Here's why I'm thinking of moving from MCE

[showson1]

Hi all.
I'm a current MCE user and I really like it, use it with the Xbox360 as an extender and everything.
The thing is, I'm going to check out SageTV when I get home and if I like it I'm considering switching to Sage and here's why.

Some things I don't like about MCE

• No software media extender
• Hardware extenders are not being made anymore and when they sell new ones they'll only work with the Vista version
• Limited filetype support
• Can't stream ripped DVDs to hardware extenders (ie: Xbox360)... ok you can but requires 3rd party (free) software and is very CPU intensive.

Some things I really like about Sage:

• Placeshifter and clients available
• Hardware extenders still being made and allow playing of ripped DVDs
• Multiple file format support
• Multiple tuner cards

Again I'm not bashing MCE, it's VERY sweet and has been rock solid thus far, it just lacking in some areas that I'm looking for.

A very big plus for me is placeshifter, my primary machine is a Mac and I'd LOVE to be able to watch my recorded and live TV off the "server" on the Mac.

Anyone make the change from MCE to SageTV? If so why did you switch and are you happy?

Thanks.

[mike1961]

No - I never used MCE but here are some things Sage does that I really like (and I don't think MCE does):

1. SageClients. In other words, on my main file server I run SageServiceControl and that way if I record anything on any workstation then I can watch it anywhere in the house. So, there is a common location where all mpeg files are stored.

2. The free Sage Addons/customizations which include customizable menus, IMDB access, Newsfeeds, local movietimes and movie previews, weather and so much more.

3. mpeg4 support. I have all my DVD's on one hard drive. You can compress a DVD with good quality in as little as 250-300 mb/hour. That's over 1500 movies on one 750gb hard drive.

4. The support base - this forum, quick support and the Sage community.

5. The ability to run the software on just about any OS.

6. I can run other programs on the computer with the remote such as MAME and other things as well.

I'm still working out some of the quirks but overall I love the features and customizability.

Mike

[showson1]

Well, I've installed the software and had it set up in about 5 minutes.
I threw the placeshifter on my Mac and connected no problem, works GREAT.

I'm going to use Sage instead of MCE for the next few days and see how I like it.

So far I can tell already it's got WAY more features, but it's definitely not as visually appealing as MCE.

I'm reserving all judgment until I play with it for a few days, try some of the plugins, etc..
So far I really like it... and I can control it from that Mac.. WOO HOO.

[dvd_maniac]

Try SageMC custom STV. It has more of a MCE feel to it...

SAGEMC Addon

[sainswor99]

Originally Posted by showson1

So far I can tell already it's got WAY more features, but it's definitely not as visually appealing as MCE.

For more opinions than you ever wanted on the SageTV interface, you may want to read this thread:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23369

or for a shorter summary:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23734

Welcome to the club.

Stu

[webdb]

I switched from MCE to Sage about three months ago and I'm really happy with this step.
The mainserver contains four cards and I have all my 300 DVD's on the same server which can be shown on all my six clients.

Everythin works fine and I've never discovered an issue neither on the server nor on one of the clients.

Also I'm using the MCE skin and remote control which makes me feel using MCE

Danny

[roxy99]

We have to resist M$ luring us into their DRM trap. As long as Sage and other competition is alive, M$ doesn't have a monopoly.

[CollinR]

MCE sux.

I think I gave it maybe 1 days worth of playing before getting Sage and BeyondTV on it.

Both Sage and Beyond own MCE on the TV side. It's not even close.

MCE and Sage are better then Beyond Media in the music.

Sage has native support for the MVP as a hardware extender, it's cheap and it rocks. I actually have an MVP connected to my plasma as it's picture scaled by the TV is better then the DVI>plasma connection scaled by the server. That was very impressive to me and I'll be all over the new HD extenders hopefully coming soon.


Remember before you start your Sage trial you must disable the MCE tuner service or Sage won't be able to access your tuners.

[FidgetyRat]

Sage has some really nice customization. As long as you maintain a spotless server, things will be stable.

Just a note though, I am also primarily a Mac user. The Mac Placeshifter did not work too well for me. On both a G4 1Ghz powerbook and a new dual core macbook, the placeshifter was low quality, slow to respond and wasn't close to a "client" machine performance wise.

This was via internet with cable modem on both ends. Some people report it working well. I think in time it will improve though.

As far as local clients / extenders, sage works awesome. IF the extender can't play a particular format, the server automatically trans codes the stream on the fly.


Make sure your hardware is up to spec though, especially if you plan to do HD.

[bcjenkins]

I moved from MCE to Sage over a year ago because of the client - server setup and tuner limitations of MCE. MVPs do rock, only wish the remote could turn the TVs off too. Do be careful with the format of the videos you store. The MVP devices use MPEG-2 any other format has to be transcoded on the fly by the server.

The new HD units, when they come out, should alleviate this issue. Until then, I am storing everything in MPEG-2 format.

B

[showson1]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

The Mac Placeshifter did not work too well for me. On both a G4 1Ghz powerbook and a new dual core macbook, the placeshifter was low quality, slow to respond and wasn't close to a "client" machine performance wise.

This was via internet with cable modem on both ends. Some people report it working well. I think in time it will improve though.

Thanks for the info.
I loaded the placeshifter on my Core Duo iMac and it ran GREAT.. of course this was over a wired LAN connection.

[CollinR]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

I moved from MCE to Sage over a year ago because of the client - server setup and tuner limitations of MCE. MVPs do rock, only wish the remote could turn the TVs off too.

Awww come on, thats what universal remotes are for. They got it down to 1 button, it would be nice if there were an extra button for learning.

Really though, the remote button mapping on the MVP is seriously awesome. 5 minutes with the cheapest remote and you are on it. That input button doesn't get much use anymore, perfect for powering the MVP.

I want a way to remotely reboot the MVPs, but that shouldn't be too hard.

[AngelofDeth]

You can remotely power cycle (soft cycle) the MVP with the sage webserver.

[showson1]

Well, I hate to say it, but as much as I really want to like SageTV more then MCE, so far MCE is winning out for me.

It doesn't seem like Sage is very stable, I have to restart the service every few minutes. It may be related to placeshifter, but if that's the case then that's no good 'cause that's one of the main reasons I was looking to switch.

I'm going to keep messing with it, but at this point it looks like it's lacking the stability I'm looking for.

I've been testing it on a clean XP SP2 install with all updates..

** Updated **
In my case it turned out to be a bad IDE cable, not sage
See post below.

[bcjenkins]

would you mind posting your java version and decoder setup? Maybe starting a new thread may not be such a bad idea also.

B

[flavius]

Originally Posted by showson1

..I have to restart the service every few minutes. It may be related to placeshifter..

What Sage version are you running? I have noticed some problems with Mac placeshifter as well, but the latest betas seem to have taken care of this.

[reggie14]

I've had some stability issues with Sage too. But, now I have a headless server and all playback is on clients, MVPs or placeshifters. Sage has *never* crashed on me in such a configuration. I'm convinced there is a lot of issues with decoders, java and video card drivers. I'm a little disappointed, but ultimately I don't think there's anything Sage can do.

[showson1]

Hey all.
It's been less than a day but wanted to post back.

For me it looks like I had a bad IDE cable. The drive I was using to record the TV to was dropping connection and re-connecting which caused SageTV to freak out.

I've replaced the cable with a new one and haven't had any problems since.

Just wanted to update to let everyone know (in my case at least) it wasn't Sage.