EDIT: updated on 2/27/07 for a possible workaround if oyur listings disapear.

This hack requires build 5728 or higher.  (rc1 was 5600 and has a guide listing problem so you cannot fix your epg in that version).

This hack will allow ATSC only users to get the correct pbs-hd and subchannel epg data and associate it to your hdtv lineup.  This is probably us only.  I don't read korean so I cannot help you find your provider ids but welcome anyone who does live in korea and can modify this for korea atsc usage. 

Step 1: Setup MCE

- Setup your ATSC tuner the normal way, make sure you enable the guide.

Step 2: Get the subchannel lineup and station name for your area since vista can't scan for them.

- goto www.zap2it.com
- Under find it fast near the top just right of center, type in your zipcode and select tv listings.
- Select antenna under local broadcast on the bottom
- Scroll down and locate your local digital tv subchannel stations.
  = They will be the callsign plus DT#, the number is the subchannel number and we'll need that later.
  = I personally would print them out, they will be easier to try to line them up with other stations in the next step.
  = Also the pbs listings will be wrong for most of the usa (except redmond area, go figure), you should also print them out (they will have subchannels but just in case make sure you have them). 

Step 3: Get the new provider id for a different epg download.

- Without leaving zapt2it at the top of the page between the ad and the guide chart you'll see the antenna provider, click the change link to the right of it
- Pick a new local provider that should have the data you need.  Best choice is a digital cable provider since they are required by the fcc to carry subchannel 1 for all atsc broadcasts.
- The provider id you need is in the location bar at the top of ie, http://tvlistings5.zap2it.com/tvlistings/GridAction.do?lineupId=NY31519%3aX is an example url for midtown manhatten in nyc.  Everything after the lineup= and before the %3 is the id.  so in this example: NY31519 is the id.  you need to add a X at the end for media center so NY31519X is the provider id we will use for midtown and lower manhatten, nyc, usa.
- Now scroll down, using the printouts you made in step 2 try to locate the channels that match up.  Go by whats on tv (hence the printout), to make sure your getting the exact guide.  In the case of pbs stations, make sure you see shows with the HD logo.  Its easy to confuse the analog and the HD and depending on the time of day you do this, the programming MIGHT line up exactly and be the wrong channel.  you will use this data later you need to know the full name of hte station.  channel number and callsign may not be enough so make your notes with this in mind.

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>"

Step 5: download the new data.

Reboot for the settings to take effect (anyone know what services to cycle instead??)
MCE->tasks->settings->tv->guide->download guide.

It's going to take 5-10 minutes.  you may want to minimize mce to watch the progress in the status bar.

Step 6: adding subchannels.

2/28/07: YOU MIGHT NEED TO DO STEPS 6 and 7 again.  It appears when the analog provider you choose has a lineup change all maping from step 7 are lost.  however it also appears if you create your subchannels and missing channels using the exact call letters MCE uses for that listing then it will stay associated.   you may need to setup temporarily, figure out teh listings then delete all the added channels and recreate them with the correct call letters of the epg data source.  (confused?  post and i'll try to explain it better)

MCE->tasks->settings->tv->guide->add missing channels->add missing dtv channel

Add the subchannels you care about, default names are fine don't get fancy and break this :)

Step 7: Change the listings to get the real data.

MCE->tasks->settings->tv->guide->add channel listings
One by one, change your channel listings to the real channel data.

Save.  Enjoy.

Appologies to everyone who has pbs with a subchannel thats a 3 hour shift of the main station, an offset epg is somethign microsoft needs to add but if your local cable provider has it, SCORE!!

This is really cool. I noticed that when I set up service via BeyondTV, I'm actually getting 2 PBS channels with different programming on them - OTA. But in MCE, I only get one - is this what your 'hack' is for?

no.  If you were to use vista with atsc only, you will be missing a lot of hte epg data for subchannels and the real pbs-hd listings.  this hack is to change the gudie data from antenna to a local provider that will have all the channel data you need.

I tried your hack, but when I go to add the channel mappings I only get about 73 guide channels to pick from. The PBS channel KMOS is SD only and I don't see a listing for KMOST-DT (the HD version). I thought it might be due to the KMOS-DT channel being so high (706), but I checked your PBS HD channels and they are equally high (713 and 714) . What am I doing wrong? Thanks!

http://tvlistings5.zap2it.com/tvlistings/GridAction.do?lineupId=MO24502%3aX

Here is the contents of the reg file I imported:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\EPG]
"headend"="MO24502-"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\ProgramGuide]
"strProviderId"="MO24502-"

BTW, I'm running Vista RC2 x86 build 5744.

Shahn Hogan

accident:

Step 3: Get the new provider id for a different epg download.

- Without leaving zapt2it at the top of the page between the ad and the guide chart you'll see the antenna provider, click the change link to the right of it
- Pick a new local provider that should have the data you need.  Best choice is a digital cable provider since they are required by the fcc to carry subchannel 1 for all atsc broadcasts.
- The provider id you need is in the location bar at the top of ie, http://tvlistings5.zap2it.com/tvlistings/GridAction.do?lineupId=NY31519%3aX is an example url for midtown manhatten in nyc.  Everything after the lineup= and before the %3 is the id.  so in this example: NY31519 is the id.  you need to add a dash at the end for media center so NY31519- is the provider id we will use for midtown and lower manhatten, nyc, usa.
- Now scroll down, using the printouts you made in step 2 try to locate the channels that match up.  Go by whats on tv (hence the printout), to make sure your getting the exact guide.  In the case of pbs stations, make sure you see shows with the HD logo.  Its easy to confuse the analog and the HD and depending on the time of day you do this, the programming MIGHT line up exactly and be the wrong channel.  you will use this data later you need to know the full name of hte station.  channel number and callsign may not be enough so make your notes with this in mind.

Just an additional note.  This method did not work for me.  I ended up with a lineup that was only 73 channels long rather than the much larger list of channels on my digital cable provider.  What did work was using the tried and true method from Windows 2005 MCE.

Go into TV setup and tell it you have a cable hookup.  Select your digital cable provider.  Let it go through the rest of the setup.  Now go into the registry (same keys as noted by the OP) and write down the correct channel provider.  Complete the setup.  Then go back through TV setup again and tell it you have ATSC only.  Then go through through the steps listed by the OP, but use the number you previously recorded from the registry.  Now, all works as promised at least for me.   YMMV

When I put the hack together when the tell it you had cable method wasn't possible so that might be new since I made it.

i'll check it out, theres also a "hide analog channels" that didn't use to filter that section.  If the tried and true method is working I"m going to skip fixing up the hack but if its not, I'll modify it to unfilter the analog channels.

Just to make sure I'm understanding you.  YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ANALOG TUNER?  This was meant for atsc only users who couldn't setup an analog provider for lack of tuner.

Yes, I am ATSC only. When I said SD earlier I was probably using the wrong wording. I get a sub-channel that provides the SD version of PBS. That guide is right for it, but not the HD station. I'm going to try and setup my guide using the cable provider first, then record the station name from the registry and use that and see if it works tonight. I hope that works, because that would be WONDERFUL if I could get my guide to tell me what PBS has on it. I really enjoy that station a lot more than the others with their crappy me too crime scene junk.

Shahn

without the analog tuner, you never get the option to pick an analog provider.  

I'll rework the hack tonight knowing that you can't see the analog channel listings in later builds.  Its posisble, just need to add another registry entry to the registry part.  I just need to be home to see what it is.

Not sure that the hack is hte problem.  What I can tell you is that the provider code I got following your original instructions was very different than the one I got using my [modified] sequence.  Don't ask me why this is, but there you have it all the same.  On the zap2it website, I saw all the channels.  But when I used that same provider code in Vista, I only got a small subset of them.  Other than that, you're "hack" worked fine.

what provider id are you using?

initally I'm seeing the same thing.  I'm going to have to rework the provider id.  It used to work.

Any fix for this yet?  I too am only getting about 82 channel listings but PBS-HD is in the 700s.
thanks
andrew

I wish I had the time to work on it.  I've been doing 80-90 hour weeks the last couple..

One fix, if you have an analog tuner, setup for cable and get the provider for your area from that and then do the hack with that code.

Special thanks to netarc who found the correct provider id format to get all the cable provider listings.

This hack is now complete, see the first post for modifications but in short, X after the provider ID and not -.

Sweet! I'll give it a shot tonight. Thanks for the work guys I'll let you know how it goes.