SageTV screen shots from new version

[7up]

Is there a link or could someone post some screen shots from the latest version or beta of SageTV?

I thought I remember reading or seeing a new GUI or EPG that looked better than the one shown on the main Frey website.

Thank you

[dkardatzke]

The screen shots are the same for v1.4 as the ones posted on the website. The enhanced GUI was implemented for version 1.3.

[7up]

Dan,
Thanks for the reply. I don't know how to say this nicely but I think many of us find the interface... well not attractive. Have a look here for some opinions from others. This is unfortunate as most people consider SageTV the most stable PC PVR program but the interface is rather primitive looking and really needs help. Without mentioning names, I think if you guys looked at your competition in the PC arena you would get an idea of what people prefer and of course you can always get more ideas from looking at a ReplayTV or TiVo. I would think cosmetic changes would be fairly straightforward to change. Just as one example, the status bar would be fine without the blue background, with a cleaner appearance like this one. It might be worth getting someone with a design background to assist as like it or not to some degree you are judged by how you look

Any chance you guys will be updating your interface?

[mlbdude]

I believe they are changing the interface and opening it up to "skinning" with SageTV 2 due this fall. However, even though I initially complained about it, wanting to make the interface "prettier" is kind of pointless. I use my PVR to watch TV not to have fun navigating around the tool. As long as it is simple and functional (now there are a couple of imporvements that can be done here but it is still pretty good) that should be all that is important.

I for one agree with the route SageTV has taken. Build the best and most stable application first then do the fun stuff later. Besides, I have tried the "competition" and besides lacking in many essential features it is very unstable compared to Sage. Maybe they should have put more time into the application then in making it look "pretty"? Who know, at least that is my opinion Good luck.

[jmeeks]

7up, I woud like to discuss this further.

In your 2nd link you show a screen shot with very minimal OSD information/capability. I can see where you can pause and the playback status of the show is shown on the bar, but where are your other controls?

What is it specifically about the current Sage interface that you don't like? Is it because it seems to blocky? It doesn't have the minimalist approach like the example you cited? When your watching the show you don't even see the OSD and I have to agree with mlbdude that the way Sage performs is much more important than being pretty while navigating through the program.

I'm looking for ideas though, because I would like to improve/expand my graphical expectations, so I can implement them when the studio update comes out.

[7up]

The second link posted was from TheaterTek DVD player and meant only to show an example of clean OSD design. It is considered by many to have the best OSD of any of the commercial software players and was apparently developed by a member from the AVS forum. Yes the buttons and display have a more refined 3D appearance and are not "blocky." The actual layout of the buttons and EPG with SageTV is fine, but the graphics and color scheme could use help.

SageTV may be the best and most stable PVR app however its interface just isn't attractive as has been mentioned by multiple people. If the guys at Frey want to be the dominant PVR app, appearance does matter and any good marketing person will tell you that. The good news is this is just a cosmetic issue and can be addressed by an update and/or skinnable interface. I respect the fact that the interface isn't important to some people however if you want the program to succeed, its user base to grow and appeal to more people, ie more sales, the graphics needs a makeover.

[Narflex]

I agree the interface is ugly compared to others. And yes, I've read those posts on other forums. They hurt just a little bit, but it actually just drives me to make the software better.

What's interesting about SageTV2's skinning capabilities is how extensive and powerful they are...and fairly simple to use, it's all graphical. You want to see screenshots of what you can do with it? It's hard to find a screenshot of a UI for a media center app that you can't build with it.

[Lester Jacobs]

Originally posted by mlbdude
...I for one agree with the route SageTV has taken. Build the best and most stable application first then do the fun stuff later...

I totally concur. I value the incredible stability of SageTV over any eye candy. For any PVR app to survive in my household, it has to be absolutely stable. Even a single crash destroys the WAF immediately. SageTV completely kills the competition in this area, which is why I use it.

In addition, as has been mentioned before, I don't spend my time admiring the pretty menus. I'm watching TV. So the "coolness" factor of the interface is a pretty minor deal to me.

Cheers
Lester

[eruji]

You want to see screenshots of what you can do with it?

damn, enough with the teasing already!

I felt the same way about sage that 7up did at first. when you just look at appearances between the different pvr software, sage definitely looks PLAIN. However i did try out snapstream and was dissapointed with its stability. So far sagetv has been very stable.

i thought i would add some screenshots of what it looks like with a different background and tv icons.

screenshots

[jmeeks]

I think we'd all like to see some of your new screen shots Jeff!

Bring it on baby!

[fidget]

Originally posted by eruji
damn, enough with the teasing already!

screenshots

Since I am using the default SageTV setup, I didn't realize that the menu system was translucent. Does this mean that it wouldn't be very difficult to overlay the guide on top of the show that you are curerntly watching?

[dkardatzke]

Not right now, the menu overlay on the video requires the use of DirectX 9.

[Narflex]

SageTV 2 supports the DX9 VMR (but does not require it). And if you're using the DX9 VMR then you can have whatever you want transparently overlayed on your video. Like I said....its very customizable.

[eruji]

[riekl]

Let me just drop in my .02 as an outside user looking in.

I will also disclaim off the bat that I am currently a SS 3.2 customer and 3.3 betatester, however I have only been using the product for 2 weeks so am not fantically loyal to it, in fact I came here with the intention to possibly switch technologies.

Now on to a couple of points I've seen in this forum.

#1) Stability .. are you guys comparing to old versions of SS ? I have yet to have a single "crash" of any type in 13 days of 14 hour a day usage. Perhaps the stability problems were fixed before I became a SS customer ?

#2) GUI .. guys i am going to be blunt merely because that is how i felt when i saw it. SAGE is very very ugly and repuslive. It does not have the look and feel of a polished profesional application.

Now let me clarify that last statement, that certainly does NOT mean that sage is NOT a polished professional application. Merely that it does not in any way convey that image. Even the above SS's from 2.0 while MUCH better are still very amaturerish compared to your competition. Yes functionality is more important, but at the same time if your product doesn't convey the same profesional image as your competitors you aren't going to get the same fair shake you want with consumeres. Presentation is what will make or break these products, in the end they will have the same features. In brick stores its "location location location" in the software world it is "presentation presentation presentation".

The dual tuners of Sage is by far its leg up over SS almost everything else it does SS does. Yet SS has a much cleaner interface, better guide, very easy to use recompression into WMV (and in 3.3 divx !), online recording scheduling (VERY handy), and very useful easy to navigate web admin GUI.

This kind of gets down to the Windows vs Linux debate. There really is no question that performance wise Linux wins head over heels. But what is on 90% of the world's computers ? Windows .. Presentation, presentation, presentation.

[mlbdude]

Hey riekl, welcome to the forum You make good points about the interface being ugly. Go check out the tread about Sage 2.0, about the new version coming out with a WAY enhanced UI - In fact an almost limitless one it sounds like (but we will have to see).

I have tried SnapStream 3.2 myself and it is not a bad application. I do disagree that it is stable. Let me clarify, for a windows app if is not that bad. On my machine it was up for about a week before a crash (much better than the 3.0 version I tried). After that it crashed about 4 days later. For me that is not acceptable since this will not be running on my "PC" but my "HTPC" - and that is to replace a Tivo. So it should simply not crash. Now I know everyones results could be different, but the longest I had mine up was 41 days. I had to bring it down to try a new Hauppauge driver other wise who knows how long it would have gone .

It seems, from my point of view, that the application were developed very differently. One from the ground up (Sage), the other from the top down (SnapStream). If I were to develop an application I would get a super sold and robust foundation first. Then I would add cosmetics and frills. Seems like SnapStream wanted to look pretty and add in some neat features first, but I wonder if the application would not have been better off with a little more thought into its core features.

For me the killer features for Sage over SnapStream are:

Stability, Multi-Tuner, Intelligent Recording (never though about it before, but now I can't live without it), and network streaming (of same full quality as it was recorded).

The one feature that I SnapStream has that I wish Sage had was automatic transcoding into a smaller format. Though I would want it to be a more open standard codec. But I guess that would not work for me either since I record so much content with Intelligent Recording it would be transcoding forever

While I prefer Sage today, I am not unwilling to look elsewhere. If SnapStream were to come out with a version that met my requirements and looked better, I would probably not be using Sage now. I am constantly watching SnapStream and its forums myself just in case. However, after seeing how fast the Frey guys put out newer better version, I don't think SnapStream can keep up. But competition is healthy for us end user regardless.

Cheers!