Virtual Channel String Creation

[Frijid]

When generating custom virtual channel strings, where can the following be obtained?

3 - avc (1 = avc 0 = none)
9 - MPEG program number

Would not having the "9 - MPEG program number" not correctly entered, cause the channel to show in the guide, but not be able to be selected or keyed in with the remote?

Does the VCT ID and VC# come into play at any time?

 

[stargaze]

The VCT is only needed for some commercial receivers and basically lets you know the channels your trying to pick up.
Each one represents specific channels. Once known you are able to tell what signal may be up there even if it is encrypted by that number.
The VC # is assigned once again for commercial receivers.
consumer receivers do not need this info by their design.

 

[Frijid]

Thanks Stargaze. That helped clear things up. By using the existing maps and the commercial receiver, I was able to see where the numbers come from to make the channel string in the maps.

 

[stargaze]

The bit stream is the hardest part to get properly unless you know it already.
If it is wrong there is no picture and if correct and scrambled still no picture.....
There was only 1 or 2 muxs that I did not have the proper bit stream for. The commercial receiver found the rest.
The other 2 mux's bit stream were found by process of elimination.

 

[Frijid]

Still working on bitstream. The thing that had me confused was SN. Once I saw a known one on the OSD of my 4500x, I then could find it for any of the channels on a given TP All this time it was right in from of my face and I didn't even know it! I didn't realize that the 920 shows it as well in the diagnostic screen. It's amazing how much info is in the diagnostics screens. It's just a matter of knowing what is being shown and why to do with it

It's cool surfing the sky and finding channels. Too bad that they are combined.

Spending time figuring this out gave me a glimpse into the amount of time that goes into building the maps. Thanks goes out to all that has participated in this project!