I started this thread and thought I would close out my part by posting what I found. This was my first attempt in creating m3u files and working with guide data, so this may be simple to you. I had a lot to learn. Seriously.
The idea seemed simple, use Emby to play live TV from Channels DVR on an old Roku TV that didn’t handle the beta Channels DVR App very well.
In the end I was able to accomplish exactly what I wanted with the added benefit of having all the channels in the order I wanted them (grouped by news, movies, locals, etc.).
I abandoned the iptv-epg service (service quality was the primary issue. I experienced, slow updates to my configuration and the quality of guide data was less than what Channels provides.
I read and tried a lot of tips from various internet sites related to Emby and proper m3u configurations. I found more out-of-date/inaccurate information than answers. I did figure out the key elements of the m3u setup that work with Emby per my implementation goals.
The m3u file needs to provide the exact call sign for a channel, otherwise Emby required lots of channel mapping. That’s a pain. To place the channels in the guide in the order I wanted, I found that using the channel-id tag allowed me to the order the channels in the Emby guide according to my preferences.
Here’s an example:
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="10" tvg-logo="http://fanc.tmsimg.com/assets/s64241_ll_h3_aa.png" tvg-name="MSNBC",MNBCHD
The python code to generate this line:
m3u_file.write("#EXTINF:-1 channel-id=\"{0}\" tvg-logo=\"{1}\" tvg-name=\"{2}\",{3}{4}".format(emby_channel_order, channel_logo, sd_channel_name, sd_channel_callsign, "\r\n"))
I used the built-in Emby guide for tv/show listings, but I had to use several guide sources to get East vs Pacific channels to work without resorting to time-shifting the m3u per channel. I did not have to map any channels in the Emby guide setup, everything just worked. I simply added the m3u source and added the guides.
There may a more direct route to this end, but where I lacked any knowledge, I perhaps took the long route.
