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[Sandy B Ridge]

A suggestion for the future:

The channel scan picks up all FTA channels for me, but a lot of channels have 2 audio streams ( usually a normal one and one with 'audio description' for the partially sighted). MC lists these channels as the same name with the suffix (1) appended. Eg. BBC ONE and BBC ONE (1).

This makes the channel list quite messy.

Also DVB carries some radio channels which are mixed in with the TV channels. (BTW: I can't get the radio channels to play).  This also makes the channel list quite messy.

Could I make a plea for the TV and Radio channels to be separated out into 2 lists? And also the channels with more than one audio stream to be amalgamated?  I guess the 2 audio streams could be selectable in the right click menu in the same way as they are for a TS playback in the 'normal' MC playback engine.

Cheers,

SBR

Edit: some radio channels play, some don't, I'll investigate the straem types

[Yaobing]

Both approaches regarding multiple audio streams have advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantages of your suggestion is conciseness of the channel list, and easier channel-EPG association.  The main disadvantage is recording.  When recording in jtv format, we can only record one audio stream.  Unless we make additional option available during scheduling time, to choose which stream to record, recordings may end up not containing the stream that the user wants.

[CountryBumkin]

Are there advantages to recording in jtv format versus ts format? I hve not found anything in the Wiki that explains the differences?

[Sandy B Ridge]

When recording in jtv format, we can only record one audio stream.  Unless we make additional option available during scheduling time, to choose which stream to record, recordings may end up not containing the stream that the user wants.

OK, I see the problem. I guess there are advantages to the proprietary format for TV that are insurmountable in the way that it works. I suppose muxing two audio streams and one video stream on the fly is a bit problemmatic. Maybe a jtv2 format at the same time as solving the h264&AAC issue?!

I note also that h264 is in the ATSC spec. Does MC work with h264 in the US?

SBR 

[Yaobing]

I note also that h264 is in the ATSC spec. Does MC work with h264 in the US?

So far all ATSC channels are MPEG-2/AC3.  Where do you see the ATSC H264 spec?

[Sandy B Ridge]

So far all ATSC channels are MPEG-2/AC3.  Where do you see the ATSC H264 spec?

I noted it on Wikipedia. Something about a revision to the spec in July 2008. I think there's a reference to the ATSC website on there for the PDF of the spec.

SBR

[NickF]

Could I make a plea for the TV and Radio channels to be separated out into 2 lists?

Is there a solution to this?  Can Radio channels be given a different Media Type, e.g. Radio, so they can be sorted separately?

Nick.

[Sandy B Ridge]

Is there a solution to this?  Can Radio channels be given a different Media Type, e.g. Radio, so they can be sorted separately?

Nick.

+1

This would be nice.

For the moment I have renamed the radio channels with a 'Z' prefix so that it bunches all the radio channels to the end of the list.

SBR

[Yaobing]

Radio channel support is on my list.

I have been thinking about duplicate channels that differ only by audio streams.  I probably will eliminate the duplicates and put all audio streams into one channel.  This is the approach I took for ATSC channels anyway.  For now, I will have to add all related audio PIDs in the channel at scan time (and hope the they do not change over time).  For ATSC, I was able to efficiently scan needed data dynamically at playback time.  I have not been able to do so efficiently for DVB (but that was not the reason why different audio streams have been treated as different channels).

Both of these items are not too high on my list though.

[NickF]

For the Radio problem, as an interim I have added a custom field with Radio and Sat TV values.  I am using this in TheaterView to sort and display under two Library Items and this works fine.  It's a bit laborious editing all the channels but it's done now!

Nick.

[Sandy B Ridge]

For the Radio problem, as an interim I have added a custom field with Radio and Sat TV values.  I am using this in TheaterView to sort and display under two Library Items and this works fine.  It's a bit laborious editing all the channels but it's done now!

Nick.

Cool. Have you got an EPG Grid separately for radio too, or just a simple list?

SBR

[NickF]

Just a list at present.  I don't yet understand the rules and data behind the EPG.

I have just had a closer look at the fields and find that there is a Media Sub-Type which includes TV Show and Radio, amongst others, so I have now set those and abandoned my Custom field and changed the rules for TheaterView.

Nick.

[Sandy B Ridge]

I wonder if you can attach a 'coverart' to the library tag for the radio channels (or TV for that matter) so that you can list them with channel logos on in theaterview? Make the list prettier!

Might try that over the weekend!

SBR

[NickF]

I have just had a closer look at the fields and find that there is a Media Sub-Type which includes TV Show and Radio, amongst others, so I have now set those and abandoned my Custom field and changed the rules for TheaterView.

Ooops!  I have now discovered that the TV Show value means a recorded show.  This meant that the channels so marked appeared in the Recordings listing - not what I intended.  So I am back to my Custom field.

Nick.

[Sandy B Ridge]

Radio channel support is on my list.

Great! A seamless theaterview view with a mixture of DVB and Internet radio channels possibly with the respective radio channel logo would be even better. Although I think this may be possible now with careful smart listing.

I have been thinking about duplicate channels that differ only by audio streams.  I probably will eliminate the duplicates and put all audio streams into one channel.  This is the approach I took for ATSC channels anyway.  For now, I will have to add all related audio PIDs in the channel at scan time (and hope the they do not change over time).  For ATSC, I was able to efficiently scan needed data dynamically at playback time.  I have not been able to do so efficiently for DVB (but that was not the reason why different audio streams have been treated as different channels).

One thing to bear in mind is that (in the UK on DVB-T at least) the second audio stream is usually an 'audio description' stream for the partially sighted. I'm not really clear on how it is supposed to work, but the ones I have listened to have just the 'audio description' and not the regular TV soundtrack. But when you turn on 'audio description' option in a TV, it plays both tracks at once, so that you have the regular soundtrack and the audio descriptor mixed into the speakers. For this to work 'correctly' you'd need to have some method of mixing in 2 separate tracks, not just a choice of one! I don't know if this is documented somewhere in the DVB standards tome.

Both of these items are not too high on my list though.

I would love to know what is on your list!

SBR