Go to each channel individually and look up the name. Gracenote also has data on FAST channels (well...not all of then as some of them are just on demand programming on a loop but most)
The official Samsung TV Plus app does not have a DVR function, so their API only provides about 6 hours of listings.
The bulk of the FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus are pretty much the same linear feeds that TCL, Roku, Vizio, Freevee and others have, so Gracenote has listings for many of them except for their self programmed exclusives like Conan and Pluto's "stitched" channels like the BET, MTV and TV Land branded channels. (The Nickelodeon branded channels from Pluto are programmed as a linear feed, so they have Gracenote listings)
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Well, the ones i use, are not the same between Pluto and Samsung, for example, BBC Earth, Top Gear, Jack Hanna Channel. I compared them and different programing.
I click the pencil icon next to the channel to edit its mappings, and all it pulls up is the 2x xmls that is loaded into channels, the one for Sasmung and the one for pluto. How does one map a individual custom channel to a "Gracenote" source?
I have only ever edited OTA channel mappings, and had a drop down to show ota or cable line ups.
You can't really compare Pluto to the rest of the streaming providers like Samsung, Vizio, TCL and Roku as most of their entertainment channels are "stitched" via self hosted VOD clips. The rest of the providers mostly ingest linear feeds directly supplied by the FAST programmer.
Where is "Gracenote" to look up guide data... i did a search and find various pages, but none that allow me to search for program listings, alike to TvDB etc.
This paid service?
or this
Gracenote in google pulls up this site
I have seen Gracenote mention many times on here, but never a link to search its guide my self
like this thread
Gracenote is the guide data supplier used by ChannelsDVR, you search for the station by name the same way you can for OTA channels and manually map the Samsung Channel to one of Gracenote's entries.
Not the case (as noted above, NZ time):
Looks like the XML is being regenerated about every two hours. Several people have already pointed out why there is only 6 hours of data in the XML and how that reflects in the Channels guide--as well as potential workarounds--so I won't repeat all that. With hourly reloading of the XML on my side, I don't seem to have a problem aside from the limited number of hours available. 
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This i know, but how does one acces that source? Is it private? API only thing?
One can go to TVdb or MovieDB etc and access their database outside of Plex or Emby etc. And there is posts about metadata matching using tvDB in Channels before.
For custom channels via m3u, far as i have understood it, the only metadata for guide input is through external xml, so I am not seeing how the built in Guide selector used for OTA and TVE works for this feature since it works by zip code selection, which is not applicable to these FAST channels.
The option to "Change provider" only give me those zip code provided options "OTA Lineup or Digital Cable Lineup, or "Existing" XML/X-M3U, or Custom URL.
this is what comes up when i try to channel mapping for a channel, and searching for the channel name only searches the linked to xml:
What you stated meant to me that you mapped this not to the Samsung XML but to Channels own Guide, which uses Gracenote... How do you do that?
If the xml is regenerated every two hrs and has always 6hours of future data, then, at any given time, at every 2hr refresh Channels does, it should always have 6hrs of future data. But it does not, often only showing 2 or 4. Even going overnight with no data.
I checked my ad blocking DNS and any firewalls, the link is not being blocked, and i can manually open the xml live, so that not the issue.
Perhaps that url is limiting pull request per ip address?
I have not seen any useful "Potential workarounds" posted.
Other than one user said they use Channels Guide data, not the Samsung xml... which puzzels me.
Edit: The App goes to 5am for data. so 12hrs data. I just went browsing the threads about Samsung and other sources. The source says it is scrapped from the server. I noticed the public url for Samsung TV Channels site. That public site is only showing 6hrs data, so i guess that is the why it is limited to just 6hrs. But still not explain why the xml is not always loading the 6hrs future guide data reliably. Feels to me is a scraping issue.
EDIT 2: Oh. The built into the TV "TV Guide" that also is Samsung TV Plus channels in it (different UI), that also will show OTA stations, if u have antenna hooked up. Has 48hrs Guide Data for the same channels that the separate app has only 12hrs for.
{Samsung sure is a MESS in this aspect, with two very different apps and UI's fighting each other. Single press of up on d pad or a channel up button, you get the Guide UI for the Samsung Channels TV Plus app, long press the Channel up button, gives you the TV's native Guide Ui, and that is the only one that has the OTA channels, but also mixes in the TV Plus ones. } Why i really like being able to just integrate Samsung channels into Channels DVR and never have to deal with the TV's apps.
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I'm guessing here since I don't use Samsung, but provide the lineup m3u8 to your Channels DVR custom M3U source URL https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/us.m3u8
and leave the XMLTV Guide Data section blank?
I would think you can then map the channels like you do for OTA.
True, but I keep seeing articles about Samsung Smart Tv's being able to record like a DVR. Just insert a usb stick.
Only thing i find official is form the AU Samsung site. (so may be only a region based feature, and only on certain models)
I tried it on my tv, and i do not get any such options to record or Timeshift, in either the TV Plus app or the TV's native Guide Interface.
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Indeed, however, that would only work for Channels that exist in that OTA lineup, such as ION, assuming they air the same thing.
Often, TVE and OTA versions of the same channel air different programing. Like Comet (or was it Charge) will not air Walker Texas Ranger, it only airs on OTA.
The channels i have enabled, do not exist in OTA lineup, so nothing to map to.
I been using Samsung Channels for several months, and only recently have noticed issues with no guide data or greatly reduced amount. Trying to get to the bottom of the issue.
In territories where it's available, that function is only for actual television signals, not the streaming channels via Samsung TV Plus.
Which is it? It makes a difference and it is difficult to offer practical advice without consistent data on which to base it upon. Also, two hours is not even an option in the dropdown. Please provide a screenshot of your Custom Channel settings.
That's not how math works. You don't get 6 hours at the moment you pull the XML file. Every two hours, it pulls the current hour and five more into the future. If you miss that window and load into Channels just beforehand, you'll get the last XML run. Here's a visual aid, assuming a 3 hour Channels load instead of a 1 hour option:
This is only one example and the exact times will result in a significant shift in results.
Try Search All Lineups
So, i should have always 6hrs populated guide data then current hour + 5hrs future. At every source 2hr refresh of the xml. Channels is set to refresh every 1hr.
As i keep saying, this is NOT what is happening on a reliable basis.
I have Channels set to refresh the xml every hour, the shortest interval.
So it should be capturing the updates to the xml that is happening every 2hrs.
Would be nice if Channels could add a 30min option.
Last night, it had no data past midnight. It had refreshed the xml every hour before midnight.
I manulay refreshed the xml, at 12:19, 1:29, and 3:48. Still had no data.
I woke up later today, and it populated finally at 1pm to 7pm.
I know what you're saying.
I originally had Channels refreshing my Pluto guide every hour, but found in the logs it wasn't doing it every hour and the times it refreshed would change. Add to that the maddox Pluto for Channels container refreshed guide from Pluto about every 3 hours and the time kept changing.
I finally modified the Pluto for Channels container to fetch every 2 hours exactly on the hour and setup a scheduled task to update the lineup and xmltv guide in Channels exactly every 2 hours, right after the Pluto for Channels container fetched guide data.
So now this is the schedule
Pluto for Channels guide fetch 01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00
Channels DVR refresh lineup 01:04 03:04 05:04 07:04 09:04 11:04 13:04 15:04 17:04 19:04 21:04 23:04
Channels DVR refresh xmltv 01:05 03:05 05:05 07:05 09:05 11:05 13:05 15:05 17:05 19:05 21:05 23:05
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I am not using Docker, am using the built into Channels url custom m3u feature. For both Pluto and Samsung. Pluto been working fine for the last year or so.
Problem with the Samsung EPG is you don't know exactly when it gets updated at https://i.mjh.nz/SamsungTVPlus/
Best you could do is setup a cron/Task Manager job to refresh the guide xml for the Channels DVR Server every hour.