alternatives to Sage to consider

[jerryt]

A XBMC frontend to WMC

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=171216

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by jerryt

A XBMC frontend to WMC

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=171216

Very interesting..............

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by mikejaner

Very interesting..............

I don't see what the WMC backend gives you that Sage or NextPVR doesn't at this point. It's not like it lets you use the CableCard tuner on protected content.

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I don't see what the WMC backend gives you that Sage or NextPVR doesn't at this point. It's not like it lets you use the CableCard tuner on protected content.

I am not currently home to test this, but I imagine if XBMC is running locally on the box that WMC is on, it might be able to playback utilizing WMPlayer, which can play protected content maybe? Either way, the copy freely content would work right?

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by jerryt

A XBMC frontend to WMC

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=171216

Have you tried this yet?

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I don't see what the WMC backend gives you that Sage or NextPVR doesn't at this point. It's not like it lets you use the CableCard tuner on protected content.

Why do you say that?

[jerryt]

Originally Posted by Skybolt

Have you tried this yet?

No, I am moving computers around. Recently got Cablecard and I do want to be able to record the copy protected channels, so I am stuck with WMC at the moment.

The XBMC frontend for WMC still has the limit of no copy protected channels. But it is interesting how they are doing the recordings. WMC starts the recording and then the frontend plays the WTV file and re-records it as a MPEG for XBMC it play.

Just another option...

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by jerryt

No, I am moving computers around. Recently got Cablecard and I do want to be able to record the copy protected channels, so I am stuck with WMC at the moment.

The XBMC frontend for WMC still has the limit of no copy protected channels. But it is interesting how they are doing the recordings. WMC starts the recording and then the frontend plays the WTV file and re-records it as a MPEG for XBMC it play.

Just another option...

I gotta say, that really sounds like a terrible step backwards, instead of playing back the recording directly.

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by jerryt

... WMC starts the recording and then the frontend plays the WTV file and re-records it as a MPEG for XBMC it play. ...

I have to agree with Fuzzy, major steps backwards.

WMC on it's own can be real nice in it's own right, if tweaked properly. Not what Sage can do for some though.

[jerryt]

Originally Posted by Skybolt

I have to agree with Fuzzy, major steps backwards.

WMC on it's own can be real nice in it's own right, if tweaked properly. Not what Sage can do for some though.

The XBMC frontend is a client, you would still run WMC on the server.

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by jerryt

The XBMC frontend is a client, you would still run WMC on the server.

Yes, that was understood. I was refering to the re-encoding (recording) done by XBMC which I didn't like.

[Evil_Attorney]

NextPVR does seem interesting. They even have an auto refresh rate plugin to match your video and they support the HDPVR 2. The main downside I see is that you would need to subscribe to schedules direct.

[mguebert]

Originally Posted by Evil_Attorney

NextPVR does seem interesting. They even have an auto refresh rate plugin to match your video and they support the HDPVR 2. The main downside I see is that you would need to subscribe to schedules direct.

That would be the case with any of the Open source free DVR packages including media portal, and Myth.

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by mguebert

That would be the case with any of the Open source free DVR packages including media portal, and Myth.

This works pretty well
http://mc2xml.hosterbox.net/

[Evil_Attorney]

Thanks Mike. MC2XML is definitely doable, but much more of a pain vs. Sage. Same with Directv serial tuning.

[SWKerr]

Originally Posted by mikejaner

This works pretty well
http://mc2xml.hosterbox.net/

I used this when I tested NextPVR.
Lacked some of the info that you see in SageTV but was acceptable and worked well in practice. (Plus it was free)

[OldPCGUY]

I can't help but think Google knew exactly what they wanted to kill.

There is simply no replacement for Sage and it's extenders as of today.
Its really sad.

Using a simple Roku+Playon and a few plugins I can replace Comcast, Netflix, and Hulu.
Quality is sometimes compromised.
But I cannot replace Live Action Sports over OTA or the Movie Library I have built.

Sage handles my whole house TV solution with 3 HD200 and single server.
The Sagu UI is way better than the Roku UI for Playon. The Roku is lame.

Eventually one of the existing solutions will step up or a new company will form to fill the void that sage left.


http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/imag...es/goodjob.gif

[emveepee]

Sub the author NextPVR of has done a lot of great work creating an easy to use API interface "touch" for his next version which opens up the NextPVR UI to most modern devices not just to Windows PCs which I thought I'd demo. There is no reason that NextPVR couldn't be skinned to look more like some SageTV and sub is open to providing tools and enhancements to help skinners and plugin authors get there

Although many people like XBMC's look and feel, some prefer NextPVR's look and intuitive attention to almost all the features a PVR user needs and with no seemingly no stop to his creativity, XBMC continues to be a bit limited Chameleon gives you both UI's, and you don't lose access to sub's XBMC PVR either. Here's some samples of my take on some common functions in XBMC as a python addon. In the LiveTV sample you can see how it changes from XBMC's UI to NextPVR.

Playback Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-vtNE9qILU
EPG Record https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUcCrh7bpcY (analog digital hdpvr) live tv jump by # at end
Live TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hklpC4-A8Ns
Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-3DuO4d6tk

Those were from a networked client machine to my fairly old/slow server, but for here's a sample showing access via the Internet to another user's machine. http://youtu.be/QGr_50nYimc Transcoded playback is possible too

I'll try and create a few samples to share from an RPi, and a few Arm devices including XBMC for Android over the next week. Another dev is working on something like this for LG boxes, and yet another is working on integrating some of this API (but not the touch UI) for Samsung. Long live h/w extenders!

Martin

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by emveepee

Sub the author NextPVR of has done a lot of great work creating an easy to use API interface "touch" for his next version which opens up the NextPVR UI to most modern devices not just to Windows PCs which I thought I'd demo. There is no reason that NextPVR couldn't be skinned to look more like some SageTV and sub is open to providing tools and enhancements to help skinners and plugin authors get there

Although many people like XBMC's look and feel, some prefer NextPVR's look and intuitive attention to almost all the features a PVR user needs and with no seemingly no stop to his creativity, XBMC continues to be a bit limited Chameleon gives you both UI's, and you don't lose access to sub's XBMC PVR either. Here's some samples of my take on some common functions in XBMC as a python addon. In the LiveTV sample you can see how it changes from XBMC's UI to NextPVR.

Playback Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-vtNE9qILU
EPG Record https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUcCrh7bpcY (analog digital hdpvr) live tv jump by # at end
Live TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hklpC4-A8Ns
Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-3DuO4d6tk

Those were from a networked client machine to my fairly old/slow server, but for here's a sample showing access via the Internet to another user's machine. http://youtu.be/QGr_50nYimc Transcoded playback is possible too

I'll try and create a few samples to share from an RPi, and a few Arm devices including XBMC for Android over the next week. Another dev is working on something like this for LG boxes, and yet another is working on integrating some of this API (but not the touch UI) for Samsung. Long live h/w extenders!

Martin

I agree, NextPVR is a great package. The issue most people have is the same one with other software like MythTV and MediaPortal. It doesn't run on extenders. XBMC can be made to run on practically anything and therefore is the one most people look at. If somehow a fully functional NextPVR client could be made as an .apk, it would be a perfect candidate for replacing SageTV.

[Edit] on the same note, if SageTV were to be open sourced and somebody were to develop an .apk, SageTV would probably have ex-users flocking back [/Edit]

[Evil_Attorney]

Originally Posted by mikejaner

I agree, NextPVR is a great package. The issue most people have is the same one with other software like MythTV and MediaPortal. It doesn't run on extenders. XBMC can be made to run on practically anything and therefore is the one most people look at. If somehow a fully functional NextPVR client could be made as an .apk, it would be a perfect candidate for replacing SageTV.

[Edit] on the same note, if SageTV were to be open sourced and somebody were to develop an .apk, SageTV would probably have ex-users flocking back [/Edit]

I'm confused, why wouldn't you consider Openelec an extender for NextPVR/MythTV/MediaPortal? Because it doesn't have all of the original functionality of these PVRs? I suspect that XBMC will catch up and polish up the PVR functionality soon.