HD300 and SageTV Service -- Invisible or Not on Main Computer?

[Cortopassi]

I currently have a dedicated PC with my HDTV running Sage, which I would like to replace with an HD300 tied to Sage on my main computer, to save dealing with the extra computer and the power use.

My question is can the Sage interface running through the HD300 be absolutely invisible on the main computer? For example, if I am watching a movie through Sage/HD300 and my wife is browsing the web on the computer, can it be setup so Sage is never a foreground process, or will it always require a window/minimized or maximized on the computer?

Thanks!

[KeithAbbott]

You would need to set Sage up to run as a service on the main computer. If you are using an HD300, no window would be required to be open on the main computer. The HD300 communicates to the "background" service directly. Keep in mind, though, if anyone shuts that main computer down, your HD300 will also shut down. You can, however, log on and off at will, switch users, etc. Also keep in mind, the more "general purpose" (vs. a dedicated server) the main computer is, the more likely you will run into problems at some point down the road. For maximum reliability, HD300s paired with a dedicated server is the way to go.

[gplasky]

If you run SageTV as a service you see nothing of Sage running on the main computer. There is no interface to the Sage service. You can start or stop the service through Services on the computer or the little java app Sage has. But running it on the main computer you will see nothing from the desktop perspective.

Gerry