[tunefix] Automatic channel organisation and maintenance

[prpr]

Tunefix 1.4.0 (just released) backs up the signal level and quality figures from the tuning database and restores them if/when you have done a manual retune.
This works around the annoying Humax bug where the figures are left at zero for all muxes except the one you were tuning.
Obviously, it can't put back what is not there at the moment!

 

[prpr]

Tunefix 1.4.2 (just released) adds capability to add services to any mux. by cloning them from "BBC ONE *"
This improves on the previous method which relied on having a similar service already setup on the target mux., which was not necessarily always the case.
This allows automatic addition of services for the Olympics without a retune.

 

[Stummery]

Well I don't know what has happened? On previous retunes everything has always worked correctly. Today I did an update to the tunefix packages. I then carried out a retune and had all the channels showing in the guide. I then rebooted the Humax but now when I scroll through the guide I get channels above 106 listed as 0, but the time information is correct and at the top in the information panel of the guide they show the correct number. If I then use the program/channel change button on the remote to do a fast scroll all the channel numbers change to 0 and all the program information disappears and I cannot do anything in the guide unless I exit and reselect it. I have tried several retune/reboots without any change.
Any ideas please?

Edit: To update. I carried out a force re-install of the tunefix and tunefix-update packages via the webif diagnostics and all now seems to be working OK. Phew!

 

[prpr]

It's hard to know what. Nothing has changed in the basic tunefix code.
Uninstall tunefix, do a complete retune and confirm that there is no longer a problem.
Then send me a copy of /var/lib/humaxtv/channel.db and /mod/boot/tunefix.conf zipped on a private message.

 

[Stummery]

I have managed to cure the problem as per my edit above.
One thing to add, each time I did a retune the EPG was all OK until a reboot. Then as well as the EPG problem when I checked the webif settings for tunefix I saw listed about 9 RB entries RB0 to RB8 don't know if that helps. As a forced package re-install cured the problem I suspect some form of corruption?

 

[lashers]

I am having a similar problem to Stummery with the on-screen EPG. This started this morning, after an auto-update of tunefix and tunefix-update. I had already carried out an automatic retune on Thursday to pick up the changes and had no issues up till then.

Following your advice to him I uninstalled these packages, did a full automatic retune and rebooted. The problem was actually worse than before; it had gone from scrolling showing a few lines of channel 0 to it producing garbage channel names requiring an exit and reselect to clear. I also noted that there was an entry in the schedule, even though I had not restored it after the retune and had not manually added anything. This was for a programme on the newly available BBC4HD (106) (my local transmitter does not broadcast on COM7 or COM8) but the channel had changed to BBC RB1 24/7 (608). I saw from your post "Olympic fun" that this channel is on COM8, which got me thinking. I thus checked the Webif EPG which contained the channels I expected to see, but changing to grid-style also showed the other new COM8 channels with the message "No EPG data for this time range..."; clicking on a channel name produced the message "No cached EPG data, try again later (near "order": syntax error). No data for service..". I then reinstalled tunefix with the previous channel settings and rebooted, which took me back to square one. I finally removed the COM8 channels with tunefix and rebooted; this finally fixed the on-screen EPG problem.

My reading of all this is that the tunefix update has made changes to the EPG on the box which is leading it to expect data for channels it can't pick up, but I will of course leave it up to you to make the final diagnosis. If you need any further info or for me to take any further action please let me know.

 

[prpr]

Following your advice to him I uninstalled these packages, did a full automatic retune and rebooted. The problem was actually worse than before;

This is interesting. I assumed that a full retune would kill everything in the database, but it seems like it doesn't.

(my local transmitter does not broadcast on COM7 or COM8)

I thought I had guarded against this...

I finally removed the COM8 channels with tunefix and rebooted; this finally fixed the on-screen EPG problem.

Good. At least that shows exactly where the problem is.

My reading of all this is that the tunefix update has made changes to the EPG on the box which is leading it to expect data for channels it can't pick up, but I will of course leave it up to you to make the final diagnosis.

You are indeed correct. I think I know what I've screwed up now, so fixing it should be easy enough.

 

[prpr]

Hopefully fixed now and should be available in the repository shortly.
(I'd screwed up two things checking for non-existing muxes. and it was sub-optimal anyway.)

 

[Stummery]

For information.
I am on the Stockland Hill transmitter and before the retune did not have BBC Four HD on channel 106 either. I had also selected tunefix to remove the unwanted RB channels.

 

[lashers]

Thanks for the quick work. I updated tunefix and tunefix-update, then did a full retune. The EPG corruption had disappeared, but I found I had gained another 40 channels numbered 800-839. The channel name for each was "Unknown" and there was no programme data, but looking on the webif EPG the name was "nknown" and there was programme data that I recognised from other channels. It seems I had picked up two muxes from another transmitter, the first time that has happened in ages. A reboot cleared this up, however. An odd thing I noticed was that after the tunefix update but before the reboot the COM8 channels were no longer in the removals list, but after the reboot they had reappeared; I removed them again, saved the tunefix settings and rebooted again with no change to the EPG. I'm not sure whether all this was necessary but I did it anyway to be on the safe side.
I have two Fox T2s identically set up and have carried out all the above fixes on my backup box. I think I'll wait a while to see how things pan out before I sort out the main one and may simply completely remove tunefix and start again from scratch. If instructions for doing so aren't in this thread, could you please point me to where I might find them?

 

[prpr]

looking on the webif EPG the name was "nknown"

That's a WebIf bug.

It seems I had picked up two muxes from another transmitter, the first time that has happened in ages.

Probably weather related.

A reboot cleared this up, however.

That'll be tunefix doing its thing then.

I think I'll wait a while to see how things pan out before I sort out the main one and may simply completely remove tunefix and start again from scratch. If instructions for doing so aren't in this thread, could you please point me to where I might find them?

Delete /mod/boot/tunefix.conf and then go to the WebIf settings page. Or just run "/mod/boot/xinit.d/tunefix install" at the command line.
I'm not quite sure what you're hoping to achieve by doing this though.

 

[Trev]

Similar to my thoughts when I removed it I suspect. It would seem that he suspects it is giving him problems just like I did. Whether this is rational or not matters little if one thinks that something is giving hassle, get rid of it, and try again.

 

[lashers]

When I posted my previous message I had seemingly spent all day retuning, rebooting and running tunefix so I was probably a bit punch-drunk and didn't explain myself properly. When I said "remove tunefix" I actually meant "reset the channel list" as I had noticed that even after a full retune and before any reboot the channel list in the bottom right did not include any of those I had previously moved. From my attempts to sort out my main box today it is clear that tunefix reads its conf file when it launches and so any amendment to reinclude a channel must be made outside tunefix by the method stated in the guide (and of course by doing a retune). I suggest the guide should be amended to include this.

I won't bore you with all the steps I took to fix my main box, but in the end I had once again to explicitly exclude the COM8 channels for the EPG to display correctly. It is thus clear that what 1.4.2 broke 1.4.3 has not been able to fix and the solution is only papering over the cracks. If it is as simple as deleting the affected file and letting the box recreate it please tell me its location and I will do that. I think it is important to get this sorted as we will of course have to do this all over again in a few weeks when the Olympics is over.

PS Tunefix remains a very useful package, so don't let the above give you the impression that I'm not appreciative of your efforts.

 

[prpr]

When I said "remove tunefix" I actually meant "reset the channel list"

This shows how important it is to be explicit, specific and precise. I still don't know what you mean exactly by "reset the channel list". The list on the WebIf settings page for tunefix is built dynamically from the contents of the tuning database.

even after a full retune and before any reboot the channel list in the bottom right did not include any of those I had previously moved.

I don't understand what you mean by "those I had previously moved". The list (before reboot) will show everything the auto-tune has picked up.

it is clear that tunefix reads its conf file when it launches

tunefix runs at system startup, does any necessary work and then exits.

any amendment to reinclude a channel must be made outside tunefix by the method stated in the guide (and of course by doing a retune). I suggest the guide should be amended to include this.

I have no real idea what this means. I think you are probably inferring things that don't actually happen.

I had once again to explicitly exclude the COM8 channels for the EPG to display correctly.

I don't know what is wrong with your tuning database. If you send it to me (/var/lib/humaxtv/channel.db), I will take a look and advise.

It is thus clear that what 1.4.2 broke 1.4.3 has not been able to fix and the solution is only papering over the cracks.

Until evidence is presented otherwise, I will say that you are wrong. 1.4.3 does properly fix the problem that 1.4.2 had and doesn't add channels to muxes. which don't exist on your box. There is no crack-papering going on.

If it is as simple as deleting the affected file and letting the box recreate it please tell me its location and I will do that.

We don't know which is the affected file. The only ones which have any bearing are:
/var/lib/humaxtv/channel.db
/mod/boot/tunefix.conf
/mod/boot/tunefix-update.conf

I would rather you sent me these first before deleting any of them (renaming would be better in the short term anyway).

 

[lashers]

This shows how important it is to be explicit, specific and precise.

I can assure you that I always try to be those things. If at times I fall short by making assumptions or poor wording please accept my apologies.

The list on the WebIf settings page for tunefix is built dynamically from the contents of the tuning database.
I don't understand what you mean by "those I had previously moved". The list (before reboot) will show everything the auto-tune has picked up.
tunefix runs at system startup, does any necessary work and then exits.

This is clearly where I didn't explain myself properly and didn't make a distinction between tunefix and "the WebIf settings page for tunefix", so I'll try again. Even after a full retune and before any reboot, when entering the WebIf settings page for tunefix the channel list to the bottom right of the screen did not include any channel matching the conditions in the "Remove channel(s) by number" or "Remove by name" sections on the left of the screen( "those I had previously moved" referred to channels I had moved from the channel list to the "Remove by name" section by clicking the arrow). It was not until I deleted tunefix.conf and went back into the WebIf settings page that the full channel list was shown, confirmed by comparing it to the list in the Webif EPG. It thus appeared to me that the WebIf settings page for tunefix processes tunefix.conf before displaying the channel list. If this is not the case, something must be going on with my boxes to cause this.

Until evidence is presented otherwise, I will say that you are wrong. 1.4.3 does properly fix the problem that 1.4.2 had and doesn't add channels to muxes. which don't exist on your box. There is no crack-papering going on.

To clarify, I am not saying that 1.4.3 does not properly fix the problem that 1.4.2 had, but that it does not appear to fix the problem that 1.4.2 created, ie by removing the channels it had incorrectly added. This is based on the observation that even after the update a full retune still produces a corrupted on-box EPG.

We don't know which is the affected file. The only ones which have any bearing are:
/var/lib/humaxtv/channel.db
/mod/boot/tunefix.conf
/mod/boot/tunefix-update.conf

I would rather you sent me these first before deleting any of them (renaming would be better in the short term anyway).

I will shortly send you all the relevant files I have, notated accordingly. Please note that neither box has a tunefix-update.conf on it; I did a search from the root in Filezilla on both boxes and they came up blank.

I trust this has been a much better explanation of what I saw than my previous post but I accept that what appears clear to the writer may not be so to the reader, so again if you want any further clarification please say.

 

[lashers]

To clarify, I am not saying that 1.4.3 does not properly fix the problem that 1.4.2 had, but that it does not appear to fix the problem that 1.4.2 created, ie by removing the channels it had incorrectly added. This is based on the observation that even after the update a full retune still produces a corrupted on-box EPG.

I have now had the opportunity to do a further full retune on both my boxes and in neither case did the on-box EPG show any problems. I am therefore happy to retract my statement above. Although I am convinced that I did not carry out any actions on my main box until after I had seen the autoupdate notice in the Webif my memory could be deceiving me and it is therefore quite possible that the retune and reboot was done before 1.4.3 was in place (either that or I should have done an extra reboot before starting, although that may amount to the same thing!).

Even after a full retune and before any reboot, when entering the WebIf settings page for tunefix the channel list to the bottom right of the screen did not include any channel matching the conditions in the "Remove channel(s) by number" or "Remove by name" sections on the left of the screen ("those I had previously moved" referred to channels I had moved from the channel list to the "Remove by name" section by clicking the arrow). It was not until I deleted tunefix.conf and went back into the WebIf settings page that the full channel list was shown, confirmed by comparing it to the list in the Webif EPG. It thus appeared to me that the WebIf settings page for tunefix processes tunefix.conf before displaying the channel list. If this is not the case, something must be going on with my boxes to cause this.

I also rechecked this and can broadly confirm these findings. The channel list displayed in the WebIf settings page for tunefix definitely does not contain any channel matching the conditions in the "Remove by name" section (but not the "Remove channel(s) by number" section - I think the large overlap between the two sections caused me to think it did). I tested this by going into the settings page, noting which channels were missing according to the EPG, then going into the file editor and editing the Name section of tunefix.conf to remove two entries. When I returned to the settings page the channels corresponding to those entries were now shown. I will send you the relevant files as it may help you reproduce (or not!) this issue.

Apologies once again for any incorrect assertions or poor explanations.

 

[prpr]

The channel list displayed in the WebIf settings page for tunefix definitely does not contain any channel matching the conditions in the "Remove by name" section

Correct. I believe that's how it's meant to work (but I didn't write the WebIf Settings page). Maybe af123 could comment?

but not the "Remove channel(s) by number" section

Agreed. It is slightly inconsistent. I had not spotted it because as soon as you reboot, all the things listed for removal actually get removed (shock horror!) and then nothing will bring them back to the Channels list except retuning (or re-adding with tunefix-update).

I tested this by going into the settings page, noting which channels were missing according to the EPG, then going into the file editor and editing the Name section of tunefix.conf to remove two entries. When I returned to the settings page the channels corresponding to those entries were now shown.

You can achieve the same thing on the Tunefix Settings page by removing the relevant line(s) on the Remove by Name box, hitting Save and then refreshing the page. The channel(s) will re-appear in the Channels list on the bottom right.
I am struggling to see what the problem is really. Either you want to delete the channels you've listed or you don't. If you don't, edit the list to remove them before rebooting.

For what it's worth, your name list contains huge amounts of stuff that you don't need, given that you are removing most of the streaming channels by LCN. I would just delete tunefix.conf on both your boxes and start again, let it create the default config. file, retune, reboot and then work out what you've got left that you don't want and add those to the name box and then reboot again to clear them out. You don't need the LCN filters for 114,124,602-608 either. Then leave it alone!

 

[af123]

Correct. I believe that's how it's meant to work (but I didn't write the WebIf Settings page). Maybe af123 could comment?

Well, that's definitely the way it works and it's explicit in the code so not an accident.
It could be extended to exclude channel numbers set for removal too, or removed so that all channels always show.

 

[lashers]

Correct. I believe that's how it's meant to work (but I didn't write the WebIf Settings page).
You can achieve the same thing on the Tunefix Settings page by removing the relevant line(s) on the Remove by Name box, hitting Save and then refreshing the page. The channel(s) will re-appear in the Channels list on the bottom right.

Fair enough, now that I know. However, with respect that conflicts with what you said in your post #174, viz:

The list on the WebIf settings page for tunefix is built dynamically from the contents of the tuning database.

and particularly (my emphasis):

The list (before reboot) will show everything the auto-tune has picked up.

Given these statements I can hardly be blamed for thinking there was something amiss when what I experienced appeared to contradict them.

I am struggling to see what the problem is really. Either you want to delete the channels you've listed or you don't. If you don't, edit the list to remove them before rebooting.

The problem was the contradiction I have just explained. I therefore have to say I find your condescending tone somewhat uncalled for.

I would just delete tunefix.conf on both your boxes and start again, let it create the default config. file, retune, reboot and then work out what you've got left that you don't want and add those to the name box and then reboot again to clear them out.

Ironically that is exactly what I was (in my clumsy way) suggesting in my post #170 and have now done; just substitute tunefix.conf for tunefix.

Well, that's definitely the way it works and it's explicit in the code so not an accident.
It could be extended to exclude channel numbers set for removal too, or removed so that all channels always show.

I certainly think it should be both or neither and after consideration would suggest both. That way, amending the removals sections, saving and refreshing gives you an interactive method of refining the list before rebooting. Just as long as people are aware that this is only possible immediately after a retune; perhaps they are, as I seem to be the first person to have raised a query about it.

 

[Trev]

Don't worry, I'm also confused as to how it is supposed to work as well and what you have to do to re-instate deleted channels (Can this be done?)