Channel mapping is a feature that allows you to assign VLX streams to a virtual channel, much like a TV tuner. Once enabled, you can use the channel up/down buttons on the Aurora IRC-11 IR remote control, or the Phillips 10054 remote code from a universal remote control to change streams. You can also optionally enable the up/down front panel buttons of the VLX-TC1 to use this feature. This provides a simple and familiar alternative method of control for certain applications.
To use channel mapping, You will need to create a simple CSV file to define the mapping. This can be done using a text editor like Notepad. The file starts with the header row ChNo,ChName,HostName,HostID. The second, and subsequent lines will contain the actual definitions of the channels.
ChNo1 (channel number) - The virtual channel number of the stream, like a TV tuner
ChName (channel name) - The virtual name of the stream, as displayed on the OSD
HostName2 - The host name of the VLX encoder to be assigned to this virtual channel
HostID2 - The host ID of the VLX encoder to be assigned to the virtual channel
After you create and save your file, navigate to the Management tab on the VLX decoder web setup pages. Under Bitmap/Channel Map, press the Choose file button, then select and upload your CSV file. Then, press the upload button.
NOTE: Channel numbers must be sequential, starting with 0 (zero). When opening or editing the channel mapping CSV file in a spreadsheet editor like Excel, it may format the device IDs as numbers, automatically removing the leading zeros. You must format the HostID column as text to prevent automatic number formatting.
Incorrectly formatted HostID (Excel default) | Correctly formatted HostID (column formatting set to ‘text’) |
To enable channel mapping to the IR remote control buttons and VLX front panel buttons, enable the appropriate options in the web setup pages.
Originally published 3/21/2019