Does SageTv work well with Directv?

[icemarr]

I've heard that DirecTv does not play nicely when trying to do a home media PC DVR/PVR. Reading about SageTv it seems that it claims to work with out issue. Are there any pitfalls like it converts the HD signal to analog and then back to HD? Will it pick up all channels including premium ones? Will it decode AVC? This seems like a really nice app. One last question, if all I end up wanting to do is play stored media do I need the Extender or can I run it directly from my PC to the TV?

Thanks

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by icemarr

I've heard that DirecTv does not play nicely when trying to do a home media PC DVR/PVR. Reading about SageTv it seems that it claims to work with out issue.

I suppose it really depends on your definition of "plays nicely". I've been using SageTV with Dish Network for probably three years now and it's worked very well. I guess I would say that it works well despite the fact that satellite doesn't "play nice" with PCs (which I'll explain in a moment).

Are there any pitfalls like it converts the HD signal to analog and then back to HD? Will it pick up all channels including premium ones? Will it decode AVC?

This is really the issue, there's no PC tuner for satellite in NA, so you must use your satellite box to do the tuning/decrypting and then record it's output. That's what I mean when I say satellite doesn't "play nice" with PCs, you can't just plug a tuner into the dish. Now, despite that, Sage itself works very well with satellite. With an IR blaster (or serial control on DirecTV) SageTV can "seamlessly" control your STB and record shows. The only indications you have that you aren't a tuner directly are the OSD on the STB at the beginning of the recording, and the extra time it takes to change channels.

Using an STB though, means that you can record all the channels you subscribe to, and with the HD PVR, you can record even the HD ones (in HD). Yes it's decoded, converted to analog and back, but the process is, as near as most of us can tell, "transparent".

This seems like a really nice app. One last question, if all I end up wanting to do is play stored media do I need the Extender or can I run it directly from my PC to the TV?

The Extenders are options, not requirements. SageTV will play media on the PC without any other devices needed. They are great alternatives though.

[toricred]

I can attest that it works better with better with Directv than Dish. The serial control is flawless and IR blasters do occasionally miss channel changes (although this is rare). I'm not using HD from Directv, but I've been using it with 4 SD receivers for almost 3 years now and it is fantastic.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by toricred

I can attest that it works better with better with Directv than Dish. The serial control is flawless and IR blasters do occasionally miss channel changes (although this is rare). I'm not using HD from Directv, but I've been using it with 4 SD receivers for almost 3 years now and it is fantastic.

I've only ever had one miss and that was due to changing channels too quickly (hit channel down and then channel back up so quickly that I don't think one channel change had completed before the other started). Otherwise, all has been perfect. I have not missed a show yet! This is with the USB UIRT for channel changes and using DishNetwork.....

But I do agree, if I could use serial control I would. It's just faster!

[heffe2001]

I switched from cable to Direct a few months ago, and in the last month, I've had one hell of a time keeping my HD receivers communicating via serial. Serial commands to my H23-600 just stop, requiring a power cycle on the box (using a USB serial adapter plugged into the port on the back). I switched it to a USB UIRT I wasn't using, and the UIRT drops connection every few days, and won't change channels... Right now it's running in service mode (as a local user so it can write to the UNC shares), but no dice... I was restarting the machine daily, but my OTHER hd receiver drops connection and requires a power cycle (it's a H21 I think)... Between the ole' rock and a hard place...

[HelenWeathers]

I've been using DirecTV receivers with my HTPC for years (2004). With SageTV since August. Before that with MCE and Beyond TV. With MCE the Microsoft blasters missed channel changes two or three times a week. With Beyond TV and USB UIRT no missed channel changes. That was all with SD recording. When I went to HD OTA and DirecTV tuners I had issues with the USB UIRT when coupled with the HD PVRs. I think it was just too much traffic of the USB buss. I bought the Patterson translators (serial to USB) in August shortly after I switched to SageTV. I bought an add-in serial card. Haven't had a single missed channel change since (almost three months). I have DirecTV H20-100 and H21-100. My system goes thru an automatic shutdown for a few hours every day. HTPC, DirecTV receivers, HD PVRs all go thru the power cycle. Have always run my system that way but I think the power down especially helps with the HD PVRs.

[bhyman1]

My setup works great with two H21 connected with HD-PVR's and one D11-500 connected via S-Video.

I use a few cheap GWC brand USB to serial adapters for channel chaning and I have zero problems. It just works. The only thing I had to do was enable fast channel changing via a registry edit with is well documented on this forum.

[heffe2001]

Yeah, my H21 works pretty well with serial, but those newer H23's are bears to keep running via serial (at least for me they have been). I pretty much have to reset the receiver at least once a day to keep it running serial (on the Paterson page, it says you have to use H23 mode on those receivers, which is to reset the receiver after installation. I'm wondering if I might have a problem with my little usb adapter? (it's the same ones I'm using on the other 5 receivers, and it works great on those.

[Evil_Attorney]

FWIW, I have been using Directv with a USBUIRT for about 2.5 years. I can count on one hand the number of times it has messed up the channel changing. I recently upgraded to their HD tuners with two HD-PVRs. Even though the picture is reconverted from analog to digital again, the picture is still surprisingly sharp. The most difficult part of my setup was setting each Directv box to have different remote control codes, then figuring out which remote codes controlled each tuner. However, even that was relatively painless.