Hacking Windows7 MediaCenter

The ability to backup and restore your recording schedule and guide listings in Media Center is something that will be necessary at some point for almost anyone. Unfortunately, up to this point Media Center doesn’t make it easy for the end user. On the bright side it isn’t very complicated either, you just need to know where to look.

Back ‘Em Up!

To begin with, Media Center creates backup files every time you schedule a new show or make modifications to the guide listings, you just need to find them. To get to the files you will need to enable the viewing of hidden folders, then open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome (by default). Inside you will find a folder, or series of folders, for each tuner you have installed marked “mcepgX-X-X”. Inside each of these folders you will find a backup folder containing backup files for listings, recordings, and subscriptions.

For each type of backup there will be a number of files inside named with a timestamp. The timestamp format is as follows:" “year month day – hour minutes seconds”. This makes it very simple to locate your most recent files. Luckily the files aren’t large at all however and you could easily backup the whole lot in most cases. For restoring the recording schedule only the latest file in recordings is needed.

Put ‘Em Back!

Once you’ve completed your reinstall of Windows 7, open Media Center and run through the setup as usual. Assuming no hardware changes or driver changes between reinstalls we should be set to continue. Retrieve your backup recordings file and copy it to your hard disk.

The file doesn’t need to be anywhere specific but placing it in the backups folder in your new “C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\mcepgx-x-x\” directory is probably a best practice. Now we will need to tell Media Center we’d like to load the information from the file. This is done through a program included in Windows 7 called “loadmxf” located in the “\Windows\ehome\” directory.

You can either open a command prompt by typing “cmd” into the start menu box or create a shortcut with the following text: “C:\Windows\ehome\loadmxf.exe –i FILELOCATION”. Replace the FILELOCATION with the location of the file to be loaded.

If using a shortcut, double-click to execute the command before continuing. Otherwise the recording schedule should be loaded into Media Center now. Loading lineup and subscription data from previous installs breaks things currently, so don’t do it!

Load ‘Em Up!

Once you’ve loaded the files back into Media Center you can see that your shows will be listed under series’ in Recorded TV’s Scheduled Recordings but no shows will be scheduled yet. Before we can load these you should be sure to have your channel lineup completed in the Media Center TV Guide. To get the proper times for each scheduled show you will need to reload Guide data.

To do this go to “Tasks > TV > Guide > Get Latest Guide Listings” and wait for the guide data to finish downloading. Then re-check your scheduled shows in Recorded TV. You should now see shows listed on the schedule to be recorded.

Congratulations. You have successfully backed up and restored your scheduled recordings.

Rawhide!

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Written by MHealy | 5 comments

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Tagged As: featured, listing, settings, tv guide, windows 7

Though we’ve looked at this handy program for adding channel logos to your Windows Media Center TV Guide when it was first released, it has undergone a number of improvements and increased support since it’s release. Since it’s initial offering, My Channel Logos has added the ability to detect affiliate stations such as those associated with ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. Quite a few extra channel logos have been added for various countries, auto-populating logos has been optimized and support for Dish Network has been introduced as well.

To get rolling with My Channel Logos download the program from the website and install. This is also an improvement over previous version which didn’t include an installer. Once up and running, you’ll need to set the area your in from the “Edit > Preferences”. If you haven’t set up your tuner yet, you will need to do that as well prior to running My Channel Logos. Once set up the program practically runs itself.

Under most situations, hitting the Auto Populate Logos button will automatically assign logos to any stations it has logos for. This function has been improved over previous versions by checking for affiliate station information, allowing the program to detect the proper logos for those cryptic call-signs used by local stations. Assigning custom logos to any station is as easy as clicking the black box area and selecting an image of your choice.

This version of My Channel Logos even includes options to set the default location of channel logos in the guide via the preferences. Buttons on the right will also allow you to clear logos from any station or even remove all channel logos as before. Removing all channel logos should reset your TV guide setup back to it’s default state. There’s no need to save once a logo has been assigned as this is done automatically by the program.

Getting setup with My Channel Logos is one of the easiest and most rewarding hacks you can do to your Media Center. With added support and logos for a number of countries and fixes to the program itself this new version is even better than ever. Be sure to check out this program today and add that missing something to your Media Center TV Guide.

Get even more from your Media Center with these 5 tips to refreshing your setup for the spring!

Written by MHealy | 3 comments

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Tagged As: plugins, programs, tv guide

As important as the digital media era is in bringing us the best of television over the internet there’s something to be said for the old school as well. The ability to bring in free high definition content via the digital air waves is also an enticing option. With the right antenna, free digital television can be had as far as 60 miles from the source.

The best resource for not only locating the sources nearest you but also helping to decide which antenna is best for you is found at Antennaweb.org. Entering you address into Antennaweb will return a list of stations broadcasting near you along with a color coded guide. The color guide is an estimate of the type of antenna you will need to pick up that particular station. Clicking on the guide color will also bring up a chart and description of the antenna needed.

As you can see it will also provide you with exact compass headings and distances to each station. This can be helpful for those who own a rotating antenna. For those of us who don’t have rotation equipment, Antennaweb will also provide you with a map by click the “View street level map”. Though it certainly isn’t Google Earth quality it can give you a general idea of which way to point your antenna.

Once you’ve got your antenna setup, getting it to work in Media Center isn’t terribly hard. From the “Tasks > Settings > TV > TV Signal > Set Up TV Signal” you can setup your tuner to accept ATSC signals which is what you’ll need to get digital channels over the air. In some cases you may need to use manual setup if Media Center doesn’t detect ATSC signals automatically. Your tuner may or may not support ATSC, you’ll need to refer to the manual or manufacturer’s website for details.

Once your tuner is setup for ATSC, the TV Signal menu will now show an option for checking Antenna Signal Strength. This will go through the list of channels one by one checking the signal strength of each station then cycling back through the list. This can also help you fine to your antenna’s position along with the Antennaweb map.

Getting your local channels live with digital over the air can prove to be the perfect supplement to content delivered over the internet. Being able to not only catch your local news live but also broadcast network shows in full HD can prove the last thing to take care of before turning off that cable for good.

You can even find directions to create a home-made antenna at tvantennaplans.com. The results of this do it yourself hack are actually surprisingly good, allowing me to pick up digital stations over 40 miles away with nothing more than some coat hangers and tinfoil. Of course results will depend on your location and the signal strength in your area.

Hopefully, this guide as well as the previous two on replacing your cable company bills with free alternatives have you well on your way to enjoying your favorite content for less. Unfortunately, at this time Antennaweb and 7MC don’t support ATSC in some countries including Canada. Be sure to check back often to find the best ways to save even more with your Media Center setup.

If you haven’t already be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the Canceling Your Cable series on Hack7MC!

Written by MHealy | 1 comments

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Tagged As: atsc, streaming tv, tv guide

Direct from Josh at MN Maven, comes this tip on sharing your recorded episodes between different PCs on your network. This will even work inside Windows Media Player, letting you watch your recorded TV shows while getting a little work done at the same time.

This requires that the receiving pc be running Windows 7 (the Media Center should also be running Windows 7 or TV Pack 2008). The first step is to share the folder you record to on the Media Center machine. Typically this is the “Public\Recorded TV” folder which would be shared by default.

If the folder isn’t shared, locate the folder, right-click and select properties. Select the Sharing tab and press Advanced Sharing. Select the “Share this folder” checkbox and assign a name. Before pressing OK be sure that “Everyone” is listed under Permissions. If not, add it now by pressing Add and typing Everyone into the objects box at the bottom.

Once the folder has been shared, you need to add the folder to the library on the receiving computer. This can be done either in Windows Media Player or Media Center.

To add the folder to Recorded TV in WMP, make sure Recorded TV is listed. If it isn’t right-click in the left pane and select Customize Navigation Pane then make sure Recorded TV is selected.

In Media Center select Recorded TV from the start menu then bring up the right-click menu. From the menu select “Manage Libraries” then choose the option to add a folder. Select the option to add a folder from another computer then locate the folder on the next screen. Once you’ve done that let Media Center finish setting up the library.

That’s all there is to it. Though this doesn’t add the ability to watch live TV from the Media Center as is possible with non-PC extenders this is one step closer. At least now we can share our recorded shows between full HTPC machines or even just watch that show from last night while we work.

Don’t stop there! Check out these 10 other steps to maximize your Media Center experience.

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Tagged As: extender, network, tv guide

This tweak actually comes by way of MCEWorld. Sometimes you want the ability to tweak your skip interval settings, after all the average commercial break lasts about 2 minutes not 30 seconds. Maybe you’re obsessed with never overshooting your target and want to fine tune the length to something smaller. Perhaps you want the ability to rewind your half hour show to the beginning with just the touch of a button (probably a bad idea). Whatever the reason to tweak is fairly simple to employ.

First step is to open RegEdit, Window’s built-in registry editor, in administrator mode. To do this open your start menu and type “regedit” into the search box then press “ctrl+shift+enter.”

Once you’ve got the program open navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\VideoSettings”.

To change the Skip Forward interval located the “SkipAheadInterval”. Double-click to open the dialog to modify the setting and select the “Decimal” option under “Base.” Change the value to whatever time you want.  The time is measured in milliseconds, default is 29000 or 29 seconds.

To change the Skip Backward interval locate the “InstantReplayInterval” and follow the same steps as above. The default for this setting is 7000 or 7 seconds.

Once you’ve finished setting the values to your desired amounts simply close the RegEdit program and restart your Media Center. That’s all there is to it!

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Tagged As: install, listing, settings, tv guide

Don’t stop there check out these 10 other ways to customize your media center!

Many of us are used to being able to see a channel’s logo instead of just a boring old name in our TV listings from our DVRs and Media Centers but it is also one of those features lacking natively in 7MC. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of Makryger of The Green Button, there’s a solution to this quandary.

Presenting, My Channel Logos for 7MC, a program that comes bundled with a number of TV channel logos and a simple program to assign them to any channel in your listing. You can even add your own logos through the program’s easy to use interface.

You can download this wonderful little app from the My Channel Logos website right here. At present there is a bug that did not allow the program to run on a freshly installed Windows 7 Media Center machine with no tuner setup but it did run perfectly on the pre-setup machine. If you have trouble getting the program to run on your machine check out the support thread here. Once you get into the program it’s hard to go wrong.

On your first run the readme file instructs that you must first choose a region and press the “Update” button. Once that’s been done you can let the program Auto Populate Logos, which worked very well assigning all but the most cryptically named channels the proper logo. You can also assign your own channel logos by selecting your desired channel on the left hand side and clicking the black box to the left.

It really could not be simpler. The interface is practically self explanatory. To clear logos from your channels you can select them one by one and press “Clear logo” or clear them all by pressing “Remove All”. Once your logos have been assigned just close the program and restart Media Center.

So download your copy of My Channel Logos and get started on making your dull TV listings shine in no time. For more TV listings help you can also check out our guide on Adding ClearQAM channels to your Media Center.

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Written by MHealy | 6 comments

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Tagged As: edit channel, featured, plugins, programs, tv guide

Peter Near's blog has a post on adding ATSC support to your Media Center box:

First, some background. Like the United States, Canada has decided to transition all television broadcasts from analog to digital. These new digital signals have greater effective range, provide a crystal-clear high definition picture, and as with all over the air network TV broadcasts are free and legal to access. It's worth noting that over the air signals represent the best high-definition picture quality you can get for network television - better than cable and much better than satellite. While high definition is available for a fee via cable and satellite, those high definition channels are subject to ever-increasing compression and picture quality degradation as they try to squeeze more and more content into your subscription. And unlike cable and satellite, over the air broadcasts are not encrypted and can be easily incorporated into a Media Center setup, copied over to your iPod, and are generally easy to use. The United States has nearly completed their digital transition, and will be shutting down the analog broadcasts in February 2009. Canada is well into its transition, with most major markets now broadcasting in digital and 100% of the country switching over to digital by 2011 before we shut down our analog transmitters. Here in Toronto, I can get access to every major US and Canadian network in full high-definition glory using a $40 antenna that I put in my attic.

You can find the rest of the post where you'll be taken through adding ATSC to 7MC using a SiliconDust HDHomerun (a popular clearQAM and ATSC tuner) over on his blog at The Green Button.

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Tagged As: atsc, clearqam, edit channel, listing, tv guide

Adding ClearQAM channels to your Windows7 Media Center can be quite a daunting process. With reguard to previous version of Media Center though it's still quite an improvement as before there was no native support for ClearQAM whatsoever. ClearQAM is generally broadcast in the United States through your cable provider and typically only consisits of the basic broadcast channels you would be able to get through an antenna. The advantage to these channels over regular cable is they come in as HD channels for free.

The first step is to check your tuner manufacturer's website for the most recent drivers for your particular tuner card. If there are newer drivers you may want to install these before going on. The next step is to run a normal TV Tuner setup in Media Center. If you have already run the initial setup you can run the tuner setup again by going to Tasks > Settings > TV > Setup TV Signal. Follow this wizard and be sure you have an available ClearQAM tuner presented during the setup and follow through the TV Channel Scan.

Note: Certain older Hauppauge cards may need a registry fix which can be found here at Mike Wren’s blog.

Often this scan returns "0 channels found", fear not. Once you have completed the wizard, you will most likely need to add these channels to your TV listings manually. Go to Tasks > Settings > TV > Guide > Edit Channels. Here you will be presented with what is most likely a lengthy list of channels with your basic cable channels numbers and labeled. Just past these neatly organized channels, though, you will find a mess of channels marked simply with numbers and displaying (or not) a small lock beside them. This is the cash crop, these are ClearQam channels.

Once we have come to this point enable the "Show Preview" option on the left and scroll down through the ClearQAM channels until you come to one or more that do not show the lock icon beside them. You can also reffer to SiliconDust's webpage to identify ClearQAM channels you will likely recieve in your area. Selecting the channel name on the right with "Show Preview" enabled should bring up the channel in the background and play audio from the channel. If you don't see/hear this it may be a false positive and you should move on until you find one that comes in correctly.

When you reach a ClearQAM channel that comes in properly mark the checkbox next to the channel number to enable this channel in your TV guide listing. Once you've completed marking all the channels that come in save your settings on the left then we'll move on to setting up the channels in the guide.

Enter your TV guide listing from the main menu and scroll until you come to the channels you just added to your guide listing. You'll notice that none of these channels have names or program data associated with them. To change this click on the channel number on the left and then select "Edit Channel".

Here you can once again refer to your local ClearQAM listing through Silicon Dust's site if the channel numbers match that listing you can simply watch the channels momentarily to determine which channel you are viewing. Then you have the option of Renaming the channel and Editing Listings associated with the channel. Note that when possible you should choose the listing associated with a "DT", "DT2", etc after the callsign as these will give you the listings for the digital channel and include any HD information that is available.

That's it, you should now be able to enjoy your ClearQAM channels from inside Windows 7 Media Center!

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Tagged As: clearqam, edit channel, featured, listing, tv guide