SageTV @ CES mentioned at Ars Technica

[sandor]

Originally Posted by wayner

The only problem with Hulu is that this is what you get at hulu.com when you attempt to access it from outside the US.

looks like the message i get from BBC when i try to watch video...

[stanger89]

Well, I'm guessing Hulu does actually have an API, just not a public one. At least I hope Sage is partnering/working with them and not just "emulating" a PC or somthing. A partnership would basically guarantee it will work in the future, where as something like PlayOn could get the rug pulled out from under them if the providers want things more locked down.

And while I'm here, this illustrates probably my single biggest issue with the Sage UI:

It's utterly rediculous that the OSD takes up more of the screen than the video

[Chriscic]

I'm not that familiar with Hulu, but it sounds like a good thing to me. I like that Sage is always looking to add new functionality. Hopefully Netflix can get on there too.

* merged 2 *

[Polypro]

Netflix next hopefully...I have 9 tuners and just record *everything*...no need for HULU But nice job SageTV!

P

[Slipshod]

This is fantastic!! Hulu support gets me The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Those are the only things I miss since downgrading the Sat service to Dish's HD-Only package. I just wasn't worth the $20-30 difference in price, but I really miss watching them on TV.

[pjpjpjpj]

I'm so torn.

On one hand, I am thrilled that Sage is getting hooked up with hulu. Hopefully this opens the floodgates for other internet streaming video.

On the other hand, this will just give my wife more reasons to sit on the couch and do nothing. (like the 5 hours of American Idol per week for the next 5 months aren't enough to add to the already-full recording schedule she has).

[valnar]

Originally Posted by pjpjpjpj

On the other hand, this will just give my wife more reasons to sit on the couch and do nothing. (like the 5 hours of American Idol per week for the next 5 months aren't enough to add to the already-full recording schedule she has).

It's a female thing, like chocolate and peanut butter. You just gotta live with it.

[Slipshod]

Originally Posted by valnar

It's a female thing, like chocolate and peanut butter. You just gotta live with it.

Trade in for the upgraded model. My wife watches Heroes, Doctor Who, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, etc... The main problem we have is that we watch all the same shows and don't have nearly enough "together" time to watch them all.

[evilpenguin]

Engadget HD's got a video and a little more info re: commercials.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/01/09...tv-hd-theater/

I can't say I'm wild about the interface. Thinking about having to search "Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia" with a remote makes me want to cry. Hopefully we'll be able to bookmark stuff.

[thatdude90210]

With Playon right now, you can go to a folder named "TV episodes" and from there, all the shows are organized into folders according to their first letter (then each show has it's own folder). It's not hard to find your favorite shows that way. I hope Sage will have something similar.

[bcjenkins]

I wonder why they didn't have a the nte enabled..

B

[Brent]

Originally Posted by thatdude90210

With Playon right now, you can go to a folder named "TV episodes" and from there, all the shows are organized into folders according to their first letter (then each show has it's own folder). It's not hard to find your favorite shows that way. I hope Sage will have something similar.

Really? I hate the way Playon with SageTV interface works. There is a better way and that's not it.

[stefam]

So, I've been wandering CES for 2 days and haven't seen SageTV. Where are they hiding? Seen demos of Nero and Tivo's Liquid TV, tons of other wannabe technologies, and even Windows 7 Media Room. None will do what I can do now with Sage, but the gap is closing. I was hoping to see and talk with the Sage presence here bor both business and personal curiosity.

Any ideas where they are? only 1 day left...

-Mike

[QueOnda]

I read they are in a hotel room to save money!

[ybrew]

Not sure how I missed this info but this is great news.
I don't regret my playon purchase at all (I watched arrested development over the holidays with playon and my 360 so I got my money's worth) but I'm really looking forward to a more integrated interface. I'm sure I'll get more use out of Hulu too.

[ptaylor]

Originally Posted by Polypro

Netflix next hopefully...I have 9 tuners and just record *everything*...no need for HULU But nice job SageTV!

P

Actually, I have 4 tuners and record just about everything I want, but I've found some old shows on Hulu that I've not seen before that I enjoy watching.

As to how I found them, I used Boxee's interface on my AppleTV. When going to the TV shows or Movies section, it shows the complete list of all the available shows by title. You can scroll fast down the list and it will pop up a large single letter over the top of the OSD to let you know how far down the list you are, so you can slow down when you get to "H" if you are looking for Heroes, etc. Once you get to the show you want, select it and get a list of available Seasons, then finally the list of shows from the selected season. Much better than the PlayOn UPnP interface, in my opinion. With Hulu, they have a lot of content, but it's really not too much to make a big list out of, especially since they do the fast scrolling thing. Unfortunately, the playback on my AppleTV leaves a lot to be desired. Boxee's a little jumpy, and the same content played back on the HD200 looks sooooo much better.

Here's to hoping that SageTV can lift the Boxee UI (or come up with something even better).

[reggie14]

Has anyone heard any updates on the Hulu thing? Do you think Sage is quietly putting Hulu support on the back burner because of the Boxee thing?

[BobbyDing]

Any news on this front??

[reggie14]

I don't think we're going to see anything on this. I'm speculating wildly here, but I think Sage was using the RSS feeds off Hulu to get the files, which Boxee was doing for a little while after they initially got banned. But, Hulu quickly removed that loophole, which I assume plugged whatever Sage had been doing.

Hopefully Sage someday figures out how to get Hulu support, but it's not looking good now. Except for being a pretty niche market, SageTV and the HD100/200 seems to be exactly the sort of thing Hulu wants to keep away (and when I say Hulu I really mean Hulu's owners, not the company itself).

Maybe Netflix is a more realistic goal. Netflix has at least shown an interest in making Watch Now accessible on TVs.

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by reggie14

Except for being a pretty niche market, SageTV and the HD100/200 seems to be exactly the sort of thing Hulu wants to keep away (and when I say Hulu I really mean Hulu's owners, not the company itself).

Yeah, my understanding is that Hulu's licensing deals with the content providers precludes showing the video on a TV - it is a "on a computer only" style license and therefore they are forbidden from providing any sort of access that would allow the content to be seen on a TV. I wouldn't expect to see Hulu access in SageTV unless Hulu manages to overcome the licensing issue.