building my second media center machine

[ripplingj]

Hello Everyone
I currently have a media center that is running on an older pc it is the prismiq system. I am looking to upgrade this because i want to get pvr support to be able to watch and record tv shows. I have done alot of research and it seems that sagetv is very good and reliable. I would like to create a media center system that hosts up all my music and all my dvds that i have transfered to my hard drive. I would like to have a server and some type of cheap client connected to my tvs. I have two televisions in my apartment and dont mind paying for sagetv but it seems that the media extenders are expensive does anyone know how to make one or have any ideas on cheapers ones that are small with remotes? I would like to also connect to the server over the internet from my apartment where there is dsl and have a client connected to my tv at my camp where i have dsl. I would like to be able to watch tv at the camp and have people at my house watch tv and have it not be slow over the internet. I have read that placeshifter will work for this but like i said does anyone know how to create a client or media player that is small has a remote and is cheap. Does anyone have a configuration like this that can help me out and give me some hints tips on how to do this before i embark on creating this media center.

thanks for all your help !!

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by ripplingj

I would like to create a media center system that hosts up all my music and all my dvds that i have transfered to my hard drive. I would like to have a server and some type of cheap client connected to my tvs. I have two televisions in my apartment and dont mind paying for sagetv but it seems that the media extenders are expensive does anyone know how to make one or have any ideas on cheapers ones that are small with remotes?

Once you have your main system/server built and have SageTV installed there, I have to ask:

What would you consider inexpensive for a client or extender?

The SageTV Media Extender (wired version) is roughly $110, giving you full access for SageTV's features on a 2nd TV.

- Andy

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by Opus4

What would you consider inexpensive for a client or extender?

I would like to be able to diy something or buy another product for around $50 if that is possible.

$110 is a little expensive if i have 3 tv then that is $330 but if i can do something around $50 then thats $150 just wondering if its possible... not to sound cheap but have gone back to school and what not so the cheaper the better ... if its possible that is ??

[MeInMaui]

Well, I suppose you could go the old fashioned way and split the Audio/Video out of your computer to all of the TV's. Add an RF remote so you can control SageTV through walls and there you have it. You just wouldn't be able to watch different things through Sage on different TV's at the same time. I used to do this with my TiVo between our livingroom and bedroom. It actually worked pretty well. You could probably do the whole thing for significantly less than $100. Just a thought.

Aloha,
Mike

[blade]

Originally Posted by ripplingj

I would like to be able to diy something or buy another product for around $50 if that is possible.

$110 is a little expensive if i have 3 tv then that is $330 but if i can do something around $50 then thats $150 just wondering if its possible... not to sound cheap but have gone back to school and what not so the cheaper the better ... if its possible that is ??

Not going to happen, expecting something for $50 is a little too cheap.

I don't believe you need licenses for all of them if you don't plan to use them all at once. You'd only need as many licenses as simultaneous instances you plan to run. That would save you a little money. You can get just the media extenders for around $80-90 without the client license. Maybe even cheaper off E-bay. Awhile back RadioShack a clearance sale and was dumping them for $39. I've been kicking myself for not picking some up at that price.

BTW good luck with school.

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by blade

You'd only need as many licenses as simultaneous instances you plan to run.

How much are the licenses if i want to use it simultanously?

Can i use a different type of media extender the MVP or anything ?

does anyone know of any sites on the internet other then ebay that might sell media extenders for cheap that work with sage tv

Originally Posted by blade

BTW good luck with school.

Thank you very much

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by blade

Maybe even cheaper off E-bay.

I tried to do a search and didn't find any on e-bay i was searching for sagetv media extender? Do you have any suggestions for a different search criteria?

[MeInMaui]

Here is a MediaMVP at ebay with a 'Buy it now' price of $75.

Each license for simultaneous use is about $30, I think.

Aloha,
Mike

P.S. What field are you going back to school for?

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

What field are you going back to school for?

I am going back to school for computer science I want to be either a DBA or do programming

I looked at the media MVP
If i get this product how do i customize it to get the sagetv interface on it?
Also how do i connect this through the internet back to my sagetv server?

[blade]

The MVP is currently the only media extender that works with the Sage software. Any future extenders will most likely be more expensive HD capable units. You just can't get much more cost effective than the current MVP units for SD.

If you purchase the extender from Sage it is $109 and comes with the MVP and Extender License (which also works as a placeshifter license).

You can purchase just the license from Sage for $30 or from Pcalchemy for $25. BTW the server license is also cheaper from Pcalchemy.

Search E-bay for Hauppauge MVP. Here is a search I did and there are several.

You'd need 3 extender/placeshifter licenses to watch both TVs with MVPs and at the camp at the same time. You could get by with just 1 license if you were only planning to watch one at a time.

[MeInMaui]

Um, maybe I don't understand your planned setup. What do you mean by 'connect through the internet'? The MVP will only work on the local network with you sage server. To access your recordings over the internet you would need placeshifter and another computer. The good new is that the MVP and placeshifter use the same license.

As far as the MVP goes. It is the supported media extender for SageTV. The only difference is if you buy it from sage, it includes the required license. Once you set it up properly on your lan, your sage server will upload the UI to the MVP when it starts up.

Edit: Bah, I've got to learn to type faster.

[blade]

Originally Posted by ripplingj

I looked at the media MVP
If i get this product how do i customize it to get the sagetv interface on it?
Also how do i connect this through the internet back to my sagetv server?

That's what the extender client and placeshifter does. As mike said you'd need a computer at your camp, the MVP doesn't work across the net like that.

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

Um, maybe I don't understand your planned setup. What do you mean by 'connect through the internet'? The MVP will only work on the local network with you sage server.

So I wont be able to access my sagetv server over the internet at my camp by using the ip address of the server at my apartment?

What if i get the sagetv media extender ?

is there anyway to do this with a media extender?

[blade]

Originally Posted by ripplingj

So I wont be able to access my sagetv server over the internet at my camp by using the ip address of the server at my apartment?

What if i get the sagetv media extender ?

is there anyway to do this with a media extender?

Not with a media extender, you will need a PC and placeshifter licenses for that if you want to use the Sage interface.

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by blade

Not with a media extender, you will need a PC and placeshifter licenses for that if you want to use the Sage interface.

So is there a way to build a cheap small client with a remote that would be a make shift media extender with the sage client on it and placeshifter ??


Has anyone done this ??

I know i would need a small hard drive, video out card, remote, nic card, and install the sage client on there and then it would buffer the content over the internet correct??

would i need a huge hard drive, could i convert or play around with any type of hard ware that is out there or being sold on ebay like on old prismiq or an older media extender??

can you install sagetv placeshifter onto a directv tivo box?

[PGPfan]

Originally Posted by ripplingj

I tried to do a search and didn't find any on e-bay i was searching for sagetv media extender? Do you have any suggestions for a different search criteria?

All the Sage 'extenders' are actually Hauppauge Media MVP's. There is no such HARDWARE product as a "Sage" extender. Sage is only software that runs natively on the Hauppauge hardware, so you should search for the Hauppauge product.

-PGPfan

[ripplingj]

Originally Posted by PGPfan

Sage is only software that runs natively on the Hauppauge hardware, so you should search for the Hauppauge product.

So why couldn't you install placeshifter onto the MVP since sage is already installed on the media MVP hardware?

[MeInMaui]

I think we're being a little fast and loose with our terminology here. The MVP doesn't really run a full self-sufficient version of SageTV, nor do you 'install' it. When the MVP starts up it looks for a server to bind to. If you set it up to bind to the SageTV server, then the necessary code to run the sage UI on the MVP will be loaded dynamically from the server. Once booted up, the MVP only renders the UI and decodes Mpeg2 video internally. Everything else is executed on the server. The code that is loaded onto the MVP from the sage server is designed specifically to run on the MVP hardware (no small feat!). The placeshifter is a windows-based application that allows streaming of compressed video from your sage server across the internet or lan. It requires a real computer. You cannot load it onto an MVP, it is a different beast entirely. I hope this clarifies things a bit. (And I hope I didn't mess anything up.)

Aloha,
Mike

[simonen]

Keep a watchful eye out at your local radio shack...I bought 2 wired MVP's for $30/each and brand new.