Is 7.1.19 RC worth the Upgrade?

[will]

I'm currently running 7.0.23 and it is extremely stable (my extenders (HD200/HD300), clients, and tuners work wonderfully) and I am considering upgrading to 7.1.19 RC.

Is 7.1.19 RC worth the upgrade and taking the chance of causing system instability (I use HD-PVRs and probably will never use a Colossus)?

I have a few questions that I hope some 7.1.19 users could answer before I take the plunge.

1. Is smooth RR/FF noticeable (is this a wow how did we get by before this type enhancement)?
2. Does episode guide data come from Zap2it and if STV stops offering EPG data do we still get episode numbers with XMLTV (or whatever else replaces it)?
3. I have already manually setup most TV station logos but do the logos in 7.1.19 come from Zap2it or STV servers (and what happens if STV shuts down)?
4. Does 7.1.19 RC fix the issue with the HD300 audio sync and MKV files (I know this isn't a common bug but I have noticed it before and wondering if anyone experienced it on 7.1.19 RC)?

Thanks for the help!
Will

[reggie14]

I'm kind of wondering the same thing. I had some bad experiences with the v6 betas years ago, which made me swear off using beta software. I have a Sage system that works right now, and I'm scared to change anything.

There really aren't any new compelling features in v7.1, but many of the updated plugins are only compatible with v7.1. So, I'll probably upgrade, but I'm going to wait until a slow recording week to do so. That way I could revert back to a back-up if need be.

[panteragstk]

Just to let you guys know, I'm running 7.1.9 with no issues to speak of. Just keep in mind that if you upgrade your 7.1.9 wiz.bin won't be backward compatible with 7.0.23. Keep the 7.0.23 wiz.bin so you can roll back the install if you need to. Or you could go with the "if in ain't broke, don't fix it" school of thought. Only reason I can see is if there is a new feature or plugin you want to try that isn't compatible with what you have.

[robk]

I'm running 7.1.7.254 - my feeling (probably paranoid nonsense) is 7.1.19RC was released in a real hurry at the same time as the sale to not leave us with a beta. 7.1.7 works fine, I'll probably leave it as is. I've read 7.1.19RC has some minor problems with HD PVRs....
Who knows? If I was a developer and in the middle of a beta and Google improved my lifestyle, I'd probably slap an RC on the latest beta version and go party!

I could be totally wrong.

Rob

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by robk

I've read 7.1.19RC has some minor problems with HD PVRs....

Where did you see that? I haven't read that anywhere, although I haven't been following the beta forum posts that closely.

[robk]

I know I read something about it, but it's hard to search for HD PVR, HD-PVR, HDPVR if you know what I mean. I'll try to find it.
Rob

[jorton]

[QUOTE=robk;509I'II've read 7.1.19RC has some minor problems with HD PVRs....[/QUOTE]

All good with four HDPVRs here, actually haven't had an issue with them since updating to 7.1.9.

Jeremy

[gplasky]

Same here. 7.1.9 and no problems with my HD-PVR. Keep in mind you can make a copy of the entire SageTV directory and put that somewhere safe. Run the upgrade and if you don't like it uninstall it, blow away the directory, install your previous version and then copy your backup over it. Very quick to roll back.

Gerry

[Tomahawk51]

FYI: I'm another one on this latest release, and all is comparable or better than previous versions - no worse.

HD PVR & 2250 Card

(HD100, HD200)

[will]

Is it an accurate assumption that 7.1.19 relies heavier on STV servers than previous versions?

If 7.1.19 does use STV servers more then what happens when those servers are shutdown (in a year, two years, etc.)?

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by robk

I'm running 7.1.7.254 - my feeling (probably paranoid nonsense) is 7.1.19RC was released in a real hurry at the same time as the sale to not leave us with a beta. 7.1.7 works fine, I'll probably leave it as is. I've read 7.1.19RC has some minor problems with HD PVRs....
Who knows? If I was a developer and in the middle of a beta and Google improved my lifestyle, I'd probably slap an RC on the latest beta version and go party!

I could be totally wrong.

Rob

Went from 7.1.7 to 7.1.9 without issue a few days ago.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by will

Is it an accurate assumption that 7.1.19 relies heavier on STV servers than previous versions?

If 7.1.19 does use STV servers more then what happens when those servers are shutdown (in a year, two years, etc.)?

No more than it ever has. The channel logos are great and all, but I put my own in a long time ago.

[will]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

No more than it ever has. The channel logos are great and all, but I put my own in a long time ago.

Does STV 7.1.x download the channel logos to a folder (the same way we copy channel logos over to a folder)?

Can we backup the automatically downloaded STV logos if want?

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by will

Does STV 7.1.x download the channel logos to a folder (the same way we copy channel logos over to a folder)?

Can we backup the automatically downloaded STV logos if want?

Yes it does download the logos. You can get logo packs from the plugin repository so even if sage servers stop providing that information you still have it. IIRC you can backup the channellogos folder because that is where they are all stored.

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by will

Does STV 7.1.x download the channel logos to a folder (the same way we copy channel logos over to a folder)?

Yes, but it downloads them to a folder called GeneratedThumbnails (or something very similar to that). The channel logos are downloaded via a call to a Sage server, which in turn obtains them from Zap2It. So if the day comes where the Sage servers are disconnected, no new channel logos will be found. There are at least two benefits of the GeneratedThumbnails over the ChannelLogos folder: 1) GeneratedThumbnails can use three different size logos (small, medium, large) to display in the appropriate spots. ChannelLogos only has a single size per channel. 2) GeneratedThumbnails also contains additional artwork beyond channel logos (e.g. thumbnails for movies, television shows and whatnot).

Originally Posted by will

Can we backup the automatically downloaded STV logos if want?

Yes.

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

The channel logos are great and all, but I put my own in a long time ago.

I had my own logos as well but the ones provided by Sage are much better.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I had my own logos as well but the ones provided by Sage are much better.

I like mine better. Granted I only have local channels. Once I install my colossus and DirecTV gets installed I'll let sage download it's own logos. I can always change them. Yet another thing I love about sage.

[jimz06]

If I'm currently running V7 can you just replace the .exe with the upgrade .exe that was provided to the V6 folks or do you have to run the full 7.1.9 installer?

[nyplayer]

You have to run the installer in order to do any type of upgrade. Replacing the exe does not update the JARS STV etc...

[lotusvball]

I went from V7.15 to V7.19 on a WHS and had a ton of problems. I am now back at V7.15 and everything is fine again. I see in you specs you are running Windows server 2003. Be careful. I believe my WHS v1 was based on 2003 and I could not get it to be stable.