SageTV FAQ

[Narflex]

Below is a new FAQ index, Opinions* are always welcome. Thanks to Opus4 for his hard work on it. Also thanks goes out to Narflex for letting me use his post for this index. This index will be updated to reflect new posts to the FAQ. Don't forget ANYONE is welcome to contribute to the FAQ. If you have questions/suggestions reqarding a particuliar FAQ post, please contact the poster.

*Please PM Opus4 with suggestions or ideas you'd like to see.

/justme (forum moderator)

SageTV License Issues

• I ordered SageTV, but I haven't received my license key yet. When will it be sent?
• I lost my license key, how can I get a copy of it again?
• I forgot which license was used on which computer. Is there a way to get find out what license was entered on each computer?
• Is there a way to re-enter a license on a computer?

SageTV Products: Server, Client, Placeshifter, Extender, etc.

• What is the difference between SageTV Client and Placeshifter?

Operating System considerations

• Where does SageTV store its data files?
• Where does SageTV store its data files in Windows Vista?

Upgrading and troubleshooting your SageTV system

• Why does my file show a duration of 0 length? This causes FF/RW to skip to the end of the file
• What is the best way to install new drivers for Hauppauge PVR cards, Hauppauge always seems to have new ones
• What should I do if I plan to upgrade to a newer version of SageTV?
• I am changing computers and will no longer use SageTV on its current computer. Can my current recordings be moved to the new computer?
• My SageTV installation isn't working correctly and it has been suggested that I reinstall SageTV. How can I reset SageTV's configuration settings without losing my recordings, favorites, etc.?
• Does SageTV have an "official" troubleshooting FAQ? Yes, just follow this link.
• What ports do I need to open in my firewall for SageTV?
• What ports do I need to open in my firewall for using a Media Extender?
• What port do I need to open in my firewall for using the SageTV Placeshifter?
• SageTV Client won't connect to the SageTV server. What should I check?
• I have a problem using SageTV and was asked to enable debug logging. How do I do that?
• What version of Java do I need for SageTV?
• How do I update Java on my Windows PC?

Recording Live TV and putting SageTV to Sleep

• How do I stop Sage from recording everything I watch during Live TV?
• How can I change the size of the Live TV recording buffer?
• I see above that SageTV always records LiveTV... once LiveTV has started, how do I stop it?
• What if I don't want to put sage to Sleep? I don't want to see the Windows desktop on my dedicated HTPC.

Playback settings, methods, and issues

• How can I get CC(closed caption) data to show up in my SageTV recordings?
• My media playback and/or Windows animations stutter when I use VMR9 rendering. How can I fix this?
• What's the difference between a Decoder and a Renderer?
• What's a "filter"?
• What is the "Default" audio/video decoder?
• How do I tell what the "Preferred" decoder is on my system?
• What is the difference between Renderers, which one is best?
• Why do some of the DVDs I have ripped to my computer freeze part way through when I play them back through SageTV on a Windows PC?
• During playback, the timeline advances several seconds for each second of actual playback. How can I fix this?
• How can I play my Hauppauge HD-PVR recordings on a PC?
• After installing the Hauppauge HD-PVR and Arcsoft's Total Media Extreme, my PC cannot play MP3 files. How can I fix that?

Recorded TV shows and Scheduling Recordings

• Does SageTV know enough to record a show only once? I see that one of my favorites is scheduled to air 3 times this week -- How many of those will be recorded?
• If I delete a show, will it be recorded again?
• How many days in advance does SageTV schedule its recordings?
• Why isn't my Favorite set to record? It falls within the next 3 days, so it should be in my recording schedule.
• I see some recordings and LiveTV listings that have colored outlines or are shown with a different font. What does this mean?
• My recordings are missing the first 5 minutes. How do I fix that?

The Program Guide

• How often is the Program Guide (EPG) updated?
• Can I force the Guide to be updated?
• Is there a way to specify an exact time for the update to occur? (I want to have the update occur at 3:00 AM, but I don't want to stay up that late!)
• What ports do I need to open in my firewall for SageTV?
• My Program Guide is no longer updating and is missing data for some or all of my channels. How can I get it to start updating again?
• Some of my channels have no Program Guide data, but other channels do and their data is getting updated. Why do some channels have no data?
• My Program Guide is listing incorrect info for some channels and/or shows. I am using the built-in data which comes from Zap2It. Is there some way to see about getting this fixed?
• Why are some of my channels missing from the Program Guide?

Saving, Deleting, and Moving Recordings

• Where does SageTV store my recordings?
• Which directory will be used for the next recording?
• What happens if SageTV runs out of disk space?
• So... SageTV is only supposed to delete files when I tell it to or when it runs out of space?
• Can I change an existing Video Directory using a "drive:\path" style name to one using the UNC "\\computer\path" style w/o losing my recordings?
• Can I move a SageTV Recording file and still have it listed with all its data on the SageTV Recordings screen?
• Can the actual Video Directory location be moved or renamed?
• I am changing computers and will no longer use SageTV on its current computer. Can my current recordings be moved to the new computer?
• My hard drive crashed, but SageTV still lists the recordings that were on that drive. How can I tell SageTV that the recordings that used to be on that drive no longer exist?
• I moved a SageTV recording to the library. Is there a way to move it back out of the library and into the SageTV Recordings list again?

Recording Quality Settings

• SageTV only has a few recording qualities available, and I want to add more, is that even possible?
• How do I adjust the brightness and contrast of the recordings?

Controling SageTV

• Where can a find the official list of all the sendmessage, keystroke, and -event commands used by SageTV?
• Are there any command line paramteters for use with SageTV?
• How do I use Girder to control SageTV?
• Is there a collection of Information/links for Remotes, Recievers, IR blaster, etc. for use with Sage? Yes, just follow this link.

The Hauppauge remote

• How do I use the Hauppauge remote to control SageTV? When I press a button, nothing happens.
• How can I use the Hauppauge remote to wake SageTV after using it to put SageTV to sleep?
• Can I replace the Hauppauge remote with one that has more buttons?
• Can I use the Hauppauge remote to control SageTV when it doesn't have Windows focus?
• I have the new 45-button Hauppauge remote. How can I get it to work with SageTV?

SageTV settings

• Where can I find a list of settings and their effects/meanings for the Sage.Properties file? ie adjusting the FF or RW times used by SageTV.
• How do I get sage to startup in Full Screen mode / System Tray Mode?
• SageTV is taking a long time to start. Is there a way to make its startup process go faster?
• How do I edit the properties file? The settings don't change when I change them.
• Is there a list of registry settings that SageTV uses on Windows?

Using SageTV with Windows MCE

• Where can I find information about using SageTV with Windows MCE, or with the MCE remote?

Misc Information

• How do I disable the Video Preview in Windows Explorer?
• Is there some sort of reference for the various acronyms and terms used around here?