Help mapping channels?

[ianmcleish 2]

Hi, I'm sure this has been asked here before, but I can't find a solution to my query.

My IPTV provider is serving 64000 or so channels, so I used Threadfin to prune that to a more sensible number, though I probably still have too many channels. The IPTV guide as supplied by the provider is pretty poor, so I have one M3U source and have 2 guide data sources - the xml file threadfin made and I also installed the emby guide.

The Emby guide is much better than the other one and I have been slowly going through channels and selecting them in the Emby guide manually - automatic mapping was a total fail, but that will be either because the IPTV provider uses different channels, or as likely, I messed up in Threadfin.

So anyway, my question - a lot of the channels listed in the Emby guide are rather cryptic, some are easy enough to find out what they are, but others are impossible to work out.

The Emby guide has channel numbers and those cryptic codes. Is there any information anywhere - a spreadsheet?? etc of explanations - any way to work out what channel 734 MDRSAC - MDRGERH actually is?

Obviously I don't care about that example, but if there was a spreadsheet that I could see that Sky History is Channel X in Emby and its code is SKY**** it would make a manual mapping day go much faster!

I know this is because im using IPTV and not a proper tuner - I know this is a "me" problem and not an Emby problem, but any help would be great.

Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks

[Luke 38823]

@Carlowill probably have some tips on this.

[Carlo 4478]

@ianmcleish

It’s a difficult situation, but you’re not alone. Here’s how to begin: First, create a free account at www.m3u4u.com. M3u4u likely provides the functionality many users anticipated when they set up xteve/threadfin/stream master, unless they specifically required the channel proxy. In M3u4u, you can edit various attributes cleanly and often in bulk at the group level. After registering, you can upload your m3u file and, if desired, your XML file—although you can skip the XML for now if it’s not essential.

Start by focusing on managing your playlists, which allows you to bulk remove items like 24/7 channels, VOD movies, and VOD shows. If your provider has organized channels into groups, you can easily bulk remove entire groups or countries you don’t need, simplifying the process. For now, concentrate on reducing the channel count to something manageable without getting caught up in micromanagement. After bulk removing channels, save the playlist and create a backup with a different name, such as draft1.m3u. If you need to start over, you can do so with this reduced set of channels.

Once your playlist is cleaned up, you can rearrange channels or groups to better suit your preferences, ensuring that your most-watched channels are easily accessible. You can also rename groups or channels for easier identification. If you decide to upload an XML file later, it will enhance your playlist by adding program guide data for a more comprehensive viewing experience. After organizing your channels and groups, save another draft and move on to the guide data.

Try to see what can be auto-matched using the available data. If necessary, set up the XML file from your provider to assist with matching. For now, don’t spend too much time—just push through what you can do quickly. Once your playlist is organized and some channels are matched, make your first attempt to set this up in Emby. You’ll receive a new URL for the m3u file and another for the guide data, which you will use for the Emby setup. Essentially, m3u4u will act as an intermediary for channel and guide curation, modifying the provider information to fit your needs. Unlike Xteve/Stream Master/Threadfin, it won’t function as a proxy. The links it generates are essentially the provider links with any changes you’ve made.

Get it running without spending excessive time, then revisit and refine your channel list. Map what you can quickly to the guide data. Refresh Emby LiveTV to pull in the new information. Repeat this process. You can also set up a guide or two in Emby and manually map your most important channels. Aim to accomplish tasks in bulk as swiftly as possible, knowing you’ll continue to use and refine it over time. Getting it operational in Emby is preferable to spending days trying to perfect it from the start. Using your channel and guide data will often inspire new ideas or methods. By this point, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to edit and map channels, rearrange items, etc., so you’ll know what can and can’t be done easily. The way Emby utilizes Tags (groups in m3u) might spark creative ideas as well.

Hope this helps,
Carlo.

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[ianmcleish 2]

Thanks for your long and informative reply Carlo. I did use threading over m3u4u. Maybe that was a mistake, but I do have a manageable set of channels. I won't need the proxy abilities of Threadfin.

But nothing would map automatically using the emby guide, so I have been going through the channel lists manually.

My next one to try to find in the Emby guide is SkyCinema Action. But I can't find it in the list. I'm sure it will be somewhere in the Emby UK guide list- is there a decoder list to find out which channel is the one mentioned??

[Chillout 98]

I found some websites that lists all the channels for the different network providers (Comcast, DirecTV, ATT).   You find the channel on the list and it makes it easier to find the channel in the guide.   There are some odd-ball or streaming-only channels that I have not found on the Emby Guide but you can map most of them. 

It would be nice if you could do a word search in the Emby guide but its only a one-time pain until its set.

https://www.tvchannellists.com/w/List_of_U-verse_TV_channels

https://hd-report.com/guide/comcast-xfinity-tv-channel-lineup/

 

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by Chillout

[ianmcleish 2]

Yeah, it would be great if there was another column in the Guide explaining what the channels were, it would be a bit less trial and error, but I am getting there, slowly. I just hope the backup saves all these mappings, cos I don't fancy doing this again!