Signal unavailable on All Channels of WMC

[Cleve_Davee]

This is my first experience with WMC and it hasn't been wonderful. Purchased a HDHomeRun Connect for watching over-the-air TV on my PC and figured that with the ability to record with WMC I could get rid of my basic cable and toss my VCRs (finally). Set-up was pretty painless on both the HomeRun and WMC. WMC detected both tuners and gave me all the channels that I expected to see. Home Run View let me watch all the found channels on my PC. Then I went to watch/record on Live TV within WMC and it all fell apart. Whether I enter through the 'liveTV' button or the Guide (which set up beautifully) all I receive on all channels is a delay followed by 'no signal available' and suggesting that my channel may not be broadcasting right now and that I should try again later. HomeRun View obviously shows that this isn't the case - all channels present and accounted for. Except that if I go into WMC and have it look for channels with signals on them, all the check marks disappear one-by-one. No Signal.

So I started troubleshooting with my limited skills. Firewalls are ok; disabling them completely changed nothing. Dumped eHome folders, disabled and re-enabled WMC. No change. Found every button I could that allows media to stream. Nothing. Only one channel in the group had duplicate sources and I got rid of those. Sound from my computers is via a TOSLINK connection to my home theater amp. (someone said that it might make a difference, but switching it to analog made no change).

What am I missing? I know that this is operator error and probably something dumb on my part. Computer is a Dell first gen i7 machine, my router is the at&t unit that came with my u-verse internet. Do I need to re-install some software that got corrupted somehow? How can WMC not see a signal that HomeRun View can?

Any help out there?

[cwinfield]

I think your channels are mixed up, what you need to do is go to settings>guide and edit channels and remove the entries that are channels that are selected but do not work. There is some other items that you can check in the following link.

http://my.hdhomerun.com/instructions/so ... s/wmc.html

1.In WMC, go into Tasks > Settings > TV > Guide > Add Missing Channels.
2.Click Add QAM Channel.
3.WMC will ask for the channel number. This is the number listed in the Tune column in HDHomeRun Setup. For example, HDHomeRun Setup may have a channel listed as ch79-5. That would be entered as 79.5 in WMC. Enter the number and click Next.
4.Select QAM256 for the modulation and click Next.
5.Type in a name. It doesn't matter what name you type, just type something you will recognize later. Click Add.
6.Repeat steps 2-5 for any other channels.
7.Click Done.
8.Click Edit Channels.
9.Click on one of the channels you just added.
10.Click Edit Listings.
11.Select whatever listing corresponds with what that channel is. Type the first few letters of the name to jump to that point in the list.
12.If you want to change the number the channel will show up with in the guide, do so now. Use a 0 after the . to get a cable-style number (e.g. use 7.0 to make it show up as just 7).
13.Click Save.
14.Repeat steps 9-13 for the other channels.
15.Click Save.

Also I think you need to run HDHomeRun Setup if you haven't already http://my.hdhomerun.com/instructions/so ... /plus.html

1.Download and install the latest HDHomeRun software from downloads
2.Open HDHomeRun Setup
3.On the Location tab, set the Country and ZIP/Postal Code
4.On the Applications tab, set the Main Application to whatever PVR application you plan to use. If you will not be using a PVR application, select Other:ATSC/QAM.
5.On the Tuners tab, set the Signal Source to Digital Antenna or Digital Cable for each tuner as appropriate for the source. Set any unused tuners to Disabled.
6.On the Digital Antenna or Digital Cable tab, click Scan to run a channel scan
7.Enter names for any unidentified channels

[signcarver]

OP said they wanted to ditch cable so I would assume OTA (ATSC) not QAM... typically wmc is bad at detecting both and must be entered manually... For my OTA channels it insists some channels are physically on the virtual number, others it may find multiple sources from other towers and doesn't always pick the best one.

WMC also only likes to try one tuner for live TV... if that is in use by something else (such as view) it may not try the other tuner unless you press record. Also I have found that sometimes disabling the firewall really doesn't disable it. I would enable the windows firewall, and choose WMC as the program when you run HDHR setup. Also make sure your network is set to home, not public. I'd also make sure the router (DHCP server) has a reservation for the prime so it always has the same ip address.

[Cleve_Davee]

I'm going to repeat/clarify a few things that I said last time that may help with any advice that you have kindly given me and perhaps suggest a few more ideas.

I'm a beginner at this. This was an initial installation of my HDHomeRun CONNECT, so I did have to go to the webpage and load the newest drivers and run the set-up. Also ran the set-up with WMC (several times) I'm beginning to feel like that definition of insanity where they say that it's doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I'm working with a TV antenna on my roof. I don't want cable of any kind. Want to cut it. Free TV, just like God intended.

Using the 'Add Channels' in WMC for DTV (digital OTA channels?) prompted for a 'frequency' for the signal. I tried to enter the frequencies for the various channels that I found on Wikipedia, but it would only allow 2 digits and the frequencies for ATSC carrier were 5 digits and a decimal point in there. I've obviously got the wrong frequencies.

Made sure my network was on 'Home'.

Never tried to run HDView and WMC at the same time, so I don't know if any tuners were tied up.

Any other suggestions?

[DavidinCT]

AH, OTA... Check http://www.antennaweb.org/ This will show the correct channel number based on where your Antenna is pointing. This should clear up exactly what the channel numbers are for your area.

Your HDHomeRun CONNECT is a networkable tuner, So you SHOULD be able to view on both devices as you have more than one tuner, I would avoid it though when your trying to setup WMC.

I know with my HDhomerun I used to have (used to have the original HDhomerun OTA/Clear QAM model) , It had it's own software that it would search for the channels, once the channels are all found (you should be able to view them in their HDview software to confirm they work) Once you save this, THEN you run TV setup on WMC, this should find the channels mapped in the HDHomeRun. I am assuming the Connect works the same way.

Please correct me if I am wrong, as I have not used my HDhomeun in a while due to Comcast killing off ClearQAM about a year ago.

I would run the HDhomerun software, look at all the settings (source type, Scan, etc), go through the FULL setup, after it's completed and done (there might be a setting to add to WMC), Check the HDview application to see if you can get these channels(confirm they work), IF all checks out ok, then go back into WMC, Run TV setup again.

The HDhomerun's software can be a little more complex sometimes but, it allows you to setup everything outside of Media Center, then when you go in MC, everything is found. So, you will know EXACTLY what you are getting before you even open MC.. If you installed a standard off the shelf tuner that you installed in your PC, you would do all the setup in WMC...

Let us know if that helps.... We'll figure it out, don't worry.

BTW..

>I'm beginning to feel like that definition of insanity where they say that it's doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I'm in IT, I work on PCs for a living, Welcome to my world... this made me LOL a little

[Cleve_Davee]

You have re-stated the problem perfectly -- what SHOULD be happening and what IS happening are two different things. I went back to the HDHomeRun set-up and ran it again. It set up all the channels again. I pointed it to WMC , with Media Player for the preview. I watched all the stations that it picked up perfectly on the HomeRun View. This has never been the problem. Then I ran the WMC set-up over again. It found that I was using an OTA antenna; that there were two tuners supplying signals; set me up with a guide that described all of the channels that it picked up perfectly. Then I actually tried to watch a station on Live TV and, once again, am told that the channel has no signal and that I might try again later. If I go to Edit Channels and click on Auto (where it automatically finds channels with working signals) all of my check marks disappear one-by-one as it refuses to see the signals that HomeRunView finds with no problem.

This is why I think that there is something computer-related that I'm not doing correctly that is causing this. Unless WMC is just corrupted and needs to be re-installed. If that's the case, then it's off to the IT dept. at my college for the genius' help in a clean install of Windows 7. I've discussed this issue with them and they just give me that look . . . .

*sigh*

[Rainey]

Call up the Guide in WMC, with the remote arrow to the right and select the channel number and press OK or select it with the mouse.
The select Edit Channel, then edit Source.
If you have more then one source uncheck the ones that don't work.

[DavidinCT]

You have re-stated the problem perfectly -- what SHOULD be happening and what IS happening are two different things. I went back to the HDHomeRun set-up and ran it again. It set up all the channels again. I pointed it to WMC , with Media Player for the preview. I watched all the stations that it picked up perfectly on the HomeRun View. This has never been the problem. Then I ran the WMC set-up over again. It found that I was using an OTA antenna; that there were two tuners supplying signals; set me up with a guide that described all of the channels that it picked up perfectly. Then I actually tried to watch a station on Live TV and, once again, am told that the channel has no signal and that I might try again later. If I go to Edit Channels and click on Auto (where it automatically finds channels with working signals) all of my check marks disappear one-by-one as it refuses to see the signals that HomeRunView finds with no problem.

This is why I think that there is something computer-related that I'm not doing correctly that is causing this. Unless WMC is just corrupted and needs to be re-installed. If that's the case, then it's off to the IT dept. at my college for the genius' help in a clean install of Windows 7. I've discussed this issue with them and they just give me that look . . . .

*sigh*

If your really stumped and it's really hard to tell exactly what is going on from this point, I am willing (depending on schedule of course), log in to your machine with teamviewer and see what I can figure out. Teamviewer will allow me to view live tv if it's working. As Remote Desktop will stop live video from playing. It's easy to setup too, install a app, there will be a code and pw, give it to me and I can log in, no firewall or other issues to deal with.

It's a secure session that will give a one time password, then when we are done, you just uninstall the app and I would not longer be able to get to it.

I've dealt with this type of thing a ton of times and fix them for the most part, I was a MCE MVP for 2010-2011.

If you want some help like this, send me a email at <my user name>@Hotmail.com them I will reply and we can take it from there.

[Rainey]

As Remote Desktop will stop live video from playing. It's easy to setup too, install a app, there will be a code and pw, give it to me and I can log in, no firewall or other issues to deal with.

You can edit the registry to get WMC to run under RDP so you can change setting or set recordings or what ever.

the reg key permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal
Server\WinStations\Rdp-Tcp key did not include any permissions for the Users group, as the other
subkeys did.

After adding the User Group to that key WMC will run inside a RDP session.

[DavidinCT]

As Remote Desktop will stop live video from playing. It's easy to setup too, install a app, there will be a code and pw, give it to me and I can log in, no firewall or other issues to deal with.

You can edit the registry to get WMC to run under RDP so you can change setting or set recordings or what ever.

the reg key permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal
Server\WinStations\Rdp-Tcp key did not include any permissions for the Users group, as the other
subkeys did.

After adding the User Group to that key WMC will run inside a RDP session.

Media Center will run under RDP fine but, will not play video. Once you RDC into WMC, it will close but, re-open it and it will allow you to do everything besides watch video. No registry patches or edits to do that.

If there is a hack to allow WMC to play video in a RDC session, I would love to know about it. This could be the answer to softsled, as extenders are based off the RDC protocol.

In this case for the OP, they cant get live tv running, so over RDC I could not test that.

[Cleve_Davee]

Been a while since I checked my post here, but a lot going on (including the death of my 'computer genius' at the college . . . oh, well. Life is like that sometimes.) So here's the newest: Computer and WMC still can't see signals on any channels from my HDHomeRun Connect, so I decided to lighten the load on that machine and just buy a little Windows re-furb for nothing but the TV tuner recording and a little email. Installed that ok, got it hooked to the network and after a little fiddling got it to download and install the tuner software. Then ran set-ups on both the tuner and the WMC. Result? SUCCESS . . . of a sort. Now the WMC worked perfectly, but the HDHomeRun View program did some kind of slow-motion boogie that was un-watchable. No biggie, because the WMC and its attendant recording capability is what I'm after anyway. So I record a few shows. Come back a few hours later to look at them and, again, SUCCESS . . . . of a sort. The first program in the queue recorded perfectly and played back the same. The second recorded program was a stuttering mess of pixelation and bad audio. Then I check the Live TV function and find that all the channels/signals are now messes of pixelation and bad audio. Every one. Recording a program can result in WMC going haywire? Again with the frustration. At least this computer can actually see that there are signals there, but for as strong as the meter says that they are there should be a picture of some sort.

As long as I'm here, the re-furb that I bought is an older Lenovo unit - dual core - with base RAM and on-board video and audio. Will this be enough to use it for my intended purposes or is there something that I must add to make it 'video functional'? It isn't very big and I don't know how much memory/cards it could accept. Maybe adding more RAM would cure what happened when I tried to record or is that something completely different?

Hell being a beginner.

[Rainey]

As Remote Desktop will stop live video from playing. It's easy to setup too, install a app, there will be a code and pw, give it to me and I can log in, no firewall or other issues to deal with.

You can edit the registry to get WMC to run under RDP so you can change setting or set recordings or what ever.

the reg key permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal
Server\WinStations\Rdp-Tcp key did not include any permissions for the Users group, as the other
subkeys did.

After adding the User Group to that key WMC will run inside a RDP session.

Media Center will run under RDP fine but, will not play video. Once you RDC into WMC, it will close but, re-open it and it will allow you to do everything besides watch video. No registry patches or edits to do that.

If there is a hack to allow WMC to play video in a RDC session, I would love to know about it. This could be the answer to softsled, as extenders are based off the RDC protocol.

In this case for the OP, they cant get live tv running, so over RDC I could not test that.

With this reg edit the video will not play over RDP, you can see the video playing in WMC on the remote PC but over RDP it will be low res and choppy.
My installs of WMC on win 7 and RDP into them from Win 8.1 would crash the Eshell program on the Win 7 PC until i made the reg edit i posted. I also ran rdp wrapper so it don't kick off the current user and i can log on with the same use over RDP.