It would be great if there was a feature to automatically scan channels and update the list, maybe a weekly or monthly scan in the early morning hours (2-4 am). This may result in loosing channel settings so there may need to be some thought into how to manage that and maybe have a choice to have it add new channels when found or notify in the app when they are found and ask if you want to add them.
Additive, I could see that. Frequency/reception fluctuations would cause sadness for most otherwise.
I scan only if one of the few channels I regularly view is being a problem to receive. That happens almost never, now that I have a more efficient antenna setup. But I remember from my previous antenna that a tablo scan would result usually in at least some previous good reception channels becoming non-good. Maybe this is what @cjcox means by “frequency/reception fluctuations”?
Maybe I am a grouch, but I am also not really eager to find new channels either. I watch shows on under a dozen of the current vast selection, and could get by on 5-6.
So I have no interest in an auto channel scan, but for other users it might be just the ticket. The guide such as it is does get auto-updated every night AFAIK and I’m OK with that.
Before adding new features, I’d prefer Tablo keep working on making existing features work better.
YMMV.
Well, again, it would be a toggle, not a default setting. I understand some folks may not want the option but there is already the feature to scan, adding a scheduled task with a simple weekly or monthly toggle shouldn’t be too difficult and wouldn’t interfere with anyone’s setup. No?
I see a few issues with this process. I also prefer to manually scan so that I can compare the new numbers to what the TabloTV App says I had during my last scan.
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First off, I would worry about a channel coming in great 99% of the time, but being out of service during the channel scan. Then the next program scheduled for that channel would not record. I would have to do a manual channel scan anyway to fix this issue and it might be days before I realize that something was wrong.
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It’s a mystery as to when the Tablo does its nightly maintenance. I’m not sure if this would interfere with this process.
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What happens if your tuners are busy at the time it’s scheduled to rescan?
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It should be noted that after a channel scan, it can take 30 minutes or more to finailze the new guide. As you may have experienced, sometimes a full rescan has missing guide data. This could cause more problems than simple issue you’d like solved.
I understand your personal preference. I even mentioned that it would be an option, not a default. The suggestion I’m making would be a choice. If it’s not suitable for you, don’t enable it. I’m fully aware that your personal circumstances may differ from others’, but if we had the option to scan and resolve issues as they arise, it would be convenient. The purpose of this Feature Request is to automate the quarterly scanning that Table recommends.
If there is nightly maintenance, then this could be tied to that process just as easily as interfering with it, as the devs could incorporate this with that service run.
My original ask was to include a time, starting with the wee early morning hours, to allow for guide updates and such with minimal interference.
That’s the whole purpose of a manual scan. What you’re asking for is going to cause way more problems than whatever it is you think it would solve.
What, exactly, are you hoping to solve with a nightly channel scan? How would you know you’re having problems if every night your channel list reset itself?
We could go on with this discussion for a long time
What’s the view from Tablo HQ on this feature possibility?
I suggest we rescan once a quarter to check for new channels. I haven’t recommended nightly scans. Weekly, monthly, or quarterly are better options. The goal is to automate this task, but we should make it optional and not the default. I’ve explained this multiple times, but I’m not sure what you’re arguing about now. Are you just being argumentative, or am I not communicating this clearly?
Bro, there’s no need to jump to that conclusion. I was trying to figure out where you were coming from and what you thought it would fix. I’m still unsure what you think this would help with – other than automating a procedure that could interfere with programs you already have scheduled.
I admit I missed the frequency of the automation. I understand that what you’re asking for would be an opt-in type of situation. I just don’t understand the need for it. Not every channel adds or changes programming at the same time, so most users would still need to do manual scans after the automated one.
You’re treating this like it’s a personal attack. I’m not arguing with you about anything. You put in a feature request here and that’s fine. Others are free to express how they feel about anything posted – especially when it comes to features.
With everything they have on their plates right now, I fear that this would cause a nightmare in the future for TabloTV and those who would activate the automation and not understand the consequences of it.
Yes, very low priority if it makes the enhancement list. There are dozens of things ahead of this.