Channel lineups and source identity
A channel lineup is a source-contextual inventory of service identities, labels and access/media locations that must be associated separately with guide descriptions.
A channel lineup is an inventory of services exposed by a source. It connects channel identities and presentation labels to the route used to acquire media.
An Emby guide adds programme descriptions through another association. The lineup and guide are related inputs, not the same database.
Number and name are not always unique selection keys
Use an original combined inventory:
| Source | Source channel key | Display number | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | news-main | 101 | Harbour News |
| B | region-news | 101 | Estuary News |
| A | cinema-main | 205 | Harbour Cinema |
A key made only from display number 101 cannot distinguish the first two entries.
The declared composite identities (A, news-main) and (B, region-news) can. These are invented entries, not a scanned lineup.
A backend or tuner interface can use another representation, but its own selection scope needs to remain intact.
The guide join can be wrong while media works
Suppose (A, news-main) correctly supplies Harbour News, yet its guide association points to a fictional estuary.news guide channel.
The media source can work while the programme descriptions belong to the wrong station. Changing the video decoder would not fix that data association.
Emby’s channel mapping documentation addresses the source-to-guide relationship.
An extended M3U tvg-id can assist that association through the implementation’s interpretation. Its display name/number and stream URL still have separate roles.
Presentation changes need not change acquisition
Renaming an entry, ordering the lineup or applying a display tag can alter how it is presented without replacing its underlying source key.
A source change—such as updated service identifiers or a new stream URL—affects another part of the route. It must be reflected in the appropriate source data rather than inferred from a label edit.
Likewise, hiding a lineup entry does not establish that a currently owned acquisition has been released. Resource lifetime belongs to the actual active use and source contract.
An inventory is not proof of current media
A stored catalogue can retain a channel that is temporarily unavailable, has moved or requires an access path the current source cannot supply.
A successful inventory request and a successful media request therefore need separate observations. Programme descriptions can also update on another schedule.
The stable source identity connects those observations. It makes it possible to report that one named service’s media changed while retaining or correcting its independent guide association.