Media Center periodically mixes channels

[Jim Fox]

I use Windows Media Center with a Silicon Dust HD Homerun Tuner. From the beginning I've been plagued by periodic random mixing of the channels. For example, when I tune in the ABC channel (which still shows the ABC Logo on the Media Center select button) the channel I will see might be NBC. Or, when Media Center records CBS and then I look for that recording in the recorded section, I'll see an icon that shows I've recorded CBS and there'll be a small screen shot that shows the show I expected to record, but when I click on it to view it, I'll see a different channel was recorded.

This seems to happen about two weeks after I do the only thing I know will correct things, which is re-scan the channels using Media Center. It does not uniformly always change channel "X" to channel "B", it randomly mixes different channels starting with one then mixing more if I leave it uncorrected.

Has anyone else experienced this and is there a cure? I don't know if it's my Silicon Dust Tuner with its software drifting, or the MS Media Center drifting, or perhaps my Cable company (Verizon Fios) switching channel frequencies. If I was in a conspiracy mood I'd say that this would be a way for the cable company screw up people not using their Set-Top Boxes by switching the channel frequencies They could then reprogram the set-top boxes remotely so people using the set-top boxes would not be affected.

Has anyone else experienced this and perhaps have some suggestions?

[makryger]

Sounds like verizon switching frequencies on you. Unfortunately, the best way to keep things consistent ous to use their own channel numbering system. That means you need either a cablecard device or a set top box with ir blaster.

[TheReaper]

In the HDHomeRun Setup program, on the Advanced tab, did you un-check: Windows Media Center background channel scan?

[lurch66]

I have an Avermedia tuner for clear qam and a ceton for the rest. My Avermedia does this as well from time to time. When I look at the actual ch number ie 74 it has not changed it was just reassigned to a different ch. so HD ch 10 will suddenly display ch 8. When I look in the edit source section both actual ch numbers will show up so I just un check the incorrect one and recheck the correct one. This only happens every few months or so and as such I have not looked into a fix. The only time it becomes an issue is when the wife misses a show because of it. Other than that I have just kind of accept it as part of the fun of WMC.

[glugglug]

This happens whenever the background scan runs on my ClearQAM tuners.
Which is why I disabled it. But manually running the scan for channels does this as well.
So I just add all my channels manually using the data from silicondust or the InfiniTV channel map.

Set the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\BackgroundScanner\PeriodicScanEnabled key to 0.

I might have an app to automatically propagate your channel info from the InfiniTV to the QAM tuners in a couple weeks

I'm thinking a version that lets you choose a lineup from silicondust.com wouldn't be too difficult also.

[CadeFoster]

I had this as well, I believe with an Avermedia. I'm on FiOS. This is what pushed me to only using InfiniTVs. Too many missed recordings because the wrong program, although on the correct channel, recorded. CBS and Fox kept switching programming on me. The guide was correct but the actual programming was swapped. So I would swap the listings so they were correct, then it would switch back. Was a pain. Never found out why it happened.

[Jim Fox]

In the HDHomeRun Setup program, on the Advanced tab, did you un-check: Windows Media Center background channel scan?

I'll gtive that a try and let you know in a couple of weeks if the channel mixing stop. Thanks

[cspartan]

Any luck solving this issue? I have an AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet - A188 (with no set-top box, just basic cable)that keeps swapping two channels and it happens within 1-2 weeks of a manual channel rescan via MCE. This is getting very frustrating and causing headaches when I want to sit down and watch something that has been recorded only to find out it swapped again and recorded the wrong channel.

[Jim Fox]

Hi Cspartan,
Once I unchecked the "Windows Media Center background channel scan" in my HD Homerun Setup program, I never had another incident where channels were switching positions on me. Before that, it seemed to happen every other week. The only other thing I've done is also switch to an HD Homerun Prime cable-card tuner, but I think both tuners use the same software.

Another interesting thing is that when I go to the Windows Media Center "Tasks / Set-up" area, I no longer see the option to do a rescan of the channels. I wonder if this option disappeared because of my switch to the HD Homerun Prime Cable-card tuner. If so, it's a good thing the channel switching no longer occurs because if it did, I'd have no way of correcting it.

[lurch66]

I have not unchecked "Windows Media Center background scan" but I have not had this issue in many month's. I have a Avermedia signal tuner.
As far as any cable card tuner including the HD Homerun Prime there is no ch scan option because the tuner is provided the ch map by the cable card/cable comp, therefor no scanning option.

[Jim Fox]

It sounds then like the reason for the channel drifting problem going away was the move to a cable-card tuner from the the older style tuner. It makes sense that if "the tuner is provided the ch map by the cable card/cable comp" , then Verizon (for me) will be doing the necessary monitoring and corrections. I guess we're getting some value from the $5 monthly fee for the cable card. Hardware problems sometimes go away as the product is improved with driver updates. Thanks for the clarification lurch66.