Some HD Hardware Questions

[Arioch5]

I'm looking to buy an HD TV in the next 2 weeks or so. So all of a sudden I need info on how I can best set up my Sage with it. I've got a few questions that I haven't found clear answers for on the forums yet, any help would be appreciated.

1 - I will have 1 HD tv and a client on a STD TV. The client currnetly streams the video over 802.11g. If I recorde HD content in sage will I still be able to watch it on my client? Will the server down convert before sending the signal over or does the client have to do that? I don't think my client can handle much work, the server is the work horse. Also, it's on the G network and no better solution for me untill N is finalized.

2 - The only real solution I've seen for QAM tuning has been the HDHomerun thread. Is this basically the only option for unencrypted QAM tuning in sage? If there are more options can somone show me where to find a good list of them all?

3 - I'm currnetly not running the Version 6 that I now see is out. I'm on 4 or 5, I can't remember. It's the last version that you could buy w/o the free upgrade (yea I got screwed on that one). Will I need to upgrade my sage to V6.0 to use QAM? Is there an upgarde price that's cheaper than buying the server all over again?

4 - For my non HD recordings will the videocard / sage do some sort of up-converting to try and make the STD TV look decent on an HD TV?

4b - Would I be better off watching non-HD DVD's through the computer if it can "upconvert" rather than my standard DVD player?

Thanks for the help here are the specs on my current set up that's been running great for me for the last few months

Server:
Athlong 64 X2 4200+
2GB Ram
350GB HD space SATA (This has been plenty for me so far even with a few shows in HD I think I'll be fine)
GeForce 7600GT
This is the computer that I'll want to display 1080p output on.

Client
1Ghz
1Gb Ram
802.11g
Does just fine displaying and streaming the STD TV content from the server upstairs in my bedroom. I do plan to change to 802.11n once it's all finalized.

Any tips or pointers for me as I look to move into an HD tv with sage? I do not use a STB and my cable companie currently doesn't encrypt the HD content. I have friends in the area that can tune the HD content straight from the Coax, and with that nice looking HDHomerun I could even look into OTA HD if it provides an extra channle or two.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Arioch5

1 - I will have 1 HD tv and a client on a STD TV. The client currnetly streams the video over 802.11g. If I recorde HD content in sage will I still be able to watch it on my client?

Theoretically yes, in reality, if you're very lucky. Wireless (with the posible exception of the new draft-N stuff) is not reliable enough for most video, especially HD at it's >10Mbps rates.

Will the server down convert before sending the signal over or does the client have to do that?

Client does, unless it's an extender.

I don't think my client can handle much work, the server is the work horse.

What is your client? Oh, I just read that far, No, your client can't handle HD.

2 - The only real solution I've seen for QAM tuning has been the HDHomerun thread. Is this basically the only option for unencrypted QAM tuning in sage?

That or the Autumnwave Onair GT.

3 - I'm currnetly not running the Version 6 that I now see is out. I'm on 4 or 5, I can't remember. It's the last version that you could buy w/o the free upgrade (yea I got screwed on that one). Will I need to upgrade my sage to V6.0 to use QAM?

4 should work with the HDHomerun (not the Onair GT though). However there have been a lot of HD improvements since 4 that you'll probably want.

Is there an upgarde price that's cheaper than buying the server all over again?

$30, and only for the server, see the sticky thread for details.

4 - For my non HD recordings will the videocard / sage do some sort of up-converting to try and make the STD TV look decent on an HD TV?

It will do upconverting. If it looks decent or not is a personal judgement.

4b - Would I be better off watching non-HD DVD's through the computer if it can "upconvert" rather than my standard DVD player?

IMO probably, kind of depends on your set's upconverting capabilities.

[Arioch5]

Wow thanks for all those quick answers Stanger

Sounds like my biggest hurdle is going to be the fact that I can't record HD and then watch on my client. Even if you assume I wait until the 802.11N stuff is finalized to upgrade to QAM-in-sage, I'll still be unable to watch the shows that I record in HD on my client.

This seems like it would be a common problem so is there a common work around for that? I don't really want a super expensive, loud, powerful, computer just to watch STD TV in my bedroom. I guess from what you were saying I could get an extender but then my client machine becomes sunk cost. Wife won't be big on that.

Is there a way to have sage record the same show in HD and non-HD formats at the same time? Since I would be adding the HD tuner to the normal tuner that wouldn't inter fear with my normal recording schedule anyway. Then I could still watch stuff on my client and watch HD on the big TV.

Or maybe there is a way I can have the server process the HD content like it would for an extender? Anyone done something like that?

Sounds like the upgrade price is fairly painless, I'm sure the wife won't mind $30 upgrade if I can figure out how to make this HD fairly painless.

[stanger89]

Well, with V6 Sage now pulls the OTA guide data off the ATSC PSIP info (I don't think QAM includes that) and I've had to adjust my favorites to be limited to ATSC stations so it wouldn't record both at the same time.

[Arioch5]

I saw that solution mentioned in another thread about SD and HD. Sounds like I can either

1 - Set two favorites and record both HD and SD (maybe a good idea until I'm sure the HD is working well )

2 - Choose to record in HD or SD and not be able to watch the HD content on my client.

That's really not a terrible solution.

I'm not sure what you meant by pulling the EPG from the ATSC PSIP info. Are you saying that if you set a favorite and it broadcast in both HD and SD sage by default records both?

So if I'm using the HDHomerun for QAM (possibly OTA also) recording is there a benefit to V6? I've been looking at it and I couldn't find what you meant by "extra HD features" in V6. I mean it's only $30 so I'll most likely just upgrade. But you know, if it's not broke...

I just hate to change versions when I'm running so stable right now.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Arioch5

I'm not sure what you meant by pulling the EPG from the ATSC PSIP info. Are you saying that if you set a favorite and it broadcast in both HD and SD sage by default records both?

I'm saying Sage 6 now gets EPG data for local, digital stations from the broadcast bitsream and not from the internet. It's called PSIP data. A side effect of this is that the instance on the local data doesn't have the same episode id as the instance from the Zap2It data, and for me, it meant Sage would record both.

So if I'm using the HDHomerun for QAM (possibly OTA also) recording is there a benefit to V6?

Probably general HD bug fixes is the big one.

I've been looking at it and I couldn't find what you meant by "extra HD features" in V6.

If I said that, that's not really what I meant, what I meant is that Sage has been continually fixing digital TV issues since it added them, and V6 will have fixes that aren't in 5.

I mean it's only $30 so I'll most likely just upgrade. But you know, if it's not broke...

In that case, I'd consider trying 5 first, and if there are problems look into 6.

[roxy99]

Stranger,

It seems to me he's putting the carriage in front of the horse. I think he should switch his Athlon X2 as the client and make the 1 Ghz system the server. The client cpu should have the most processing power and the server the big hard drives.

[blade]

Originally Posted by roxy99

Stranger,

It seems to me he's putting the carriage in front of the horse. I think he should switch his Athlon X2 as the client and make the 1 Ghz system the server. The client cpu should have the most processing power and the server the big hard drives.

Not necessarily. My server is a 64 +4000 while my client is a XP-2400M. The server is regularly maxed out due to transcoding, comskip, etc... while the client rarely uses more than 40-60% of it's cpu power.

I do agree that the client is too puny though.

[roxy99]

Originally Posted by blade

Not necessarily. My server is a 64 +4000 while my client is a XP-2400M. The server is regularly maxed out due to transcoding, comskip, etc... while the client rarely uses more than 40-60% of it's cpu power.

I do agree that the client is too puny though.

Well obviously if you're doing other stuff on your server than yeah, more cpu the better. The issue of just using sage on the server ALONE should'nt need more than 1hgz whereas decoding HD on the client NEEDS muscle and there's no way around that.
The server only needs to receive the data stream and HD datastream is digital so no processing required.

I thought my suggestion made sense to swap the client and server so that his client could be hd.

[blade]

Originally Posted by roxy99

Well obviously if you're doing other stuff on your server than yeah, more cpu the better. The issue of just using sage on the server ALONE should'nt need more than 1hgz whereas decoding HD on the client NEEDS muscle and there's no way around that. The server only needs to receive the data stream and HD datastream is digital so no processing required.

I thought my suggestion made sense to swap the client and server so that his client could be hd.

Actually we both missed a key bit of information earlier. The OP plans to connect the HDTV to the server for playback and have the client connected to a SDTV in the bedroom. The question was whether or not the client was powerful enough to decode the HD signal and output it to the SDTV. So swapping the two won't do much good.

The only real choices are upgrade the client (if possible), record a SD version of everything, or wait a few months until the HD extender is released. If the client is a EPIA or P3 there isn't much hope of upgrading. If it's an older Athlon machine it might be possible to pick up a cheap cpu that could do the job. Of course I'm assuming it has a decent video card that has good acceleration.

[roxy99]

Originally Posted by blade

Actually we both missed a key bit of information earlier. The OP plans to connect the HDTV to the server for playback and have the client connected to a SDTV in the bedroom. The question was whether or not the client was powerful enough to decode the HD signal and output it to the SDTV. So swapping the two won't do much good.

The only real choices are upgrade the client (if possible), record a SD version of everything, or wait a few months until the HD extender is released. If the client is a EPIA or P3 there isn't much hope of upgrading. If it's an older Athlon machine it might be possible to pick up a cheap cpu that could do the job. Of course I'm assuming it has a decent video card that has good acceleration.

Either way a basic P4 or 32 bit Athlon XP is cheap. Motherboards cost next to nothing if you go cheap. HD media extender sounds promising...

My Server is an Athlon XP 3200 and is a client. The video card Ti4200 does 720p resolution but forget about 1080i resolution.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by roxy99

Either way a basic P4 or 32 bit Athlon XP is cheap. Motherboards cost next to nothing if you go cheap.

Only concern I have with that comment is often going cheap ($$) ends up costing you in time/frustration later, especially with motherboards.

HD media extender sounds promising...

Oh, very much so.