TheGreenButton - Windows Media Center Forums

I installed EPG123 with a clean start. My configuration is 6 digital cable tuners and 2 OTA tuners (because cable isn't as reliable in my area). I used 2 lineups from Schedules Direct, 1 for cable, 1 for OTA. I unchecked all the premium channels and others I am not subscribed to or interested in.

I would like to re-order the channels from the hodgepodge way my cable provider orders them and merge listings for OTA and cable channels. But WMC shows that I have more than 10 thousand channels, and the vast majority are empty, having no channel name or call letters. Is there some mistake I made in setup that could lead to this situation? Is there a way to fix it w/out re-installing?

Nothing is broken that is just the way EPG123 works. If the empty channels really bother you you can use Guide Tool to prune them out. However if a new channel is added by your provider then if the empty slot is not there to fill in you won't get the listings for the new channel IIRC.

Thanks for the quick reply.

If I prune them out with Guide Tool is that a permanent effect? Or can I reorder the channels and then restore the blank ones? FWIW I plan on compressing the lineup, so there wouldn't be any channel numbers taken that weren't already occupied.

But if not and my custom lineup changes stay in effect, then I guess I can spend a few hours changing the lineup to my liking.

I think I've got it figured out. I just deleted everything above 2000, where the MusicChoice stations are and that leaves plenty of blank spaces for new channels.

Thanks again.

I had a few thousand empty channels, too. IIRC, I used epg123.exe to "delete" them (or is it "unsubscribe" or maybe I even used epg123client.exe?). Sorry, I'm on a train, and I don't have my notes, but I know I didn't need to use Guide Tool. I checked the EPG123 doc, and I'm pretty sure you can unsubscribe from them in epg123.exe. You can sort by name so all the blank ones are together, use click and shift+click to select all the empty ones, then unsubscribe from them in one fell swoop. Eazy peazy.

You don't want to delete them in GuideTool just mark them unselected in EPG123. If you delete them in GuideTool they are gone for good unless you re-run TV Setup. If you unselect them in EPG123 you can re-enable them if your provider does ever start using unselected ones. I made the mistake of deleting with GuideTool back when GuideTool was needed and EPG123 couldn't do this. A year later my provider starting using some of the channels I had deleted and there was no way to get them without re-doing the set up.