maybe I just dont understand the whole concept/process of mvchannels. But I'm trying .. HaHa!

[captain_video]

I went through the same aggravation a while back. Apparently, if you're running mvchannels.tcl from a bash prompt via telnet (i.e. teraterm), it will only continue to run as long as you keep the telnet session and connection active. Once you terminate the telnet session you also terminate the mvchannels.tcl program. By editing the rc.sysinit file to include the mvchannels.tcl looping command, you are running the program from the Tivo and not remotely via telnet.

I had problems getting my edited rc.sysinit file to work without the Tivo hanging up in the Powering Up screen. Each time I tried to set it up I ended up having to restore a backup image I created from the hard drive prior to editing the file. However, I discovered that if you don't really care whether or not the channels show up in the 900's and are content to have them in the 0-99's, do NOT edit the rc.sysinit file. Edit the channels.dat file by adding a "1" at the end of each channel you would like to see in the guide but make sure there are no duplicate channel numbers. To get rid of any channels that have erroneously showed up in the 0-99's, change the last number to a "0" to hide the channel. Add a # sign at the beginning of each line that corresponds to any channels you do not wish to have displayed that have not already shown up in the guide. Exit and save the channels.dat file and do a reload of mvchannels.dat to clear out the bothersome channels.

At the Tivo end you will have to go into Parental Controls and set the spending limit that corresponds to the locals you want displayed for your area. I don't really know how critical this is but it seems to help. Do a search on spending limits for a list of the numbers to be entered vs. each locale. I seem to remember that I went ahead and executed the mvchannels.tcl program as I normally would via telnet and then terminated it after it looped a couple of times. I think this allowed the channels to be loaded into the 0-99's initially and they've been there ever since. Best of luck to ya.

[Logandros]

Thanks captain!

I pretty much have done everything you discovered. I don't emu so I don't know if that spending limits trick is useful for me. I have been changing the guide byte on my sub and they have been popping up one at a time (long process). I did not do the 0 at the end of the command lines. Hopefully that will be the final tweak to remove the channels I don't want.

Thanks alot !

[genericuser]

Adding a zero is not the optimal way to fix it. The reason it is not optimal is that you are still spending time 'hiding' that channel. The best way is to do a reset (with the virgin main.dat that mvchannels came with). Then edit the channels.dat file ONLY have the channels you are in the footprint for. Then reload and start the loop.

[captain_video]

I changed the channels to a "0" because I couldn't seem to get rid of the Miami locals that seem to show up by default. It was my understanding that changing the spending limit to correspond to my local channels would take care of it but they still showed up. The only way I could ever make them go away was the way that I described. No doubt there is a better way. I don't pretend to be a Linux guru so I tend to try different things until I find something that works for me. Hopefully, by getting rid of the Miami locals initially and resetting the spending limit to match my locals, there is very little processing going on that would detract from the overall Tivo operation. I imagine I could now go back and edit my channels.dat file and simply remark out the Miami locals.