Not possible to set up OTA digital for Canadian locations?

[mlord]

Short version:

The current method for populating the channel guide for OTA analog in Canada permits only analog channels, not digital. Is there an easy way to fix this?

The long version:

I have an hdhomerun ATSC tuner that I want to use alongside some PVR-250 analog tuners. For over-the-air, Canadians MUST follow this twisty path through the channel setup menus (try this yourself, just for fun):

1) Use "US, Canada, or XMLTV Guide Data with this Source".
2) Now choose "Cable or Satellite", rather than "Local Broadcast(Over-The-Air)" because OTA lists only USA cities, nothing from Canada.
3) Use Zip/Postal Code: I enter mine: K2H6S1 (try it!)
4) We then get another "Antenna" option here, at the top of the list of cableTV providers: select "Antenna" now.
5) Use "Extended Basic Service".
6) Now we are presented with a list of local OTA analog channels.
7) If I scan for digital channels, they get added to the lineup, but are not watchable (just snow on the screen, probably due to using QAM instead of 8vsb), and they are not actually selectable with the channel up/down buttons on the remote control afterwards.

Conclusion: cannot mix analog / digital here. Surely there must be a sane way to fix this?

I think one option might be to provide an "Antenna -- Digital" lineup option alongside the "Antenna -- Analog" lineup (??)

Cheers

[cummings66]

You do not get snow with digital, you get no signal. So, I'd say Sage is confusing tuners somehow for you.

I've had this happen using the xmltv plugin, but the builtin guide works fine and both will tune. So, right now here in the US I'm without an analog tuner because I'd rather watch digital and the plugin won't work with both for some reason.

I can't use the builtin guide due to it's being brain dead and not handling all the local channels correctly, even though they're on zap's site and carried on cable systems. xmltv plugin is the only way I have and like you I can not use both digital and analog because Sage gets confused as to which tuner to use.

[mlord]

Originally Posted by cummings66

You do not get snow with digital, you get no signal. So, I'd say Sage is confusing tuners somehow for you ... and like you I can not use both digital and analog because Sage gets confused as to which tuner to use.

Ah well.. that is a show stopper for me. I need both analog and digital to work, and both must work with some form of EPG.

Back to Myth for now.

Cheers

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by mlord

Ah well.. that is a show stopper for me. I need both analog and digital to work, and both must work with some form of EPG.

Back to Myth for now.

Cheers

Have you asked Sage for help via the Support ticket system or Bug Suport System for Offical Support? The forums are for user-to-user support and can help in many situations, but sometimes you need offical support. And by working with Sage direct, you may get your "I think one option might be to provide an "Antenna -- Digital" lineup option alongside the "Antenna -- Analog" lineup (??)" or else, some other way to accomplish it.

[heffe2001]

I posted on your thread over at the HD Homerun forums about the audio level problem you're having, but also listed some ideas for your EPG issues as well.

As for your questions about the guide info (digital/analog and the guides), you'd probalby be better off to use XMLTV for at least your digital guide, as you can change the channels numbering in sage, bypassing your tuning problems. I'm in the process of setting mine up to use the built in guide for my analog & digital cable box tuners, and my firewire HD tuner, and XMLTV for the HDHomerun (I get channels on it that aren't on any lineup close to me, so I made a small custom lineup on Zap2It for it), and a merged Zap2It/Mytheatre EPG lineup for Dish. So far it seems to work pretty well on my test machine, and I plan on putting it on my main server tonight...