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[GreggP]

I have a couple of HDHomeRun products and have been satisfied with using Windows Media Center. It still works great and fully supports my subscription with Charter TV and the encrypted cablecard channels. I'm in the process of installing MC21 and would like to try out the new TV features so I am prepared when WMC is no longer supported. Plus I would like to compare the features now and see if it can actually replace WMC and pass the wife/family usability test.

I have several PCs running MC. One of the PCs is used as the main library server. However, the PC with the library server, which is connected to our whole-house audio system, is not used for watching TV, movies or video, even though the movie library is included with that server.

Do I need to set up the TV capabilities on the server PC before I configure the other client PCs from which we will actually watch TV?

[CountryBumkin]

The Client machines use the Server's "TV Tuners", so you need to have that set up and working first.
Also be aware that JRiver program does not play programs marked as "Copy-Once" (it does fine with encrypted channels marked "Copy Freely") . Hopefully your cable provider doesn't mark everything as "Copy Once".

[GreggP]

Thanks. I will start with the setup on the server. Will I need to do the setup on the clients or will the settings be there when I connect to the server?

Also, regarding "Copy Once" and "Copy Freely", I will soon find out since WMC handles "Copy Once" I haven't had to worry about it yet.

When I run setup for Television on the server, I will need to pick a folder for storing the TV recordings. How will this location work for watching and recording TV from one of the clients?

[CountryBumkin]

Disclaimer: I'm assuming you are installing the HDHomerun on/in the Server computer.
 
So, the typical setup is for the Client machines to "share" the Library and Tuner card(s) from the Server. On the Server you would go to Tools>options>Media Network and check the box "Use Media Network to share this library...", and have MC generate a sharing code/password. Then go to Client machines and under Playing Now>"Add Library", then use the code/password to link to the Server Library.

Lastly, even though you are using the Server Library you can still setup some specific viewing preference on each Client machine, such as favorite or hidden TV channels, and various views in Theater View, and such. BTW you may need to turn on the TV Feature on the clients (I don't recall whether its activated by default). You would turn it on at Tools>Options>General>Features.

EDIT: I missed you last question - when you setup the TV stuff, MC will ask you where you want to save your TV recordings. If you don't answer MC will install to it's default location (on the largest hard drive). All the recordings then go to this folder and you can then manually move those recording you want to keep to a permanent "watched" folder (after you inspect, tag, etc.) or you can leave them there and setup MC to "watch" that folder (automatically import all the new recordings into the Library). Once a file is imported the Server Library it is available to all the Clients to view.

[GreggP]

I'm already sharing the server's library with the client PCs for listening to music and watching movies so I have the access key and authentication already set.

I don't know if you are familiar with the HDHomeRun devices, but they are connected to the network and can work from any of the PCs on your network. You wouldn't normally install the HDHomeRun software on the PCs that you don't use for watching TV. My MC server PC is actually in a closet and then connected to a sound system for whole house audio. So it would not be used for watching TV. Actually, it doesn't even have a monitor because I simply use Remote Desktop when I need to work with it.

However, I can install the HDHomeRun on my MC server, so it isn't a big deal. I still wonder if I can specify different locations for storing the recorded TV files when my client is using the server's library.

Also, none of my clients have a local media library. They always load the server's library so that everything is in sync. That means my watch history for music and movies is always updated to the server.

[CountryBumkin]

Gregg,
I'm not too familiar with the HDHomeRun. There are others here that use it, so perhaps wait for them or check on the Television thread for instructions specific to your device.

Good Luck.

[GreggP]

I didn't notice the section dedicated to television. I'm used to going to the section for the version of MC. In this case MC21. I will go over there and see if my questions have already been answered. If not, I'll post it there.

Thanks!!

[muzicman0]

CountryBumkin is right, set up the TV on the server.  Then disable the tuners on the clients.  If you have the tuners installed on the clients, you run the risk of tuner conflicts.  The Server will stream live TV to the clients as needed, and keep track of which tuner(s) is in use.

Just for reference, I have 2 HDHomeRun's, and 2 HDHomeRun Primes.  If you only have the Primes, you don't even have to install drivers.

[GreggP]

I had some challenges getting MC21 to recognize my tuners. Finally got it working on the server, but couldn't get it working on the client. After setting up 'server' functionality on the client, I could get it to work with my HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuners. Once both server and client could work with the tuners, it seemed to work ok, but every now and then the client would report an error trying to find a tuner. And the channel listing seemed a little weird. Maybe that's because the client did its own channel scan. Now based on muzicman0 help, I've disabled the tuners on the client. And to try to simplify things, I hid every channel on the server except one. When I restart the client and load the library from the server I now only see that one channel listed. However, when I use Theater View, all of the channels are still displayed in the guide, but whenever I pick a channel to watch it only plays the single 'un-hidden' channel from the server.

Anyhow, I have this discussion going over in the television section here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=101377.msg708691#new

Thanks!!

[CountryBumkin]

It's pretty complicated with a regular Tuner card installed in a computer, but the network Tuner can get really complicated. IMO.

One thing you should know, when you hide TV channels on the computer, they are only hidden for that specific computer. So, for example on the server you hide channel 2, 4, and 6. Then on a Client machine you would not see those channels 2, 4, 6 unless you went into the Client TV settings and hid them there.

[GreggP]

It's pretty complicated with a regular Tuner card installed in a computer, but the network Tuner can get really complicated. IMO.

One thing you should know, when you hide TV channels on the computer, they are only hidden for that specific computer. So, for example on the server you hide channel 2, 4, and 6. Then on a Client machine you would see those channels 2, 4, 6 unless you went into the Client TV settings and hid them there.

That's odd... The channel listing on the client shows only the ones not hidden on the server. When you manage channels on the client, sure enough, all the channels that were hidden on the server are hidden on the client. However, all of the channels appear in Theater View's guide and some are displayed twice.

[CountryBumkin]

That's odd... The channel listing on the client shows only the ones not hidden on the server. When you manage channels on the client, sure enough, all the channels that were hidden on the server are hidden on the client. However, all of the channels appear in Theater View's guide and some are displayed twice.

Well, I'm pretty sure that the way it works. But I'll test/reconfirm when I get home tonight. If I'm wrong I'll go away quietly.  

EDIT: Okay - I was wrong. Partially.

If you hide a channel on the Server (when the TV Tuner is on the Server), it is hidden on the Clients too (that make sense). But you can also hide additional TV channels on the individual Clients if desired.

[Yaobing]

I think we have agreed that channels hidden on server is also hidden on clients.   Clients use a copy of server's library.  TV channels and programs are all library "files".  So clients will see exact copy of the server channels.

However, all of the channels appear in Theater View's guide and some are displayed twice.

Hidden channels do not appear in guide grid.

Might you have seen grouped channels displayed in the grid?  There is this fix in build 30:

2. Fixed: When a TV channel was being watched on a single client at the same time also watched on the server, changing channel on either the server or the client would cause the channel changed on the other computer.

Even though this is called a "fix", it still requires some user action (unless build 30 is your first ever installation of Media Center).

Go to Tools > Options > Theater View.  Click "Reset!..." button near the middle of the window, if you do not mind losing your Theater View customization.  

If you have had a lot of customization that you do not want to lose, you can directly edit Video\Guide item under "Items To Show" by selecting it, and clicking "Set Rules for File Display...".  On the resulting Edit Search dialog window, add a third rule (see attached screenshot).

[GreggP]

I think we have agreed that channels hidden on server is also hidden on clients.   Clients use a copy of server's library.  TV channels and programs are all library "files".  So clients will see exact copy of the server channels.


Hidden channels do not appear in guide grid.

Might you have seen grouped channels displayed in the grid?  There is this fix in build 30:

Even though this is called a "fix", it still requires some user action (unless build 30 is your first ever installation of Media Center).

Go to Tools > Options > Theater View.  Click "Reset!..." button near the middle of the window, if you do not mind losing your Theater View customization.  

If you have had a lot of customization that you do not want to lose, you can directly edit VideoGuide item under "Items To Show" by selecting it, and clicking "Set Rules for File Display...".  On the resulting Edit Search dialog window, add a third rule (see attached screenshot).

I was using build 27. After updating to 30, the Theater View guide looks good.

Thanks!!

[muzicman0]

I have entered [=TVInfo(IsOnNonTopGroupedChannel)]=[0] as a custom rule on Set Rules For File Display under the Guide, but it ended up removing everything from the guide...I don't see a typo based on the image, but perhaps I missed something...I've been running the same Database since version 19, so I figured I should add the line.

[EDIT] - Nevermind...I wasn't updated to build 30 yet.  now that I am, it works fine.

[Yaobing]

[EDIT] - Nevermind...I wasn't updated to build 30 yet.  now that I am, it works fine.

I was hit by this a couple of time while I was working on it