SageTV Parental Controls Trusted Client

[ptaylor]

Is there any way to specify a Sage client as a "trusted" client, so that the parental code would not need to be entered in for that client?

I can't find anything along those lines in the GUI, but I thought I would ask...

Thanks,
Paul

[Tiki]

I don't personally use Parental Controls. However, if you have multiple clients, each one uses its own properties file. This allows each Client to have its own STV, imports or theme settings. So, it should be possible to disable parental controls on one client and enable them on another.

You will have to test this to be sure (its possible that the parental controls info is set at the server level, in which case enabling or disabling Parental Controls would affect all clients).

[CollinR]

I don't use it either but I'm pretty sure if it is enabled on the server in application it will effect all extenders and placeshifter. If it is not running on the server you can pick and choose which client.properties has it and does not.

[ptaylor]

I didn't try it via the properties file, but I just tested the above this way:

1. On the server, I disabled parental controls
2. On the client machine, I went into parental controls and enabled them
3. On the server, I went back to parental controls and was prompted for the parental code.

So, it appears that enabling it from the client machine actually enables it globally.

[ptaylor]

Ok - I've been looking over things for the last few hours to see if there is yet a way to do this, and so far I'm not seeing anything. I enabled parental controls from one of the client machines, but that still enables it globally.

Malore had a STV import for 5.04 that would (among other things) let you temporarily disable parental controls (basically, let you unlock parental controls while Sage is active - if no video is playing for 5 minutes after they have been disabled, they are automatically re-enabled), but it doesn't look like this STV update will work with 6.5... (I've not actually tried it, but it isn't listed among the 6.X compatible imports.)

Is there some other way to handle this that I've overlooked?

Edited to add: Yes, I'm still looking for a way to do this. I currently have two Sage servers, one for the kids and one for the parents, but just ordered a second HD200 and would love to cut back to a single sage server, while keeping the kids content apart from the parental content, without the constant annoyance of entering in parental codes for the HD200 in our bedroom.

Thanks,
Paul

[ptaylor]

So, no one else has any suggestions?

Thanks,
Paul

[bcjenkins]

Although I have not used it in a while, check out the custom channel lineup from BobPhoenix. You can set up channel lists for individual clients which can be parental controlled.

B

[GKusnick]

Another possibility is to hack the STV so that instead of prompting for the override code, it just silently enters the code automatically without popping up a dialog. You could then configure one client to use that hacked STV, whille leaving others set to the stock STV. (Of course to be bulletproof, you'd have to make sure your kids aren't able to load the hacked STV on their own clients.)

Whether that level of customization is within range of your skills is for you to decide.