Collecting QAM data to supplement listing information - scan

[rkulagow]

I've created a perl scanner which leverages the information we can obtain from a HDHR-CC device to create an accurate call sign to QAM mapping. This will help end the issue of not knowing which QAM frequencies have what content on them (without watching each channel to figure it out).

Tribune's systems (the source of the data for Schedules Direct) are not programmed to support QAM because the cable companies don't want to distribute QAM data, so Tribune isn't going to do the R&D to support QAM if there's no "market" for it. Since the cable companies are the ones that would need to request the requirement, (and they're not), Tribune isn’t going to implement something which won’t be used, and which the cable companies won’t supply data for in the first place. We've asked Tribune, and for whatever reason, the cable companies seem to consider QAM tuning information as proprietary.

When the scan is complete the result will be a {headend}.qam.conf file. If you have a HDHR-CC and at least one HDHR-atsc then the script will use the HDHR-atsc device to create .mpg files which you can watch with mplayer or vlc if you'd like to confirm what the scanner found and that the QAM information obtained from the -CC is valid. If you don't have an ATSC HDHR, you can still help, but the script won't create the MPG files.

After running the scan, please send the .conf file to qam-info@schedulesdirect.org

Schedules Direct will manage the collection of QAM files and make them available to other users in the same headend, allowing those of you that don't have a HDHR-CC to still have accurate lineups based on the scans of subscribers that do.

So, if you're reasonably proficient on the Linux command line, and have a HDHR-CC, please go to

https://github.com/rkulagowski/qamscanner

and download qamscanner.pl

The source code should be pretty self-documenting. It works on my Ubuntu 11.10 system.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for helping the Schedules Direct community.

[mchinand]

Do you want the scan results to only include clear (unencrypted) channels? Checking the vstatus for 'auth=subscribed' will also pick up the those that can be decrypted by the CC (of course this depends on the users cable subscription). Also, the CableCard part of your script works perfectly fine with a Hauppauge DCR-2650 (which I what have) if it uses /tuner0 or /tuner1 instead of /tuner2. It's the same as an HDHR Prime but with only two tuners; even 'get /sys/model' returns 'hdhomerun3_cablecard' (at least with the current firmware).

[rkulagow]

Channels that can be decrypted by the cable card should be in the lineup anyway, and a cable card tuner doesn't need to tune by QAM freq and program - it tunes via "channel" number.

I had a version of the scanner which did the auth=subscribed, but it resulted in channels that couldn't be used without a cable card, and that's what we're trying to accomplish.

Can you run hdhomerun_config {yourDCRdevicenumber} get /sys/debug

and paste the results please?

[mchinand]

OK, that makes sense, I'll rescan for only those channels that are clear QAM and send in the results.

Here are the /sys/debug results for my device:

mem: nbm=0/0 qwm=19 npf=2955 dmf=1863269
loop: pkt=0
t0: pt=4 cal=-531
t1: pt=4 cal=-529
eth: link=usb

[jpasher]

I just purchased an HDHomeRun Prime once I found out that FIOS in my area sends almost every channel as Copy Freely, so now I can start using a CableCARD with MythTV. This is my first foray into the non-set top box world of QAM and ATSC, so I'm still learning about everything.

I figured I'd try to contribute back a little bit, so I downloaded the qamscanner.pl script and gave it a whirl. I ended up tweaking a few things here and there in the process of trying to get it working for my setup. In the end, here's what I determined:

I'm on Verizon FIOS in the Dallas area (lineup ID TX64967X). I subscribe to the Extreme HD package (which is basically everything but movie channels). I have a CableCARD installed and activated in my device.

When I initially ran the script with just start and end channels, I didn't get anything in the QAM output file. I then noticed the comment about FIOS uses possibly needing to use --authtype subscribed, so I enabled that. Apparently that option also requires a non-CableCARD ATSC HDHomeRun to be available on the network too, while I only have a single HDHomeRun Prime. The script won't run at all if it doesn't find an "hdhomerun3_cablecard" device on the network, so it seems like I might be stuck.

If I tweak the script to include channels where auth=subscribed and not capture an MPEG or streaminfo, it will generate a QAM mapping file, but I'm wondering if that is actually the data that is desired. Should I just run it that way and send the file along, or will that be meaningless? I guess my question is what is the ultimate goal of the output for the script, since the info won't be needed for MythTV to work (for me personally)?

[rkulagow]

If I tweak the script to include channels where auth=subscribed and not capture an MPEG or streaminfo, it will generate a QAM mapping file, but I'm wondering if that is actually the data that is desired. Should I just run it that way and send the file along, or will that be meaningless? I guess my question is what is the ultimate goal of the output for the script, since the info won't be needed for MythTV to work (for me personally)?

The issue is that because you have a HDHR Prime, all the channels are valid for you, because your MCard authorizes you to view those channels. So you're able to get QAM tuning data of course. For someone without a HDHR Prime (who is in your headend), that data isn't going to be useful, because they won't be able to tune without a MCard. Using "subscribed" as the authtype without using a second non-Prime device to confirm that the resulting QAM data is usable without an MCard means that you're probably going to get valid QAM data for all 1000 channels in your lineup.

That's why you need to confirm the data with a second device.

And unless something has changed, you need different firmware on the Prime to make it a "standard" HDHR.

[jpasher]

So does this basically mean I won't be able to contribute any meaningful QAM data since I don't have a second non-CableCARD device? Is the purpose of the QAM maps on SchedulesDirect to just provide the vchannel -> frequency mapping data for people that need it? Is this mapping not the same for some using a CableCARD versus Clear QAM tuning?

[srivastava]

I just purchased an HDHomeRun Prime once I found out that FIOS in my area sends almost every channel as Copy Freely, so now I can start using a CableCARD with MythTV. This is my first foray into the non-set top box world of QAM and ATSC, so I'm still learning about everything.

[srivastava]

Thanks for the updates

[oneadvent]

I get:

oneadvent@XBMC:~/source/qamscanner$ (git::master) ./qamscanner.pl --verify=mpg --end=1700 --start=1
Can't locate File/HomeDir.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /etc/perl /usr/local/lib/perl/5.12.4 /usr/local/share/perl/5.12.4 /usr/lib/perl5 /usr/share/perl5 /usr/lib/perl/5.12 /usr/share/perl/5.12 /usr/local/lib/site_perl .) at ./qamscanner.pl line 24.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at ./qamscanner.pl line 24.