Okay well I gave them the Host IDs, and it looks like its "kind of" working...  I can't watch liveTV through the CableCards on the PC itself, I get a "Restricted Content - Display Driver" problem (on the lower channels).... and a "no signal error" on the higher (HD channels)

 

Holy crap...  While I was typing this, I just had windows update pop up and tell me service pack 1 is available for download!!!!  haha...  well that could be the problem!

That's what I get for assuming I had SP1 on my install disc when I reloaded the OS onto my 300GB raptor drive.  :)  lemme get SP1 on here and touch back with ya'll..

Good luck... there are times I want to move my XPS420 to the living room and get some cable cards... but I just can't stand giving the local cableco money for their terrible analog basics.

What's strange to me is how many times I've rebooted and it took that long for the windows update service to pickup the fact that I didn't have SP1 isntalled yet!  crazzzzy...

Okay, I'm still getting the resticted content (display driver) problem....  any ideas for that one guys?

  I did install lifextender, could it be that?

The full error is:

"Restricted Content – Display driver. Some Windows Media Center components do not have a sufficient license to play back content. Please click the button below to update the components."

I did some reading online and some folks were saying its the HDCP causing an issue, and that you should use VGA...  My video card doesn't have VGA (only HDMI and DVI) so I took a DVI>VGA adapter and ran a VGA cable to my monitor... no go on that, still get the error.

What's weird is it gave me that error before, and then I had it working without the cablecards plugged in...  now the error is back again...

Also, when i go under DCT diagnostics>signal, I can see channels on the 1st tuner, but not on the 2nd one...  So maybe MC is trying the 2nd tuner 1st when I hit the guide to watch a channel... not sure.

Ok first outside media center go back into the network icon and click on the first cable card tuner and then click on the CA screen and see how many MM are displayed. Close out the browser and do the second card (in my case they're always the same number of processed MM).

 

Now make sure you only have one display device connected.

If you still have this problem do a reboot which includes unplugging the ac to the tuners but not disconnecting them from the computer with the computer shut down. then plug in the cable card tuners and then reboot the computer with a single display.

There are some fixes in SP1 and there are some fixes in a June media center update.

There is also a way to re-authorize the DRM on your computer

http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp

Once you get it working you should be able to run media center on either display but they must be extended and not cloned (that's a DRM HDCP issue).

John

JohnW248:

Ok first outside media center go back into the network icon and click on the first cable card tuner and then click on the CA screen and see how many MM are displayed. Close out the browser and do the second card (in my case they're always the same number of processed MM).

 

Now make sure you only have one display device connected.

If you still have this problem do a reboot which includes unplugging the ac to the tuners but not disconnecting them from the computer with the computer shut down. then plug in the cable card tuners and then reboot the computer with a single display.

There are some fixes in SP1 and there are some fixes in a June media center update.

There is also a way to re-authorize the DRM on your computer

http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp

Once you get it working you should be able to run media center on either display but they must be extended and not cloned (that's a DRM HDCP issue).

John

CA screen?  I'm not sure where that is.

JohnW248:

Ok first outside media center go back into the network icon and click on the first cable card tuner and then click on the CA screen and see how many MM are displayed. Close out the browser and do the second card (in my case they're always the same number of processed MM).

 

Now make sure you only have one display device connected.

If you still have this problem do a reboot which includes unplugging the ac to the tuners but not disconnecting them from the computer with the computer shut down. then plug in the cable card tuners and then reboot the computer with a single display.

There are some fixes in SP1 and there are some fixes in a June media center update.

There is also a way to re-authorize the DRM on your computer

http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp

Once you get it working you should be able to run media center on either display but they must be extended and not cloned (that's a DRM HDCP issue).

John

Tried to install the june update, but it said it did not apply to my system.

I do  it outside of media center. Double click on one of your tuners in network. Then click on the "card" and you'll have a list of aps which are links to webpages inside the cable card. The first one is the CA screen.

You can do the same thing when you go to diag inside media center and click on your first tuner and all the aps will show up where you only had dia for that tuner before. You can still click on the first one and go to signal etc as before but you can also open the webpage inside medai center.

I do it outside incase there is a lock up since it's easier to get out of a browser window than it is to close out of media center with a lock up.

But it sounds like your problem is the video card and possiblly two displays being cloned. Make sure you've got the latest cat version (8.7) from ATI and if two displays make sure that they are extended not cloned. Cloned won't work because it's a drm violation of putting the signal on two displays. Also if you put media center onto the second display, move it before you start live tv or any HDCP DRM content or you'll get the restriced screen. Use the DRM license if you've updated and windows thinks the DRM is expired. It renews itself every 90 days but since you reloaded the system it might not be renewed.  Also check the MS Knowledge base about media center tv fixes since I remember seeing several in June and there was a roll up of all the updates at the end of June. Make sure you install that.

I also have a problem if you unplug or replug a display device hot that the tuners disconnect and don't reconnect as USB 2.0 and for some reason I have to reboot if I do that. Now I leave everthing plugged in (the ATI Radeon card see the projector whether it's off or on) and it keeps the extended desktop. If I don't the default is cloned and I ahve the same problems you're going through now.

John

John,

Okay..  I found what you're talking about...  Its under the "Card" menu, the "Conditional Access" hyperlink.

For one tuner I have:

       Conditional Access
Unit Address:000-00020-94476-153
Encryption:DES
Con:Yes EBCP:Yes Val:? 0x01


PMTCMD:D Prg:00001  ECM:0x0430

SvcID:0x000655     Svc:0 Enc:ENC
CP:Enabled  CA Reply:0x00 N
Auth:MP CCI:0x00 ? Epoch:0x00

Component PIDS in Hex:
 07C0 07C1 07C2 07C3

For the second tuner I have:

       Conditional Access
Unit Address:000-03342-71357-207
Encryption:DES
Con:Yes EBCP:Yes Val:? 0x02

Now go to the host ID screen (the second line) it should look like this if authorized:

In order to start service for
this device please call
Ph: 888-892-XXXX


CableCARD ID:0-011-028-381-XXX

Host ID:0-330-000-134-XXX

Type:One-Way Authorization Received

Both tuners must be authorized for this to work. If the second one doesn't show it's authorized, call them back and have them hit it again. But I think you also need to check you display layout if you have more than one display and make sure your monitor (on DVI) is HDCP compliant. If not find some HDMI device to plug in (since I think all those are HDCP).

John

JohnW248:

Now go to the host ID screen (the second line) it should look like this if authorized:

In order to start service for
this device please call
Ph: 888-892-XXXX


CableCARD ID:0-011-028-381-XXX

Host ID:0-330-000-134-XXX

Type:One-Way Authorization Received

Both tuners must be authorized for this to work. If the second one doesn't show it's authorized, call them back and have them hit it again. But I think you also need to check you display layout if you have more than one display and make sure your monitor (on DVI) is HDCP compliant. If not find some HDMI device to plug in (since I think all those are HDCP).

John

Okay, I swapped the cards and one of them is now allowing me to see MHD under the DT Diagnostics> Signal area....  that's a pay channel on the HDTier, so I think its working correctly.  The other one isn't, so I'm calling them now to check #'s and hopefully send another hit if necessary...

Just got transferred down the rabbit hole of idiots...  Man, this is frustrating....  I can barely hear them on the other end....  and  the last person I got wasn't even speaking good english.

You may have to get another card. Once authorized (the letters) and then paired (host and cableCARD number) into the head end system they should not be switched--it's like bluetooth pairing except you can't reset them. Out here they have to remove the card from inventory and reflash it. The system isn't supposed to work if only one tuner has a card so if they can't re-authorize (with host and card id number) then disconnect your second tuner until they can get you another card.

You might have been getting the error message because it appears that media center uses the second device as the live tv tuner and the first device as the recording tuner and if you start a second recording then it takes away your live tv option (actually it tells you the tuner is in use recording and asks if you want to take control of the tuner).

John

JohnW248:

You might have been getting the error message because it appears that media center uses the second device as the live tv tuner and the first device as the recording tuner and if you start a second recording then it takes away your live tv option (actually it tells you the tuner is in use recording and asks if you want to take control of the tuner).

Yup...  I'm getting those on the extenders when I try to use them both on different cablecard channels

JohnW248:

You may have to get another card. Once authorized (the letters) and then paired (host and cableCARD number) into the head end system they should not be switched--it's like bluetooth pairing except you can't reset them. Out here they have to remove the card from inventory and reflash it. The system isn't supposed to work if only one tuner has a card so if they can't re-authorize (with host and card id number) then disconnect your second tuner until they can get you another card.

Can I just go through the TV>Setup TV Signal and uncheck that one tuner?