Newbie With HDHomeRun

[smcinaz]

I cannot seem to get this all to work.

I have been using WMC in Windows 7.1 just fine for months, then, out of the blue, their guide listings stopped updating. I confirmed this with a different computer, a laptop with Windows 7 as well. I tried removing WMC completely, emptying the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome folder all of that, then resetting everything back up like new. NOTHING. So, off I went looking for an alternative. Nothing works.

When I got NextPVR installed, all seemed fine, except, shocker of shocks, the guide listings are blank. I cannot find ANYWHERE to tell it to enable and update. Also, there is no sound with live TV.

I looked at the FAQ here, no help that I could understand.

Could someone please walk me through, step by step, how to get everything setup so that the guide updates and I can set OTA digital channels to record?

Also, what format are the shows recorded in?

I would really appreciate it. Starting miss my daily recorded shows.

I am on normal windows 7.1, HDHomeRun setup via Ethernet and working fine for live TV.

Thanks in advance.

[pcostanza]

First, regarding your WMC guide problem, Microsoft has changed guide providers and cable companies all over the US are having problems with Rovi, the guide service now use in WMC. They claim they are fixing this problem.
Regarding getting a guide in NPVR, the best place to start is the wiki which can walk you thru guide options.

[mikeh49]

Your best choice for a guide is Schedules Direct which is natively supported in NPVR. It is not free, however, at $25/year, but well worth it in my opinion. There is a 7 day free trial so you can get it working. You'll need to register at Schedules Direct and get a username and password. You'll also need to enter your zipcode and select a provider/lineup (OTA, cableco, etc). Then in the Channels tab of NPVR Settings, pick a channel, hit Details, select Sched Direct as the guide source, enter your account info and save. Then hit Update EPG, wait for it to complete, then go to TV Guide and see if you have a guide for that channel, and it seems right. If so, return to Settings/Channels and try Bulk Map. If Bulk Map doesn't work, so you can set up each channel idividually. NPVR tries to match the scanned channel names to the Sched Direct names and generally does a pretty good job.

I'm reciting this from memory so might not be entirely accurate, but you should get the picture.

Recording format for the US is MPEG2 video, AC3 audio (for digital channels) in transport stream container, .ts file extension.

[smcinaz]

First, regarding your WMC guide problem, Microsoft has changed guide providers and cable companies all over the US are having problems with Rovi, the guide service now use in WMC. They claim they are fixing this problem.
Regarding getting a guide in NPVR, the best place to start is the wiki which can walk you thru guide options.

The download link in the wiki isn't working.

I guess I am not understanding this having to join one program/service with another thing. Too stupid and or messed up from chemo treatments.

I am about ready to give up. You guys know this stuff inside and out and use names and shortcuts that I am just not familiar with.

I just want a program, any program, that will pop open a working and self-updating guide that I can choose from to set recordings, like a DVR.

I guess there are no working all in one package programs that just work like MMC did until it quit.

I hate feeling desperate and sick at the same time and my one comfort, old shows from the past, stop working.

[ACTCMS]

The download link in the wiki isn't working.

Thanks for pointing that out...

You should be able to download from here.

Alex

[smcinaz]

I have the main program installed, it works for live TV (but no sound). So, how , exactly do I get the guide to update to local OTA shows?

[rkulagow]

Your best choice for a guide is Schedules Direct which is natively supported in NPVR. It is not free, however, at $25/year, but well worth it in my opinion. There is a 7 day free trial so you can get it working. You'll need to register at Schedules Direct and get a username and password. You'll also need to enter your zipcode and select a provider/lineup (OTA, cableco, etc).

If you're on 3.4.8 or higher, you don't need to do anything else on the website after you've registered for an account as far as lineups and channels are concerned - all the lineup management is done in the client; the website lineup management is for the XML service, which as far as I know, 3.4.8 doesn't use anymore.

You would continue to use the website if you need to open a support ticket, or for other non-lineup account management.

[smcinaz]

I don't know what any of that means. I know I sound like an idiot.

Would someone please take a few minutes and explain it to me?

The main program is setup. My channels are scanned and setup. Live TV works, but there is no sound. I found the site for Schedules Direct, but am clueless as to how that is setup to joining the other program. I saw where you click on channels and then can choose Schedules Direct, but then nothing happens.

EDIT: OK, I signed up for an account with Schedules Direct, and I put in my info for a channel. Nothing changed. Still no data in the listings. It is doing some kind of new scan that is taking quite a bit of time...is this how the programs merge the data for the listing info for the channels? Of am I still not getting it?

1) What am I doing wrong 2) How do I get all of the channels to fill in 3) How do I get sound to work?

Thanks in advance once again.

[mikeh49]

WMC includes the guide built in. NPVR does not, so you have to add a guide source. NPVR is used all over the world, and the guides vary, so you have to set one up for your location. MS pays for guide data, NPVR does not. So the user has to pay if there is not a free source. In the US, there is not a reliable free source, so paying Schedules Direct is by far the best.

Try this:

Assuming you have been able to have the tuner scan for channels, in Settings/Devices you should see your HDHomerun with a number of channels in the Channels column. If not, let us know so we can start there.

For the guide, go to schedulesdirect.org and register, you'll probably enter your zipcode here. Log in with the username and password to make sure it works.

Set up just one of your tuners first; go to Settings/Devices and in Device Setup for the second tuner, hit Delete. This will remove the channels. After you have the first tuner setup, NPVR will recognize this and offer to copy the channels, etc to the second tuner. Accept the offer. Note that you do this after you have everything working on the first tuner, as described below.

Go to NPVR/Settings/Channels and you should see the channels that your scan has found. Pick one (NPVR will have given it a number and the name that is transmitted by the channel) and hit Details.

On the pop up that appears:

1. In General, you can change the number if you wish. This is the number that NPVR will display in the guide, etc. You can have major/minor numbers like 7.1 if you wish. You will also see the name that NPVR has extracted from the broadcast. Leave this alone (I don't know if you can even change it.)
   
2. Under EPG Source for Source pick Schedules Direct. For Lineup pick the lineup you want to use, will probably be Local Broadcast. For Mapping, select the channel that matches the channel name above in General. For example, on cable I have channel 797, TNTPHD mapped to TNTPHD in my Schedules Direct lineup.
   
3. Hit OK and the box will close.
   
4. Now, back in Channels, you should see the channel you just mapped with Schedules Direct in the EPG column.
   
5. Hit Update EPG and wait. If your login is OK, it should take a few seconds to get the data for the channel you just set up.
   
6. When it finishes, hit OK to exit settings.
   
7. Go to TV Guide and see if you have program data for the channel. If so, you're ready to move on.
   
8. Go back to Settings/Channels and hit Bulk Map. NPVR will try to match the names between the scanned name and the guide name. You might have to review them to make sure they're right, and do some correcting.
   
9. When done, hit Update EPG and wait until it finishes. Then OK again to exit settings, and check the TV Guide.
   
10. You're done for one tuner. Return to the section above for the second tuner.
    

You need to select the video and audio decoders in the Settings/Decoders tab. Set things like this:

Video Renderer - EVR
Audio Rederer - Default
Video Renderer - Default
MPEG2 Video Decoder - Microsoft DTV-DVD decoder
MPEG1 Audio Decoder - see below
AC3 Audio Decoder - see below
All others Disabled

You will need to download and install an audio decoder as the one provided by MS doesn't work with 3rd party programs like NPVR. I recommend AC3Filter as it is easy to install and works fine. Download from ac3filter.net. After installing, it should be available as a choice for MPEG1 Audio and AC3 Audio. Select it.

Good luck.

[smcinaz]

Going too fast for me. Sorry. You are telling me to go places and to do things and I don't know how to get to those places.

Some of the channels are filled in now, most are not. Each channel takes 10 minutes to run it's update for the grid. Having to do them one at a time is nuts. There has to be a better way to do them all at once to align with Schedules Direct.