The Current State of Things-

[SomeWhatLost]

Originally Posted by MitchSchaft

Helpful or not, it's the obvious truth. Google is not going to develop Sage and you know it.

true, but they will develop something...
hopefully it ends up being something good...

if not, I have a couple years before I need to worry, hopefully someone will come up with an Adequate Sage Replacement (ASR) before then...

[clayfree]

Originally Posted by MitchSchaft

Helpful or not, it's the obvious truth. Google is not going to develop Sage and you know it.

Also, whatever Googletv 2.0 turns out to be it will not use any of the existing Sage hardware. When I first read the news I thought there would be a real slowdown in development. After a few days thinking about it the reality sunk in that Sage is dead. The real killer in no new extenders or keys, makes it impossible to expand.

The shutdown is not Jeff or Google being evil it's just the way business works. Sage is just a legacy liability for Google going forward and the last thing they need is to keep selling that same equipment. They need to focus on a new product and I'm sure that means newer cheaper hardware.

The good news is that Sage is the same product it was a week ago and will continue to be so for a long time. It should continue to work for many years. From time to time I still use myHTPC on my daughters computer(if anyone still remembers that).

I was so excited when Sage introduced hardware extenders and that really set them apart. I own a mix of both but now I wonder if the client keys are more valuable. Extenders can eventually burn out but client keys can always move to new hardware. I don't really want to ever go back to an htpc for every client so I will have to find another route.

Wherever I end up I hope to find a community like this one that we have all enjoyed. Then again check back in ten years and you'll probably find me asking Plucky or Bailo when they will have everything patched for the upcoming Windows 12

[davephan]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

MVP and placeshifter licenses were sold as different items in the store, but they were the same license, and completely interchangeable.

I also have two old MVP units which I bought around version 2 - 3 many years ago. Both MVPs have been gathering dust since they are vastly inferior to the HD extenders. They did require licenses to function, but I don't know if that is the same client licenses needed to today's client licenses. It would be nice to recycle those licenses for today's client if my HD extenders break. I don't use placeshifter even though I have placeshifter licenses too. I just know know if the old MVP licenses could be used on today's SageTV clients.

Dave

[ThePaladinTech]

Originally Posted by davephan

I also have two old MVP units which I bought around version 2 - 3 many years ago. Both MVPs have been gathering dust since they are vastly inferior to the HD extenders. They did require licenses to function, but I don't know if that is the same client licenses needed to today's client licenses. It would be nice to recycle those licenses for today's client if my HD extenders break. I don't use placeshifter even though I have placeshifter licenses too. I just know know if the old MVP licenses could be used on today's SageTV clients.

Dave

To Clarify:

MediaMVP License = PlaceShifter License
HD-100 License = Placeshifter License

Placeshifter License <> Sage Client License

And this is why in my post I mention the linux box - Sage Client only exists on Windows, the linux 'client' is placeshifter. So if we can get linux clients working we can use our placeshifter licenses there ... and keep going.

I am lucky to have bought a client license (which I never really used) - now I have it 'in case' - but am hoping to get placeshifter working properly on linux.

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by ThePaladinTech

but am hoping to get placeshifter working properly on linux.

How does the linux placeshifter compare with an extender and windows placeshifter?

For example, I know in the windows placeshifter you couldn't watch DVD rips, yet you could with an extender. Can you with the linux placeshifter?

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by brainbone

How does the linux placeshifter compare with an extender and windows placeshifter?

For example, I know in the windows placeshifter you couldn't watch DVD rips, yet you could with an extender. Can you with the linux placeshifter?

The Linux placeshifter (which Sage actually calls SageClient for Linux) is not as good as the windows placeshifter. It's not terrible but I don't think it handles hardware acceleration very well.

Having said that, I don't think the linux placeshifter needs a license at all. I know I never entered one on my linux dev box.... Maybe it checks for a valid server license but maybe it doesn't. Might be worth checking out.

Tom

[drewg]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

The Linux placeshifter (which Sage actually calls SageClient for Linux) is not as good as the windows placeshifter. It's not terrible but I don't think it handles hardware acceleration very well.

Having said that, I don't think the linux placeshifter needs a license at all. I know I never entered one on my linux dev box.... Maybe it checks for a valid server license but maybe it doesn't. Might be worth checking out.

Tom

Yes, the linux client is quite limited and does not make use of recent linux video acceleration APIs. However, it uses mplayer for playback. Mplayer is GPL, so I wonder if it might be possible to get the source that sagetv uses to build their mplayer, and patch a newer version to work with the sage client.

As to licensing, the linux server does not, AFAIK, check for placeshifter licenses. I never had to enter anything on my linux server to use my HD100, or to use another linux machine as a client. Of course, the drawback is that the linux server actually requires remote activation, so after a while you won't be able to activate linux server licenses on new hardware.

Drew

[phelme]

Originally Posted by clayfree

Also, whatever Googletv 2.0 turns out to be it will not use any of the existing Sage hardware.

It's not the existing extenders that concern me, it's the server which is the meat of SageTV. There is a small part of me that thinks what might happen is an app running under a future version of GoogleTV with new API's could access the existing SageTV back end.

[Monedeath]

Originally Posted by phelme

It's not the existing extenders that concern me, it's the server which is the meat of SageTV. There is a small part of me that thinks what might happen is an app running under a future version of GoogleTV with new API's could access the existing SageTV back end.

I'd have suspicions of that back end generally conforming to 7.1.9 specifically.

The one really nice thing for Google in particular about giving everyone running 5.x and 6.x a free upgrade to version 7 is that puts the vast majority of the community on the 7.x series so if they do try to have any "legacy support" with their GoogleTV implementation, they don't have to go back very far.

[ThePaladinTech]

ok I;m confussed (not all that surprising)...

I thought the HD-300 ran linux and ran the "sageminiclient' and i thought the sageminiclient was the linux placeshifter app??? Can someone enlighten me on this? and any other differences between whatever the hd-300 runs and the linux placeshifter?

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by ThePaladinTech

ok I;m confussed (not all that surprising)...

I thought the HD-300 ran linux and ran the "sageminiclient' and i thought the sageminiclient was the linux placeshifter app??? Can someone enlighten me on this? and any other differences between whatever the hd-300 runs and the linux placeshifter?

the HD300 does run a program called miniclient to handle input, display the gui, and feed videos to the sigma chipset... there's nothing to say that it is the same as the linux placeshifter (in fact, I'd wager that it is certainly NOT the same).

There are some sigma specific processes running as well, which may very well be what miniclient calls to to verify that it is running on genuine ($400+ value) sagetv hardware.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by Evil_Attorney

Not sure if you guys were aware of this but:


Link

Maybe we should be focusing on an XBMC plugin that will connect to Sage?

I agree - especially since you can use a Jailbroken ATV2 as an extender and this is likely a better solution for Netflix as well.. Some work on this has been done in the past and it appears that getting existing media files into XBMC shouldn't be a problem - nor should completed recordings (I am assuming here that Sage continues to run as the backend server). Building guide data and a recording scheduler in XBMC should also be doable via calls to the Sage API. The trickier issue may be staming live and/or currently recording files.

[clayfree]

Originally Posted by wayner

I agree - especially since you can use a Jailbroken ATV2 as an extender and this is likely a better solution for Netflix as well.. Some work on this has been done in the past and it appears that getting existing media files into XBMC shouldn't be a problem - nor should completed recordings (I am assuming here that Sage continues to run as the backend server). Building guide data and a recording scheduler in XBMC should also be doable via calls to the Sage API. The trickier issue may be staming live and/or currently recording files.

This is he one I have been watching:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/s...-hd-in-a-tiny/

I have 2 jailbroken AppleTV's and love then but they will not decode Mpeg2(Apple being Apple). The Sigma box should decode anything.

[Rem]

Hi, I've been off the forum for some time. I use Sage 6 and a few Clients, plus an HD Extender occasionally, but have been using many ReplayTV units as our main DVR's. Anyhow, Replay just announced that they are shutting down the guide on July 31, turning Replays into door stops (unless folks can figure out all the details to support them without the mothership...).

I had been just getting ready to buy Sage v7 and was just a bit too busy with work, finally got around to it and WTF...Sage too is dead? In reading the threads I see that my v6 Lic's could be used for v7.

I humbly ask, is there a way to get v7 Server and Client software?

I would like to use v7 until Google/Sage hopefully releases a new/better product in the future.

I'd appreciate any pointers! Thanks.

[PhilH]

Originally Posted by Rem

Hi, I've been off the forum for some time. I use Sage 6 and a few Clients, plus an HD Extender occasionally, but have been using many ReplayTV units as our main DVR's. Anyhow, Replay just announced that they are shutting down the guide on July 31, turning Replays into door stops (unless folks can figure out all the details to support them without the mothership...).

I had been just getting ready to buy Sage v7 and was just a bit too busy with work, finally got around to it and WTF...Sage too is dead? In reading the threads I see that my v6 Lic's could be used for v7.

I humbly ask, is there a way to get v7 Server and Client software?

I would like to use v7 until Google/Sage hopefully releases a new/better product in the future.

I'd appreciate any pointers! Thanks.

Here you go. This link goes to a forum post that will let you download the v7 software.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56137

I hope this is what you were looking for.

Phil

[Lucas]

I have to say that I am disappointed about not knowing what the prospects are, but let's not go over the top. It's not the end of the world.

I am happy for Jeff and the guys.

I for one have SageTV for 7 years. Over the last year or so I felt that I had a system which almost met my every need. So much so that I found myself visiting the forums less and less.

My system has been running 7.0 since it was released and 7.1 was the first beta I did not participate in.

I don't have any problem whatsoever running this system for the next few years until something else comes along which is better.....

Now if only I could get a couple more HD300s.....

[Rem]

Originally Posted by PhilH

Here you go. This link goes to a forum post that will let you download the v7 software.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56137

I hope this is what you were looking for.

Phil

Perfect, Thanks!

So, will my v6 Server and Client keys work? or just Server?

[hoep]

Originally Posted by ThePaladinTech

To Clarify:

MediaMVP License = PlaceShifter License
HD-100 License = Placeshifter License

Placeshifter License <> Sage Client License

And this is why in my post I mention the linux box - Sage Client only exists on Windows, the linux 'client' is placeshifter. So if we can get linux clients working we can use our placeshifter licenses there ... and keep going.

I am lucky to have bought a client license (which I never really used) - now I have it 'in case' - but am hoping to get placeshifter working properly on linux.

originally bought 4 client licenses - can also connect via 4 different pcs through placeshifter but also through windows clients.. so for me it seems:

client licenses == placeshifter licenses

[ThePaladinTech]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

the HD300 does run a program called miniclient to handle input, display the gui, and feed videos to the sigma chipset... there's nothing to say that it is the same as the linux placeshifter (in fact, I'd wager that it is certainly NOT the same).

There are some sigma specific processes running as well, which may very well be what miniclient calls to to verify that it is running on genuine ($400+ value) sagetv hardware.

Thanks Fuzzy

[davephan]

I could try installing a client on a spare computer, let it timeout after 21 days, then try to license it with the old MVP license.

Another possibility rolling the test computer back after 21 days with an image. Maybe it would work without being reset, or reset every 21 days, until the new Google SageTV application is available, or something else is better can replace SageTV.

Another possibility would be to use clones of the SageTV server for 'clients' that only are configured to playback the library from the unRAID server. The clones could be isolated from the normal SageTV server and the Internet. Maybe the SageTV server clones could be reset every 21 days.

The main requirement is how to bridge to the replacement for SageTV, even it if takes a decade. The replacement could be the new Google SageTV, or could be something else if the Google SageTV project is cancelled and never materializes or contains something that makes the choice unacceptable like DRM or pop-up ads.

Dave