Wrong Channel Number, correct guide

[sunnyevw]

I noticed a channel (1162) on my Comcast lineup that I wanted to add to my WMC. I went up to Schedules Direct and they had not listed it yet, so I asked them to update it. Before they did (it took a day or two) I manually added it to WMC and was able to go to the station directly by typing in the channel number. Of course there was no guide for the channel yet, but everything else worked.

The next day, SD had added the channel and the guide was complete. I had 2 channels, the one from SD/EPG123 and the manual one I had entered. So I deleted my manual one.

Now, entering the channel number takes me to the wrong place. When I enter 1162 in WMC, I am taken to 703. I've tracked down where I see the problem, but have no idea how to fix it. The system of having multiple channel numbers for the same thing (from Comcast) is very confusing. In the EPG123 client guide tool, I see TuningInfo field. All my other stations are marked Cable Set-Top Box (i) IR then either a channel number or IR # + IR ### (### is the proper channel number).

But for 1162, it shows: Cable Set-Top Box (i) IR 3. This is why it is going to 703.

Who makes up the TuningInfo number? How can it be fixed? I notice that none of the tuning info numbers are more than 3 digits. The Channel 1162 has 4 digits and I can't find any corresponding channels with the same information but with different channel numbers. For example on my Comcast cable lineup, channels 3, 703 and 1032 all are for KRCWDT (CW). Channel 1162, KPWTLD4 (DECADES) only has one number.

I find this very confusing.

Sunnye

[garyan2]

How did you add your channel (WMC or EPG123 Client)? Are you sure the channel you deleted was the one you added manually?

A picture would probably help, but those channels that have "IR # + IR #" is a quick way of seeing that the guide channel has multiple tuner channels merged to make a single channel in the guide. So if I am reading your post correctly, somehow your tuner channel IR 1162 got merged with your IR 3 channel.

The TuningInfo field is what WMC has in its database for the guide channel. I am just reporting out what it contains.

If you could do me a favor. Could you open the client and click the [Backup] button then send the resulting .zip file to support@garyan2.net? I'll better be able to tell what kind of fix will work for you.

[Space]

Also, why would a setting of "IR 3" go to 703? I really don't know (because I don't use it), but I assume the "IR" part means Infra Red? Meaning that you have an IR blaster that changes the channels on a Comcast provided cable box?

I know on the FiOS cable box, you can configure it so that if you enter the channel number of an SD (Standard Definition) channel it will automatically convert it to the HD (High Definition) version of the channel (if it exists). So entering "2" for instance will instead change the channel to "502" (the HD version of channel 2).

Perhaps this is what is happening here and adding a bit of confusion. Also, on FiOS, in addition to having an SD version and an HD version of a channel, they also put a "copy" of the SD version of some channels in the 1000+ range. I believe this is to facilitate "special packages" of channels (such as a Spanish language package) that includes Spanish channels in the 1000+range as well as English speaking channels which are duplicated here so that they are all in one place and you don't have to jump to lower numbered channels to view them, although I would think at this point they would have limited use as they are all SD and I would assume most people have HD these days.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with having this setting enabled on your cable box, just that it may be introducing a little more confusion as well as if you ever do want to record the SD version of a channel that has an HD version, you will be unable to do it with this setting enabled in your cable box.

[garyan2]

I am not sure how you got here. How did you add the channels manually? I added them just fine using both WMC and the client and got the proper IR digits.

So you are going to have problems with all the channels you see below.

For the MC channels 918 thru 948, in the client you will need to right-click each channel and select 'Split Channels'. This will leave only IR 918 for channel 918, IR 919 for channel 919, and so on.

For the channels with the wrong IR number, you will have to delete them. There is no method to change them manually.

Recreate your 1160, 1161, 1162, and 1182 channels using either WMC or the client. After you map the guide listings to the new channel, everything should be working properly.

[garyan2]

BTW: Next release of the client, those (i) symbols will disappear for you. It appears WMC classifies the channeltype for IR to be 'calculated scanned' and I didn't know what that meant until now. I had defaulted to the symbol for Interactive TV which this is obviously not the case.

[sunnyevw]

Thank you! That worked. Initially I had added 1162 via WMC, but after marking the stations in Schedules Direct, it appeared twice. I deleted the manual add of 1162 via WMC. Now things are where they should be.

Sunnye

[garyan2]

Weird it didn't work properly the first time, but WMC does some strange things sometimes. Are you running on Win7? I did my test on Win10 so there might be a difference there.

[sunnyevw]

I am running Win 10 also. I have been recording History Detectives on PBS and it worked just fine until this week. We have 3 PBS statiions. 710, 310 and 311. History detectives is on 310 and has been working fine since I started recording it in December. Now, instead of changing to 310, WMC says it's going to 310 and goes to 710. I peeked in EPG123 Client and don't see anything wrong. I hope to get around it by adding the corresponding channel for 310 (1165) manually and recording off of it. I suspect Comcast is doing this. I really don't think they want me to capture these programs on my computer.