Thanks this is really good info!

At first this did not work for me but here is my problem and how I fixed it.

Problem: After finishing Step 5 and attempting Step 6 none of the new channels showed up in the remapping list. I still only had the 20 broadcast channels.

Solution: Reboot and go back to the remapping list, all the 200+ cable channels now appear.

I am using Vista RTM (Build 6000) so some of the menu items have changed but not much. I suggest adding a reboot step between "Step5: download new data" and "Step6: adding subchannels".

-Nate

I was using this hack with the HDHomerun and I had the same problem with guide mapping getting lost after a couple of days - but I think I found the way to stop it from happening.

In step 6, when adding the channel name, key in the exact name of the channel that Zap2It lists as the call letters of the channel (such as MPLEX if mapping MoviePlex).

If you do step 6 this way, step 7 is unnecessary - Media Center figures it out automatically.

Let me know if that trick works..   I've been going back and forth with MS on whats causing this because its not just the hack with trouble..

I am re-applying the hack due to the new information.  I will let you know in a day or so the result.

Hey, accident & company ... so here we are in May 2007, and I presume many of us ATSC-only folks continue to use your hack to obtain accurate sub-channel EPG data for DTV.  For the most part it's been working ok for me (except that some channels show inaccurate data at certain times of day, and I'm still occassionally "dropping" channel-to-guide associations so that certain channels will show up as "no listing," until I go in an manually reassociate said channel with its call sign).

What I'd like to find out is if there's any hope on the horizon of MS fixing this at the source?  That is, I'd like to ultimately go back to the standard/supported method of obtaining guide data - that is, telling MCE I'm using ATSC and to download the OTA EPG data, and reflect accurate sub-channel data.

Thoughts?  Or should one not hold one's breath?

I have exactly the same question because this fix won't work properly for me at all because I'm using DirecTV.  I have an HDHomeRun Decoder for my ATSC channels, but because DirecTV only has a subset of the local channels the guide doesn't work for channels such as the PBS HD feed or additional subchannels.  I'm assuming that this is because the data is stored internally in relation to a particular guide which has to be global, rather than being stored as a guide::channel combination.  Perhaps this has something to do with the service calls being made to retrieve the data from the provider, I've not seen the interfaces.

So regardless, even though Microsoft says they support Satellite programming and ATSC simultaneously, they don't really support it because the guide data is only valid for the channels the satellite carries anyway.

I think the issue is a little more complicated than it may first appear.     Keeping in mind that someone supplies microsoft that data so there is a license for that.   they can only do what the license says so I have to assume what is no movement on this that they have hands tied.   they have also said in the past that the guide data they have does not include any ota atsc listings..  so they also need to get those..    then we have to look at the internals of media center and see the limitation of 1 guide..  now we all are thinking just combine the analog and ota as a single provider and lets call it a done deal but see the above speculation about hands tied and no ota data to merge..

so this is a complicated subject and not a short term fix for them.   We just have to cross our fingers that its coming..   at least its not as bad as other countries where they have no data for any guides or situations like the UK, or germany or japan where you have more than 1 provide and can't mix tuner types together..  they are stuck missing channels.

Hi fellas,

Just got Vista and my PBS data is screwed up in the LA area.  Came across this guide which seems like it'll solve my problems. I have a few questions though. 

Step 4: Getting the data into media center.

Modify the below registry export to change the provider id, don't forget the X at the end and without the <>'s but with the quotes.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\EPG]
"headend"="<provider id>"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\ProgramGuide]
"strProviderId"="<provider id>"

My questions is this: for the provider id, do I put the same id twice?  For example, my local PBS is KCETDT.  When I look up that channel in the digital cable lineup is: CA56663.  So in both <> do I put CA56663X?  If so, how does VMC know that that relates to KCETDT?  It seems that you'd have to tell VMC that that id releates to a specific channel.  Or am I missing something?  Thanks for any help.

I think the CA56663X refers to the provider of the channels, not the specific channel itself.  So you should be fine putting that id into both the registry entries. 

I however have a different question.  It seems this is relatively unstable and that people are having to reload stuff to get info for their guide.  Is this still true?  I only have ATSC and would love to do this hack, but I don't want to have to reload channel info on a regular basis.  Thanks.

correct, your putting in a different provider, not a specific channel.  its the same id for both spots.  your changing your lineup from antenna to digital provider.  without an analog tuner you can't do that via menus..

I don't actually use the hack, but I do know the cause of it wiping and its a bug in mce itself that still needs to be addessed, generally if theres a workaround, you see these little quirks fixed in major updates...   the workaround to stop it from wiping is to exactly match the same call letters, including capitals and -'s that the correct epg guide data belongs too.  so for example if wxxx-dt2 (pretend pbs channel) is the antenna feed of PBSKIDS, when you make the missing channel you call it PBSKIDS and not wxxx-dt2.    This goes for majors already defined.  if the guide data for wxxx-dt1 is called wxxxdt, then you need to delete the major and remake it as a missing channel.   if you can find peter nears guide to atsc (blog post, shouldn't take to long to google it), you'll see how to fix the frequency of a channel.  the same method to delete and remake the channel can be used.. 

so your probably going to need to do this a couple times.. once to get the guide data over and find the real call letters that MCE calls it.  then you will probably need to remake all the atsc channels to match the new guide data, then you will need to add listings to channels. 

hope that helps..

I was just re-reading this tread because it has new posts, but I have 2 comments to make.

 

1) I've never had to re-assign anything. From the first day I found and applied this hack it has worked flawlessly. (Thanks!)

2) I noticed that zap2it now includes most sub-channel information, at least in the Chicago area.

 

I haven't actually tried to un-hack my system (mainly because it's working great) but is this hack still necessary?

 

yes, you need it.   people commonly confuse the data they see on the zap2it website with what data microsoft has permission to use in media center.   there is no atsc epg data in the databases that mce gets the epg from..   but it does have the analog providers data and fcc requires cable to carry the digital atsc channels on their wires which is why this hack works...

That's interesting because the Boise, Idaho cable provider doesn't have all the digital channels on their digital cable package.  It has the CBS (0 of 0 sub-channels) PBS (3 of 4 sub-channels), ABC (0 of 1 sub-channels), NBC (0 of 1 sub-channels), Fox (0 of 0 sub-channels) but it doesn't have the digital listings for the CW nor its sub-channel.  I understand it's not that big a deal because I can link the digital CW with the analog listing, just curious how that fits with the FCC mandate??

They are only required to carry the primary..   PAX was the main one who disagreed with this and wanted all subchannels forced but lost that argument.

I went to try this hack but got stopped dead when I discovered that no local provider carries the PBS-HD channel.  In my area it is OTA only.

Any word if this OTA subchannel guide problem will be fixed in Fiji (Vista SP1)?