Digital Cable Video-On-Demand question

[jbarr]

One of our SageTV input sources is a typical Motorola DCT-2000 digital cable STB going through a Hauppauge PVR-150. (I use an add-on to let SageTV directly control the the DCT-2000 via serial cable--works GREAT--but I digress.) Watching cable channels through SageTV is simply a no-brainer.

OK, by tuning to pretty much any channel on the STB through SageTV (thus making it the "active" source--we have three) I can then grab the STB's remote, enter "999" and the "Video On Demand" (VOD) menu comes up. SageTV continues to happily record away, and from there, we can then select, watch, and control VOD selections. (Both free or paid selections--this isn't meant to circumvent VOD restrictions or costs in any way, just to provide access using SageTV.)

As a side note, I notice that when we use SageTV to tune to channel "999" directly (after enabling it in the EPG) it puts the STB in some sort of "loop" making VOD unusable. Go figure.

Anyway, in order to avoid SageTV changing channels , "breaking up" the recording while watching a VOD selection, we just tune the STB to a channel that consistently has long blocks of time, providing uninterrupted viewing. In our case, one of our local broadcast weather channels broadcasts in 4-hour blocks according to the SageTV EPG. When we then switch to VOD using the STB remote, we don't have to worry about SageTV changing the channel, etc. This works well for us unless we want to watch a show that spans two "blocks". It would be really nice if I could somehow define some additional "channels" that could provide "staggering" EPG blocks to make it easier.

So all that said, how do you handle VOD?

How could we make this more "user-friendly" to work with?

Could I create some custom "staggered" channels that would help this?

Any suggestions?

[mattdcknsn]

One idea would be to use the EPG plugin and define your own EPG data. So you could have your Sage server supply itself with EPG data, define a new channel and have it go from there.

Just to let you know, I have not used the external EPG plugin, I just thought it could be used in this way.

[jbarr]

I'll have to investigate that. The key is to ensure that whatever channel I tune to, it "activates" or "selects" the STB input source.

[jbarr]

DO you have a link to the plugin you refer to?

[mattdcknsn]

Originally Posted by jbarr

DO you have a link to the plugin you refer to?

I messed up the name, it is the XMLTV import tool,
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...hlight=xml+epg