Noob thinking of buying HD Theater 300 - some questions

[ktcling]

Hello all,

I'm thinking of buying the SageTV HD Theater 300, but I'm totally and completely new to all of this [as in, *no* experience in building computers/computer networking/etc...]. In fact, it's safe to say that the only reason I am here is because I absolutely despise Comcast, and I'm looking for an affordable, easily installable way to have a *useful* DVR without paying them a dime.

So, naturally, I have a million questions.

Here is a run-down of my situation [or "set-up", or lack thereof]: Our main computer is downstairs, which where our wireless router is connected. The TV I'd like to be able to run the HDT300 on is an HDTV with HDMI, Component, Composite inputs [it's a Vizio, but I can't find what model atm]. It is connected to one of Comcast's digital converter boxes to run the cable and is located upstairs [far away from any permanent computer].

What I'm looking for is a simple DVR that will record shows [preferably 2 at a time, but not a deal breaker]. It's pretty amazing, looking around this site and seeing what people can do with their set-ups... but I'm not necessarily looking to do brain surgery. I don't really care about burning to DVDs. Watching YouTube or Hulu from the TV isn't a must. It'd be awesome if I could tap into the HDT300 from my wireless laptop to watch a saved show, but I definitely won't die of heartbreak if I can't.

I guess my main questions are:
Is the SageTV HD Theater 300 for me? [If not - then what would you suggest?]
Will I be able to use it with what I have now? [ie - no computer hook-up close by]
If it needs to be connected to the internet, will a simple, USB-port wireless network adapter do?
Will I be able to watch shows saved on it wirelessly from my laptop? [will I need to install some software on my laptop?]
Would I be able to reap any benefits from buying the "SageTV HD Theater 300 with SageTV Media Center for Windows Bundle"? [like, could I run the STV Media Center on my laptop wirelessly, or no?]
What will the HDT300 do without the Media Center for Windows? ...Their product descriptions really confuse me...

Hopefully I've given enough information... If not, sorry, I'm a noob! Please let me know if there's any more info you need.

Any comments/suggestions/direction will be highly appreciated!!

Thanks!

* topics merged & duplicate post deleted *

[GKusnick]

The first thing you need to realize is that the HD300 is not a self-contained PVR solution. It is a playback device only, and by itself has no capability to record or store TV programs. For that you need a computer with attached TV tuners running SageTV Media Center software.

As a standalone media player device, the HD300 can play back existing media from computers or NAS devices on your LAN.

Connected to a SageTV server computer, the HD300 provides full access to the SageTV UI for scheduling and playback of TV recordings. But the recording and storage are handled by the server, not the HD300.

So for your purposes you'll be looking at using the HD300 in extender mode in conjunction with the SageTV software. You'll also need to outfit the server computer with TV tuners or other video capture devices in order to get the TV signal into the computer. The exact configuration you need will depend on your TV sources (cable, satellite, and/or OTA broadcast), whether you want to record in HD or SD, and how many programs you want to be able to record simultaneously.

Finally, it's considered bad form to cross-post the same question to multiple subforums. For questions about using the HD300 in extender mode, use this forum (the Media Extender forum). For questions about the software, use the SageTV Software forum. For questions about which tuner hardware to choose and how to set it up, use the Hardware forum. (The Media Player forum is for questions about using the HD300 in standalone player mode, without any DVR capability, so that's not relevant to your needs.)

[ktcling]

Thank you for your response - your answer cleared up some things I found confusing! And the double-post was unintentional and I couldn't figure out how to delete the first one.

[wrems]

Originally Posted by ktcling

*no* experience in building computers/computer networking/etc...

You say you no experience but are you comfortable enough with these technologies to either learn or begin dabbling with more? The reason I say this is that Sage really is/becomes sort of a hobby. If you're not at all comfortable going through a few growing pains then Sage could be a bit to bite off, especially since you say you have no experience. While setting up Sage can be easy especially with the use of extenders there is/will undoubtedly be problems that crop up. It takes patience and time to get everything operable the way you want. It is fun, but it can be an exercise that will drive you nuts from time to time...

[mitchedo]

I'm quite comfortable building PC's and setting up a home network. I work in health care IT and have a BS in computer science.

I said that to say this. I built a fancy quad-core server for SageTV to run a pair of HDHomerun tuners. I'm fairly new to the whole computer TV thing.

If you hate Comcast (I don't blame you), then you should probably look into Dish or DirecTV. I have had Dish forever, and I LOVE their DVR's. I think DirecTV's DVR's have come a long way, and are probably comparable -- better in some ways, not so good in others.

I'm considering sending my two HD300's back that I just received and keeping the Dish. SageTV is a hobby, and will take up considerable amounts of your time just to keep it going. That's the nature of the flexibility, I suppose.

I just don't want to spend the time working on my TV as a hobby. I'm spoiled, I guess, having been a slave to Dish for so many years. It just works.