Preparation

Ensure that you have the latest drivers for your video card installed. Video card drivers can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website:

NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
ATI/AMD: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
Intel: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx

Windows Media Center Installation

Please install Windows Media Center before installing the HDHomeRun software.

Windows Media Center is currently available as $9.99 upgrade from Microsoft for Windows 8 Pro users. Users of the standard (non-Pro) edition of Windows 8 will need to upgrade to the Windows 8 Pro Pack, $99.99 from Microsoft. Follow the instructions below to upgrade.

If you are not already at the Start screen, press the Windows key to access it
At the Start screen, type “add fe” (without the quotes), click Settings, then Add features to Windows 8
If you do not already have a product key, click I want to buy a product key online
- If you already have a key, click I already have a product key, enter it on the following screen, and proceed with the wizard
Click Choose
Enter your credit card or Paypal information, then click Next
Confirm that your information is entered correctly, check the I agree to the terms and conditions box, and click Buy
You will be thanked for your order and shown the product key. You can write this down if you want; it will also be emailed to you. Click Next.
Check the I accept the license terms box, and then click Add features. Note that your PC will restart after this, so save all your work beforehand.
You will get a progress bar as WMC installs, then the PC will restart
The WMC tile will now be visible on the Start screen

HDHomeRun Software Installation

Download and install the latest HDHomeRun software from downloads.
Open HDHomeRun Setup
On the Location tab, set the Country and Zip/Postal Code
On the Applications tab, set the Main Application to Windows Media Center
On the Tuners tab, set the Signal Source to CableCARD for each of your HDHomeRun PRIME tuners.
On the CableCARD tab, click Scan to download a channel list from the CableCARD. Uncheck the boxes for any channels you don’t subscribe to or otherwise don’t wish to see in Windows Media Player/HDHomeRun QuickTV. If you do not receive a channel list, this maans the card has not yet received programming information from the cable provider. Follow the steps in the next section to activate the card.

CableCARD Activation

Your CableCARD must be activated (paired) with your HDHomeRun PRIME in order to receive copy-protected content. This normally only needs to be done once, unless you switch to a different CableCARD, or insert your CableCARD into a different device.

On the Tuners tab in HDHomeRun Setup, click on one of the Tuner IDs to access your HDHomeRun PRIME’s webpage. This can also be done by clicking the link on the Device tab in HDHomeRun Config GUI, or by directly navigating to the IP address of your HDHomeRun.
Click on Status Menu. In the Summary section, you will see the current status of the CableCARD in your HDHomeRun PRIME. Verify that Card Authentication and Card OOB Lock show success. If Card OOB Lock does not show success, this suggests that your HDHomeRun PRIME does not have a good cable connection. Verify that the TV cable is securely connected to the RF in port on your HDHomeRun PRIME and to the wall outlet or splitter.
Follow your cable provider’s directions for activating your CableCARD. This normally involves calling the cable company or accessing a web page and providing the CableCARD ID and Host ID (and if using a Motorola CableCARD, the Data number) listed on the Status page. The activation process can take anywhere from 1-30 minutes depending on the cable provider. Refresh the Status page every few minutes to check to see if the process is complete, indicated by the Card Activation status showing success.

Windows Media Center – Digital Cable Advisor

The Digital Cable Advisor needs to be installed and run once on each PC you wish to use with your HDHomeRun PRIME.

Open Windows Media Center. If WMC opens fullscreen, restore it so that it is in windowed mode.
In the Extras section, click on Extras Gallery
Click on the Digital Cable Advisor, and follow the prompts to install
Go back to the main WMC screen, and in the Extras section, click on Extras Library
Click on Digital Cable Advisor and follow the prompts to update your system for CableCARD support

Windows Media Center – Configuration

Open Windows Media Center
Click Tasks, then Settings, then TV, then TV Signal, then Set Up TV Signal
Confirm your region and click Next
Enter your ZIP/postal code and click Next
Read and agree to the Program Guide Terms of Service, and click Next
If prompted read and agree to the PlayReady terms. Click Next. If it has not already been installed, PlayReady will now download and install.
Windows Media Center will now download configuration data and detect the tuners you have installed. Verify that it detects all 3 of your HDHomeRun PRIME tuners, select Yes, configure TV with these results and click Next. If it has not already been completed, WMC will now activate support for copy protected channels. If you have not already completed the Digital Cable Advisor, this step will fail, and you will need to go back and do that, before starting setup over.
Select Yes to set up Windows Media Center for use with a CableCARD, and click Next
If you are shown a message about activating your CableCARD, click Next
If your are shown a Call Your Cable Company screen, click Next
If prompted, select your cable provider from the list (make sure to choose the Digital option if available) and click Next
Click Next. WMC will new download guide information.
Click Finish

Using Windows Media Center

To watch live TV: from the main screen, click TV, then Live TV
To see the guide: from the main screen, click TV, then Guide
To see a mini guide when watching TV: click the Guide button at the bottom
To record a single program: Locate it in the guide, click on it, and click Record
To record a series: Locate one airing in the series, click on it, and click Record Series
To change where recordings are stored: from the main screen, click Tasks, then Settings, then TV, then Recorder, then Recorder storage. Other drives can be selected using the +/- icons.

Troubleshooting

Windows Media Center reports No tuners found when trying to complete TV setup

Open HDHomeRun Config GUI and verify that the tuners are listed in the left column
Open Computer Management (right click on Computer, choose Manage) and click on Services in the left column
Verify that the SSDP Discovery service is not Disabled, and is Started
Verify that the HDHomeRun Service is not Disabled, and is Started
Close the Services Management window
Open Control Panel, click on Network and Sharing Center, then Change advanced sharing settings
Verify that Turn on network discovery is selected, and click Save Changes if needed
Open Command Prompt as Administrator (Start > All Programs > Accessories > right click on Command Prompt > Run as Administrator
Run
c:\windows\ehome\ehprivjob.exe /OCURDiscovery
This should list the HDHomeRun PRIME tuners
Reopen Windows Media Center and access the TV setup wizard again

Video Error: Files needed to display video are not installed

This error is often caused by an incompatibility between the MS audio decoder and HDMI audio drivers on the PC. Update the drivers for the sound card, and if separate, HDMI audio, from the manufacturer. Do not rely on automatic software installs through Device Manager or Windows Update as these can be out of date. If the error persists, disable HDMI audio output. If the error no longer appears, this confirms that the issue is with HDMI audio, and you should contact the hardware manufacturer for assistance.

Service unavailable/no TV signal on all channels after initial setup

If the HDHomeRun software was installed prior to the installation of Windows Media Center, the firewall rules might not have been installed correctly. You may need to add the rule manually

Mouse over the bottom-right corner of the screen, and click Settings
Click Control Panel
Click System and Security
Click Allow and app through Windows Firewall
Click Change settings
If Windows Media Center Receiver Service is present in the list, check all boxes for it, then click OK. If Windows Media Center Receiver Service is not listed:
1. Click Allow another app…
2. Click Browse
3. Navigate to c:\Windows\ehome, select ehrecvr (not ehrec), and click Open
4. Click Add
5. Windows Media Center Receiver should now be present. Check all boxes for it.
6. Click OK
WMC will not find tuners with ffdshow/codec packs installed
The ffdshow program, which is available both as a standalone program and as part of almost every codec pack, is known to crash the Windows Media Center Receiver Service in Windows 8. The Windows Media Center Receiver Service is the component of Windows Media Center that actually communicates with tuners. If it crashes, you may see symptoms such as WMC being unable to find tuners during the setup process, or showing a Viewing or Listening Conflict during live TV. These events will typically be accompanied by an event in the event log listing the module as ff_acm.acm. To resolve this issue, uninstall the ffdshow program, as well as any codec packs on the PC, including but not limited to Shark007, K-Lite, CCCP, and Media Player Codec Pack, and then reboot the PC.