Alternative channels

[IAmATeaf]

Quick question, how do you setup alternative channels and how do these alternatives actually work.

I have both DVB-S2 and DVB-C tuners in my box, use ABM to create Sky and Virgin bouquets and obviously there are quite a few common channels so I was wondering for example BBC1 HD on Sky, could I set up BBC1 HD on Cable as an alternative. I've tried this within the settings of the bouquet but I seem to be able to get to the list of say Cable channels but then the only key I can press are the colour buttons to navigate around the providers or OK which then changes to that channel or Exit which takes me completely out of the Settings page that I was in.

Having done the above I've noticed that I now have the option to Edit Alternatives which shows my current channel but I can't figure out how to add another alternative channel.

Moving on from this, how are Alternative channels actually used. So in the BBC1 HD case if for some reason the DVB-S tuner was already in use and I set up a recording for BBC1 HD, assuming I can get an Alternative configured would the box then realise that the DVB-S tuner isn't available but there is an Alternative on DVB-C and start the recording on that?

The above is me just messing around by the way :)

[IAmATeaf]

Now you'll have to believe me when I say that I did a search and found nothing but after posting this I tried again and found this thread so I'll be experimenting later tonight http://www.world-of-satellite.com/showthread.php?25781-Alternative-services&highlight=alternative+channels

[IAmATeaf]

I ended up setting up alternatives using dreamboxedit in the end as it's just simply drag and drop.

Didn't quite work as I was expecting as my main bouquet is mainly Sky with a few cable channels interspersed. So for the cable channels I set up the Sky channel as an alternative but the result was that when I switched to that channel the Sky channel was now the default even though the main bouquet had the cable channel. The only way to change this behaviour was to go into customise and set the tuner order but this then switched instances where I had the Sky channel as the main channel.

[Peterj]

I have both DVB-S2 and DVB-C tuners in my box, use ABM to create Sky and Virgin bouquets and obviously there are quite a few common channels so I was wondering for example BBC1 HD on Sky, could I set up BBC1 HD on Cable as an alternative.

You can use custommix file for this in ABM.

[nosnikrap78]

@Peterj

I tried the approach of creating alternative channels by using a custommix file, but didn't get the results I wanted.

With the code below I want a terrestrial channel and satellite channel to share the same target channel number "1". When I tried this with ABM the 'Test' bouquet was not created. Removing 1 of the duplicate target channels the bouquet was created.

Please can you confirm if the code supports this scenario? Or have i misunderstand your previous comment.


<custommix>
<sections>
<section number="1">Test</section>
</sections>
<inserts>
<!-- saorview -->
<insert provider="terrestrial_ie_saorview_PSB2" source="1" target="1"></insert> <!-- rte1 -->
<!-- sat_282_sky_irl -->
<!--<insert provider="sat_282_sky_irl" source="101" target="1"></insert> <!-- rte1 -->
</inserts>
</custommix>


Previously I had played with adding alternative channels manually but post an ABM scan i seem to lose the ability to use them, and have to re-edit alternatives to get them back. I can see that the alternative channel files still exist post scan, but its the link between the bouquets and the files that seems to break.

Thanks

[abu baniaz]

I hope people are not mixing up "alternatives" in Enigma2 with "replacing a chanenl from one ABM provider with one from another ABM provider"

[nosnikrap78]

thanks for the heads up Abu.

It was worth a try.. :D