Custom Channel Guide - newbie XMLTV question

[neuromancer9]

Sorry if this is obvious, but I've been scouring these forums and Google for a couple of hours and found no specific answer to this question (lack of sleep may be contributing). I live in an apartment complex who receives a Dish Network signal, then redistributes certain channels plus local networks over cable to residents for free. None of the channels wind up on their respecitve Dish channel number or the OTA channel number, so I can't use any of the program guide data natively. The channels they provide are all from 2 through 43, so if I choose Dish as my provider I don't even have channels below 100 to change them to.

For example, through my apartments cable I receive HBO & HBO 2 on channels 29 & 30 respectively, althouigh they are originally on 300 & 301 on Dish Network. I receive local channel WBRC on channel 8, although their OTA channel is 6, and so forth. It's a stupid setup, but it's free.

It seems like XMLTV might be my answer to be able to create a custom channel listing and program guide, but I haven't seen anyone discuss this particular scenario and I haven't seen much detail in terms of XMLTV usage examples that seem to be similar. I'm probably just not looking in the right places or perhaps just missing some important element in understanding XMLTV, but could someone please tell me whether or not based on the scenario I described in the first paragraph I could use XMLTV to add all of my channels and use EPG or some sort of online program guide to provide me with program listings and the ability to fully use SageTVs automatic recording, etc? Thanks in advance.

-Mike

[Opus4]

I'm just taking a guess here, but in Channel Setup, have you tried the Remap button? It will ask you to type in a channel number, so it doesn't matter that some lower channel number isn't listed anywhere. When I chnage my ch 3 to 134, it is listed as 134 in the LiveTV Guide after that & is listed as 134 the next time I go to Channel Setup. Again: I've never had to remap channels, so this is just a guess.

For a Dish provider, I think people have said their local channel numbers are quite high -- 700 or 800 range.

- Andy

[neuromancer9]

Ahh, I didn't realize the locals were listed in the Dish guide - I'll try that. Thanks. Just out of curiosity, would XMLTV be applicable if this doesn't work (although I think it will)?