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[Matt]

[ edit: this is now possible -- see here http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=71255.msg483798#msg483798 ]

I've got an idea for how to deal with television channels a little nicer in Media Center.  I'll try to explain it here, and we can decide together if the idea is good.

This is building off this thread:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=70941.0

Channels are simply database records, just like audio and video files.  This means it's possible to tag them like anything else.

The idea is to tag channels with keywords.  You could give any channels any number of keywords.  Imagine tagging your favorite channels with 'Favorites', music channels with 'Music', and your kids' channels with 'Kids'.

Then, you could configure the television guide to show only entries for a particular keyword.  So on the top roller inside Guide in Theater View, you could have 'All', 'Favorites', 'Music', 'Kids', etc.

If you played from one of those views, only the channels in the view would be in the channel up / channel down queue.  In other words, if you play from the 'Favorites' list, channel up and channel down would only loop your favorite channels.

The existing concept of 'Favorite' channels would be retired.

I think this approach is relatively simple (after the initial setup), scales well to several users with different needs (kids vs adults, etc.), and provides the flexibility to do custom channel groupings.

Thoughts?

[Sandy B Ridge]

I like it a lot. I have been trying to do this using the Genre tag for the channel, but failing. Using the Keyword tag is even better with its possibility for multiple entries.

Thanks

SBR

[MrC]

Excellent.

[NickF]

Sounds good to me.

I assume hat some change will need to be made in the current operation of the guide rules to make this work.  As we discussed recently, simply having another field with these keywords as selections in a rule won't work today.

Nick.

[jgreen]

It all sounds good, but doesn't this make the future kind of scary?  I mean, we've got TV channels, which are now a "database record"; what about other kinds of channels?  Download channels?  Hulu channels? Netflix channels?  Aren't they all database records?  Couldn't they be grouped across sources, according to user-determined tags? So that a playlist might not care where a channel comes from, but just what it force-feeds us?

Just free-associating here; all moot until I get a new TV card (I'm about thinking the Hauppauge 1212 box). 

[Sandy B Ridge]

I saw that 17.0.119 laid the ground for this. I can't seem to get the guide to filter though. Any tips?

I guess it's a work in progress?

SBR

[Scolex]

Sounds great to me, looking forward to it.

[Sandy B Ridge]

I saw that 17.0.119 laid the ground for this. I can't seem to get the guide to filter though. Any tips?

17.0.119 (4/2/2012)

1. Changed: The TVInfo(...) expression function supports 'ChannelKeywords' to get the keywords of the channel for a guide program or recording.

Any update? Anyone got this working yet?

Cheers

SBR

[nwboater]

Makes too much sense, Matt. And what, there's no downside!

Rod

[Matt]

Any update? Anyone got this working yet?

You can do it today, but it requires some elbow grease.

I can post more details tomorrow.

We hope to make it easier in the future, but I don't know when.

[Sandy B Ridge]

You can do it today, but it requires some elbow grease.

I can post more details tomorrow.

We hope to make it easier in the future, but I don't know when.

More details would be great. I've tried some obvious stuff to try and get it going. I'm not sure how the expression function works or where to put it though.

Thank you

SBR

[NickF]

I think my tub of Elbow Grease is empty!

I have played for hours with the TVInfo(ChannelKeywords) expression and can't make it work.  This may well be various syntax problems - I'm an absolute beginner with expressions.

Also, and as important, I can't create more than one Guide.  I have exactly duplicated the TheaterView entries for Guide and given it a different name but all I get is a list of currently showing programs.  Matt, could you also cover how we do this as well as how to use the TVInfo(ChannelKeywords) expression.

Thanks,

Nick.

[NickF]

Aah!  The Guide problem was just a Toggle List Style issue.  So that's OK now!

Nick.

[Matt]

Here are instructions to use keywords with channels.  As I've said, this is a bit complicated.  We plan to make it easier someday.

If you're still interested, try this:

Give your channels keywords

Create a Smartlist (F9) and Import this rule:

Code: [Select]

[Media Type]=[TV]
The list will show channels.  Add the 'Keywords' column.

Use in-place-edit or Action Window > Tag to edit the keywords.

As an example, add the keyword 'Sports' to a few channels.


Create Theater View views that use channel keywords

In Options > Theater View > Items to Show, add a view under Video > Guide.  It should be next to Guide, Search, Time, etc.

Name it 'Guide (sports)'.

Click 'Set rules for file display...' and Import this rule:

Code: [Select]

[TVTime]=#TVGuideStartDate-7d [=TVInfo(ChannelKeywords)&DataType=[list]]=[Sports]
In Theater View, navigate to your new view.  Use More > Toggle List Style to find the style you prefer (grid, list, etc.).

[NickF]

Excellent.  I now have TV, Radio and Favourites Guides.

Many thanks Matt.  This is a big step forward in usability.  I accept it could be made a bit easier but you don't do it very often.

Should we post something on the MC17 Forum for the wider community?

Nick.

[Sandy B Ridge]

Yes,

Thank you Matt, works brilliantly.

SBR