SageTV Setup Problems

[mike1961]

Hello - I downloaded the SageTV Trial version and I have been trying to set it up for hours. I'm now on day #2 and I just can't seem to get it to show liveTV. The TV works fine with the manufacturers application. I have the WinTV 150 card running with XP. I've tried all the mpeg2 video decoders and none seem to work. If I go into Video sources and select Hauppauge Win TV PVR PCI II Capture I can then select either TV Tuner or TV Tuner Channel 3 (the other options composite and s-video shouldn't be selected because I have cable TV). If I select either TV Tuner it shows the preview and I do see the TV on. I then select User Tuner on Capture Card to Tune TV. Then I select Use US XML TV guide (I can't get the guide to work either). I select cable and enter my zip code. I enable all channels and finish the setup. I try and watch live TV and I just get a black screen with no sound and no video. If I go to the program guide that is blank also. I would like to get this working on my computer because ideally I would then like to hook TV's to individual computers in the house. But this is getting terribly frustrating.

Thanks,
Mike

[Narflex]

Where are you located at? Have you tried setting it up with the guide data provided by SageTV? It sounds like it's not getting any guide data so it has no channels to tune to. That's probably why the setup preview works and watching TV from the guide doesn't.

[mike1961]

I'm in California but I'm not sure what I need to do to set it up with the SageTV Guide. I do have Zonealarm but I told it to allow SageTV to access the Internet.

Thanks,
Mike

[mike1961]

Here's the part that continues to confuse me: When I select a source it allows me to select one of these options:

1. Use US, Canada or XMLTV Guide with this source
2. Use tvtv Services guide with this srouce
3. Do not use program guide data with this source

If I select #3 the tv seems to work and I can even view a guide with no data in it. I'm thinking I have to select #1 but I'm not sure what is involved in configuring the XMLTV Guide Data. Is it something that Sage does or do I need to get a separate program? I'm still frustrated with this. Please help.

Thanks,
Mike

[Opus4]

You would select #1 & enter your zip code to use the built-in SageTV-provided EPG data; XMLTV doesn't come into play here. If you are presented with a lsit of providers where you can choose your cable TV company, then it is able to get the info via the internet. The guide can take a while to get filled in, but you should be able to see _some_ listings if you scroll thought the Program Guide screen.

- Andy

[mike1961]

Hello - I still see nothing in the guide. Is there some way I can tell it to force a download? In fact, in general, how often does it download the guide? Anyway to configure that. Overall, the user interface looks great and I really want to buy this product but I just do not understand why it is not downloading the guide...I even shutdown my firewall and it still does not download anything at all; the guide is completely empty with a blank screen that just says Sat 12/3 with times 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00 and there is nothing else below it.

Thanks for the help,
Mike

[mike1961]

I finally got it to work...For some reason, Adephia Rebuild was wrong and downloading nothing so I tried Adelphia Digital and it worked!

Thanks so much for the help...so far it looks great...Now I can play with this thing and have some fun
Mike

[mike1961]

Almost forgot....A FEW QUESTIONS:

1. How often does it download the data and is there a way to just force a download?

2. What exactly does the SageTV Server do? Ideally, I'm thinking I may want two TVs using Sage and maybe one or two computers. Do I need to buy four copies for a proper license? I'd probably want them all saving to the same hard drive if practical. The idea being that anything recorded in one place could easily be watched in another.

Thanks,
Mike

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by mike1961

1. How often does it download the data and is there a way to just force a download?

Every 24 hours; as part of the Program Guide section of the manual, see the top of p. 44 in the PDF manual in your SageTV directory for more info.

2. What exactly does the SageTV Server do? Ideally, I'm thinking I may want two TVs using Sage and maybe one or two computers. Do I need to buy four copies for a proper license? I'd probably want them all saving to the same hard drive if practical. The idea being that anything recorded in one place could easily be watched in another.

The Server option enables SageTV to act as a server for SageTV Client installations on your network. You would need SageTV on one system acting as a server (and playing recordings, if you wish) plus one SageTV Client for each PC where you wish to use the client. The server will save its recordings where you tell it & each client will be able to view all your recordings via its connection to the server.

- Andy

[mike1961]

I guess I'm confused about the client server relationship and here's why....I was thinking about doing it this way.....I was thinking about hooking a usb hard drive directly to my router and then mapping each computer to that hard drive. So, suppose I have two televisions one in the family room and one in the master bedroom. I also have two computers in my home office so there would be four computers total since the two televisions would be hooked up to a computer. I'm considering mapping all four computers to a USB hard drive directly on my router (it's a network access storage device NASD). In this way, it doesn't matter if any computer is turned off at any time. I suppose I could also create a separate folder on the individual computers but the idea I had was if I saved shows on the USB hard drive then any TV could watch the show at any time without having to do a transfer. I hope all this makes sense but my question is what do I need? Do I just need four clients? Do I need four trial versions (I mean versions that are like the trial - I'm not sure if the trial I'm working with is just the client version or a server as well)? I'm not sure how much it costs for four licenses and would they just be individual clients or four servers or what? I'm not looking to hook any one computer to another but rather share a drive on the network (the usb on the router).

One other question unrelated - I noticed there is a section for Online Services and it connects to the weather on the internet. Is there a way to add additional options to connect to other web pages and if so how?

Thanks again,
Mike

[Opus4]

SageTV handles recordings, so that PC must be on to record. Plus, all clients stream recordings through the server for playback, so you have to have the server on for the SageTV Client to function. SageTV is what you are using now. SageTV Client is a separate download.

Using 4 separate servers to access the same drive wouldn't accomplish much, since they don't share recordings that way. You want 1 server to do the recording + 3 clients to use those recordings on 3 other PCs; otherwise, each system will create its own recordings w/o regard for what the other systems might also be recording.

The weather screen downloads weather info from the internet; it is not loading a web site. Currently, that is the only built-in option on the Online Services menu.

- Andy