7048 64bit - WMC won't change channels - crashes

[Chappy]

Hey Folks

Anyone else seeing this?
I can't get WMC to change the TV channels by ANY means avaiable..! The channel number shows on the screen but it just "blips" like it's changing but stays on the same channel. Keyboard, Guide lists, channel + - buttons, remote..nothing works but they appear to be trying.
I'm also sure they were working yesterday.

Also, when I tried to re-do the TV setup, WMC crashes everytime at the Enter the Region section. It recognizes the region as Canada and I click "Yes, use this region..." option and as soon as I hit NEXT, it crashes everytime.

N-E-1 else seing this behaviour or found a fix??

I've tried:
1) removed all updates applied since it last worked
2) reinstalled Tuner Card drivers a couple times
3) restore point to when it worked
4) sacrificed a small animal to the TV Gods
5) banging furiously on the side of the box

Nothing worked, I thought for sure the Sacrifice would do it but maybe I didn't recite the proper incantation.

 

[chinga69]

Hey Folks

Anyone else seeing this?
I can't get WMC to change the TV channels by ANY means avaiable..! The channel number shows on the screen but it just "blips" like it's changing but stays on the same channel. Keyboard, Guide lists, channel + - buttons, remote..nothing works but they appear to be trying.
I'm also sure they were working yesterday.

Also, when I tried to re-do the TV setup, WMC crashes everytime at the Enter the Region section. It recognizes the region as Canada and I click "Yes, use this region..." option and as soon as I hit NEXT, it crashes everytime.

N-E-1 else seing this behaviour or found a fix??



I've tried:
1) removed all updates applied since it last worked
2) reinstalled Tuner Card drivers a couple times
3) restore point to when it worked
4) sacrificed a small animal to the TV Gods
5) banging furiously on the side of the box

Nothing worked, I thought for sure the Sacrifice would do it but maybe I didn't recite the proper incantation.

lol you used the wrong sized animal has to be large

usually when the channel change just beeps its because no channel is associated with that number.

you could try going into registry and deleting the entry for your card in wmc
section where it adds your card when setting up wmc.
sorry at work at the moment i cant tell you the exact location

by the sounds of it i would say quickest fix is to reinstall win7

cheers brad

 

[ibocpro]

Had the same issue with build 7000, did all the things you listed (could not bring myself to sacrifiec a animal so I took 5 hard drives to a field instead and shot them in honor.)

I cleaned and checked all connections, reinstalled software etc with no luck. Then.. it started working again, then.. it stopped, then.. it worked, and yes.. stopped again. Now it is working and has not failed yet.

I found out later that Comcast had some issue as the non-PC boxes had the same issue so it appears that it was a Cable issue the whole time.

Has yours started working again?

Cheers!

 

[Chappy]

Hey guys

I found my problem. It was the IR Blaster lilttle receiver thingy that covers the IR port on the cable box. It had slipped off and was kinda hanging in front instead of covering it, once it was replaced it works now.

Funny thing is tho, I can see if I'm using the remote to do things, but the keyboard and mouse send the signal to their own receivers, not the cable box receiver, so they should bypass that IR receiver on the setop box..right? Even clicking the channel up/down controls on the MC window itself shouldn't have anything to do with the setop IR, so with it not being completely covered should make no diff with those methods..right?
At least, that's how I see it but this is by no means a part of my expertise I guess cause even that little gap that was showing because the sticky tape wasn't so sticky anymore, was enough to cause this issue. Weird

Still crashes at the Region section of the TV setup tho, that's definitely a bug in 7048 WMC.

@Brad - "Blips" not beeps buddy..LOL! What it was doing was kinda "flashing" as if it were changing the channel but it stayed at the same one instead of changing. Yah, I've got almost all the MC reg keys logged in a file too. I keep most important app keys logged or put in the Reg Faves for quick access. Always interesting to see what new keys are added each OS or build and what ones are deleted. A very dynamic environment 4 sure.

Thanx Guys!
I hope this may help someone else seeing this issue, it's something that could be easily overlooked...guess I would know eh..

 

[ibocpro]

Glad it works for you now, all channels are changed in the cable box. The windows guide is present in your computer only and is independent of the cable box so channels can not be changed by the windows interface alone. The information has to be sent to the cable box to take effect in the PC.

When mine was not working the channel information would change in the PC but not the actual channel. Too bad about the region crash though, build 7000 gets past it for now.

It will be nice when Win7 goes full release, hopefully most of these issues will be addressed. All in all I am pleased with Win7, still have some issues but not as many as original Vista, and all the little extras over WinXP are nice. Man am I glad we are generations away from Win98!

 

[ibocpro]

I cleaned all the sticky stuff off the remote IR and then just used tape to secure it to the cable box, seemed to speed up channel changes and interfaces a bit..

 

[Chappy]

all channels are changed in the cable box. The windows guide is present in your computer only and is independent of the cable box so channels can not be changed by the windows interface alone

Hi ibocpro

Yah, that I get, but what does the IR reciever in front have to do with that? I guess the IR blaster must resend the signal thru the settop IR port instead of interfacing with the internal workings, that's all I can think of, kinda clunky but I guess it works. It does work allot peppier now as well, very quick guide scrolling with it attached properly.

I never used the original IR sticky either, I used some double sided tape instead but even that loses it's sticky over time. Maybe some "Mighty Putty" or a 3" wood screw instead?

 

[ibocpro]

Hey Chappy,

The tape, hmmm, perhaps melting the two together, just kidding.

I bought my remote separately from my TV tuner, using the Hauppauge 1250 PCI express 1x and a Microsoft remote with the IR box and cable.

My IR receiver for the M$ remote just takes the commands and relays them to the Cable box for selecting channels. All other functions in Media Center such as the M$ guide, settings, movies, etc are handled by Windows. The only data going to the Cable box is channel selection. This is why, I think, that On Demand does not work through or with Media Center. I have to use the Comcast remote through the Cable box for that function.

I agree, not the most stream lined application but it does work. I would really like a IR receiver that can work with Media Center and have all the functions of the Cable remote, On Demand etc. You would think it should be easy..

Have fun!

 

[johngalt]

Since I have a Hauppauge WinTV 1800 PVR, I am going to see if WMC plays nicely with me or not - and if not M$ is gonna get some flak from me.

 

[Chappy]

perhaps melting the two together, just kidding

Great Idea!! (Chappy runs for his mega hot heat gun)
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(insert sounds of responding Fire trucks here...)

@John - My Hauppauge WinTV 1600 HVR Combo works well, I have no real issues that haven't turned out to be rather minor or other causes such as the above. I can't see why it won't work, but I did have 1 issue you may see also. At first it would not find a channel during the setup, and for awhile I would try 2 or 3 times a day then give up. Turns out that if I would've just tried a few more times it would eventually find it properly. It took 5 "Scanning for Channel" tries and suddenly it worked!