Network Encoders Over the Internet

[MGMutley]

Ok I know what you are going to say:

"You can not put network encoders across the Internet", but that still does not stop me wanting to.

The question is this: "How does the network encoder discovery work and can I force it to look for a specific server name (domain name that resolves to a routable IP address) on a specific port (e.g. 6969)?"

I have had success putting a client across the Internet to a server, but I really want to put the encoders across the Internet.

Does anyone know how I can do this?

Thanks to anyone that can help with this,

Mutley.

PS If you help with this I will document it and post the "How to.." document

[GKusnick]

Isn't it just a matter of setting this property correctly?

mmc/encoders/nnnn/encoding_host=IP\:port

[MGMutley]

Ok this now really shows my ignorance: Where do I set that???
Is that something in the "Sage.properties" file I need to add?

[GKusnick]

If you have a network encoder set up and functional on your LAN, you should already have that property in your Sage.properties. Just change the IP address as appropriate when you move your encoder to a different subnet.

That said, you must have some pretty impressive Internet bandwidth at both ends if you expect this to actually work.

[MGMutley]

Thanks a lot for the tip I will definitely give it a go (not tried it on a local net, so will set it up that way first and then move it).

As for the bandwidth, you think it will take a lot? Any guesses how much to watch TV? The client worked ok in the test I did , but not tried it an anger as it were. (I have about a 20Meg pipe at home).

[mattdcknsn]

Originally Posted by MGMutley

As for the bandwidth, you think it will take a lot? Any guesses how much to watch TV? The client worked ok in the test I did , but not tried it an anger as it were. (I have about a 20Meg pipe at home).

It all depends on your upload/download speed at the 2 locations. the encoder side that is broadcasting needs a pretty good size upload speed.

[GKusnick]

Do the math. HD @ ~6 GB/hour works out to ~13 Mbps. SD @ 2 GB/hour would be about a third of that, say ~4 Mbps. 20 Mbps sounds impressive, but can your connection actually sustain that kind of throughput for an hour or more? Mine can't. And that's for just one stream; two or more simultaneous recordings will obviously up the ante proportionately.

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

20 Mbps sounds impressive, but can your connection actually sustain that kind of throughput for an hour or more? Mine can't. And that's for just one stream; two or more simultaneous recordings will obviously up the ante proportionately.

One of the things I really like about Sage, futureproofing. Today 20 Mbps sounds like too much too ask for, but in a few years......

Just think of the possibilities of having "distributed encoders". Live in NY but want to see the Oakland Raiders play, no problem, just find a "distributed encoder" in CA. Live in Baltimore and want to watch that blacked out Ravens game, no problem. Recording conflicts become a thing of the past....

[evilpenguin]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

One of the things I really like about Sage, futureproofing. Today 20 Mbps sounds like too much too ask for, but in a few years......

Just think of the possibilities of having "distributed encoders". Live in NY but want to see the Oakland Raiders play, no problem, just find a "distributed encoder" in CA. Live in Baltimore and want to watch that blacked out Ravens game, no problem. Recording conflicts become a thing of the past....

Glad i'm not the only one who judges technology advancements on how much better they can make my Football viewing experience

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

One of the things I really like about Sage, futureproofing. Today 20 Mbps sounds like too much too ask for, but in a few years......

Just think of the possibilities of having "distributed encoders". Live in NY but want to see the Oakland Raiders play, no problem, just find a "distributed encoder" in CA. Live in Baltimore and want to watch that blacked out Ravens game, no problem. Recording conflicts become a thing of the past....

Now that is the most original and interesting idea for Sage that I've heard in a long time. Not only the ability to have distributed encoders but also to be able to share them with other Sage systems. I wonder what an EPG for something like that would look like?

S

[MGMutley]

Looks like I have been rumbled this is exactly what I am trying to set up for my 80 year old mother. She used to live in France; she is from England and now living in Spain. I want to set up a system where she can watch UK, Fr and Spanish TV seamlessly. Sage, theoretically, can do this with its remote encoders and allocated EPGs. It will be well cool if I can actually get this setup and working

By the way I was wrong about the 20Meg pipe, my service provider claims (I know it is actually less and up and down are different etc.) that they supply me with a 24Mb pipe in the UK

PS If I do actually get this working I do promise to write it all up for you guys

[scoful]

This is precisely the situation that I think is scaring the crap out of cable providers. A couple of years ago the cable company here started putting limits on how much data you could move during the month and charging an overage rate if you used too much.
Initially I thought this was to keep from having to upgrade hardware to keep performance up, but then started theorizing about their fear of online content as a replacement for cable.

Realistically - in the future it will be far cheaper for content to be live streamed and/or available on-demand via the internet. There would be no need to broadcast any television signals. Advertising will be IP targeted for local ads and set as a vignette around programming or inserted into shows, just as they are by local affiliates now - except without all of the additiona equipment and overhead.

A couple of months ago I recorded an episode of 'Understanding' (I think) that was about television. It was from the mid 90's. The last portion of the show was about the future of television. It described something much like Sage - except it featured recordings groupings by family member - a feature I have always wanted from Sage. Of course, it was very primitive (although not as primitive as the early mechanical televisions that used a wheel with holes in it to produce a picture - a 22" screen would have required a 17 foot diameter wheel!)

As I see it, the future of television IS the internet. No more STB's - just online streams and content.

If AT&T were to set up an internet subscriber based PVR system and upped their DSL speed they probably could become a monopoly again. If the data was compressed with MP4 or DiVX and run as a live stream (no on demand) the bandwidth requirements would probably be relatively low (the data would just be an encrypted stream flowing that anyone with a key could latch on to, decrypt and watch)

BTW - what type of internet connection are you getting 20mbps symmetrical on? My cable connection won't go over 768kbps on uploads, while download is up to 20Mbps.

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by evilpenguin

Glad i'm not the only one who judges technology advancements on how much better they can make my Football viewing experience

I lived in Florida for 25 years and Europe for several years but was born in NY and grew up a Giants fan. Needless to say this was a sweet season. The only thing that could have been better was if it was Dallas that was undefeated and we beat them in the Superbowl. Oh well, that's just too much to ask.

[Mark SS]

Originally Posted by MGMutley

By the way I was wrong about the 20Meg pipe, my service provider claims (I know it is actually less and up and down are different etc.) that they supply me with a 24Mb pipe in the UK

24mbit down, probably 1-2mbit up and unlikely to sustain those speeds. I'd suggest using a bandwidth checker before wasting anytime on trying to get this up and running.

[MeInMaui]

I wonder if it would be easier and more practical to set up SageTV servers at each recording location and then just use a placeshifter client to access the server of choice. All configuration/administration can just be done from the placeshifter client. Additionally, you could access the servers from another placeshifter client (and/or VNC) if you need to provide support.

Furthermore, if you set things up properly, you can have the interface from each server look identical for continuity (maybe differentiated by the recordings menu name for each country using dynamic menus). Anyway, that's just my .02.

Good luck!

Aloha,
Mike

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

I wonder if it would be easier and more practical to set up SageTV servers at each recording location and then just use a placeshifter client to access the server of choice. All configuration/administration can just be done from the placeshifter client. Additionally, you could access the servers from another placeshifter client (and/or VNC) if you need to provide support.

Furthermore, if you set things up properly, you can have the interface from each server look identical for continuity (maybe differentiated by the recordings menu name for each country using dynamic menus). Anyway, that's just my .02.

Good luck!

Aloha,
Mike

But then you would need to somehow know which server to connect to. I'm dreaming of something much more seamless - just search for something like "Giants AND NFL" and have Sage automagically find the right "network encoder" to use. I don't want to have to worry about where the content is coming from (Cable, Satellite, Internet, etc.), I want Sage to handle those messy details.

This is all a dream that will probably never happen. One huge reason is that it is probably illegal to "share" a cable or satellite connection with other Sage users.

[Whitey]

Originally Posted by MGMutley

Looks like I have been rumbled this is exactly what I am trying to set up for my 80 year old mother. She used to live in France; she is from England and now living in Spain. I want to set up a system where she can watch UK, Fr and Spanish TV seamlessly. Sage, theoretically, can do this with its remote encoders and allocated EPGs. It will be well cool if I can actually get this setup and working

By the way I was wrong about the 20Meg pipe, my service provider claims (I know it is actually less and up and down are different etc.) that they supply me with a 24Mb pipe in the UK

PS If I do actually get this working I do promise to write it all up for you guys

I think you would be better off with a multi-satellite system!

Whitey

[bcjenkins]

Verizon FiOS is now offering 15up/15dn for 65/mo where I live. I am moving to it from 30dn/5up.

B

[sandor]

Originally Posted by Mark SS

24mbit down, probably 1-2mbit up and unlikely to sustain those speeds. I'd suggest using a bandwidth checker before wasting anytime on trying to get this up and running.

x2

on the server end, you shouldnt care one bit about the downstream speed, upstream is what will matter. typically ISPs have asynchronous services (downstream is several times faster than upstream) and unless you live in Japan (where i bow to your 100 mbps synchronous connections) chances are your upstream is < 5 mbps.

[sandor]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

Verizon FiOS is now offering 15up/15dn for 65/mo where I live. I am moving to it from 30dn/5up.

B

i miss FIOS. i had the 30/5 setup for about 8 months before i moved. Now, the fiber is all run in the section of Philadelphia i live in, but Verizon is waiting for the state's answer to their franchising questions (and Comcast is fighting very hard to keep them out...)


I miss being able to properly run VNC btwn work and home...