SageTV HD Extender Update

[Rob]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I'm with you, I'm not 100% convinced the HD100 can't handle high-bitrate H.264/VC1, still seems like there's a bottleneck in the pipeline to the HD100 since you can usually pause/skip back and that section will be OK.

I hope your right and it does seem that there are bottlenecks with the server side and in these cases hitting pause or skipping back helps, but I've found certain spots on certain movies that always studder. Skipping back or hitting pause does not seem to help with these.

However, I'm learning to live with re-encoding. It still looks great. What I really wish they would add is subtitle and chapter support in mkv's.

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by popechild

Ahh, that's too bad. I get really frustrated with the HD100 when it does that 5 second connecting thing instead of just starting right up. Are you saying that every single time you turn on the 200 it's going to do that little 5 second thing? Why wouldn't they just do it the same way it is now - leave it up to the user to decide whether they want to go to the settings menu or just load up the STV right away?

If you think about it and have autoconnect checked on your HD100 that's the way it works today. But normally when you do a power off from the remote the unit sleeps. So you won't go thru that first screen menu unless you actually cut power to the HD200. Like with the rear power switch.


Gerry

[stanger89]

No, the 200 actually works a bit different than the 100 in that regard.

[slaponyc]

PJ - thanks for the info on the folder.jpg files.

Will SageTV automatically play the contents in the VIDEO_TS folder or do I have to manually select the .IFO file in order for it to play (this is how it works in Front Row on the Mac, but it is a downside to the Mvix 780-HD)

[stanger89]

Automatically.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by gplasky

If you think about it and have autoconnect checked on your HD100 that's the way it works today. But normally when you do a power off from the remote the unit sleeps. So you won't go thru that first screen menu unless you actually cut power to the HD200. Like with the rear power switch.

The HD200 works a little differently than the HD100: it always boots in stand-alone mode and auto-connects to a SageTV server at the beginning of that startup process, if you configured it to do so. So, it has to have a wait period to allow you to go to stand-alone instead. The wait to connect isn't really as bad as that sounds because a lot of TVs have a warm-up period, but I'm seeing if there is a way to tweak any more speed out of the auto-connect process.

- Andy

[gplasky]

Sorry-just my best guess. I was hoping that there would be a configuration choice that if I never wanted to run stand alone I could check that and it would act like the HD100 does today. It would only go thru the stand alone boot if you actually powered it off. That way I could change my mind and reconfigure it in a full power off-on cycle. I know 5 seconds isn't much because my HD100 autoconnects and has that same 5 second wait on a power off reboot.

Gerry

[freedml]

Is this wheel really worth reinventing compared to the HD-200 at $199?

Including remote!

[Homebuilder]

Is there any info on what is inside the 200? motherboard, graphic chips?

Is it based off of another machine?

[mayamaniac]

SageTV needs to list what type of USB devices are supported by the HD200.
For example:

USB Flash Drives
USB External Harddrives
USB Media Card Readers (SD/CF/MS)
USB External DVD Drives
USB Wireless Keyboard/Mouse (wishful thinking)

etc ....

[popechild]

Originally Posted by Opus4

The HD200 works a little differently than the HD100: it always boots in stand-alone mode and auto-connects to a SageTV server at the beginning of that startup process, if you configured it to do so. So, it has to have a wait period to allow you to go to stand-alone instead. The wait to connect isn't really as bad as that sounds because a lot of TVs have a warm-up period, but I'm seeing if there is a way to tweak any more speed out of the auto-connect process.

- Andy

Yeah, I've got the 100, so assuming it's the same wait period the 100 uses when it autoconnects from the setup menu, I know it's not a long time. But that 5 seconds, repeated every single time you turn it on, will get old. It's frustrating to me when it does it on the 100, even though it only does it occasionally. (after a server reboot maybe?)

I'm not sure I understand why it couldn't work the same way the 100 does. Give the user an option to go to the standalone menu if they want to, but if they're going to be using it as a Sage server-based extender, let them connect immediately to the server like the 100. Is there a downside to having this option that I'm missing maybe? Obviously someone had to make the decision to change the way it was working before, so there must be a reason the standalone functionality warranted the change (in someone's mind), I'm just not seeing it.

[vexhold]

Just a question on shipping. Have many recieved the ship email?

Order #33318

Placed yesterday @ 9:30 am CST

No email yet...

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by Opus4

The HD200 works a little differently than the HD100: it always boots in stand-alone mode and auto-connects to a SageTV server at the beginning of that startup process, if you configured it to do so. So, it has to have a wait period to allow you to go to stand-alone instead. The wait to connect isn't really as bad as that sounds because a lot of TVs have a warm-up period, but I'm seeing if there is a way to tweak any more speed out of the auto-connect process.

- Andy

When you say always boot in stand-alone mode, I assume you meant from a cold boot, right? But after the initial cold boot, and it auto-connects to the SageTV server, then when it is put to sleep, it should wake up almost instantly back to the SageTV server menu like the HD100 does when you press the power button, right?

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

When you say always boot in stand-alone mode, I assume you meant from a cold boot, right? But after the initial cold boot, and it auto-connects to the SageTV server, then when it is put to sleep, it should wake up almost instantly back to the SageTV server menu like the HD100 does when you press the power button, right?

No - that is not what they are indicating. What I am hearing is that every time you press power, there is a 5 second delay.

[dgeezer]

Originally Posted by vexhold

Just a question on shipping. Have many recieved the ship email?

I ordered yesterday at 5:30AM Eastern time.
I got an email this morning and mine has already reached Des Moines.

[Opus4]

My tracking says it is Ontario... I guess it still has to cross the entire US from the west coast to get to the east coast.

- Andy

[QueOnda]

Mine says

Billing Information Received

. I ordered mine on 11/30. Hmm, does this mean it hasn't shipped yet?

[jmv]

I ordered a pair yesterday got the UPS e-mail...that says it is scheduled for delivery 12/4...but as of now it is still stuck at "billing info received" which means it ain't got into UPS' hands...luckily I'm in OR so not that long of a jaunt...still hoping for delivery this week.

Order Number : 33320
Placed : 12/01/2008 07:29:55 PDT

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

No - that is not what they are indicating. What I am hearing is that every time you press power, there is a 5 second delay.

So the question is, from SageTV server sleep state, after pressing power button, how long till you see the SageTV server menu? If it's 5 seconds, that is negligible, most TVs take about 5 seconds to go on anyway. If it's 10 secs, it can be a little bit annoying to wait, but not that bad. If it's more than 15 seconds, then we have a problem. The current HD100 takes about 2-4 seconds to wake from sleep state to SageTV menu.

[vexhold]

Andy-

Yours left the country? Wonder if they going to charge you border fees going out and then back in again..lol.