Hardware guide for SageTV

[jnmfox]

I was thinking about putting together a hardware guide for Sage. I am new to Sage but I enjoy computer hardware and keeping up on new and upcoming hardware. It seems there are a lot of questions about what to get when building or upgrading and a general/starting point guide could be helpful.

I was thinking of including:
Sage software info, what sage software is needed.

Recommended server system:
MB, CPU, RAM, PS, HD, SSD, Case info.

Budget server system:
MB, CPU, RAM, PS, HD, SSD, Case info.

Recommended extender system:
HD-300
Build info, MB, CPU, RAM, PS, HD, SSD, Case info.

Suggested OTA tuner, suggested QAM tuner, cable card info, online service info (Netflix, PlayOn), plug-ins, etc.

I’m just starting to think about how to put it all together so the information would be manageable. Again it would be starting place as personal preference is a big part of any set-up.

What does everyone think? Any suggestions?

[panteragstk]

That would be a great idea. We could sticky it at the top so there aren't so many similar threads.

It would also be a good idea to have low power builds as well from those who have done so. I think the server configuration for specific needs is good unless those needs suddenly change. My server was rock solid until I combined my moves, comskip, playon, and everything else included in sage. Now I need quite a bit more server.

[jnmfox]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

That would be a great idea. We could sticky it at the top so there aren't so many similar threads.

It would also be a good idea to have low power builds as well from those who have done so. I think the server configuration for specific needs is good unless those needs suddenly change. My server was rock solid until I combined my moves, comskip, playon, and everything else included in sage. Now I need quite a bit more server.

That is what I'm going for.

By low power I'm guessing you mean Atom or Zacate builds. I don't have any experience with them and Sage so we would have to get someone that has and is willing to share their thoughts. My server is an E5200 and runs great even with live ComSkip, Diamond, SMM, plus it still functions as our family PC. You really don’t need that powerful of a PC for a Sage server but building new I would always get more power than I need at the time, plus if I know there is something better I get the itch to upgrade .

[aweber1nj]

I'm just testing-out a Sage Client on a Foxconn nettop. Dual-core Atom @ 1.6Ghz, and NVIDIA Ion2 graphics on-board with HDMI out.

So far it looks pretty good. I have only just started testing, so will take questions or suggestions on test-scenarios!

One thing I can't find in initial searches is: does Sage [Client] use the h/w acceleration built-into the ION graphics chips (I know WMC does)? Are there any tweaks/settings to look for inside/outside the Client setup?

BTW: Testing has been limited to the built-in wifi (802.11g, I think) so far, and SD seems fine, but HD doesn't cut it. Will be testing wired connection today/tomorrow to verify it is the wifi that's the limiting factor and not the rest of the h/w.

-AJ

[jnmfox]

Originally Posted by aweber1nj

I'm just testing-out a Sage Client on a Foxconn nettop. Dual-core Atom @ 1.6Ghz, and NVIDIA Ion2 graphics on-board with HDMI out.

So far it looks pretty good. I have only just started testing, so will take questions or suggestions on test-scenarios!

One thing I can't find in initial searches is: does Sage [Client] use the h/w acceleration built-into the ION graphics chips (I know WMC does)? Are there any tweaks/settings to look for inside/outside the Client setup?

BTW: Testing has been limited to the built-in wifi (802.11g, I think) so far, and SD seems fine, but HD doesn't cut it. Will be testing wired connection today/tomorrow to verify it is the wifi that's the limiting factor and not the rest of the h/w.

-AJ

Please keep us updated! What are your server specs? Have you watched live TV? From my understanding that is one of the more CPU intensive tasks, not sure how much is server vs. client.

I have some of the info put together, I just need to organize it better and add the client hardware info.

[aweber1nj]

Live TV? Absolutely! Watched about 2hrs of the Rangers/Caps game last night and it was pretty flawless. I had a problem with the tuner in the server, but that's a non-supported Ceton InfiniTV4 running through the SageDCT service. I'm trying to collect log info to send to the dev today. But the client reconnected without any manual intervention.

SD live TV was just fine. All synced-up and no pixelation or anything. HD was a bit rough. As I said, I'm not sure if it's the network or the client-hw yet. I'm going to mess around with some settings today, might try installing some external codecs, etc.

The "server" is running 7.1.5 (with the aforementioned Ceton 4-cablecard tuners). It's an overclocked Q6600 (quad core running at 3Ghz) with 4GB RAM on Win7 (32bit) with a couple-year-old 8600GTS graphics card.