Guide Tricks

Global guide related discussion. All Windows versions.
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Crash2009

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Guide Tricks

#1

Post by Crash2009 » Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:03 pm

I've been trying to explain this since July, but it appears I have been using the wrong words. Recently, I wanted to test..... Play, Record, and Stream of a PPV channel. I go into my guide and the channels I want are not there. Sometimes you can use this trick to add channels that you are missing.

First of all go to this link and get familiar with what is available for your zip code. Whatever is available here should be available inside WMC. Confirm that the channels you are missing in WMC are also missing in MSN.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/tv-listings ... tead%2C+NY

Check all the neighboring Signal Providers and find one with the channels that are missing in WMC. Don't be lazy, check them all, and write down who has what you want.
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SignalProvider002.jpg
SignalProvider000.jpg
Last edited by Crash2009 on Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Crash2009

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#2

Post by Crash2009 » Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:13 pm

Next go in to WMC and Set Up TV Signal. Notice that the TV Signal Providers in WMC match with the list for your zip at MSN in the previous post. Also notice, in this case, there are seven choices 1 to 7 of Providers. If you are lazy at this point and Hit ENTER you will be set up with the first one in the list, rather than being setup with the Provider that you need.

The one I want, is not too far down the list, found it at 2 of 7.
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SignalProvider004.jpg
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Crash2009

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#3

Post by Crash2009 » Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:27 pm

After you finish TV Setup, back your way out of there and go to the Guide. Your new list should be available now.
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Crash2009

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#4

Post by Crash2009 » Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:33 pm

Feel free to add your own tricks. I know there some of you out there that are absolute wizards with Lineup Selector, Guide Tool, Etc.

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#5

Post by tzr916 » Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:54 pm

Crash2009 wrote:....Recently, I wanted to test..... Play, Record, and Stream of a PPV channel....
I'd like to here more about this ^
Any success? How to? Do tell

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#6

Post by 3rob3 » Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:49 pm


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Crash2009

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#7

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:38 am

And then there is GuideTool. Works on W7. And if you are real clever, you might be able to run it on W8 or maybe even W10 (hint...you need Net 2.5/3.0)

I'm not so clever, so I am still running it on W7. I have the registered version (5 bucks) which allows me to backup the changes to a file, and restore the file into WMC. You can do these kind of changes within WMC, but it takes a long time.

Up in the top left corner, click on Call Sign, and this will organize everything so you can see what's going on. I would like to point out that many of the channels are playing the same show. Some, 3 copies of the same thing. For example....

QVC 10
QVCHD 1071
QVCHD 189

All 3 play the same shows at the same time. I'm not a big fan of the Shopping Channel so I removed the checkmark from all 3. Maybe you want to keep it, just keep 1. If you subscribe to The HD Service, just keep the HD version of the channel. Now do the same for all your duplicates and triplicates. Another good trim is your protected channels. If you don't subscribe to Starz (uncheck all of them, on mine there was like 10 or 12 NFG Starz) why make your guests see the error message "You must be subscribed to this channel to view Protected Content". In my case I trimmed my guide from 600 to less than 150. and I'm not missing a thing. When I channel surf, I don't have to skip through 15 shopping channels. I have nothing against foreign languages, (I just cant understand what they are saying) I uncheck all them too. Half those music channels are crap...uncheck em. Don't worry about loosing them forever, you can turn them back on with a checkmark. These changes go automatically into WMC.

If you pay the 5 bucks to register, that will enable the backup/restore feature.

Up in the top left corner, click on File/Backup. All the unchecking you have done will be saved to a file you can restore in the future...when (not if) something bad happens.

When your guide is trimmed down to a manageable size its more efficient, faster and less confusing for you and your guests.

http://1geek1tool.com/guidetool/

This last picture is how to edit channels in WMC. There is QVC channel 10. You can also click Preview, and you can view the channel before you delete it.
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GuideTool004.JPG
GuideTool001.JPG
GuideTool002.JPG

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#8

Post by 3rob3 » Tue Dec 22, 2015 2:22 pm

In the 'edit channels' section using keyboard arrows, and the space key to enable/disable, you can really zip through them. Here's a guide tip though; after you edit your channels and while browsing the guide you realize you forgot one, you can arrow left in the guide to the channel name-info-disable channel. Or if you wanted you could do them all that way.

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#9

Post by Crash2009 » Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:59 pm

I didn't know that until recently. I had always gone into Edit Channels the hard way (through the main menu).

Sometimes I speculate that this is where 80% of our WMC problems originate. For example, Here is the remote, kid, there is the guide. Mom says, "Oh, isn't that cute, our two year old can change the channel." The cat on the desk trick. Look at that honey, the cat just changed the channel on the TV by walking on the keyboard.

Dad gets home from work and sits down to watch Black Sails, and (WTF?) Where did it go?

Its pretty easy to break WMC with a remote, or the keyboard. Here are a couple other things you can get into, just by pressing the INFO button, or, scroll to the left with the arrow key on the keyboard.

These 3 options have a purpose, but, they should not be adjusted by the cat or the 2 yr old. lets not leave the dog out as he fetches the remote for dad (what a cute trick), Good Boy!

Disable Channel.....

Settings for 10 QVC.....

Edit Sources.....
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Crash2009

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#10

Post by Crash2009 » Mon Jan 04, 2016 1:09 am

Post#6 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 1:21 pm

Try this.

You'll need to download Lineup Selector from here:

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 439#p97439

Pick a zip code in Indianapolis and set up tv. This should give you an Indianapolis guide.
Re-run tv set up with a Louisville zip code. This should get you a Louisville guide.

Run Lineup Selector and merge the two guides together.

When setting up TV, when it starts scanning for channels, just cancel out. Then when it gives the option to detect signals, select the manual set up option. For OTA, its a lot quicker than doing a channel scan.

dmagerl

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Crash2009

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#11

Post by Crash2009 » Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:52 pm

If all else fails you can always return WMC to original "Out of the box Factory new".

i. Click on start

ii. In the search box type in cmd, right click on cmd and select “Run as administrator”

iii. Open a command prompt, and run the following command:

%systemroot%\ehome\mcupdate.exe -MediaCenterRecoveryTask

iv. Close command window, and reboot the computer.

Then, open up WMC and use Setup CUSTOM this will give you new everything.

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Crash2009

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#12

Post by Crash2009 » Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:55 am

Run Tv Setup in WMC and try your neighboring Zip Code.

Another one to try is select a different provider.

See the picture in post #2

Post #1 is obsolete now.

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