Collective Thread for the future of Sage

[warwon]

I been playing around again with some other open-source free applications and been seeing a lot of positive areas that they are gaining around over Sage in many areas.

1. A self installing, terminating installer.

Example, a new version of Sagetv MCE skin comes out, either it can be update in from SageTV front end or from the web download.

Once the file is ran it will make a backup of SageTV important files (we already know that one).

Then it terminates that service for Sagetv so that the plugin can be ran, give any warnings for recordings etc that might be happening, then install.

How it works now, you manually extract files one at a time and backup files by hand and hope it works.

2. Ability to import data for large libraries for vidoes

How it works now, umm you click on a file and add it to the genre or area you want one at a time.

How it should work: A program that downloads all the movie info, details, art etc from many different resources.

Example, MeediOS, MediaPortal and a few other applications have IMDB importer that brings it all together, it's simple.

3. A area for offline TV Shows that are not recorded, have all the information download, stored and sorted.

Just the same as movies, MeediOS, and MediaPortal have this function.

4. Built in web-radio access to such services as Shoutcast etc.

Right now it's a hack, you have to install a 3rd party application, copy Java files back and forth, and do a lot just to get a few stations setup.

What it needs, built in access fully accessible stations, and genres.

Meedios has the best webradio I've seen.

5. A better way to handle music, this one everyone ogress on. We don't have lyrics, or even visualizations! or a DJ mode... ARGH

6. NO BACKUP!, come on I've screwed SageTV once and my life was over for a week. Now I regular burn the entire folder to a disc weekly.

BeyondTV has a function that backups the data, and also can restore the data.

7. Web browser within Sagetv seamless, more flash content. Yahoo music videos etc.

We just need more and Sagetv is falling behind it's better then most but missing so much.

Back to hand sorting my movies.

[CollinR]

You do realize SageTV is the only one who fully supports inexpensive hardware clients?

[warwon]

Yup but we just cause they have that, doens't mean that people with powerful frontends should have nothing

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by CollinR

You do realize SageTV is the only one who fully supports inexpensive hardware clients?

I don't think he said anything about the clients in the OP. He also wasn't even really berating sage to warrant a retort. I think some of the things he mentioned would be very good additions to Sage. None of them are any less necessary, simply because Sage works with cheap extenders.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by warwon

I been playing around again with some other open-source free applications and been seeing a lot of positive areas that they are gaining around over Sage in many areas.

1. A self installing, terminating installer.

Example, a new version of Sagetv MCE skin comes out, either it can be update in from SageTV front end or from the web download.

Once the file is ran it will make a backup of SageTV important files (we already know that one).

Then it terminates that service for Sagetv so that the plugin can be ran, give any warnings for recordings etc that might be happening, then install.

How it works now, you manually extract files one at a time and backup files by hand and hope it works.

Did you see that in 6.4, the stock STV supports updates from within the interface?

2. Ability to import data for large libraries for vidoes

How it works now, umm you click on a file and add it to the genre or area you want one at a time.

How it should work: A program that downloads all the movie info, details, art etc from many different resources.

Example, MeediOS, MediaPortal and a few other applications have IMDB importer that brings it all together, it's simple.

SageMC can do this from DVD Profiler.

[Brent]

Dang, long response post to answer long original post...

Originally Posted by warwon

I been playing around again with some other open-source free applications and been seeing a lot of positive areas that they are gaining around over Sage in many areas.

Good suggestions warwon, although I don't feel SageTV is "falling behind" per se. Matter of fact, SageTV is quickly becoming "the" go-to HTPC front-end and PVR software especially in the commercial realm. I've had poor performance with most of the open source options - especially on the PVR-type functionality, but most of the open source programs have some great features and plugins that would be nice to have for SageTV.

SageTV certainly has plenty it can improve on though (who doesn't?) so let's run through your points:

Originally Posted by warwon

I been playing around again with some other open-source free applications and been seeing a lot of positive areas that they are gaining around over Sage in many areas.
1. A self installing, terminating installer.
Example, a new version of Sagetv MCE skin comes out, either it can be update in from SageTV front end or from the web download.
Once the file is ran it will make a backup of SageTV important files (we already know that one).

Then it terminates that service for Sagetv so that the plugin can be ran, give any warnings for recordings etc that might be happening, then install.

How it works now, you manually extract files one at a time and backup files by hand and hope it works.

I think this capability was added to SageTV in 6.4 or 6.5 or around there at least. And I think theres a plugin that re-loads all of your STVi's and another that does backups automatically.

One of the niftiest things about Meedio & Beyond Media for me was the way you installed plugins. You downloaded a file (executable) ran it and it installed. It's not that much different from what we have at SageTV but it was nice and easy the way I like it. Not sure what would be involved to do this in SageTV, but good suggestion.

2. Ability to import data for large libraries for vidoes

How it works now, umm you click on a file and add it to the genre or area you want one at a time.

How it should work: A program that downloads all the movie info, details, art etc from many different resources.

Example, MeediOS, MediaPortal and a few other applications have IMDB importer that brings it all together, it's simple.

I totally agree that a mass video cover/metadata importer is important, but I can already do this with the DVD Profiler import via SageMC. You'll also be happy to know this is being worked on by a plugin-writer and you can do this right now (it's in an early form but being worked on). Mass IMDB Import

3. A area for offline TV Shows that are not recorded, have all the information download, stored and sorted.

Just the same as movies, MeediOS, and MediaPortal have this function.

Not sure I understand what this is or how it would work.

4. Built in web-radio access to such services as Shoutcast etc.

Right now it's a hack, you have to install a 3rd party application, copy Java files back and forth, and do a lot just to get a few stations setup.

What it needs, built in access fully accessible stations, and genres.

Agreed. I'm sure we would all welcome your work on such a plugin . Seriously though, I'd like to see more of this - for now I'm using the SageTV Pandora Radio Plugin that is awesome....

5. A better way to handle music, this one everyone ogress on. We don't have lyrics, or even visualizations! or a DJ mode... ARGH

Now that we have HD-PVR support, Music is on the top of my want list from SageTV - not just a plugin, but built-in improvements to the core.

6. NO BACKUP!, come on I've screwed SageTV once and my life was over for a week. Now I regular burn the entire folder to a disc weekly.

BeyondTV has a function that backups the data, and also can restore the data.

I've used BeyondTV for years and I'm not sure I know about this feature. What data does it back up exactly?

7. Web browser within Sagetv seamless, more flash content. Yahoo music videos etc.

Agreed. Love to see this also.

We just need more and Sagetv is falling behind it's better then most but missing so much.

While I agree there are lots of features I want and would like to see, I don't think SageTV is falling behind by any means. Compare feature-by-feature to the competition including open source and you'll find SageTV is very solid and updates their software as often (usually better) than anyone else. Add to that the excellent work that plugin developers have done and are doing for SageTV and you have a winner.

Back to hand sorting my movies.

No need to hand sort your movies, just install SageMC, use DVD Profiler or the mass IMDB importer I linked to above. Cheers

[pjpjpjpj]

All I would like is that, for all changes, upgrades, updates, customizations, and improvements.... that they ALL work on the HD Extender.

(for example, I have HD Extenders and don't have any analog tuners, I would love internet radio, i.e. the Pandora customization, but I'm not going to go buy an analog tuner just for that "hack" setup)

That being said, I agree with all the above stuff.