Can you interactively control mutliple video cards?

[hamptonhills]

In the new V1.2.2 beta version, can you interactively switch between and/or tune the different video cards or are the 2nd, 3rd, ... video cards only used for scheduled recordings. If you can, there key definitions that will take you the different cards, e.g. pressing key 1 displays and allow you to control video source 1, key 2 would be for video source 2, etc.?

[dkardatzke]

SageTV actually makes the decision what card to use to tune based on scheduled recordings against channels you receive for each source. If you only want to watch a channel on one particular card you need to disable it in the Channel Setup for the other sources. You could be channel surfing and it may switch between cards for different channels due to a number of factors.

[Narflex]

Let me answer that again a little differently...

Sage will switch between the different cards automatically and as needed. Live TV can be come from any of the cards depending upon what's in use and what's not. Scheduled recordings also can occur on any card depending upon what's available.

Another example to either confuse or explain....
With the networking features in development now, if two clients connect to the server each of them would be watching a different tuner if they each request to watch 2 different live shows at the same time. But they'll be watching the same tuner if they each request to watch the same show.

[hamptonhills]

I guess what I was asking, will SageTV allow you (currently or in the future) allow you the timeshift multiple TV programs.

For example lets say I want to watch two programs and during the commericals of one program switch over to the second program and then switch back.

With the proposed network edition would you be able to startup two or more interactive frontends on the same PC?

[dkardatzke]

Sorry for the confusion, you can timeshift multiple shows with the new version. That's actually what I was doing last night while basketball was on. I would let the buffer build up for the game while watching something else and then go back to the game to fast forward through commercials.

It's best to tell SageTV that you want to record those shows because sometimes if you try to switch off something you are watching it doesn't know you are coming back and may switch to another program based on the intelligent recording. However it will not switch channels if it's one of your Favorites or a Manual Recording.

[hamptonhills]

Do you have to go to the EPG and select the video source that you want to watch or is there a quicker way, i.e. keyboard shortcur?

[dkardatzke]

When you set up multiple sources and service providers, SageTV consolidates them into one Guide showing all the channels available. This way you just pick something to watch/record and SageTV gets it from the available/designated source.

Let me know if we are talking past each other on this topic. That's the only problem with forums vs a live human conversation.

Dan

[Mark Lamutt]

I think the question is if there is a keyboard shortcut and/or a girder command that can be used to switch back and forth between the tuners, rather than having to go through the guide - like a video source toggle button on a remote. If not, I'd suggest adding that and discrete access to each tuner - i.e. Tuner1, Tuner2, Tuner3...etc

[hamptonhills]

I think we are talking past each other a liitle bit, but with each response I gain further insite into how SageTV handles multiple cards.

I think that part of the problem is that I currently have only a single card installation and am trying to figure out if SageTV will do what I want before I purchase a second card. If I already had the second card, the answer to my questions might be self evident with a little "hands on" trial and error.

I understand that their could be a lot going on the background, scheduled records, etc. but lets assume that none of that is going on. I am just watching a single channel, say chan 41, and it happens to be on source SAGE 1. Now I want to switch to another channel, say chan 42, and watch that program whille still recording the program on chan 41. How does the program know or how do I convey to it that I am not just switching channels, but that I am interested in both programs. Does the progam just toggle between the video sources when swithing channels or is there same way to designate that I want to change channels on the SAGE 2 source?

Thanks for the quick responses!

[Narflex]

A design decision was made to not allow discrete tuner access at this time; mainly because we couldn't figure out why anybody would want it. It seemed unnecessary and confusing.

The design we went with was 'pick a show' and Sage figures out which tuner to use automatically.

And you can switch tuners without going to the guide. For example, select channels 2 & 3 each to be recorded in the EPG. Go to TV. If you switch back and forth using channel up/down or just typing the number; then you'll be switching between two tuners without going to the EPG. Same as changing the channels on a single tuner without going to the EPG; but with multi you won't miss anything during the channel flipping.

[Narflex]

hamptonhills,

1. You're watching channel 41, let's say on Sage 1
2. Go to the EPG and 'Record' what's on channel 41, it'll lock Sage1 to channel 41 until that show is over.
3. select what's on channel 42 to watch, Sage'll automatically select Sage 2 to view this because Sage 1 is locked to channel 41.
4. You're now viewing channel 42 on Sage2 and Sage1 is still recording channel 41.

[hamptonhills]

Got it

Thanks