Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows® XP Media Center®

FIGURE 7.1

The channel-

specific program

guide view is a

handy way to

check the show

lineup on a

single channel.

CHAPTER 7 FINDING SHOWS TO RECORD

95

Using the Program Guide

If you want to find out what’s on TV, the way to start is by accessing the guide

itself. The easiest way to get there is to press the Guide button on the remote

control. However, you can also navigate to the guide by using Media Center’s

onscreen menus:

1. Press Start on the remote.

2. Select My TV.

3. Select Guide.

The guide’s initial view (see Figure 7.2) shows the channel you are on, and the

current listing for what’s playing now. You can use the Right (→) navigation button

on the remote to scroll ahead and view what’s coming up in the next several hours.

(Unfortunately, you can’t scroll to the left past the channel listing itself. There is

no support for viewing listings of shows that already aired—but what’s the point

of living in the past, anyway?)

FIGURE 7.2

The guide dis-

plays an hour

and a half of

programming

on your current

channel, and

the next six

channels in

your local

channel lineup.

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

You can use the Up and Down navigation

buttons to view listings on other channels, or

you can press Ch/Pg+ or Ch/Pg- to scroll through

the listings page by page (seven channels at a

time). If you’re using your keyboard instead of

the remote, press the Page Up or Page Down

keys to achieve the same effect.

When you find a show you want to tune to, just

highlight the listing and press OK. My TV will

change the channel and switch from the Guide

view to full-screen mode.

Sorting the Program Guide

Here’s a great undocumented feature of the

guide that will help you zero in on exactly what

you’re in the mood to watch: While the guide

is displayed onscreen, press the Guide button

again. The program description at the bottom

of the screen will be replaced by a series of

categories: All Channels, Movies, News, Sports,

Kids, and Music (see Figure 7.3). Select one of

these categories and you will automatically sort

your guide so that it displays only programs

matching that description.

tip

Want to view listings

farther into the future?

Pressing the Right (→)

navigation button only moves

you ahead one-half hour at a

time. To zoom ahead three

hours in the program

guide, press Fwd (Rew will take

you back three hours). To skip

ahead a full 12 hours, press the

Skip button (Replay will move you

back 12 hours).

tip

If you’ve been perusing

what’s coming up over the

next several hours, and want

to get back to seeing what’s

on right now, press Guide on

the remote to return to the

current time slot.

FIGURE 7.3

Pressing the

Guide button

on the remote

control twice

gives you access

to six ways to

sort the EPG by

program type.

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Customizing Your Program Guide

Now that you know how to get around in the program guide, you may want to take

a minute and fine-tune your EPG listings. Among the things you can do:

■ Hide channels you don’t receive—or don’t want—so they are no longer

displayed on your program guide

■ Reconfigure your EPG by changing your channel-guide lineup

■ Force a fresh download of guide data from Media Center’s EPG provider

Hiding Channels

When you come across listings for channels you don’t actually receive from your TV

programming service, or if you keep coming across listings for channels you can get

but don’t actually want, it’s a simple procedure to hide those listings from view:

1. Press the MY TV button on the remote (on HP remotes, use the TV button).

2. Select Settings.

3. Select Guide Settings.

4. Select Edit Guide Listings.

5. From the Edit Guide Listings screen (see Figure 7.4), use the navigation

buttons on your remote control to scroll through the list until you find a

channel you want to hide.