SageTV app for TiVo....any chance?

[tvmaster2]

is there any chance that someday, a SageTV app for TiVo would be developed? There's Plex, Amazon, Yahoo, Netflix, etc. Is that something out of the realm of reality, and if so, why? Legal, technical etc.
I've got two, TiVo Premiere's with Lifetime service that I can't decide if they should stay or go. The idea of a SageTV app would weigh heavily on the 'stay' side. Otherwise...

[stanger89]

Only if someone decides it's worth it to them to make one.

I'm guessing you can guess the odds of that.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Only if someone decides it's worth it to them to make one.

I'm guessing you can guess the odds of that.

lol, yeah, I imagine we both know the odds. I guess my Lifetime Premiere's will be up for sale soon...

[Fuzzy]

Seems strange to use DVR hardware just to play back recordings from a different DVR.

[stuckless]

I think it would better, in this case, to build a better Plex App for SageTV, and use plex as the front-end. It wouldn't be a full featured client, but, it would probably get the job done. I think there is already a couple of plex integrations with SageTV... you should check them out.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by stuckless

I think it would better, in this case, to build a better Plex App for SageTV, and use plex as the front-end. It wouldn't be a full featured client, but, it would probably get the job done. I think there is already a couple of plex integrations with SageTV... you should check them out.

Honestly, don't know what the current SageTV for Plex implementation is missing.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Honestly, don't know what the current SageTV for Plex implementation is missing.

Just off the top of my head....
- better views
- commercial skipping
- better watched syncing

I try plex every few months, and I end up just scrapping it. They are light years ahead of sagetv with their apps, etc, but, the fact that you can't build a simple view and save it, makes it useless for me. I have 1000s of tv shows/movies... and I find that using Plex is painful. (In all fairness, sagetv without VFS is pretty useless for me as well, but at least I could customize sagetv).

Given that most of my TV is recorded, using Plex to watch something is pointless, since I can't actually skip commercials.

And I think there is a sage sync for plex that I saw someone created, so, maybe the watched status is a mute point.

My impressions is that anytime you are using plex to watch recorded tv shows, the experience is incredibly lacking.

I tried to create a Plex Channel for SageTV that gave me the ability to organize my content the way I wanted (ie, it would read the phoenix views), but Plex Channels is even more lacking than Plex itself... It's almost like they go out of their way to ensure it's crippled.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Just off the top of my head....
- better views
- commercial skipping
- better watched syncing

I try plex every few months, and I end up just scrapping it. They are light years ahead of sagetv with their apps, etc, but, the fact that you can't build a simple view and save it, makes it useless for me. I have 1000s of tv shows/movies... and I find that using Plex is painful. (In all fairness, sagetv without VFS is pretty useless for me as well, but at least I could customize sagetv).

Given that most of my TV is recorded, using Plex to watch something is pointless, since I can't actually skip commercials.

And I think there is a sage sync for plex that I saw someone created, so, maybe the watched status is a mute point.

My impressions is that anytime you are using plex to watch recorded tv shows, the experience is incredibly lacking.

I tried to create a Plex Channel for SageTV that gave me the ability to organize my content the way I wanted (ie, it would read the phoenix views), but Plex Channels is even more lacking than Plex itself... It's almost like they go out of their way to ensure it's crippled.

Yeah, the watched status syncing is pretty much taken care of - the rest of the issues are issues with plex, not with the sage to plex implementation.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Yeah, the watched status syncing is pretty much taken care of - the rest of the issues are issues with plex, not with the sage to plex implementation.

Agreed, which is why I find Plex to be pointless.

But, to clarify when I said, "Build a better Plex App for SageTV", I was really referring to my own Channel app that I wrote. Using a Channel, you do have better control over how you present the items, and now that SageTV is open source, there would be better ways to enhance the server for streaming. ie, Maybe have the Channel connect as a client, and then you can leverage the streaming protocols in sagetv (you might need to wrap them in HTTP, which is what I initially did on the Android Client anyways). You wouldn't stream the UI in this case, but just the video. (You could trick sagetv to think that you are an iOS client, and it would automaticaly serve up HLS streams back to Plex -- the code is there in SageTV today, but it's not used)

Alternatively, I think the integration part could be beefed up a little as well. It works, just everytime I do it, I have to do a bunch of manual steps, and I think some of that can be automated. For example the plex.js service library in sagetv could be installed via plugin. In theory, if the Plex and SageTV server are on the same box, the plex python scripts could be installed and updated via the sagetv plugin system as well.

So, I'm not suggesting the current SageTV / Plex solutions are worthless, just that they could be better. Like everything, it can get better. I think it gets the job done, now, it just needs to be pulled together to make it simpler to install/configure.

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Agreed, which is why I find Plex to be pointless.

For me Plex fills the gaps that SageTV doesn't. Even with its limitations like not de-interlacing video.

For SageTV to fill those gaps it needs a MUCH better web interface with in-browser streaming playback like Plex. Mobile apps that have a similar sync feature so that an internet connection isn't always required like Plex.

I know not everyone wants/needs sync but it is a handy feature when traveling and internet isn't guaranteed or workplace's wifi that is not adequate/limited/or has bad coverage. It guarantees the ability to be able to play specific media even when there's no internet access.

Personally, I dislike the overlap in functionality but until SageTV has those features Plex is there to fill the niche.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Seems strange to use DVR hardware just to play back recordings from a different DVR.

Those were my first thoughts - Sage and TiVo have the same strengths.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

For me Plex fills the gaps that SageTV doesn't. Even with its limitations like not de-interlacing video.

For SageTV to fill those gaps it needs a MUCH better web interface with in-browser streaming playback like Plex. Mobile apps that have a similar sync feature so that an internet connection isn't always required like Plex.

I know not everyone wants/needs sync but it is a handy feature when traveling and internet isn't guaranteed or workplace's wifi that is not adequate/limited/or has bad coverage. It guarantees the ability to be able to play specific media even when there's no internet access.

Personally, I dislike the overlap in functionality but until SageTV has those features Plex is there to fill the niche.

Yeah, so "pointless" is probably a little harsh I agree the there are definitely things that Plex does better, like, Sync, Web UI, and even the Apps... There a big gaps to fill when the development side of SageTV is almost non-existent

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Yeah, so "pointless" is probably a little harsh I agree the there are definitely things that Plex does better, like, Sync, Web UI, and even the Apps... There a big gaps to fill when the development side of SageTV is almost non-existent

I'm trying to fit time in to develop a native iOS app. Just not enough time between work and family to put in the needed effort.

[Fuzzy]

I use plex for two things. I use it when I'm remote and want to stream something and care about the quality (otherwise, if it's just 'background' watching or listening, I use Placeshifter). I also use it in my RV when camping playing back from the local synced files on my tablet or tv. I've often thought about working up a proper syncing system for Sage, but since I needed Plex for my streaming, I didn't take it much past brainstorming. If the placeshifter thing gets improved on the transcoding end, it might tip the tables back to a sage-only solution - unfortunately, it might work better with a full sage UI at the offline sync end instead of a server connected placeshifter.

So, Sean, when you're done with your placeshifter for android.. you need to start working on a thick client for android... okay? :-)

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by wayner

Those were my first thoughts - Sage and TiVo have the same strengths.

I'd like to be able to schedule SageTV recordings from within Tivo, hence an app. Sage records HD material that can be moved about, so to speak. Tivo can't. So, set up Sage recordings from within Tivo on the Sage server, without the need for Sage extenders.
Thought it was kinda simple, actually. Unless you folks know how to record from premium channels with a Tivo and NOT have that little red circle-cross appear