Sorry guys on getting back to you. I will be at that particular clients house tomorrow afternoon and will get the model number. If I have time while there I will go through the set up menu and jot dowm the settings. However it may not be till later in the week. Major remodel is being done and the MEC may be sealed off for dust.

I read about 50-60 pages of this thread today (talk about a productive day at work)... and first of all, I love the community (I also skimmed some other threads) efforts to discuss media center stuff. You guys even helped me figure out how to get HD QAM channels after I spent a couple weeks with no luck.

Since figuring that out however, I have realized that I can no longer get my regular channels. I plugged the cable from my wall into the port labeled ANT IN to pickup the HD channels but it won't pick them up when it's plugged into the TV IN rf port.

I downloaded the latest beta drivers that Felix mentioned, and downloaded the QAM tool like another poster recommended but I cannot get the QAM tool to work for some reason, it crashes when I attempt to run it.

Is there any way to pickup both sets of channels with one cable or do I have to split the cable coming from the wall?

Yes you need to split the cable coming from the wall. The TV-IN coax connection is for SD/NTSC. The ANT-IN coax connection is for ATSC/QAM. Once you have it connected correctly - follow the instructions in the QAM tool documentation. You should be good to go.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean by "follow the instructions in the QAM tool documentation."  Is this in media center or is this documentation that comes with the tuner card.
Thanks

There should be a pdf document available at the aver ftp site that's meant to accompany the beta drivers and QAM tool.  It's the instructions on how to install the beta drivers, how to scan for QAM channels using the QAM tool, and how to set them up within Media Center.

sneakerx:

Yes, you need a splitter to get both QAM and analog channels.  As to the 1000 channel numbering...I've got no idea and I just learned to live with it.  Finally, yes, you can set up the guide manually, but unless you follow the instructions in the post below you will lose all the settings once the guide updates itself.
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/permalink/160819/277425/ShowThread.aspx#277425

Thanks for the help.  I followed your advice and everything seems to be working.  I updated the guide today just to see if I'll lose the settings and it worked, all of the channels were still in their place...nice!  I think that's something that the aver manual should mention.  If you go by their instructions, you can't have the MCE guide and really, that's a big part of the MCE functionality.

I thought I'd echo the problem I am having with my setup here in hopes someone else has experience and can help with a solution: (see my original thread)

I'm experiencing an issue with Media Center and TV Pack.  It appears that my QAM channels seem to randomly swap.  Tonight's swapping had 10.1 (CBS) tuned into what should be on 4.1 (NBC) and 4.1 (NBC) was tuned into what is on 4.2 (Weather).  4.2 (Weather) also shows the weather [which was correct].  The guide data stays the same reflecting what should be shown on the channel.

When this occurs the only way to fix the channel swap is to scan the digital channels again, deleting all previously discovered digital channels (Tasks | settings | tv | tv signal | scan for more channels | Delete All | Scan Again)

It will reflect the accurate channels correctly for a few days, a week or sometimes longer and than they seem to swap again.

I've rebuilt this media center box 3 times now and each time the same channel swapping occurs.  I've tried both .29 and .30 drivers.

Details:
Cable Provider: Insight Communications (Columbus, OH)
TV Cards:  1) Avermedia MN780 (Analog/QAM) [tried .29 and.30 drivers]
                   2) ATI HDTV Wonder (only using digital tuner via Antenna) [Vista OEM drivers]
OS: Vista SP1 With TV Pack

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated

I'll admit I haven't read this entire thread yet, but I've read that last 5 pages or so and I'm still having difficulty getting QAM channels to appear.  I'm using Vista (with TV pack), with this card installed on an Intel G45 mobo.  My cable provider is Cox Arizona.  I split the cable 4 ways coming out of the wall: 1 goes to my Tivo S3, one goes to my TV, and 2 go to the Avermedia card.  I'm running the .30 drivers.

With the .29 drivers I'd set the TV in VMC and when it got to the part where it scanned for QAM channels it would always get to 99% with 0 channels found and then lockup... I'd be forced to use the task manager to close VMC.  With the .30 drivers I can now get all the way through the channel scan, but still 0 QAM channels are found.  I know I have QAM channels since my TV detects them and displays them fine and so does my TiVo (although it's using cable cards). 

The analog channels work fine through the MN780, but it just won't detect QAM's.... what am I doing wrong?  I downloaded that QAM tool off the FTP site and installed it, but it won't even launch saying it can't find a file and the error message points to a directory that doesn't even exist.

Please help.

myn:

I thought I'd echo the problem I am having with my setup here in hopes someone else has experience and can help with a solution: (see my original thread)

I'm experiencing an issue with Media Center and TV Pack.  It appears that my QAM channels seem to randomly swap.  Tonight's swapping had 10.1 (CBS) tuned into what should be on 4.1 (NBC) and 4.1 (NBC) was tuned into what is on 4.2 (Weather).  4.2 (Weather) also shows the weather [which was correct].  The guide data stays the same reflecting what should be shown on the channel.

When this occurs the only way to fix the channel swap is to scan the digital channels again, deleting all previously discovered digital channels (Tasks | settings | tv | tv signal | scan for more channels | Delete All | Scan Again)

It will reflect the accurate channels correctly for a few days, a week or sometimes longer and than they seem to swap again.

I've rebuilt this media center box 3 times now and each time the same channel swapping occurs.  I've tried both .29 and .30 drivers.

Details:
Cable Provider: Insight Communications (Columbus, OH)
TV Cards:  1) Avermedia MN780 (Analog/QAM) [tried .29 and.30 drivers]
                   2) ATI HDTV Wonder (only using digital tuner via Antenna) [Vista OEM drivers]
OS: Vista SP1 With TV Pack

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated

MYN, I'm admittedly a newbie here as I can't even get my QAM channels to display in the first place, but I was just wondering if your cable company wasn't to blame.  They are under no obligation to keep the QAM channels mapped consistently and I've heard stories about them moving them around randomly.  Maybe you could get a hold of a high level tech support person who could tell you if the QAM mappings changed recently on their end.  Just a thought.

If VMC doesnt detect any digital channels you may have to go into VMC guide settings and go to edit channels and select the ones that dont have a lock next to them. You will have to set up guide data manually but it should work. If you need more help let me know.

EskimoPie:

myn:

I thought I'd echo the problem I am having with my setup here in hopes someone else has experience and can help with a solution: (see my original thread)

I'm experiencing an issue with Media Center and TV Pack.  It appears that my QAM channels seem to randomly swap.  Tonight's swapping had 10.1 (CBS) tuned into what should be on 4.1 (NBC) and 4.1 (NBC) was tuned into what is on 4.2 (Weather).  4.2 (Weather) also shows the weather [which was correct].  The guide data stays the same reflecting what should be shown on the channel.

When this occurs the only way to fix the channel swap is to scan the digital channels again, deleting all previously discovered digital channels (Tasks | settings | tv | tv signal | scan for more channels | Delete All | Scan Again)

It will reflect the accurate channels correctly for a few days, a week or sometimes longer and than they seem to swap again.

I've rebuilt this media center box 3 times now and each time the same channel swapping occurs.  I've tried both .29 and .30 drivers.

Details:
Cable Provider: Insight Communications (Columbus, OH)
TV Cards:  1) Avermedia MN780 (Analog/QAM) [tried .29 and.30 drivers]
                   2) ATI HDTV Wonder (only using digital tuner via Antenna) [Vista OEM drivers]
OS: Vista SP1 With TV Pack

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated

MYN, I'm admittedly a newbie here as I can't even get my QAM channels to display in the first place, but I was just wondering if your cable company wasn't to blame.  They are under no obligation to keep the QAM channels mapped consistently and I've heard stories about them moving them around randomly.  Maybe you could get a hold of a high level tech support person who could tell you if the QAM mappings changed recently on their end.  Just a thought.

Oddly enough the other TV's in my house with QAM tuners don't swap channels.  Thats why I think its specific to the M-780 and/or TVPack.

Check for a couple of other of my (Supra-TT) posts today (my main VMC system w/TV Pack has dual AverMedia M780 Combo tuners).  As of ~last week I've had one QAM channel swap (ABC 11.1 showing contents of the ABC 11.3 weather subchannel).  I rebuilt that system over the weekend from scratch, and still have the channel swap.  One other system in my house (VMC w/TV Pack but with an ATI Theater Pro 650 combo tuner) *also* recently is getting the same QAM channel swap... but a reference actual HDTV in my house w/QAM support is seeing *no* problems on 11.1, 11.2, 11.3...

So, I believe this QAM channel swap issue isn't directly a problem with the AverMedia M780 (or any other) tuner card... I think it's a SW-related TV Pack issue (maybe tied into the EPG download issue as well, since that is what I first noticed on my main VMC system, causing my rebuild effort over this past weekend).

Maybe the TGB-metioned Windows Update patches (due tomorrow?) will help... I am waiting to see what's up there before I make any more moves...

Good Luck to all of us!!

---

Intel Core 2 Extreme quad core 2.93GHz-8M/Intel S975XBX2 "Bad Axe II"/Corsair 2GB DDR2-800/Nvidia 8800GT XXX PCI-E/Dual AverMedia M780 Combo HDTV/Seagate Barracuda ES2 1.0TB SATA RAID/Sony DRU-710A DVD-RW/XBOX 360 as Media Center Extender

automated99:

Sorry guys on getting back to you. I will be at that particular clients house tomorrow afternoon and will get the model number. If I have time while there I will go through the set up menu and jot dowm the settings. However it may not be till later in the week. Major remodel is being done and the MEC may be sealed off for dust.

 

Anything yet?

The 650 (PCI version) will do analog OR digital, but not simultaneously. I believe the PCI-e version has two tuners, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I have two 650-PCI's and I can tell you they will do clear-QAM with the TV-Pack.

I'm interested to find out what this statement from today's update means:

"Addresses an issue with .wtv files that are listed as unsupported file type after the third-party decoders are installed."

I can't believe how much faith I had in this card!  What a waste of time.  I ordered it from NewEgg and I thought I was getting a great SD/HD QAM combo card.  Especially with the thread on this forum and the help from AverMedia with the beta drivers.  I got the QAM to work (don't forget to split your cable and use both of the cable inputs on the card, boys and girls!  My silly self thought the other was antenna only and thought the it would split HD & SD signals itself like how I assumed my cable box worked, which now I know better, as they send SD channels digital too) after the antenna would be unreliable at times in picking up signal (it's not like I moved it to change reception!) but I still had problems with both HD and SD.  The signal for HD would crap out or say there was no signal, as if it was on antenna!  And on SD, (mostly when switching from HD to SD channels) many times the audio and video would fail and I'd hear a high-pitched squeaking sound.  I've tried drivers .19, .29., and .30.  I've downloaded and installed the TV Pack on my VMC.  I've returned it to exchange with another.  Still the same issue!  Either this batch of hardware has this issue, or they all do!  I have a brand new HP Slimline Core 2 Duo Vista x64 which I thought the PCIe would be perferct for.  I am done with the hassle, I just went for the HD HomeRun today at NewEgg which was on sale.  For any SD recordings, maybe I can buy a cheaper SD tuner with an MCE remote, and finally I'll have the best solution and be rid of my monthly motorola DVR rental from Comcast!