SageTV acquired by Google

[Sparhawk6]

I am horribly disappointed by all this. Sage is indeed dead in my mind. Google's refusal to comment on the future of the company and the products is telling. Customers are likely to leave without any information. If Google cared about those customers, they would keep selling extenders and licenses and reassure Sage's clients. But they aren't doing that. Google bought Sage for the technology, not the customer base (which wasn't large anyway).

Bummer! I don't want to go to WMC because the Xbox 360 as an extender looks lousy (sound, boot up time, etc.). And no other PVR software supports a good extender.

[pez]

Originally Posted by wayner

But adopting Android is giving up control and cable companies want the control over their hardware. They also do not want to make it easier for their customers to get access to competing services such as Netflix. Think about it - you are a cable company getting about $70/month from customers and selling On Demand movies at $5/movie - do you want to make it easy for them to get Netflix at $8/month. No freakin way!

<texted deleted>

Just like with Android, manufactures and cell co are not required to install all functions. I'm sure if G goes this route there will be no requirement to support netflix or hulu. But they will want to support the G apps and searching because there will be profit sharing in it. Cable co's will do this to pull eyes from the PC and cell phone and place them back on the TV.

It is possible that cable co's will give up STB all together if cablecard or AllVid is truly adopted.

[lfilomeno]

Originally Posted by SHS

You better take look at the thread on AVSForum about Moxi becuase people over there are saying Moxi is a dead product too. Development has pettey much stopped. Moxi was long dead before it even got started the fact is wasn't very expandable and over price and limited number of tuner oh has no input analog support.

That's sucks! Thanks for the heads up!

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by najames

Jeff:
Quote:
The beta versions do not expire. SageTV/Google does not currently have plans relating to posting a final release of V7.1; the current release candidate is of 'release' quality based on SageTV’s prior standards.


Does the SageTV beta software cease to function in 21 days or not?
.

Betas will not expire IF you have a V7 license/key.

I doubt they removed the 21 trial period.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by SHS

When was the last time you check unblock-us.org dead that should be unblock-us.com

Sorry - you are correct. I will correct the original post. I was confusing this with usvideo.org which seems to have been renamed or bought by unblock-us.com.

[bastafidli]

I think nobody cares if the hardware has Sage logo on it or Logitech/Sony/Google/etc. as long as works as good as (or good enough) as the existing extenders. It would be actually refreshing to have greater availability and competition in this space. Google will most likely provide reference hw platform and the software.

The issue is that there are no specific information so the current community is kept in dark. That is I believe the way Google operates but also very insensitive to existing users who have big monetary, time and resource investment in existing platform. I think that is also different from previous Google acquisitions since I am not aware of any other acquisition where users would actually made this big investment into the platform. That would make Google act on its existing mode of operation which doesn't apply here.

It seems to me that there are few things that would be enough to say without revealing to much to satisfy the existing community and keep their attention:

1. There will be similar/new software platform with similar functionality especially DVR functionality (the strength of SageTV which everybody cares about)
2. There will be more hw/extenders in the future
3. We will provide a way to transition the existing community to new platform (discounts, software migration, hw compatibility, open specs to allow community to write conversion tools, ...)

With these 3 statements all this talk could end and we could just enjoy what we have now until new things come. Maybe Brent can asks these questions? Maybe we can write petition to ask these questions?

[wayner]

As a worst case scenario it would be nice if they could make it possible to get future client or placeshifter licenses - either for free or for a nominal fee. If Google is no longer selling the SageTV product as we know it then what to do they have to lose?

Either that or Open Source all of the existing Sage code so that the community can maintain and improve it.

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

where could I find an easy explanation on how to do this? If it's not easy, then it is not an advantage for Netflix. Could/would the average tv viewer be able to do this?
If you have an url to an instruction site that would be great - thanks

There are a many different ways.

One free way shouldn't be much more difficult than SageTV's placeshifter. First set up a VPN server. If your router doesn't support it then you can configure a Windows XP/7 machine as a VPN server, and forward a port in your router to it. Should be able to find plenty of instructions around for configuring the VPN server on XP/7, and connecting to it with a XP/7 client. The client/server services ship with the OS.

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by graywolf

Betas will not expire IF you have a V7 license/key.

I doubt they removed the 21 trial period.

I wondered the samething.... I'd like to get another version 7 license but its too late now. I do however remember during a private beta that they disabled the 21 day trial period so maybe they have done the something similar now...... we just need someone to try it out.

[najames]

Originally Posted by graywolf

Betas will not expire IF you have a V7 license/key.

I doubt they removed the 21 trial period.

Thanks Grawolf, that is what I was afraid of. I'm likely SOL on V7 keys and will be forced to work on a solution for V6. I was sooooo so looking forward to plugins and a nicer V7 look too.

Uggg, why didn't I just get the darn key when I started building the PCs, this would be a non-issue now.

Jamiben, I can give it a try but would really hate to get it all done only to have it die in a couple weeks.

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by najames

Thanks Grawolf, that is what I was afraid of. I'm likely SOL on V7 keys and will be forced to work on a solution for V6. I was sooooo so looking forward to plugins and a nicer V7 look too.

Uggg, why didn't I just get the darn key when I started building the PCs, this would be a non-issue now.

Jamiben, I can give it a try but would really hate to get it all done only to have it die in a couple weeks.

Well, what you COULD do, is install it on a laptop/desktop, fire it up. Wait 21 days and see if it dies (or earlier, forget if it gave you a countdown to expiration or not)

That way you could "test". If it doesn't die, then you know you are good (doubtful though).

If it dies, then not out too much work/effort. In the meantime you could be setting up the server with V6 as your fall back.

[jaminben]

Perhaps someone else can remember the private beta days and if there it still had the trial message on-screen.. if it did then you'd know straight away. I can't remember if it did or didn't but I'm pretty sure the standard versions used to have a trial message.

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by graywolf

Well, what you COULD do, is install it on a laptop/desktop, fire it up. Wait 21 days and see if it dies (or earlier, forget if it gave you a countdown to expiration or not).

The v7.1.9 client requires a valid key, and will expire without one. v6 client keys are valid for v7 clients, however v6 server keys are not valid for v7 servers (unless the v6 server key was purchased after, was it August 2010?).

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by brainbone

The v7.1.9 client requires a valid key, and will expire without one. v6 client keys are valid for v7 clients, however v6 server keys are not valid for v7 servers (unless the v6 server key was purchased after, was it August 2010?).

I'm not so sure.... its a pretty confusing reply to Brents question.

Existing SageTV Keys & SageTV Beta Status

The most recent version of SageTV was in a public beta so I asked what happens to that beta?

The beta versions do not expire. SageTV/Google does not currently have plans relating to posting a final release of V7.1; the current release candidate is of 'release' quality based on SageTV’s prior standards.

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by jaminben

I'm not so sure.... its a pretty confusing reply to Brents question.

It is a bit confusing, but it is the way I stated above -- I've tested it.

The beta will not expire, ONLY IF you have a valid key, otherwise it is running in trial mode, and trials WILL EXPIRE.

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by brainbone

It is a bit confusing, but it is the way I stated above -- I've tested it.

The beta will not expire, ONLY IF you have a valid key, otherwise it is running in trial mode, and trials WILL EXPIRE.

Ok, thats bad news then

[najames]

Originally Posted by brainbone

It is a bit confusing, but it is the way I stated above -- I've tested it.

The beta will not expire, ONLY IF you have a valid key, otherwise it is running in trial mode, and trials WILL EXPIRE.

Rat poop....Gloom, despair, and agony on me....gotta start digging for that V6 key and looking at how to make the best-est darn V6 system I can for now.

[Fountainhead]

Originally Posted by bastafidli

It seems to me that there are few things that would be enough to say without revealing to much to satisfy the existing community and keep their attention:

1. There will be similar/new software platform with similar functionality especially DVR functionality (the strength of SageTV which everybody cares about)
2. There will be more hw/extenders in the future
3. We will provide a way to transition the existing community to new platform (discounts, software migration, hw compatibility, open specs to allow community to write conversion tools, ...)

With these 3 statements all this talk could end and we could just enjoy what we have now until new things come. Maybe Brent can asks these questions? Maybe we can write petition to ask these questions?

I'm guessing that there is a pretty obvious reason why these things aren't being said.

[Monedeath]

Originally Posted by Fountainhead

I'm guessing that there is a pretty obvious reason why these things aren't being said.

Because they're a business and as such, the situation will continue to be "fluid" and subject to change up until they have something ready to release?

Many software companies have been burned in the past by making promises they later determined were not practical or worth the effort required.

It is very possible they have every intention of doing all three of the above, but until it is "in the bag" and (beta) release of the items in questions is imminent, they won't make a public commitment to do so.

That gives them the flexibility to cancel the project if they decide it is consuming more of their resources than they think it is worth, and allows them to dodge a PR hit for vaporware in the process. OTOH, if it turns out they do deliver, then they get a PR boost for going the extra mile.

[Yikes2000]

I bought SageTV 7 only 5 months ago. Prior to that, I used BeyondTV. I was shocked and disappointed initially by the Google acquisition. Now after a few days, I am calm enough to see and understand Google's intent.

The SageTV as we know it, is dead, as evident by the abrupt closing of the online store. No rebadging of HD200 / HD300 into the "Google" brand. The remaining inventory will be used for warranty service. No additional license or keys will be sold, because Google bought SageTV programmers for two reasons: 1) to port GoogleTV 2.0 to the PC platform, and 2) to help flesh out the "extender function" of GoogleTV 2.0.

Here is Google's grand plan: sell GoogleTV 2.0 as a mass consumer product, which also function as extenders, then offer free GoogleTV 2.0 program on the PC. Imagine in a household of 3 TVs and 3 computers, watching and recording TV on any of them using the same GoogleTV UI. Absolutely wonderful... except for the wait.