Migrating to SageTV from Tivo....maybe I need to wait. (HD200 features?)

[milostea]

I have been using Tivo for several weeks and love the product but I think that our needs is more geared towards having a media center instead of multiple DVRs around the house; we currently have two Tivos that we use for recording.

I understand that to set up a Sage-based media center I'd need a capture card, SageTV Media Center software, and to replace each Tivo box, the HD200 media extender. We will also need to get Powerline extenders to wire the HD200s to the network ($80) since they can't be networked via the wireless router. Total price will be $629. We spent $508 for our Series II Tivos (lifetime subscription + wireless adapters). As you can see the differences in $ is not that much. Sage-based media center records in mpeg4/3 formats and its storage can be expanded w/o much hassle or $.

I love the idea of having one source for the video recording but my concerns are with the HD200 features. From the description and posts on the forums, the HD200 is able to feed the video from the server and that's pretty much it. It cannot program recordings or show a tv-guide, and feed live-tv. I need someone to correct my understanding of HD200's features because I'd love to set up a Sage-based media center. Thank you for reading.

/AC

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by milostea

I love the idea of having one source for the video recording but my concerns are with the HD200 features. From the description and posts on the forums, the HD200 is able to feed the video from the server and that's pretty much it. It cannot program recordings or show a tv-guide, and feed live-tv. I need someone to correct my understanding of HD200's features because I'd love to set up a Sage-based media center. Thank you for reading.

You should check out the extender FAQs at the top of this forum -- there are some questions to check over and you can download the HD200 manual. The SageTV manual link is in my sig lines.

Anyway... when connected to a SageT vserver & used as an extender, the HD200 has the full SageTV UI will control over recordings & so on.

- Andy

[wrems]

I have never used powerline products nor Moca, at the same time, I would look into both. It seems I’ve heard horror stories from interference on powerline products. Moca sounds promising… Maybe someone with experience can chime in.

As far as the HD200 they do everything that you suggest they don’t. The HD200 streams video content and gives you access to a feature rich customizable UI that allows you to control your guide, scheduling recordings, streaming live TV and so forth. The HD200 is a very capable device it plays nearly any video content you throw at it up to 1080p. So in addition to your TV recordings you can play back archived DVD’s, BluRay’s, and various compressed video formats too many to name.

Sage is more than a DVR and you can customize it to your liking. There are many options to consider. Take a look at the screenshots here to get an idea of the look and feel of some of the possible UI’s that the HD200 excels at delivering to your TV:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29331

[milostea]

Thanks for the info. I see that it does support the live-tv feed and then some.

This brings me to the final question. To mimic the Tivo behavior we'd need to get two capture cards for the server to enable the wife and I to surf channels at the same time using the HD200s. Right? This behavior is not a "deal-breaker "but I'd like to know.

[wrems]

You can actually have lots of tuners; there are some with at least 10. I would say 2 should be your minimum. Depending on your source you have different options. Take your time with them to ensure that you know what you’re buying/what you need. If you are going to be getting into HBO and other premiums then look at HDPVR. You can also commingle several tuner sources into one guide. For example, you could pull your local HD content OTA with an antenna. In addition to that you can possibly depending on source get clear QAM stations that are digital and last but not lease ordinary analog.

Hauppauge and Silicon Dust are 2 mfg’s that you should become familiar with as far as tuners and options go. There are others just take a look at Sage requirements on their web page for a list of compatible tuners.

[mdnttoker]

Originally Posted by wrems

I have never used powerline products nor Moca, at the same time, I would look into both. It seems I’ve heard horror stories from interference on powerline products. Moca sounds promising… Maybe someone with experience can chime in.

As far as the HD200 they do everything that you suggest they don’t. The HD200 streams video content and gives you access to a feature rich customizable UI that allows you to control your guide, scheduling recordings, streaming live TV and so forth. The HD200 is a very capable device it plays nearly any video content you throw at it up to 1080p. So in addition to your TV recordings you can play back archived DVD’s, BluRay’s, and various compressed video formats too many to name.

Sage is more than a DVR and you can customize it to your liking. There are many options to consider. Take a look at the screenshots here to get an idea of the look and feel of some of the possible UI’s that the HD200 excels at delivering to your TV:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29331

I would concur RE MOCA v. Powerline.

My MOCA adapters rule HD. I had nothing but problems with the powerline stuff.

[milostea]

thanks for the information. I think that I know which way I am going to go.

I got the idea about the Powerline product from MaximumPC June edition. It had a review of a product that used the cable wiring to create a network and they mentioned Powerline. They loved the cable-based product and gave it a 8 out 10 rating.

/AC

/AC

[jarredduq]

Originally Posted by mdnttoker

I would concur RE MOCA v. Powerline.

My MOCA adapters rule HD. I had nothing but problems with the powerline stuff.

MOCA is the best option, short of running Cat5e cabling.

[Deacon Crusher]

Which moca adapters are you using.

I tried powerline and it was a no go (detached dwelling so not surprised.)

Then tried Moca, but maybe my adapters are no good, was worse then my wirelss setup? The cable to my back house is pretty cheap 15 year old coax, but does pass a pristine video signal.

I'm back to wireless which works fine for everything but blu-ray rips.

Originally Posted by mdnttoker

I would concur RE MOCA v. Powerline.

My MOCA adapters rule HD. I had nothing but problems with the powerline stuff.

[Clift]

I third the MoCa adapters

[autoboy]

You should install the SageTV software on your PC and get a feeling for what it does. You can do this for free. Adding tuners will allow you to watch TV. You can also rip DVDs and BDs and play those on the HD200. I also use my HD200 as a portable media player. I have movies on a portable 2.5inch harddrive and I carry that and the HD200 with cable with me on trips and I can watch my shows from it. The HD200 can also connect over the internet to your server and stream shows like a SlingBox.

If you are into computers and don't mind a bit of fiddling with tuners and servers, then I think you shoudl be quite happy with SageTV. It can do a LOT of stuff.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by milostea

I have been using Tivo for several weeks and love the product but I think that our needs is more geared towards having a media center instead of multiple DVRs around the house; we currently have two Tivos that we use for recording.

I understand that to set up a Sage-based media center I'd need a capture card, SageTV Media Center software, and to replace each Tivo box, the HD200 media extender. We will also need to get Powerline extenders to wire the HD200s to the network ($80) since they can't be networked via the wireless router. Total price will be $629. We spent $508 for our Series II Tivos (lifetime subscription + wireless adapters). As you can see the differences in $ is not that much. Sage-based media center records in mpeg4/3 formats and its storage can be expanded w/o much hassle or $.

I love the idea of having one source for the video recording but my concerns are with the HD200 features. From the description and posts on the forums, the HD200 is able to feed the video from the server and that's pretty much it. It cannot program recordings or show a tv-guide, and feed live-tv. I need someone to correct my understanding of HD200's features because I'd love to set up a Sage-based media center. Thank you for reading.

/AC

can your tivo's record HD material from cable boxes / satellite component outputs?