DVB - PC Cards MCE Full Transponder Scan

[neathdrew]

Hi
Got my FloppyDTV installed scanned channels in MCE, found plenty but loads of doubles, edited Prefs.xml and ended up with most of the channels I required. Got full 2 week EPG using XMLTV and Bladerunner but then I noticed a couple of channels, I don’t use too often, were missing. After checking noticed the scan in MCE had a lowest transponder frequency of 554 Mhz, I have a transponder range from 307 Mhz. And it was these channels missing. Not sure if MCE is scanning only the terrestrial frequency range.. Anyhow, apparently a way of getting a full scan is by editing the MCE psisdecd.dll file with a hex editor. It involves getting a list of all ur transponder frequencies, use the full frequency in hz eg 755000000 change this to hex 2D0062C0 then this needs to be transformed into ‘little endian’ numbers ie C062002D and each of these bytes written into the dll file by overwriting bytes from the start of the current transponders frequency. I’ve found a hex string in the file corresponding to 554 Mhz and have overwritten all the hex strings but haven’t replaced the original file yet…..just wondering has anyone tried this method or is there an easier way ….. like a transpoders.ini file somewhere?

 

[cafe.racer]

Jeez, that sounds hairy.

I'm just getting to grips with mine, and I've been trying to edit prefs.xml sucessfully. It's obvious that there's something else involved.

Have you read the "Sky through MCE" thread on AVforums - it's a tad long but some useful info. Also, I stumbled on a thread on there to do with editing prefs.xml and it mentions two other files:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=499892

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319927

 

[elyl]

Is the encoding method the same for DVB-T and DVB-C? If so, I'd imagine hacking the dll to scan lower frequencies would work fine. Is channel information transmitted the same over all DVB formats?

 

[cafe.racer]

Just another thought - you know the Digital Everwhere registry section, the one that the .reg files in the Cable folder merge into. The reg entries look something like:

488000=555000
502000=780000

(Can't remember exactly, and I don't have a file to hand)

Are you saying that even though you've got a "DVB-T" frequency in the left hand side pointing to a transponder frequency on the right, that MCE isn't scanning that transponder because the frequency on the left is below some hidden lower frequency limit?

If it is, could you not just start your transponder frequencies on the third or fourth line down in the list?

 

[neathdrew]

hi thanks for the help

by the first method i used i did get the vast majority of channels still missing a few, still over 500 channels with loads of duplicates......therefore tried the personal transponder configuration method from digital-everywhere which maps the dvb-t frequencies to the cable frequencies and 'hey presto' all services found 324 tv and radio, the same as my dbox service file. had little joy editing the prefs file so started manually sorting the channels last night....got about the first 20 sorted with 2 week epg but by then my thumb was aching....if i get a chance do some more tonight.

ps forgot to run the clear transpnders.bat file but it was still ok.

cheers

 

[neathdrew]

sorted a few more channels, heres a couple of screenshots of xmltv and bladerunner epg

todays

View attachment 32270


the 28th


View attachment 32271

prog description , doesn't show all - don't know how to fix this

View attachment 32272

and channel sort bit of a pain

View attachment 32273


cheers

 

[charlieram]

I used to have the same problem with prog description on a standard MCE install (DVB-T) and i think it is a common problem, I also seem to remember(think) that if you channel sort with the remote the program plus/minus button moves the sellection up/down a page?

 

[cafe.racer]

Looks good. I'm going to try and stick with the native guide source with the Headend hack, although it seems you've got this up and running quickly, so maybe I should go this way.

Mine's working fine, starting to get to grips with some stuff - things like, you get a list of all the cable channels from the guide, as well as from the scan, when you go to watch one of the "guide only" channels, it doesn't really like it, and editing the channel numbers (rather than changing the channel order) just doesn't bloody work.

I've moved a couple of channels and set up the guide on a couple where it didn't find it automatically, and they seem to work fine. I need to sit down and do the rest, and to find a couple of missing channels and get rid of a couple of duplicate and exclude some of the porn channels (I have two young kids).

Mine's been really stable, I occasionally get "No Signal" on fast channel changes, but all I do now is to switch back and forward again and it comes back, whereas before I was restarting MCE or Rebooting or unplugging and replugging the FireDTV.

On your "Program Description - Doesn't show all" issue, you only have an ickle telly, that's the problem. If you have got a big telly, there's a thing under "TV Settings" to change it to a Widescreen LCD. I had it on a 32" CRT, but now I've swapped to a 40" LCD and I don't get that any more. I don't know if you can change the font size anywhere?

You can use the Keyboard to sort the channels, which is quicker - if you highlight the up or down arrow so it's green, you can press the spacebar instead of using the remote. It seems to react quicker this way as well.

if you channel sort with the remote the program plus/minus button moves the sellection up/down a page?

Ooooo, I'll have to try that...

So you're moving the channels (change channel order), then adding the guide (Add Guide to Listings)?

Make sure you take a copy of prefs.xml periodically...