Advanced users may write custom initial files using data from:
Writing an initial file from scratch requires knowing the exact frequencies used by local broadcasters. Fortunately, the Linux community maintains a repository of these files.
If your local transmitter has changed frequencies or your specific cable provider is not listed, you can easily create your own file.
[CHANNEL] DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBS2 FREQUENCY = 10744000 SYMBOL_RATE = 22000000 INNER_FEC = 5/6 MODULATION = 8PSK INVERSION = AUTO POLARIZATION = H dvbv5scan initial file
An initial scan file provides just enough information to point your tuner at a known master transponder. Each entry uses clear parameter blocks:
Many Linux distributions have a set of initial tuning files pre-installed for various countries and regions. These are often located in a system directory. On many systems, you can find them in /usr/share/dvb/ or a similar path. A quick search with find can help:
To perform a scan using an initial file, run the command with the path to the file for your region: TV Tuner - Gentoo Wiki Advanced users may write custom initial files using
The for dvbv5-scan is a channel configuration file (typically with .conf or .ini -style format) that defines the delivery system parameters for a specific satellite, cable, or terrestrial transponder.
Understanding the format of your initial file is crucial, as dvbv5-scan is flexible and can understand both new and old formats.
This is the most common and straightforward usage: On many systems, you can find them in
, because it supports the newer DVBv5 API. This API allows for more complex delivery systems, including DVB-T2, S2, and C2. When a user runs this command, the software does not blindly search every possible frequency. Doing so would be incredibly slow and inefficient. Instead, it relies on an initial file to provide a known starting point.
If you are using a specific tuning adapter (for example, if you have multiple USB TV sticks plugged in), specify the adapter index using the -a flag: dvbv5-scan -a 1 my_initial_frequency.conf -o channels.conf Use code with caution.