Is there a supported way to override GuideName on an HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD lineup?

[carvacs]

Hi,

I’m using an HDHomeRun Prime with a CableCARD in Costa Rica. The Prime works very well for tuning, but I have a problem with the channel map supplied by my cable provider.

Unfortunately, the CableCARD lineup is not consistently maintained or updated by the provider. Many of the identifiers reported by the Prime are old identifiers for networks that have since been replaced or rebranded. The GuideNumber and tuning information are correct, but the GuideName can be outdated or no longer describe the channel that is actually being carried.

I maintain my own mapping spreadsheet to identify the actual channels. A few real examples from my current lineup are:

Code: Select all

GuideNumber   GuideName from Prime   Actual channel
-----------   --------------------   --------------
19            BYU                    AGROTENDENCIA
22            NBATV                  CANAL 9
104           FOXDEP-                ESPN 5
105           FSNSWTX                ESPN 4
106           SPEED-C                ESPN 6
607           CNMX-PA                HBO MUNDI
656           MAXHD-E                HBO POP
747           NGCHD-E                SPACE HD SAP

This is particularly difficult in Costa Rica because I also don’t have a complete HDHomeRun guide lineup available for my cable provider. For guide data I currently use Plex together with a third-party XMLTV/EPG provider, and I map each CableCARD channel to the correct EPG channel myself.

However, I would really like to use the official HDHomeRun app more often. In particular, live TV tuning and changing channels with the Prime is noticeably faster than my current Plex setup.

What I would like is to leave the CableCARD lineup and tuning completely untouched — same GuideNumber, same tuning URL, same CableCARD mapping — and simply provide a local override for the displayed GuideName.

Ideally, for example:
Prime reports:
GuideNumber: 105
GuideName: FSNSWTX

Local override:
GuideNumber: 105
GuideName: ESPN 4

Is there any supported mechanism in the Prime firmware, API, configuration, or HDHomeRun app ecosystem for overriding only GuideName locally?

Even if there isn’t a UI for this, is there an API, local channel-name mapping file, or other supported method that could accomplish it?

I’m not trying to modify the CableCARD channel map or tuning parameters. I only want to correct the human-readable channel names presented by the HDHomeRun app.

Thanks!

[NedS]

Can you post the full list of corrections? We might be able to fix it as it comes off our guide server, so it displays correctly in the HDHomeRun app and DVR.

[carvacs]

Thanks Ned. I have the full list and can share it via One Drive since it’s quite large.

Just to clarify, my main concern is the channel names displayed in the HDHomeRun app UI, rather than the program guide data itself. I already handle the program listings separately with XMLTV.

The channel assignments can also change over time, so ideally I’m looking for a way to maintain/update those displayed names myself.

Would the list still be useful for what you have in mind?

https://1drv.ms/x/c/6ec69695cc94de6a/IQ ... 0?e=tExO1k

[jasonl]

In short, no there is not a way to change the names of the channels. There are a lot of rules in the CableCARD device specs about using the data coming from the CableCARD with the obligation being on the cable provider to supply accurate data. We do have data for most of the channels that overlap with Mexico and I have assigned most of those, but there are still a few more that need some work tomorrow (or Ned can take a stab at them). There might be a few that will be problematic because they overlap with ones that look like real US listings, but I think we can get most of them. Doesn't look like we have data for any of the local Costa Rican channels though.

[carvacs]

Thanks Jason. Just to clarify, I’m not looking for guide data for any of the channels. I already handle the program guide separately with my own XMLTV source.

What I wanted to change is only the channel name displayed in the HDHomeRun app.

I actually got this working locally without modifying the CableCARD data or the Prime itself. For selected HDHomeRun clients, I respond to discovery with the Prime’s real DeviceID and BaseURL, so the app still communicates directly with the real Prime for tuning. The only difference is that I advertise a local LineupURL.

That URL points to a small proxy that retrieves the Prime’s original lineup.json, preserves the channel numbers and tuning URLs exactly as they are, and changes only the GuideName field before returning it to the app.

So, for example, the Prime can continue reporting channel 105 as FSNSWTX, while the app displays ESPN 4. Nothing stored in the Prime or provided by the CableCARD is changed.

This works well; I was mainly asking because I hoped there might be a cleaner/supported way to override that presentation layer without having to intercept discovery and proxy lineup.json.

From your explanation, I understand there isn’t currently a supported mechanism for that.