Cox changing their channel plan

[Paul Anderegg]

How will this effect my EPG123?

Watching TV just got easier
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An important update on channels 1000-1950
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Hi Paul,

On Wednesday, December 15, we’re removing duplicate HD channels currently found on channels 1000-1950. This means you’ll watch your favorite shows on the corresponding 1,2, or 3-digit channel.
For example 1034 = 34.

Not to worry, no programs are going away. We’re only making the change to simplify your viewing experience.

Your favorites and parental controls won't be affected either, so you won't have to do anything.

Check out our latest channel line up here.

Using a DVR?
Double check to make sure your recordings haven’t been dropped after Wednesday, December 15. If they have, you’ll need to reset them to record your favorite shows.

Power On Channel?
Don't forget: If your Cox TV auto powers to a 4- digit channel, it'll need to be reset to a 1-3 digit channel.
For example 1006 = 6.

Questions? Chat with us anytime.

Thanks,
Cox

[stuartm]

Should not affect it at all except that until the Cox lineup is updated you might still see the duplicate channels that are removed listed in your guide.

[Paul Anderegg]

ALL my EPG123 line-up are the 1000+ channels though

Paul

[Paul Anderegg]

Well, looks like I just lost all the presets in EPG123. Cannot open the EPG Client GUI or figure out how to reassign the channel line up. I am only seeing the OTA lineup on my EPG Config screen, not seeing any of my Cox channels.

Paul

[Paul Anderegg]

Can anyone help me fix my channel lineup with EPG123? I don't know what i am doing and now have managed to get a red X and all my guide listings are now blank except for my OTA tuner channels. I literally have no idea what to do.

Paul

[Space]

I don't think the EPG123 issue is a problem specific to you, it appears that SchedulesDirect is having an issue (others are also reporting this).

If they really have gotten rid of the 1000+ channels, then there should be a new lineup. Once Schedules Direct is back up, you should look for a new lineup that has just the HD channels. You can also look for this lineup on zap2it.com (which uses the same source data as Schedules Direct).

Or you may have to contact Schedules Direct to have them update or create a new lineup.

[Paul Anderegg]

Everything was working fine until midnight when the 1000+ channels stopped working and I am currently trying to figure out how to link the new channels to the old loistings, but once I got it working all of a sudden all my guide listings vanished.


viewtopic.php?f=99&t=13774&p=146656#p146642


Paul

[Paul Anderegg]

What do you mean Schedules Direct is down...like at the exact same time Cox did their channel remapping???

Paul

[Space]

Yes, I am sure they are unrelated. It looks like Schedules Direct may have made a change that is causing problems.

If the Schedules Direct issue is not fixed in a timely manner, it is possible to assign new guide listings to the lower numbered channels through the EPG123 client, or WMC itself.

You can also just enable the <1000 channels and disable the >1000 channels in EPG123 client or WMC, but this will only work for Series that are not set to record from specific channels (really the specific HD stations) or "HD only". You can change the Series to "any" and they will work.

If you only record from a handful of channels, you can instead change the guide listings for the corresponding lower numbered channel from the SD listing to the HD listing (for those lower numbered channels) and disable the >1000 channel version.

[Paul Anderegg]

I've got it temporarily working now (had to Acronis restore my disaster) with my small channels subscribed to the high channel listings. I don't know how long this will be manageable before those high channel listings don't exist (update) any longer. I really need to know how to edit and get the low channel listings as an available option in EPG123 before that happens.

Paul

[Space]

Did you check zap2it to see if there is a new lineup that can be used (or if they modified the existing lineup)? If they modified the existing lineup, then all you should have to do is run an update on EPG123 and you should be good.

If they made a new lineup with just the lower channels, then you would have to change the lineup to the new one in EPG123.

I would guess that the old lineup will be edited to reflect the current channel information, so I would think you wouldn't have to do anything special to get it all working again.

It's an unlucky coincidence that this happened at the same time SD is having it's own problems... It may very well be that the lineup was updated on the Schedules Direct server, but since the last connection from EPG123 to the server failed, it was unable to get it.

I would check with Schedules Direct to see if they can expedite the lineup change if you don't see it on zap2it (or on Schedules Direct once it is working again).

[Paul Anderegg]

Zap2it still shows the single digit channels as well as the 1000+ versions which n o longer function.

Paul

[Paul Anderegg]

Maybe this will make it easier to understand if there is confusion. These are the only selections available to me. In client, I have the Cox listings showing only a selected set of 1000 channels. At some point I filtered out unwanted channels from the lineup, including the lower channels which used to be SD only. On configuration the only listing available from the drop down menu is my OTA stations. I cannot figure out how to enable or view options to check or uncheck the 0-999 channels that at some point years ago I had available to check or uncheck. That is what I am not clear on how to do to fix my problem.

[Space]

I haven't done this since my lineup has always been correct, but try this:

Select the HD version of channel 2 on the right side (1002 on your system, I believe). This is selecting the HD version of the guide listing for USA network (USAHDP).

Now on the left side, right-click on channel 2 and select "Subscribe" from the pop-up menu. This should assign the HD version of USA network to channel 2. Place a check mark on this channel so it is enabled in WMC. You can then remove the check mark next to channel 1002 so that it is disabled in WMC.

Go back to WMC and verify that you now have channel 2 with the HD guide listings for USA network. Note that you can have WMC ruinning at the same time as EPG123 client, so you can check changes in real time.

Do the above for all other channels that you watch/record as a temporary stop-gap fix until the lineup on Schedules Direct has been updated/corrected.

By the way, Gary has release a new version of EPG123 that handles the Schedules Direct server issues/changes, so you should also be able to update the guide now (although it shouldn't be necessary to get your system working again, since you should already have the HD listings for every channel for the next week or so).

[Paul Anderegg]

Yes, that is what I have done, and it is working for now, but my guide runs out on the 27th, and I would just assume that since Cox has now discontinued the 1000 channels, that guide listings for those will not be updated any longer. If I am subscribed to 1002 guide data for channel 0002, it seems I may run out of guide data on the 27th.

Paul

[Space]

The guide listings that you have been downloading will not change. You are downloading, for instance, the "HD listings for USA network". That is the same regardless of whether those listings are attached to channel 2 or 1002.

You can also "unsubscribe" all the channels < 1000 if you want, instead of just disabling them. Understand, however that since these channels are also linked to the HD listings that you will now be using on the <1000 channels, you are not downloading any additional data (i.e. by having both channels 2 and 1002 in your guide, it does not mean it is downloading twice as many listings, since both channels point to the same listing, the HD listing for USA network).

Also, as I mentioned, if you update EPG123 to the latest version, you will be able to update your guide data once again, so no need to worry about your listings ending on the 27th.

[Paul Anderegg]

I have lower and higher channels both subscribed, and just deselected the higher channels in WMC menu settings. My EPG123 has been throwing an error for the last few days before I started messing with it and doesn't seem to be updating even after installing the new version. I keep getting a "The imported MXF file contained an ERROR in its status field" for some reason.

Paul

[Space]

That error is from the EPG123 client, you need to look earlier in the log at the EPG123 update section to see the original error(s) there ("Beginning epg123 update execution." section).

The client is just saying that there was an error when the server/update ran, so you need to look at the server logs to see the specific error.

[Paul Anderegg]

OK, somehow it resolved itself on its own overnight and now my EPG123 is showing the option for Cox in all windows and the lower channels have arrived. I guess it was just a horrible cooincidence that SD had an issue the same day as Cox doing the transition....or maybe SD wasn't prepared for the Cox change and it broke them? Would have been nice if Cox gave more than 12 hours notice by email of the changeover.

Paul