Channel Closures - Housekeeping:

 

Channel 191 - ID   244  HGTV        - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2191.

- Moved from SID 208 to placeholder SID 251 on traditional cable networks.

  

Channel 391 - ID   245  HGTV +1   - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2391.

- Moved from SID 310 to placeholder SID 360 on traditional cable networks.

 

For both of these closed services:

- The Services have been hidden from the EPG. - Hide2 flag removed.

- PMTs & elementary streams (video & audio etc) have been removed. 

 

The closure announcement slates have now been removed from the EPG. 

 

 

Change of EPG Slot: 

Channel 289 - ID 1855  HGTV        - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved from channel 292.

- Hide1 & Hide2 flags removed. - this will have no effect on viewers as the flags cancel each other out.

This channel has been promoted to a channel number higher up the EPG. 

Temporary Rebrands:

- 1 movie channel with a promotional rebrand

Temporary Rebrand:

- 2 movie channels with promotional rebrands.

- 1 movie channel reverting to its usual name following a promotional rebrand 

Channel Closures:

Channel 191 - ID   244  HGTV        - Placeholder - End of Service

Channel 391 - ID   245  HGTV +1   - Placeholder - End of Service

- The video streams are now carrying closure announcement slates. 
- End of Service and Placeholder flags have been added.
The end of service / placeholder flag combination preserves any recordings for a short period following a channel closure. 

 

 

Subscription Pack Codes Changed:

 

ID 1711  TLC HD  -  Placeholder - End of Service

ID 2375  TLC HD  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

ID 2376  TLC HD  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Essential Entertainment pack codes removed for Stream / Flex boxes

- Inclusive Channels pack codes (the basic tier) added for Stream / Flex boxes 

 

ID 1044  TLC+1  -  Placeholder - End of Service

ID 2383  TLC+1  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

ID 2384  TLC+1  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Essential Entertainment pack codes removed for Stream / Flex boxes

- Inclusive Channels pack codes (the basic tier) added for Stream / Flex boxes 

- The deprecated legacy M+ subscription code added for legacy devices - although all customers should have been switched to newer packages a long time ago, 

 

ID 2365  Premier Sports Rugby  

- The premium pack code for Premier Sports has been removed. 

 

These changes make TLC HD & TLC+1 available to customers missed from the original update 

The removal of the premium pack code for Premier Sports Rugby is a housekeeping change. The code is no longer require as the channel is now available to all Virgin TV customers. 

 

 

Service Added Back To All Networks: 

ID 2363  Rakuten TV Action  -  FAST Channel Portal - Not on V6 or Tivo

- Added back to the NIT of all networks.

This service has been restored to the NIT of all networks, reversing the removal made on January 8th. 

Old Services Closed To Allow New Regional EPG Variations - EPG Flags Updated:

 

Channel 137 - ID 1965  Quest HD  - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2002.

- Moved from SID 1908 to placeholder SID 1951 on traditional cable networks.

 

Channel 165 - ID 1711  TLC HD  - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2000.

- Moved from SID 1906 to placeholder SID 1950 on traditional cable networks.

- M/Player/Mixit and More (deprecated) subscription codes added.

- Reality Tier Personal Pick subscription pack code removed. 

 

Channel 168 - ID 1907  Quest Red  - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2004.

- Moved from SID 1008 to placeholder SID 1050 on traditional cable networks.

 

Channel 320 - ID 1475  5 USA +1  - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2010.

- Moved from SID 203 to placeholder SID 251 on traditional cable networks.

 

Channel 337 - ID 1709  Quest +1  - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2006.

- Moved from SID 315 to placeholder SID 350 on traditional cable networks.

 

Channel 365 - ID 1044  TLC+1  - Placeholder - End of Service

- Moved to placeholder channel 2008.

- Moved from SID 919 to placeholder SID 961 on traditional cable networks.

- M/Player/Mixit and More (deprecated) subscription codes added.

- Reality Tier Personal Pick subscription pack code removed. 

 

For all of these closed services:

- Placeholder and end of service flags added to preserve any recordings. 

- SDT Root flags updated to show these services are running and not encrypted - encryption removed.

- The Services have been hidden from the EPG. - Hide2 flag removed.

The end of service / placeholder flag combination preserves any recordings for a short period following a channel closure.

The removal of the hide2 flag leaves flag1 in place, technically hiding these placeholder services from the EPG, although 4 digit dummy EPG numbers are not visible on customer devices. 

The subscription pack changes to TLC HD and TLC +1 make these channels available to all Virgin TV customers. Stream/Flex packages, however, were still listed as Essential Entertainment at the time of the analysis. Both of these channels are now free to view on all platforms.

 

 

Change of Channel Numbers: 

 

Channel 165 - ID   246  Really

- EPG channel moved from 128.

 

Channel 168 - ID 1729  Food Network

- EPG channel moved from 190.

 

 

New Service - Launch: 

Channel 365 - ID 2374  Really +1

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 662 to channel 365.

This channel has launched as a new service and is now visible on the EPG.

 

 

Launch of New replacement EPG Regional Variations With Change of Channel Numbers:  

 

Channel 113 - ID 2375  TLC HD  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 650.

- M/Player/Mixit and More (deprecated) subscription codes added.

- Reality Tier Personal Pick subscription pack code removed. 

 

Channel 128 - ID 2376  TLC HD  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 651.

- M/Player/Mixit and More (deprecated) subscription codes added.

- Reality Tier Personal Pick subscription pack code removed. 

 

Channel 128 - ID 2377  Quest HD  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 652.

 

Channel 137 - ID 2378  Quest HD  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 653.

 

Channel 137 - ID 2379  Quest Red  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 654.

 

Channel 146 - ID 2380  Quest Red  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 655.

 

Channel 313 - ID 2383  TLC+1  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 658.

- M/Player/Mixit and More (deprecated) subscription codes added.

- Reality Tier Personal Pick subscription pack code removed. 

 

Channel 320 - ID 2385  5 USA +1  -  VM Except Scotland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 660.

 

Channel 328 - ID 2384  TLC+1  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 659.

- M/Player/Mixit and More (deprecated) subscription codes added.

- Reality Tier Personal Pick subscription pack code removed. 

 

Channel 328 - ID 2381  Quest +1  -  VM England & Northern Ireland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 656.

 

Channel 337 - ID 2382  Quest +1  -  VM Scotland & Wales

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 657.

 

Channel 362 - ID 2386  5 USA +1  -  VM Scotland

- Moved from pre-launch placeholder channel 661.

 

All of the above: 

- Added to remaining networks within the appropriate nations.

- Scottish and Welsh versions of the WBD channels have been removed from the NIT of internal networks used for pre-launch testing.

- Scottish versions of 5 USA +1 have been removed from the NIT of internal networks used for pre-launch testing.

  

These channels have launched as replacement services / EPG regional variations.

The subscription pack changes to TLC HD and TLC +1 make these channels available to all Virgin TV customers. Stream/Flex packages, however, were still listed as Essential Entertainment at the time of the analysis. Both of these channels are now free to view on all platforms. 

Extra Subscription Packs added:

Channel 553  -  ID 2365  Premier Sports Rugby 

- Added to M / Player / Mixit packs and above on legacy subscription packages / bundles. 

- Added to the free tier (Inclusive Channels pack) for Stream / Flex packages.

This channel is now available to all Virgin TV subscribers.   

 

 

Change of Dummy EPG Slot: 

ID 2365  Asian Mela Tier  -  Subscription Level Check

- Dummy channel number changed from 28 to 39

This is a change of the internal channel number used for an internal service, it is not visible on the EPG and probably not of very much interest to viewers. 

Channel 28 is a generic channel number used for many internal services - mainly subscription level check placeholder services. 

Channel 39 is not currently assigned to other channels, so is exclusive to "Asian Mela Tier".

Channel Closures - Housekeeping Changes:

ID   258  MTV 90s    -   Placeholder - End of Service

ID   259  Club MTV    -   Placeholder - End of Service

ID 1404  MTV Live HD    -   Placeholder - End of Service

ID 1733  MTV MUSIC   -   Placeholder - End of Service

ID 1895  POP    -   Placeholder - End of Service

ID 2090  MTV 80s    -   Placeholder - End of Service

ID 2367  High Street TV Shop    -   Placeholder - End of Service

- The PMTs and video streams / slates have now been removed.

- The SDT root flags have been updated to indicate that encryption has been removed.
Removal of encryption is normal following elementary stream removal. Encryption had been ineffective after the placeholder SIDs had been assigned, the video slates had been orphaned on the old SIDs. 

 

 

New Services - Pre-launch Configurations - Housekeeping:

ID 2374  Really +1  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2375  TLC HD  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2376  TLC HD  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2377  Quest HD  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2378  Quest HD  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2379  Quest Red  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2380  Quest Red  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2381  Quest +1  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2382  Quest +1  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2383  TLC+1  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2384  TLC+1  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2385  5 USA +1  -  Internal Networks Only

ID 2386  5 USA +1  -  Internal Networks Only

- PMTs and elementary streams (video, audio etc) have now been added.

- The SDT root flags have been updated to indicate that encryption has been added. 

 

Analysis of the elementary streams indicates that, where 2 services are listed, both point to the same elementary streams. This is a strong indication that these will be used as regional services with different channel numbers for, say, Scotland and for the the rest of the UK. Although doing this for so many channels will make the EPG and the SI data somewhat messy. It's also not ideal for the broadcaster or for listings magazines which will have to list multiple channel options.

 

The original (current) services will, presumably, become end of service placeholders to preserve recordings made from the current channels. Beware that this may mean that recordings will become unplayable sooner than expected.

 

Why have the original transport streams not been used? 

There is space to use the original transport streams as the number of elementary streams hasn't increased. It appears that Virgin TV has decided to repopulate TSID 5, which gives them more elbow room for expansion. Not that expansion is a thing nowadays with cable channels.

Possibly a sign that Virgin TV are about to reorganise the SI data, in which case expect further housekeeping changes over the coming weeks. 

 

 

FAST Service NIT Removal: 

Channel 447  -  ID 2363  Rakuten TV Action  -  FAST Channel Portal - SDT Only

- Removed from the NIT of all networks.

This service has been removed from the NIT but remains in the SDT.

 

 

New FAST Services - Pre-launch Configurations:

 

ID 2387  Rakuten TV Comedy  -  FAST Channel Portal - Internal Networks Only

- Short EPG name: RTV Comedy

- Added to TSID 8 SID 842 on traditional cable networks.

- Pre-launch EPG slot allocation - channel 463. Channel numbers are subject to change.

- Marked as the Movies genre.

 

ID 2388  Rakuten TV Drama  -  FAST Channel Portal - Internal Networks Only

- Short EPG name: RTV Drama

- Added to TSID 8 SID 843 on traditional cable networks.

- Pre-launch EPG slot allocation - channel 462. Channel numbers are subject to change.

- Marked as the Movies genre.

ID 2389  Rakuten TV Sci-Fi  -  FAST Channel Portal - Internal Networks Only

- Short EPG name: RTV Sci-Fi

- Added to TSID 8 SID 844 on traditional cable networks.

- Pre-launch EPG slot allocation - channel 464. Channel numbers are subject to change.

- Marked as the Movies genre.

 

Pre-launch configurations common to all three of the above services:

- All hidden from the EPG. - Hide1 flag applied.

- All marked as HD.

- SDT root flags show that these services are not running and not encrypted.

- Subscription codes had not been added at the time of the analysis.

- Each service has been added to 5 internal networks often used for pre-launch configuration.
   - Code Download Test (Portsmouth)
   - NGRHEE Bromley
   - NGRHEE Knowsley   
   - TTA Bromley DMC (Bromley RHE)
   - TTA Knowsley DMC (Hayes_RHE)

Rakuten TV channels are usually added to TV360 / Stream devices only, the Hide1 flag hides these channels from the EPG of V6 & legacy TiVo devices.

As Rakuten TV channels aren't added to the V6, subscription codes aren't added to the SI data. A note will be added later to confirm the subscription packs for Horizon based devices.