Considering total Client/Server Solution. Advice please?

[ghostlobster]

rochurch, are they hard lockups or just SageTV lockups? In my case, even the trusty three-finger-salute (ctrl+alt+del) wouldn't do anything for me. Complete power cycle was required.

If they are soft lockups with HDHR content, look at your decoders. Start with the Sage video decoder for a while, then move onto other ones. If you're running Vista, I recommend the MS decoder as a nice balance between stability and performance, but only after you're up and running solidly with the Sage decoder first. For audio, the MS decoders are pretty much all I use.

Are you going client/server, or using your server machine for playback?

[mgkicer]

I am glad I found this thread too. I was about to start a trial with BeyondTV even though I like SageTV A LOT. rochurch, I am interested also about your lockups. I am running a new XP sp3 install server/client on a 780G (512mb to the IGP), 4850e, 2GB of RAM, hauppage 2250.

My lockups started when I was messing with the detail setup settings. I changed something with either the the mpeg2 codecs or video render and now I get the circle of death and have to kill sage. I tried putting all the setting back to no avail. Also, my OSD looks funny now with little dots when in transparency mode with overlay and 3d turned off (that OSD looked beautiful when I first installed SageTV). I will have to re-install XP this weekend and start another 21 day trial. I am not sure I can pay $80 for a software that ramdomly locks up. I have not submited a report because I think the re-install will fix it. What files do I need to save in order to make sage go back to the default settings?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by mgkicer

What files do I need to save in order to make sage go back to the default settings?

There's a FAQ:

My SageTV installation isn't working correctly and it has been suggested that I reinstall SageTV. How can I reset SageTV's configuration settings without losing my recordings, favorites, etc.?

- Andy

[mgkicer]

Thank you Andy. That is exactly what I need and well written too.

[rochurch]

It is just Sage lock ups now. No HD-PRV... Yet. Before (with Vista) it was machine reboots. It most often locks up overnight, not while using; well, let me correct myself. When viewing remote keys (use MCE remote) stop working, then sometimes I get the circle of death (great description). Sometimes the guide is blank, or everthing just stops responding. I think my machine is stable, because the three fingered salute or what I usually do is just press the winders key and right click on Sage on the task bar and tell it to close and then wait. Sometimes I have to kill the process, but I would say I only have to do that 1 out of 4 times. I made several backups of the Sage directory as I was following the VMC to Sage transistion document. Thanks for putting that together GhostLobster! Everthing went smoothly during install. I have backtracked a couple of backups. I can keep overwritting with my backups, but I have another (less powerful) computer that I might try it on. I was trying to do everything on one while I waited on the HD Extenders to come back in stock.

Thanks for the feedback. This is a great community!

[rochurch]

Maybe I figured it out. Several hours of good run time after reinstalling. This time I installed Sage to run as a service. Up until this point I had been just running it as an application. Should that make such a difference?

[ghostlobster]

Originally Posted by rochurch

Maybe I figured it out. Several hours of good run time after reinstalling. This time I installed Sage to run as a service. Up until this point I had been just running it as an application. Should that make such a difference?

Running it as a service is generally a good thing anyway. Down the road it'll help you if you're going to run DVR-MS Toolbox and some other apps.

So, you're using your server as a playback device as well, correct? Any thoughts about going full client/server?

[KarylFStein]

I went full client/server over a year ago and wouldn't go back. Once I finally found the right hardware for the server, my "circle of death" and spotty FF/REW behavior, (it got to the point where I wouldn't even try skipping an HD show or DVD rip), are now resolved. (I probably shouldn't have said that...)

Anyway, after going through a 2.8G P4, a 3.4G P4, and an E4300, I swapped in the Q6600 from my desktop and the server has been rock solid; I haven't touched it in months except for swapping out a removable drive that has back-ups of all my data for off-site storage. I've been through a lot of headaches with SageTV over the years, and even switched to BeyondTV for a bit, but now can say I'm at peace with this setup. (I wouldn't say nirvana, but at least everything works.)

[rochurch]

Originally Posted by ghostlobster

So, you're using your server as a playback device as well, correct? Any thoughts about going full client/server?

I had even tried a client and had problems (when the server was running as a app). I was just trying to keep it simple. Now it is working great on the server and another client. I had to load another machine to test because the trial had expired on one of my machines.

I don't mind running clients and I have plenty of computers. I would just prefer to keep as few running as possible from a noise and energy consumption perspective. I'll order the HD Extender as soon as they are avaliable now that I have a stable server to serve from. In the interim I can rearrange computers to use the one with the fresh trial on it.

I am running the registered Show Analizer with Dirmon2. DVRMSToolbox is great and I used to use it on VMC. I just don't need everything else in there other than commercial skip. I also loaded sagetray per your guide. It helps with the WAF.

Are there any other add in customizations you are running? I was looking around and trying to pick. The Pandora one looks promising.

Now I need to start customizing my menus and such.

Thanks!