[mythtv-users] how to set xmltvid to unknown and keep it there?

[Robert McNamara]

On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 4:45 PM, Eric Sharkey <eric at lisaneric.org> wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 12:25 PM, Robert McNamara
> <robert.mcnamara at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Schedules Direct Matches on channel number.  Schedules Direct is not
>> aware of the frequency, and it is not used as a matching criteria.
>
> Ok, that's what I thought initially.
>
>> It is behaving as expected.  No bug.
>
> Seriously?  It's expected that mythfilldatabase will mark all
> community access channels as the History Channel?  How is that not a
> bug?
>
> Eric

Channel Number (the field name) is a user editable field that has no
real meaning besides being a way for the user to address the channel.
Frequency id is the "true" channel number (at least in these
instances).  Think of it this way-- the frequency ID is the value that
will be used if you use a channel changing script to send IR commands
to your set top box.  So freqid is the *only* value that can and
should always match the channel numbers on the box.  If you wanted to,
you could change the channum field to some serialized order, or sort
your HD channels and SD channels into different numberings, or
whatever, but the freqid must match the source's numbering.  Thus,
mythfilldatabase matches freqid as it is the only value it can easily
map to a schedules direct channel.  the reason your community access
channels are all getting history channel listings is because they all
have freqid == Schedules Direct History channel number.

So, to summarize:

channum = for the user's benefit, not used for tuning, could be anything.
freqid = "true" virtual channel number, used for external channel
changing and analog tuning.
mplexid = Reference to a multiplex, used for digital tuning.
servicesid = "Reference to a service *on* a multiplex, used for digital tuning.

Mythfilldatabase uses the "true" virtual channel number, since it's
the only piece of information schedules direct can provide us about
your cable lineup.

Robert