[vdr] How to keep the channel list tidy automatically

[Lauri Tischler]

Klaus Schmidinger wrote:
> On 05/23/09 12:44, Carsten Koch wrote:
>> On Sat, 2009-05-23 at 11:47 +0200, Klaus Schmidinger wrote:
>> ...
>>> You could also remove all unwanted channels from your list and set
>>> "DVB/Update channels" to "names and PIDs". Then the EPG scan would
>>> only switch through the desired transponders.
>> I believe there is room for improvement.
>>
>> Of course I want *all* channels I can use
>> and I want new channels, too, if can use them.
>>
>> And I do not want to go through my list of channels
>> manually all the time, find those that I cannot view 
>> and delete them manually.
>>
>> I believe VDR could do a much better (more thorough,
>> less error-prone) job at that than I ever could.
>>
>> Here is a list of improvements that would greatly
>> help maintaining a clean and useful channel list:
>>
>> 1) When VDR does its EPG scan, it switches to all
>>    channels anyway. Why not test each channel and
>>    see if it actually delivers data?
> 
> Actually it only tunes to *transponders*, not individual channels.
> 
>>    If it does, set a new configuration field to 0.
>>    If it does not, increment that field by one.
>>    Lets call this field the "absent" value.
>>    The reason why we do not get any data does not
>>    matter. Maybe the channel is temporarily not
>>    broadcasting. Maybe it has ceased to exist.
>>    Maybe I do not have a cam for it. Maybe I have
>>    a suitable cam, but no subscription.
>>
>> 2) When zapping, automatically skip channels that
>>    have an "absent" value of > 5 (maybe that value
>>    should be configurable).
>>
>> 3) Do not display channels anywhere that have an 
>>    "absent" value of > 5 (maybe that value
>>    should be configurable. If you set it to zero,
>>    all useless channels will show up again).
>>
>> 4) A "cleanup" run could remove all channels
>>    that have an absent value that exceeds a 
>>    certain number (maybe 50).
>>
>> 5) You could define additional criteria that
>>    would increment the "absent" value during 
>>    an EPG scan.
>>    For example:
>>    5a) the channel does not broadcast one of the
>>        audio languages that I have configured as
>>        the set of languages that I can understand.
>>    5b) the channel broadcasts video, but with less
>>        than 1 Mbit/s.
>>        (That would get rid of all those advertising
>>         channels which only broadcast slide shows).
> 
> Sounds like a perfect task for a plugin - with tons of
> config parameters and endless threads about what makes sense
> and what doesn't ;-) (SCNR).

There used to be a plugin ,'autosort' i believe, which did
some of those things.