My Digital Life

3 Tuners in Windows Media Center 2005

Posted on September 7th, 2006 by rob.
Categories: Media Center 2005, Windows.

Even though microsoft only allows 2 tuners during a setup, it’s possible to setup more. I am going to keep this post as clean as possible as the procedure is important.

This Procedure is only for a 3 Tuner setup. If you use more than 3, go to the end of this document and read about setting up 4 or more tuners.

1. Right click ‘my computer’, properties, hardware tab, Device Manager
2. Open ‘Sound, Video and game controllers
   You sould now see your TV Tuner cards listed. Example below:
3. In the Picture above you see 3 Tv Tuner cards. To make this clean, disable one of the Tuner Cards so you only have two active. It will ask you to reboot, say no, you will do this shortly. Close the Device Manager.
4. start, run, regedit
   • go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Video\Tuners\
   • Open the {GUID} you see as a subdir in Tuners. In the example below it’s labeled {A799A800-A46D-11D0-A18C-00A02401DCD4}

   

5. DELETE all the dirs below that {GUID}, which are your TV Cards, NOT the {GUID} right below “Tuners”.
6. Reboot
7. Login and go into Media Center. Setup the TV signal for two tuners cards
8. Close Media Center
9. start, run, regedit
   • go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Video\Tuners\
   • MAKE sure you only have two tuners in there now. If not, go to step ONE
10. Go into the Device Manger and now enable the Third TV Tuner.
11. Reboot
12. start, run, regedit
    • go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Video\Tuners\
    • You should now see a Third {GUID} (TV Tuner Card)
    • open up each {GUID} and find the one that has UserSettings Empty (shown below)

    

    NOTE: Remember the empty {GUID} as you will need it soon (in this case, mine is {8D00E08D-CB5F-4A75-A512-2ADFCAD8E3B5}

13. Selete the UserSettings of another {GUID} that is NOT empty
14. Right click, export, and user TvTuner as the name (save to desktop)
15. Go to Desktop, right click TvTuner.reg, edit
16. Find the TvTuner {GUID} in this file (the one right before UserSettings), copy it
17. Click Edit, Replace
18. Find What = {GUID} you just copied
19. Replace With = {GUID} with empty User Settings (in my case it’s {8D00E08D-CB5F-4A75-A512-2ADFCAD8E3B5} )
20. Click Replace All
21. Save file, close
22. Double Click TvTuner.reg and click YES to import
23. start, run, regedit
    • go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Video\Tuners\
24. Go to UserSettings where the {GUID} values USED to be EMPTY and set the values below:
    • UserDefName = Cable C
    • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
    • RecordOrder = 2
    • RecordPrefered = 0
    • WatchOrder = 0
    • WatchPrefered = ffffffff
25. Go to UserSettings for another Tuner where the UserDefName is “Cable B”
    • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
    • RecordOrder = 1
    • RecordPrefered = 0
    • WatchOrder = 1
    • WatchPrefered = 0
26. Go to UserSettings for another Tuner where the UserDefName is “Cable A”
    • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
    • RecordOrder = 0
    • RecordPrefered = ffffffff
    • WatchOrder = 2
    • WatchPrefered = 0
27. Close Registry, Reboot, Open Media Center and try recording THREE different channels
28. Your are now DONE!

Here are the UserSettings if you have 4 (or MORE) Tuners
(if you have more, then you can probably figure out the pattern on your OWN )

To use Four Tuners, follow steps 1-22 twice to get the 2 additional tuners added correctly and just use the settings below for UserSettings.

1. start, run, regedit
   • go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Service\Video\Tuners\{GUID}
2. Cable D (4th Tuner)
   • UserDefName = Cable D
   • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
   • RecordOrder = 3
   • RecordPrefered = 0
   • WatchOrder = 0
   • WatchPrefered = ffffffff
3. Cable C (3rd Tuner)
   • UserDefName = Cable C
   • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
   • RecordOrder = 2
   • RecordPrefered = 0
   • WatchOrder = 1
   • WatchPrefered = 0
4. Cable B (2nd Tuner)
   • UserDefName = Cable B
   • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
   • RecordOrder = 1
   • RecordPrefered = 0
   • WatchOrder = 2
   • WatchPrefered = 0
5. Cable A (1st Tuner)
   • UserDefName = Cable A
   • EnableForMCE = ffffffff
   • RecordOrder = 0
   • RecordPrefered = ffffffff
   • WatchOrder = 3
   • WatchPrefered = 0

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Media Center (My Music, Artist Default View)

Posted on September 3rd, 2006 by rob.
Categories: Media Center 2005, Windows.

Don’t even tell me… I know, my domain names explains it all, however even linux junkies probably use (used) windows. With that said, here’s the deal.

I am not only a linux junkie but also a media junkie (the domain was taken!). I have quite a few thousands tracks of music and if you are familiar with Microsoft Media Center, then I don’t eve have to explain it. However if you are not… imagine picking the music you want to listen to by album, and I am not even taking about text. The music is displayed with a small album cover, oh man, don’t even get me started with finding all the album art for hundreds to thousands of albums. So you all ask, “wouldn’t that be nice to be able to view albums by cover art?” Sure, but I don’t want it displayed as the default. I WANT the default view to just be a list of my artists. “Can that be done?” Oh Yea!

Setting the Default View for Media Center’s My Music to Artists

run ctl-alt-del to being up the TaskManger
make sure to kill ehrecvr.exe

1. start, run, regedit
   Go To: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\Audio
2. set “CurrentHomeView” as “Artists”
3. set “fMyCollectionShouldBeSticky” to 1

If you want to be able to fast forward through music, set ”fEnableSkip” to 1

Oh, but wait! You that only sets the current users profile, so you will need to login as each user and do the same. If you are trying to accomplish this on a Media Center Extenders (MCX), then you need to load the MCX users Hive.

run ctl-alt-del to being up the TaskManger
make sure to kill ehrecvr.exe
make sure that the MCX is disconnected

1. start, run, regedit
2. click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
3. click file, load hive
4. select to c:\documents and settings\\NTUSER.DAT
5. for “Key Name”, just enter the mcx username
6. Go To: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Settings\Audio
7. set “CurrentHomeView” as “Artists”
8. set “fMyCollectionShouldBeSticky” to 1

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