SAT>IP PIDs information

Channels DVR Server Troubleshooting
#1

Please can we have some more information about the way channels uses PIDs to display SAT>IP broadcasts.

I am continually keeping my channels SAT>IP m3u up to date using the kingofsat website that seems to be a very reliable source for up to date channels information.

The main challenge I seem to have is getting the initial lower PID values to work with channels. I use VLC to test the PID information from kingofsat information, VLC will display the SAT>IP network stream from my SAT>IP Kathrein EXIP418 but when I transpose the same channel information to my M3U for channels it can fail if the PIDs that are not provided on the kingofsat are not spot on.

For example: currently at the the time of post

UK freesat Channel 5 HD

#EXTINF: -1 tvg-id="CH5HD" tvg-chno="105" group-title="SATIP", Channel 5 HD
http://192.168.1.18/?src=1&freq=11307&pol=h&ro=0.25&msys=dvbs&mtype=qpsk&plts=off&sr=27500&fec=23&pids=0,1,16,17,267,2347,2348,2349,2350

This currently does not work on my channels setup and channel does time out! If the following is pasted into VLC network stream

http://192.168.1.18/?src=1&freq=11307&pol=h&ro=0.25&msys=dvbs&mtype=qpsk&plts=off&sr=27500&fec=23&pids=267,2347,2348,2349,2350

It works fine!

So the main question what are PIDs 0,1,16,17 required for by channels. In this case it does not help channels display the channel but on many other channels these PIDs work.

Sorry to maybe ask the obvious but I have found it incredibly hard to get information on the net regarding what each PID is especially these lower value PIDs. They are not displayed on kingofsat!

Please can someone provide some useful explanation of what these lower PIDs actually are/do and what is a good way of troubleshooting what channels require each PID.

I think this will definitely be of use to current and future SAT>IP users of channels.

#2

A PID is a Packet ID in a transport stream.
Channels doesn't use them for anything in your case, other than passing them to your SAT>IP box.

The M3U you created for Channels is telling Channels to pass the PID list specified in the url to your SAT>IP box.

So, your SAT>IP box would see this request coming from Channels, do the tuning and demuxing and send the stream to Channels.

You need to find out what PIDS your box needs in the url and in what order.
Usual PIDS needed are PAT, PMT, Video PID, Audio PID, EIT, NIT, ETC

#3

See MPEG transport stream - Wikipedia

0 = Program Association Table (PAT)
1 = Conditional Access Table (CAT)
16 = NIT, ST
17 = SDT, BAT, ST

It's possible PAT may be needed, but I don't think the others are required.

The important one is PMT, which you can only know by looking at PAT contents. The PMT tells you where the audio and video is.

I'm guessing in your example 267 is supposed to be PMT, but maybe it changed and so now its not coming through and that is confusing to Channels.

In VLC, maybe they are able to deal with missing PMT. Does it still work there if you remove 267?

#4

Thanks for the speedy reply,

I tried VLC without the 267 equivalent on another channel that i know tunes and it indeed still works on VLC.

Thank you very much for the information regarding the PID breakdown and thanks for the link.

I believe my issue may be down to my region in the UK as the above the channel information seems to work on my friends channels setup further south in the UK. I have viewed my Katherine sat ip box while tuning the station on VLC and it appears to not lock on to the broadcast.

I have relied on king of sat for all information and i think it may be worth my compiling my own m3u from a sat scan in my area.

#5

Further to my previous post would any other SAT>IP user be willing to share some instructions on how you scan for satellite feeds/information.

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#6

While their information has been good in the past, I'm not sure the content is still as high of quality as it once was.

Please also remember user-contributed content should always be examined, regardless of the source or site.

From your post, I am assuming that you are in the UK and using FreeSat feeds. Do the networks not post which settings you need to use to get your dish to receive their feeds? If so, why aren't you using that data, instead of random things posted on the internet.

(Sorry, but first-hand data is always superior to whichever junk you find from random postings online.)

#7

I'm not aware of any networks posting there channel information, if they do i would gladly be pointed in that direction. I guess in normal freesat boxes they would have the channel information pushed to the box or have the ability to scan for new channels.

The kathrein exip 418 does not have this facility.

#8

The process for scanning is roughly:

  • capture TS stream for pid=0, this will contain PAT
  • decode the PAT, which tells you each available channel and its PMT PID
  • for each channel
    • capture TS stream for pid=X given each channel's PMT PID
    • decode the PMT, which tells you all the audio/video PIDs

I'm not sure which software you can use to do this. I guess most people are using tvheadend to manage it.

#9

Thanks tmm1,

It’s really helpful and I hugely appreciate your time! I will do a little more digging and see if I can sort it out! I will post my progress as it may help other users!

Channels is amazing and has been a game changer since I moved away from rip off subscription services such as Sky TV.

I haven’t looked back since cutting that cord!

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#10

The PMT is now 267

I was struggling with the same issue, after Channel 5 HD moved according to Change Log - KingOfSat

I found the PMT here.

So the following works for me in Channels

satip://10.0.1.105/?src=1&freq=11307&pol=H&msys=DVBS&mtype=QPSK&sr=27500&pids=0,1,16,17,267,2347,2348,2349

#11

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