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Windows 7 Media Center in Canada (ATSC, QAM, Logos)

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234K views 495 replies 95 participants last post by  Dr.Dave 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Knowing how many avid Media Center users there are here at Digital Home Canada, I wanted to let everyone know that the latest hacks for Windows 7 Media Center are now published. It's been a heck of a battle, one that has been fought on many fronts and I'm happy to announce that Canadian high definition in Media Center is working better than ever before!

The highlights:
- I've packaged and tested a new hack (easiest hack yet!) that enables ATSC and QAM in Canada with Windows 7 Media Center. This has been tested by myself and a handful of others on x86 and x64 versions of the RTM release. Thanks for your help!
- Included in the hack is a single-click batch file that add US OTA listings to your Media Center, providing subchannel support and enabling the HD preferences in Media Center recording logic.

-Pete

Edit by Dr.Dave March 9, 2014: The Microsoft links are no longer available. Here is a direct link to Peter Near's blog:

http://pnear.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/enabling-atsc-qam-in-canada-for-windows-7-rtm/

Download ZIP file:

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=3323acf37bd7b107#cid=3323ACF37BD7B107&id=3323ACF37BD7B107!236
 
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#141 ·
Hi Peter,
I apologize, I think this is the wrong thread. I should have put this under the Tuners for HTPC thread sticky. My mistake.

I'm buying the Hauppauge Aero-M usb tuner, but it's being reported that the Signal meter software utility from Hauppauge does not work with this tuner yet.
 
#146 ·
I've been using this ATSC Canada hack for Toronto for a few weeks now and it has been working well. However, recently this week, I noticed that after an update, there are some channels completely missing! If I goto Tasks to Edit Channels, I will see some channels completely missing that were there previously (and they are always the Canada channels -- random). When I goto Add Missing Channels section, I will see that the channel is there (I manually added many channels).

To fix this, I have to goto Add Missing Channels, delete the channel that is missing, add it back, then goto Edit Channels (where it now shows up) and re-associate the guide listing (which is there).

Anybody else seeing this problem? How goes a guide update end up deleting the channel from a lineup?
 
#148 · (Edited)
To kocoman:

When you're in the Guide mode, click on the channel you are interested in on the left side. Then choose Edit Channel -> Edit Sources. At the bottom will show you the frequency (Channel Number).

Zap2It shows City TV at 44.2 for some reason. If you use WMC and manually add a missing channel -- enter in 57.1 with a freq of 44 -- you should get CityTV.
 
#149 ·
@ampjunkie

I had the same problem with my Win7MC... lost a number of channels that I had manually added. I had to follow the same process you described. Then a day or two later I lost CITY TV from the guide (only 1 channel this time).

It's strange, so I'm wondering if this is something with the guide update process that is causing this to happen.
 
#150 ·
I emailed zap2it a few days ago and it looks like they've corrected all the listings for 14174 now :)

- CITYDT is now back to 57.1
- CJMTDT is now 69.1
- CFMTDT is now 47.1
- Majority of analogue stations removed

Just a few analogue stations left in the listings (CJMT, CITS and CBLFT) and the RTV sub-channel on NBC needs to be removed (2.3)
 
#151 ·
@grungymegajeff

I have noticed that in the past week, the guide has been stable -- no missing or deleted channels. I am not really sure what happened. i think it must have been a guide update issue that hopefully they fixed. Still, it is puzzling that a guide update can actually delete your channel lineup. :confused:
 
#153 ·
Problem with 12.1 in WMC7

I thought that my Hauppauge 1600 sensitivity was low because I cannot get the channel 12.1 with Windows Media Center. I have installed Media Portal to see if the problem is related to WMC or the TV tuner. Media Portal scan easily the 12.1 channel.
I learned that we must enterred the channel manually because it's in the VHF band. I did it like I did for channel 10.1. Channel 10.1 works fine but not the 12.1 (no signal)
Do Anybody have the same problem??
 
#154 ·
mstgermain, sometimes the problem is with the PSIP information that your station broadcasts. Media Center can be a bit picky and if the station does not meet the exact spec, like matching TSIDs in different places they are used, Media Center will not tune to the station, while other software will. We recently had a problem like this with Global, and the Shaw folks (Global owners) fixed it when we let them know the mismatched TSIDs we found in CIII-Ottawa. Have a look at this so you can do the same for your channel 12:
http://experts.windows.com/w/experts...ia-center.aspx
 
#157 ·
Just to clarify for others...for whatever reason some channels will still require manual input as WMC will not detect them in a channel scan.

Here in Ottawa I have to enter 6.1 global (RC 6) 9.1 CBOFT (RC 9) and 13.1 CTV1 (RC 13) manually and assign guide listings using the 13662 postal code and PNEAR's hack.

At least WMC will now tune these channels...but it can't see them in a scan. TSreader helps because it will pick up all stations you are able to receive in a scan.
 
#155 ·
mstgermain, I use "TSReader" to pre-scan for new or signal anomilies. It gives you the full signal info described below and installs in seconds. It may also be used to trim antenna position for strongest reception.
 
#160 ·
Start TSReader while holding down the Ctrl key this will bring up the dialogue box where you select the signal input. click ATSC DVBsource.
then the program will open and you should be able to scan.
TSReader provides you with the transport stream info that is required to manually enter a channel in WMC. I cannot speak to that as I use a different progam called NPVR which I prefer above WMC or Media Portal

With TSReader you will be able to quickly scan for all channels and see the signal strength of a selected channel.
 
#162 ·
Global 41-1 disappeared

Did anyone else in the GTA using WMC7 notice global CIII-DT 41.1 was replaced with CIII-DT on VHF 6? Zap2it must have the wrong channel listing for zip 14174. I recreated it manually any copied the listing from CIII-DT 6. It's getting pretty annoying, everytime I open up media centre I have to fix a station or two.
 
#163 ·
That probably has nothing to do with it, and I don't see how it could have affected it because i am from Ottawa, but just in case... as part of my request to zap2it to add some missing channels for Massena NY (which is close to Ottawa on the border), I asked them to replace the analog CIIIOT 6 with the digital CIIIDT6 6.1 for Massena zip 13662. CIIIDT6 6.1 was already showing up under my Ottawa zipcode. They ended up keeping both the analog and digital one on the guide.

I think the Ottawa signal is a simple re-broadcast of Global Toronto with some swapped TSIDs and a different channel number.
 
#164 ·
I hope this is the best thread to post my question in, if not, please direct me.

I live in Kingston, ON.
I have two tuner cards, one for ATSC antenna which I have been using for a while perfectly.

I bought a new one to try to set up with cogeco QAM. I tested the channels using the built in tuner in my TV and picked up the major networks from Canada and the US and a bunch of music channels.

I set up my tuner as digital cable in kingston, (ignoring the antenna tuner for now) and scanned, but no channels came up. The signal is clearly there because my TV picked it up fine but the tuner scanned for 20+ minutes and picked up nothing.

Any thoughts to why?
 
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