How do you discover the Gracenote ID for a channel? I'd like to explore including them in my M3U lists for better matching.
I pulled that one from the guide data associated with a recording of mine. I believe there are ways to get the IDs from looking at the underlaying HTML and requests when browsing Zap2it's guide (they use Gracenote data, so the stationIDs are the same).
Another option is to subscribe to Schedules Direct—they offer month-to-month plans and a free trial—and use a client to query their service for stationIDs.
There are myriad ways to find the info, those are just a few suggestions.
1 Like
I'm wondering if these "missing images" in webUI (where my custom channel logos are supposed to be) are a result of my own improper formatting as I create the PNGs, or is it a matter of the DVR simply being beta... and not supporting this yet?
I'm on the latest pre-release. As mentioned earlier the channel logos appear perfectly and beautifully (in 4:3 format) in the client apps on AppleTV, iOS and iPadOS, just not at all in the webUI in any browser I've tried. Not a big deal, I've just paused my personalized channel logo art creation in the meantime 
Make sure that the location where the images reside is accessible from the DVR using the same location. For instance, if you are serving a local static file from your harddrive, make sure the path where it's located is where the DVR server can find it, not the computer you wrote the playlist on. (Also, ensure that the DVR server has permissions to access the files.)
If it's an HTTP/S address, ensure that the DVR can resolve the address where the images are hosted. As a test, use curl to download the images, running it from the same computer that hosts the DVR. Also, make sure you run the command as the user that the DVR is running as. (For example, on my server, I would do something like sudo -u channels-dvr curl -SL http://…, because channels-dvr is the same of the user account that the DVR server runs under.)
Ah, thanks for that pointer. I uploaded these PNGs to my personal webspace at MediaTemple via FTP.
I have been using this for years to host images publicly. I can display them via HTTP (for example: http://www.fofer.com/channels-logos-fofertv/adultpoplogo.png ) but the Channels DVR webUI is apparently looking for them at HTTPS only. I would need to pay annually for a security certificate to add to my webhost subscription for HTTPS addresses to work and I'd like to avoid extra expenses for this if possible.
If I can just keep these channel logos stored on the local Channels DVR server instead, and they'd still display everywhere, that'd be ideal. Can't believe I didn't think of that, lol. What's the proper syntax for locally stored files? My Channels DVR is installed on a Mac, if that matters.
I would try using file:// as the protocol, followed by the absolute path to the images. So if you saved the images to /usr/local/share/logos/abc.png, the tag in your playlist should be tvg-logo="file:///usr/local/share/logos/abc.png". (Note there are 3 slashes, 2 for the protocol, and one to denote the root of the filesystem. Also, don't forget to check permissions.)
file:// is not going to work.
Sounds like you're accessing the web UI in https mode so it's forcing all assets to be loaded over https too. Are you using my.channelsdvr.net? Does it work if you use http and the IP of the dvr?
1 Like
You've nailed it. Yes, I always use http://my.channelsdvr.net as my bookmark, and that resolves to an address that looks like this: https://xxxxxxxxxxxx.u.channelsdvr.net:8089/ which is https so that's what's forcing all assets to be loaded over https too, which is why these images won't load. lol
When I use http and my internal IP address (10.0.1.21:8089) these custom channel logos do load fine. But I can't use that IP address when I'm remote, which defeats the purpose of the webUI, for me at least.
Then it sounds like the only option for you then is to serve your files over HTTPS. It's surprising your host doesn't allow you to use Let's Encrypt or similar to get a free certificate. If logos are that important to you, you can either find them hosted via HTTPS from somewhere else on the internet, or move your hosting to a secured host.
I'll start with a possible scenario: I'm watching my outdoor cameras and see deer or other wildlife, I would like to be able to start recording to capture this on the DVR. Question: Is there a way to set data up for security cameras so that we can record from within the AppleTV channels app, or even using the web guide. I'm guessing missing episode and time data is why we aren't able to hit record. The optimum way would be to have a manual recording set button available, but I know that's not as easy as it may sound. Can this be handled with a one time xmltv data creation, or would it have to be setup for date ranges and manually changed out? I do have a logitech harmony, so maybe someway to map the record button on the remote to start a recording at any given time.
I am away of work arounds for creating manual records covered in these forums, but that method doesn't seem fast enough to capture what I would like to capture, looks to be useful only for setting up scheduled manual recordings.
Any help to get my above stated end result would be appreciated, thanks! In the meantime I'll study some of the available xlmtv data sets for providers like "STIRR" for hints.
Thanks,
Chief
1 Like
Here is what I use for the text:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="QUAD" channel-number="9004" tvg-logo="https://i.ibb.co/kHvRksm/cameraicon.png" tvg-name="QUAD" tvc-guide-title="Camera Quad View" tvc-guide-description="Live view of 4 cameras" tvc-guide-art=" https://i.ibb.co/fqRdpTV/quadview.jpg",Quad View
rtsp://USERNAME:[email protected]:81/main
The line in the above that controls the icon is: tvg-logo="https://i.ibb.co/kHvRksm/cameraicon.png"
The link https://i.ibb.co/kHvRksm/cameraicon.png is the icon I picked that I liked. I then uploaded it to an image host which provided this link. You could do that with any icon you prefer, or you could just use this one if you like it.
The same is true for the following link: tvc-guide-art=" https://i.ibb.co/fqRdpTV/quadview.jpg" This one provides the guide art. I just snapped a still image of the camera(s), and uploaded it to an image host. I tried to use the cameras actual still image capture for the link, but that didn't work.
Xteve will create fake guide information in 30 60 90 120 minutes segments for use in emby or plex. So I guess you could set it up in xteve and point channels to the xmltv it creates.
1 Like
Just got this installed and it's working great on my My Cloud PR4100... however, when I try to set a recording (for instance on the new TPIR: Barker Era channel), it doesn't let me set more than one recording at a time. It seems to think in Channels that they're all the same show, regardless if I select "All Episodes" instead of New... even when trying to set more than one recording manually (not as a Pass), it doesn't let me. Any idea why?
@tmm1 @maddox First of all, the Pluto integration is BRILLIANT... I'm using the Maddox-built docker container. I'm running into an issue (on the Pluto TPIR: Barker Era) channel that freezes when the show goes to commercial. I have to exit to the guide and come back in to restart video. Same thing when the show comes back from break... it freezes. Any workaround for that available?
Every single episode on that channel is marked as episode 1, so the dvr has no way to know what's been recorded and not
Ah makes sense...but even with a manual recording? I can deal without the pass...but even selecting a show, hitting 'record' and then trying to do the same for the next results in nothing.
What is the correct format to enter for a custom guide file located on the same windows computer as the dvr?
External guide data must be in XMLTV format.
Or, are you asking if you can sideload a local file, instead of pointing your Channels DVR server at an HTTP/S address?
Thanks for this! I have PlutoTV set up in Channels now - just in time for the new Price is Right channel. One problem I'm having though is that each episode of the price is right has the same description so when I record 1 episode it will not record any more. I have to manually mark it as not recorded and then record again so it records the next one. I am fairly new to channels and have mostly used it for youtube tv and philo so far. I tried some of the advanced pass settings but I don't think any of these settings will change the fact that Channels thinks they're the same exact episode over and over. Any help with this would be appreciated. Thanks!
Edit: looks like I didn't read the complete thread. I see the last few replies and someone is having the same issue.
1 Like
Yes xmlt guide file is created by epg123 on my local drive. I need to point channels to the local file instead of a http: address if possible.