Some M3U channels not available in Channel Collections but show in "Manage Lineup" and Guide

#1

I successfully added my remote UK HDHomeRun channels via M3U and Tailscale, as described in this post here. I set it to ignore channel numbers from the M3U so that they don't clash with my own local US channels. The UK channels start at 9000.

I've discovered a strange problem. For some reason, Channel 4 HD is not available in the Channel Collections. It only shows the regular SD version and the +1 version (one hour time shifted)…

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However, Channel 4 HD is available in the main guide…

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And is visible in the Manage Lineup window…

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This is frustrating because I want to create a Channel Collection that contains a few of my favorite UK channels and in HD when available. Any idea what's happening here?

On my UK server, I see that Channel 4 HD is available to Channel Collections, so just wanted to answer that question before anybody asked…

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I just need to see it on my US server Channel Collections too. This may or may not be the only missing channel in Channel Collections but I don't have time to cross check every single channel. Any help is appreciated!

1 Like
#2

Sometimes the web ui gets a little flaky with showing channels from m3u’s. Just to make sure it’s not a web ui thing, can you create a collection and add all the channels from your UK m3u. Then check an actual client app to see if 4hd shows up in the collection. If it does you can then just remove what you don’t want in that collection

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#3

Ok. I've just tried that. Unfortunately there's still missing channels in the client apps Channel Collection (checked on iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV).

You can see in my sources that the remote "HDHomeRun UK" has 256 channels (this is just the name I've given my M3U playlist by the way).

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When I add "Add All" to a new Channel Collection it says there are only 252 channels available.

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So I guess 4 in total are missing?

Again, these channels are accessible in the guide. Just not in the Channel Collections.

#4

I just tried to do this and it worked ok for me. Maybe try an incognito window? Maybe something is cached that shouldnt be?

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#5

Reload M3u maybe

#6

I tried reloading the M3U and / or creating it from scratch multiple times before posting this problem. Also tried "Prefer channel number from M3U" even though this causes a huge mess with channel number conflicts – tried this just to rule out that it's not related to "Ignore channel numbers from M3U". Tried all this again after your replies just to be sure.

Also tried incognito and creating the Channel Collection in a different browser that I never use.

Nothing seems to work. I'm stumped.

#7

Looks like it only adds unhidden channels with guide data.
Maybe you have some hidden channels or some using duplicate guide data?
If I try to add my HDHR Prime (523 channels), it says it will add 132 channels, which is the number of channels not hidden with guide data. 523 channels (14 favs, 190 HD, 391 hidden) 523-391=132

#8

I went to the admin page of my remote HDHomeRun to check. There's no hidden channels and no favorited channels. While there, I rescanned the tuner as it's been maybe a year since I installed it. The HDHomeRun page now only shows 180 channels, which is fine. All the major ones are there. I think it just removed some junk channels and radio stations that I couldn't care less about. So 180 is my new master list. Disregard 256 channels from earlier. The provider is Freeview UK north west.

I then created a new M3U playlist, did the whole dance of updating the provider, downloading the guide, etc. Then tried to create a Channel Collection with "Add All" and only 177 show up. So now 3 are missing. And Channel 4HD is still one of them!

I'm not sure it's related to M3U, as was mentioned earlier.

I've tried using the lineup.m3u direct from the remote HDHomeRun, using a Tailscale subnet on the remove server. This bypasses the remote Channels DVR server completely. Same problem. Three channels are missing.

If I create a Tailscale subnet on the remote server, I can actually add the remote HDHomeRun as a legit HDHomeRun source rather than M3U. Same problem there. Three channels missing from the Channel Collection. Yet again, on my remote Channels DVR server, all 180 channels can be added to the Channel Collection.

Is there a DVR cache or database I can clean out?

#9

Actually I'm not sure if a cache cleanup would work. I just went nuclear – uninstalled the DVR software, then reinstalled it pointing at a fresh empty DVR folder. Same problem!! 177 channels in Channel Collection instead of 180. This is maddening.

Guess I'll roll back to my old DVR install. No point starting over if it did no good.

#10

Also, regarding a possible issue with duplicate channel data. I don't think it's that either. There's multiple UK channels with duplicate data, eg BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD, ITV 1 and ITV 1 HD, and I can see each of those just fine. :man_shrugging:

#11

Grasping at straws here but try making the the source again using 10000 as your start number.

#12

Not sure if this will make a difference, but try Settings > Advanced > Integrations > M3U Channel IDs on your source server.

Screenshot 2023-11-25 at 18-48-56 Channels Settings
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#13

Good idea. I tried this but no difference.

#14

Damn I really thought this might be it. I turned it on my local server (and remote server for good measure). Then I deleted my M3U playlist and started over. I'm not actually sure what difference that made in general, because the channels were still listed as numbers. Maybe it changed something inside of the XML file, I dunno, but the problem with missing channels remains.

#15

Bummer. I'm out of ideas since I don't do what you're trying to do.
Hopefully the developers will be able to look into it.
At least you have the remote channels in the guide locally.

#16

I wonder if you could target just that specific channel with an additional custom channel. I’ve been searching the forum for an example. Did you end up pulling the entire lineup or did you target just the hdhr for the url source

#17

No problem. Thanks for your help! I'm simply trying to get assemble a Channel Collection but there's three channels missing, and one of them is a channel I'd like to add to the collection (Channel 4 HD). 177 are available to the Channel Collection vs 180 in the actual channel lineup and guide.

#18

Tried that too. There's an example screenshot in the original post...

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#19

Also should just add that my preference isn't to add all the channels to a Channel Collection. I've just been using that as a way to prove that some are missing.

#20

I mean as an entirely new additional source for 4hd. When this olive tin goes up you could use the output as a starting point