New User problems

[snfexpress]

Just getting started with SageTV and have a couple of problems:

1) When trying to play a DVD, I get "cannot play error" due, I think to copyright restrictions. This DVD is a store bought original. I know I must have a setting wrong, but cannot figure it out.

2) When trying to play TV on my laptop with client (to try it), I get an error saying that MPEG-2 cannot stream. I say a post that said a user reinstalled MPEG-2, but cannot figure where to get it?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

[salsbst]

MPEG2 is the format that Sage uses to store recordings and the format used to store DVD video. You use an MPEG2 decoder to playback both of them.

If you are using the decoder that comes with the 250 card ("Intervideo non-CSS decoder") then you won't be able to play DVDs that have CSS copy protection.

If you don't have any decoder installed on your laptop, then you could see the error you reference in #2.

You can download trial versions of each popular decoder, but ultimately you'll probably want to buy one or more of them. They include:

Intervideo WinDVD (the one that can playback CSS DVDs)
Cyberlink PowerDVD
Sonic Cineplayer
nVidia NVDVD
Elecard Moonlight

[snfexpress]

Thanks, I'll look at the DVD player software.

Regarding the MPEG-2 issue on client (while trying to stream Live TV), I did download an MPEG-2 decoder (I think), but still no go on client. Any other ideas?

Michael

[salsbst]

Which decoder did you download? Verify that that decoder is selected under the video settings in SageTV's advanced setup.

[snfexpress]

I d/l ZoomPlayer, but it does not show up in Sage settings.

[justme]

Zoomplayer is just a decoder manager/player. It does not come with any Mpeg decoders. Mpeg decoders require a license and therefore cost money(on a windows OS), unless they came included with hardware. In this case, the price was rolled into the hardware purchase.

You can get the Elecard decoder here, Just keep in mind theses are nonCSS decoders so they won't playback DVDs. But they will allow you to watch Sage recorded shows on your client. Aslo keep in mind they are trial and eventually a whote box will start to wander around the screen if you don't purchase them. One last thing just download and install the elecard decoders not the full Elecard player as monlight has changed the name of the Decoders used in ther player and some users have reportef this makes them currently unavailable for Sage. This is a known issue. You can try this direct download link to just the decoders. However the direst link may fail. If it does just use my first link and chose "Moonlight-Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder v. 2.0 build 2510".

Here's a link to the Intervideo site. you can download a trial of their WinDVD software there. It includes a CSS Mpeg2 decoder. You will have to installl the whole DVD player trial though just to use the encoders.

Best of luck.

[snfexpress]

Thank you for your definitive post. It is very helpful for a novice, such as me, to be able to go down a 'list'. Thanks!