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SageTV HD300 Announced - Page 2

post #31 of 674
8/31/10 at 11:32am
The more I read about SageTV, it isn't quite the all-in-one box I was thinking it might be. The Dunes still seem the better choice for a videophile setup w/complete HD audio support, including multichannel LPCM. Web content streamers like the Roku and upcoming Boxee Box have Netflix and much wider variety of choices. The SageTV HD300 is some of both the Dunes and Roku/Boxee, but with live TV viewing/recording support. I saw old news articles mentioning Hulu and Netflix integration into SageTV, but it appears neither has happened (or is going to?).
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post #32 of 674
8/31/10 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brajesh View Post

The more I read about SageTV, it isn't quite the all-in-one box I was thinking it might be. The Dunes still seem the better choice for a videophile setup w/complete HD audio support, including multichannel LPCM. Web content streamers like the Roku and upcoming Boxee Box have Netflix and much wider variety of choices. The SageTV HD300 is some of both the Dunes and Roku/Boxee, but with live TV viewing/recording support. I saw old news articles mentioning Hulu and Netflix integration into SageTV, but it appears neither has happened (or is going to?).

Agreed. As far as Netflix/Hulu SageTV and Dune are currently both identical in that they both require PlayOn.
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post #33 of 674
8/31/10 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by palehorse View Post

Such as? Even without the added DVR functionality, I don't see any options elsewhere that have more to offer in terms of online and local photo/video/music streaming. The same? perhaps... worse? definitely! But, what other under-$200 streamer offers "more"?

I'm not saying it is better or worse than anything else. I'm just saying that if you are looking for a stand alone streamer box, the HD300 isn't as big of a standout. It's got good specs, and Sage has a history of delivering on the specs they claim, but there are other options that may or may not attract other people, ability to mount a drive inside the player is a plus for some for instance.

Personally, If I only wanted something to stream my ripped discs off of a NAS or a USB drive, I'd probably buy one of the new Dunes for their ability to handle BR menus, etc. No they are not as cheap as the HD300, but absolute lowest price is not my main motivator.

That said, I personally prefer to run my Sage extenders as extenders hooked to a computer that houses all the disc rips and a couple of TV tuners (plus runs Play On). As such, nothing available matches the whole house integration that the Sage system offers.

-Suntan
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post #34 of 674
8/31/10 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by palehorse View Post

Sadly, I don't see Cablecard support happening anytime soon, so WMC still has that one great advantage for those who are willing to dish out the $$ for Ceton's new tuner.

I'm just starting to ramp up on this stuff, so there's a good possibility I have no clue what I'm talking about. That said ...


http://hd.engadget.com/2010/03/17/a-...ndaids-by-thi/

Long term (end of 2012), the FCC looks to be mandating the design that CE's such as TiVo and Sony have been pushing ...
Quote:


a residential IP gateway that is open and that will provide same abilities as your provider's equipment, and most importantly, it should enable the very same gear to work no matter what type of service you prefer, whether it be satellite, cable or fiber -- for example, via various gateways the same TiVo would work with either DirecTV or Comcast.

More interesting for the short-term however, the FCC is mandating several 'fixes' to the current CableCard model to be addressed this year. They include:
  • Ditch Tuning Adapters and let devices with Ethernet ports communicate upstream via IP to tune SDV channels.
  • If a customer has a CableCARD in their leased set-top box, it must be reflected on the bill like any other CableCARD would.
  • If the provider offers a self install for leased set-top boxes, they must also allow self install of a CableCARD.
  • Software shouldn't require the same CableLabs certification hardware does.

The implication of that last one are most relevant to this thread.

Quote:


But the last one might just be our favorite, it would allow anyone to write software to support CableCARD tuners for PCs. This would mean that if SageTV wanted to support CableCARD it wouldn't have to pay thousands to CableLabs to be certified -- although it would have to pay for a PlayReady license as it's the only DRM currently approved. Now we always suspected that SageTV wanted to support CableCARDs and based on the fact that this new rule is because of comments by the company to the FCC, it appears to be the case.




Coincidentally, or more likely not coincidentally, SageTV LLC is now licensed to use PlayReady licensee.

http://www.microsoft.com/PlayReady/L...licensees.mspx


hmmm ...
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post #35 of 674
9/1/10 at 3:39am
DTS downmix support! Praise be to !
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post #36 of 674
9/1/10 at 4:27am
Thread Starter 
Writeup/Review of HD300 by Geektonic:

http://www.geektonic.com/2010/08/sag...geektonic.html
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post #37 of 674
9/1/10 at 5:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raistlin_HT View Post

Long term (end of 2012), the FCC looks to be mandating the design that CE's such as TiVo and Sony have been pushing ...

"Open" and "interoperable" don't mean the same thing...
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post #38 of 674
9/1/10 at 6:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kjack View Post

"Open" and "interoperable" don't mean the same thing...

Possibly, but since the ruling is claimed to be in response to TiVo (at least in part), wouldn't that imply it is 'open'? Otherwise TiVo is in the exact same position they are in now? Or does your semantic distinction imply something different?

I'm interested in continuing this discussion, but we may want to bring it to another thread lest we derail the current one. While I included a quick summary of the cable card 'replacement' info since it was part of the article, obviously the more relevant info was what followed since it may directly affect the product this thread is directed at.
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post #39 of 674
9/1/10 at 9:45am
Looks like a do-it-all player that could also eliminate my Tivo bill. I need time to study-up on this what a great time to be in the market for a player!
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post #40 of 674
9/1/10 at 10:00am
For online content, Boxee still looks better to me. Both in terms of UI and choices. With SageTV, I see YouTube, but what else is there? Is there a comprehensive list somewhere?
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post #41 of 674
9/1/10 at 10:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brajesh View Post

For online content, Boxee still looks better to me. Both in terms of UI and choices. With SageTV, I see YouTube, but what else is there? Is there a comprehensive list somewhere?

It is somewhat limited in standalone mode (Youtube, Google video and a bunch of different podcasts available about the net.) As an extender, it also supports Play ON which gives you access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon VOD, etc.

Right now there is rampant speculation in the Sage forums that native Netflix support may become available at some point, but it is just that, rampant speculation.

If a person wants a stand alone player to access internet feeds; get a roku or wait for popbox, boxeebox, GoggleTV, etc. or perhaps that new company that popped up on the net: whitehatt (there are a couple of posts about it over in the HTPC forum.)

-Suntan
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post #42 of 674
9/1/10 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by APorter View Post

this is from the Missing Remote review "Unfortunately multi-channel PCM output is not supported on the device either in native (i.e. LPCM in a file container) or when decoded on the device (WMAPro, FLAC, DTS, etc.)."

Sorry for the ambiguity (it's been corrected in the review). Only the multi-channel part isn't supported. Anything that isn't bit streamed is output as stereo only.
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post #43 of 674
9/1/10 at 3:46pm
If you are ripping to lossless FLAC can you still technically bitstream than rather than try to use LCPM?
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post #44 of 674
9/1/10 at 3:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpoet View Post

If you are ripping to lossless FLAC can you still technically bitstream than rather than try to use LCPM?

No, unfortuantely lossless FLAC will be decoded by the HD300 and sent out as 2 ch stereo
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post #45 of 674
9/1/10 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post


No, unfortuantely lossless FLAC will be decoded by the HD300 and sent out as 2 ch stereo

Ah well... Staying with my Dune preorders then .
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post #46 of 674
9/1/10 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

No, unfortuantely lossless FLAC will be decoded by the HD300 and sent out as 2 ch stereo

A firmware update was released tonight that addresses this. Non Dolby/DTS multi-channel formats are output as multi-channel PCM now.
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post #47 of 674
9/1/10 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by babgvant View Post


A firmware update was released tonight that addresses this. Non Dolby/DTS multi-channel formats are output as multi-channel PCM now.

Well damn, that solves one of the only problems with this system. I'm in for one... possibly two.
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post #48 of 674
9/2/10 at 3:37am
You know...I've always been interested in SageTV and this might do it for me.
For the price of the extender I can easily add these all over the house and have a single custom interface pushed out while only having to maintain the server.
Heck, I may even add a qam tuner just for the h3ll of it!

I'll be keeping an eye on this as for now I have a few WD Lives...but they may be for sale soon!
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post #49 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by babgvant View Post


A firmware update was released tonight that addresses this. Non Dolby/DTS multi-channel formats are output as multi-channel PCM now.

Oh that does make it more attractive! . I wonder why it can do it with non-Dolby but not withDolby? Licensing?
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post #50 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:22am
OK, I ordered one along with a copy of the server software. Since I'm running WHS, I grabbed a copy of that version, along with a copy of MyMovies for WHS, and the Sage My Movies plugin.

Can one of you SageTV gurus jumpstart the process and tell me, or link me to, the short and sweet how-to for getting these three pieces up and running so that I can use the slick UI when my shiny new HD300 arrives?

I'll be glad to document my experiences with the product right here. So far? The ordering and download process were too easy. However, it does take a little extra persistence to ensure you grab the correct versions of Sage and MyMovies for WHS.

Installation time...
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post #51 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by palehorse View Post

OK, I ordered one along with a copy of the server software. Since I'm running WHS, I grabbed a copy of that version, along with a copy of MyMovies for WHS, and the Sage My Movies plugin.

Can one of you SageTV gurus jumpstart the process and tell me, or link me to, the short and sweet how-to for getting these three pieces up and running so that I can use the slick UI when my shiny new HD300 arrives?

I'll be glad to document my experiences with the product right here. So far? The ordering and download process were too easy. However, it does take a little extra persistence to ensure you grab the correct versions of Sage and MyMovies for WHS.

Installation time...

Where did you find the specific whs version of Sage? Looking at the order page it isn't clear
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post #52 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by palehorse View Post

OK, I ordered one along with a copy of the server software. Since I'm running WHS, I grabbed a copy of that version, along with a copy of MyMovies for WHS, and the Sage My Movies plugin.

Can one of you SageTV gurus jumpstart the process and tell me, or link me to, the short and sweet how-to for getting these three pieces up and running so that I can use the slick UI when my shiny new HD300 arrives?

I'll be glad to document my experiences with the product right here. So far? The ordering and download process were too easy. However, it does take a little extra persistence to ensure you grab the correct versions of Sage and MyMovies for WHS.

Installation time...

Here is a walkthrough I put together on Sage My Movies:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010...7-walkthrough/

Geektonic (http://www.geektonic.com/) has excellent SageTV info as well
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post #53 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:35am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpoet View Post

Where did you find the specific whs version of Sage? Looking at the order page it isn't clear

You want the Version 7 beta here:

http://www.sagetv.com/betadownload.html
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post #54 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpoet View Post

Where did you find the specific whs version of Sage? Looking at the order page it isn't clear

Once you order the software, you receive an email with these links to all of the versions, including the v7 beta:
http://www.sage.tv/download.html
http://www.sage.tv/beta.html
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post #55 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post


Here is a walkthrough I put together on Sage My Movies:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010...7-walkthrough/

Geektonic (http://www.geektonic.com/) has excellent SageTV info as well

Damien, what kind of whs server do you have? I ask only because I have a mod'd media smart 470 and I worry it will lack the oomph to handle Sage, MyMovies, etc
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post #56 of 674
9/2/10 at 6:56am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpoet View Post

Damien, what kind of whs server do you have? I ask only because I have a mod'd media smart 470 and I worry it will lack the oomph to handle Sage, MyMovies, etc

I originally had an EX470 but now I have a custom build. Your EX470 should be fine, when I had my EX470 (not modded) I had SageTV and MyMovies on it without a problem. Also, for MyMovies you are going to need to install it on a desktop PC to manage your MyMovies Database (i.e Collection Management)
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post #57 of 674
9/2/10 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Here is a walkthrough I put together on Sage My Movies:

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010...7-walkthrough/

Geektonic (http://www.geektonic.com/) has excellent SageTV info as well

Perfect... thank you!
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post #58 of 674
9/2/10 at 7:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpoet View Post

Oh that does make it more attractive! . I wonder why it can do it with non-Dolby but not withDolby? Licensing?

For core I think the main reason is that it's not useful - I've never seen an AVR w/ HDMI that doesn't decode DD/DTS. On the lossless side, I've heard that it's not possible for non-BD players to license 7.1 decoding.
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post #59 of 674
9/2/10 at 8:06am
Glad to see people interested in Sage. It is a good product put out by a company that stands behind their offerings.

Just a general note for anyone buying in at this time. I would *highly* suggest that if you are buying/installing SageTV on your PC for the first time that you jump straight to the V7 beta and skip the V6.6 that is officially the latest release.

V7 Beta has a lot of updates over V6.6, and it is quite stable. Further, if you are looking to dive into the 3rd party tweaks (and you really should as there is a lot offered which lets you truly tweak Sage just the way you want it) the unified modification installer thing that is built into V7 is *much* more user friendly than the manual method required in V6.6

In general, if you are looking to run Sage headless (the computer just records shows and serves the content to an extender or another PC running Sage Client) the requirements are quite low for the basic sage setup. Anything available today including an Atom PC could run it in this manor. That said, if you are looking to support a device running in Placshifter (server automatically transcodes video/audio and sends it out over the internet connection for viewing wherever you are on the net) then the horsepower requirements will be higher. Also, if you add some of the popular 3rd party add ons (the add on that scans recordings for commercials and flags them for automatic skipping for example, or running the Play On server for access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon VOD, etc.) you may want a beefier processor to accommodate those features.

-Suntan
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post #60 of 674
9/2/10 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suntan View Post

Glad to see people interested in Sage. It is a good product put out by a company that stands behind their offerings.

Just a general note for anyone buying in at this time. I would *highly* suggest that if you are buying/installing SageTV on your PC for the first time that you jump straight to the V7 beta and skip the V6.6 that is officially the latest release.

V7 Beta has a lot of updates over V6.6, and it is quite stable. Further, if you are looking to dive into the 3rd party tweaks (and you really should as there is a lot offered which lets you truly tweak Sage just the way you want it) the unified modification installer thing that is built into V7 is *much* more user friendly than the manual method required in V6.6

In general, if you are looking to run Sage headless (the computer just records shows and serves the content to an extender or another PC running Sage Client) the requirements are quite low for the basic sage setup. Anything available today including an Atom PC could run it in this manor. That said, if you are looking to support a device running in Placshifter (server automatically transcodes video/audio and sends it out over the internet connection for viewing wherever you are on the net) then the horsepower requirements will be higher. Also, if you add some of the popular 3rd party add ons (the add on that scans recordings for commercials and flags them for automatic skipping for example, or running the Play On server for access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon VOD, etc.) you may want a beefier processor to accommodate those features.

-Suntan

Is the PlayOn server software run on the WHS system as well? Is it an extensive install process, or is there a simple addon -- like SMM -- that can be added through the simple modification installer?
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