Client stream - where's the decoding take place?

[jlindborg]

Ok, Sage rookie question here.

I’m gathering all the equipment to deploy a full on media server and a couple client boxes for remote TVs on my network – there’s one thing I wanted to check into, though, before deciding on how to do my clients.

My main server will have 3 Win TV PVR Hauppauge cards (1 350, 2 250s) and be wired into my network switch. I also wanted to setup two client PCs with TV out capable video cards (ATI 9600s) hooked to TVs in other parts of the house also on the network switch.

My question is, for the clients streaming recorded programs (or live TV for that matter), where is the decoding taking place? On the server and then carted across the network or on the client box itself? I was hoping to get away with some real low powered old Celeron motherboards I have for the clients figuring that all they needed to do was shuffle packets on/off the network. But if they’re having to decode on the fly that’s a different story.

Presumably if I put a 350 in the clients and use the TV out on that instead of the 9600, this would solve the problem since it’d be using the on board decoder, right? That’d be cheaper and easier than going and getting new equipment anyway…

Advice?

Thanks

-Jeff

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by jlindborg

My question is, for the clients streaming recorded programs (or live TV for that matter), where is the decoding taking place? On the server and then carted across the network or on the client box itself?

The video data is streamed to the client & then the client is responsible for decoding & displaying it. (In short: decoding is done on the PC where playback is occurring.)

- Andy

[mdmint]

Actually the Server, if not being used for playback too, is the one to go low powered CPU. Also, if not using Server for Playback PVR350 is a waste of $$$ in it.

[jlindborg]

Yeah, the server will be my primary playback box in the front room - that's why I got the 350 for it.

I think I'll try the client with just the 9600 in there and run some stress tests and decide if I need to do anything else from there.

thanks

[korben_dallas]

Andy,

Does this mean that *unsupported* file types, like .mp4, would be playable on the client machine - assuming they are playable on the server - with some configuration? I've been meaning to buy Sage Client while the holiday discount is active, but I don't want to have a client that can't play all the same files that I've managed to get working in Sage on the server.

[stanger89]

Yes, the Client and server work exactly the same with regards to playback. This is even more true now that the server does/can run as Server+Pseudo-Client. Sage Client is basically SageTV minus the Service.

[dvd_maniac]

Yes, the Client and server work exactly the same with regards to playback. This is even more true now that the server does/can run as Server+Pseudo-Client. Sage Client is basically SageTV minus the Service.

I CAN'T get my mp4 files to play on the client. I encode with Nero (non avc) and Sage server can not play these files without installing 3ivx and ffdshow.

I installed Nero Ultra, ffdshow by celtic-druid and 3ivx on a clinet and I get a playback error. On the server I just got a black screen with audio. Just the playback error on client.

Now my files are in .MP4 extension, not sure if that makes a difference, but it seems that at least in my case, client and sage are different.

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by jlindborg

I think I'll try the client with just the 9600 in there and run some stress tests and decide if I need to do anything else from there.

How fast or should I say how slow are those client machines? Minimum requirement to run SageTV according to Frey is:

Intel Pentium III 600 MHz or AMD Athlon 600 MHz with additional requirements including TV Tuner Card, Video Card and additional software.

The client might require less since it doesn't do any of the services the server does. But just try to playback any DVD or Mpeg2 720x480 on it, see how it looks on the TV also. Get the Nvidia decoder, I think that will help as it uses less CPU.

[Opus4]

Since my name was mentioned above regarding playing unsupported (mp4) files on the client, I don't want to seem like I'm ignoring the question... I'm not entirely sure about the answer, since I don't really play anything other than what SageTV records. (The only other things I play are DVDs, played through my Xcard's software.)

The original question was regarding where decoding takes place -- and that is always going to be on the client, as far as I know.

If the default SageTV setup can play the file (with decoders installed, of course), then the client should be able to do so also -- it just gets streamed from the server to the client & the client shouldn't need its own direct access to the file.

However, if you have to use a custom add-on (custom STV, perhaps? external program?) to play some type of file, then the client may need its own direct access to the file, following the filename/path that is shown for that file inside SageTV. If it says the file is located at "D:\Video\TheBestMovieEver.moviefile", then the client needs to be able to see that file in the "D:\Video\" directory. Of course, that is where using UNC path names comes into play so that the client can actually see the file in its native habitat on the network.

I'm no expert on playing those unsupported files (since I don't use them)... so if anyone who actually does that comes by & sees that I wrote a bunch of BS, I'm sure we'll all find out.

- Andy

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

I CAN'T get my mp4 files to play on the client. I encode with Nero (non avc) and Sage server can not play these files without installing 3ivx and ffdshow.

I installed Nero Ultra, ffdshow by celtic-druid and 3ivx on a clinet and I get a playback error. On the server I just got a black screen with audio. Just the playback error on client.

Now my files are in .MP4 extension, not sure if that makes a difference, but it seems that at least in my case, client and sage are different.

Sorry to be dense, but I can't tell if you have it working on the server or not.

[dvd_maniac]

yes, it works perfectly on server

[stanger89]

I'm gona take this up over here:
http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthr...4&page=1&pp=20