Sage 7.0 Wishlist

[Bacon2002]

Dear SageTV,

I'd really like to see:-

- The ability to when watching a program (in full screen) use the up, down, left and right arrows on the remote to cycle through the channel line up (as a overlay across the bottom of the screen) whilst not having to jump back to the program guide screen, also to be able from there to set recordings etc
- Support for intergrating a Dreambox as a network recorder/player
- The ability to see what sources are set to record what channels (in realtime, for future recordings and possibly to show what source was used for past recordings)
- The ability to set a video source's priority, that is to say, be able to set which sources will be used first (ie not randomly assigned) and also by type (DVB-S or DVB-T etc) therefore less reliable or slower sources can be demoted.
- An easier way to manipulate the channel numbers and line ups - ideally a separate windows application with copy and paste options
- A channel search option that does not automatically update the channel line up thereby allowing you to analyse or update specific channels or check you have the correct frequency data etc
- BlueRay
- Export/conversion to Nintendo DS format

That would all be great.

Thanks,

David

PS I think SageTV is really good anyway.

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by Bacon2002

Dear SageTV,

I'd really like to see:-

- The ability to when watching a program (in full screen) use the up, down, left and right arrows on the remote to cycle through the channel line up (as a overlay across the bottom of the screen) whilst not having to jump back to the program guide screen, also to be able from there to set recordings etc

- The ability to see what sources are set to record what channels (in realtime, for future recordings and possibly to show what source was used for past recordings).

These two options are available in SageMC.

And there are additional mini-guides that you describe that can be added to the SageMC or DefaultUI.

For the sources, SageMC uses encoder numbers as markers for the recordings that correspond to the various encoders.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Bacon2002

- The ability to see what sources are set to record what channels (in realtime, for future recordings and possibly to show what source was used for past recordings)

This is an alternate view in the stock STV. Might need to enable hidden extras, set the schedule view to "parallel".

- The ability to set a video source's priority, that is to say, be able to set which sources will be used first (ie not randomly assigned) and also by type (DVB-S or DVB-T etc) therefore less reliable or slower sources can be demoted.

Can be specified by setting encoder merit (stock feature).

[bsung]

Option to alphabetize without "A" or "The" even if that's in the name of a file or folder

[Sparhawk6]

Originally Posted by voidpt

My biggest wish for SageTV, after the HD Extender is out, is an extender solution for Mobile devices. And I mean with full-blown UI. Thats what I like with SageTV, have one interface all over, wherever you are. I did put a little technical info about this in another thread, so I'll copy a little of that.

Over a year after voidpt wrote this, I LOUDLY ECHO his wish for a mobile streaming interface. Have you ever seen Slingbox's implementation of this? It is seemless. You can change channels, pause, rewind, etc...all from the mobile device interface. And the quality is great considering the weakness of upload bandwidth speed caps we have at home.

Sage needs this. I don't feel like I should have to purchase a Slingbox when I already have a computer running my PVR software (sage) that could easily do simple transcoding for a mobile phone. Please don't point me to the VLC transcoding option available in the user-developed web interface. It sucks. You can't rewind, fastforward, and the UI is just terrible and unusable on a phone after you jerry rig it to even be able to see it.

This is the next step (or at least one of them) in home media solutions. 3G networks are near ubiquitous in urban environments and are more than capable of delivering good quality video to our phones. As mobile phones become more capable of handling multimedia presentations, people will want to do more with them.

I KNOW this would sell more of your software if you provided this solution. I haven't seen any major steps forward in the past couple of years for Sage's software (other than perhaps support for the HD-PVR...the media extender doesn't count, it isn't software). This could be a huge step.

I would selfishly prefer a Windows Mobile program, but I'm sure that others would want programs for the Iphone, Symbian (nokia phones), and the Blackberry platforms.

Please Sage. Please!! This would just be amazing.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by Sparhawk6

Sage needs this. I don't feel like I should have to purchase a Slingbox when I already have a computer running my PVR software (sage) that could easily do simple transcoding for a mobile phone. Please don't point me to the VLC transcoding option available in the user-developed web interface. It sucks. You can't rewind, fastforward, and the UI is just terrible and unusable on a phone after you jerry rig it to even be able to see it.

There is a plugin for a webserver with a mobile-friendly interface. Look in the customizations forum. That mostly solves the UI problem. But, you're right that the VLC transcoding isn't great. The mobile interface doesn't even include it. I'm not sure if there are any good options for dynamic streaming. VLC does it, but as you pointed out, its very limited. I think ffmpeg might have a way of doing it. But then there's still the problem of trying to find a video/audio format that will work on at least a large number of mobile phones. 3gp is probably the best bet.

[briands]

Originally Posted by Sparhawk6

Over a year after voidpt wrote this, I LOUDLY ECHO his wish for a mobile streaming interface.
...

Sage needs this...

Don't mean to step on your toes here, but what is the user model for watching TV on your phone? I can see it might be neato to show friends at parties, but even for waiting around in airports I would much rather use placeshifter and at least use my 14" screen v. my 3.5 on my blackberry

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by briands

Don't mean to step on your toes here, but what is the user model for watching TV on your phone? I can see it might be neato to show friends at parties, but even for waiting around in airports I would much rather use placeshifter and at least use my 14" screen v. my 3.5 on my blackberry

I used to watch SprintTV on my phone while I road the bus. I don't have it anymore, but I do stream certain radio stations to my phone so I can listen to them while I exercise. And, as you pointed out, there's the airport. Of course, I doubt you'd be able to stream a video very long before killing your battery.

I don't think its really worth devoting any significant amount of resources. But, it's sort of a neat idea, and vaguely useful in certain situations. Maybe an expert in ffmpeg could figure out how to plug it into the mobile web interface and get it working relatively quickly and easily.

[valnar]

Nice wishlist thread. I've been avoiding it for awhile but just got around to reading some of it.

We should start prioritizing Brent's List just in case there is a snowball's chance in Hell of some of this stuff actually being attempted. I like the PiP and "webcam as input" ideas. When used together, it could make for a nice security setup too. A new default UI and comskip are gimmies. But my most requested feature is to finish MKV support. It sorely needs subtitle and audio selection support. Chapters if it can be done, but audio & subtitle are more important.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by valnar

We should start prioritizing Brent's List just in case there is a snowball's chance in Hell of some of this stuff actually being attempted. I like the PiP and "webcam as input" ideas. When used together, it could make for a nice security setup too. A new default UI and comskip are gimmies. But my most requested feature is to finish MKV support. It sorely needs subtitle and audio selection support. Chapters if it can be done, but audio & subtitle are more important.

It's on my to-do list. I also need to update for any new items since I posted. Might even put it in a wiki or something eventually.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by Brent

It's on my to-do list. I also need to update for any new items since I posted. Might even put it in a wiki or something eventually.

Well, this thread of course is totally unofficial, so Sage doesn't have to do anything we recommend. It might be nice to "talk amongst ourselves" to prioritize the list, or perhaps create a new poll once we whittle those suggestions down, and then submit that to Sage. With enough people behind the most important suggestions, they might prioritize their development resources.

'just a thought.

[bsung]

Across all the various players (HD200, HD100, client, placeshifter) ability to synchronize playback of a show. So as you're doing errands around the house, you can watch a single show fast forwarding and rewinding if needed from one location but keeping all players in sync.

[gplasky]

I usually stop and start if it is just me but I could see this being useful in like a whole house Party Mode. For recordings, movies or music would be cool.

Gerry

[Dreameriz]

ok i know this may not be important to some people but the option to chose which folders i want to rescan for imports would really nice since i have lot of different drives on the network.

[QueOnda]

Originally Posted by gplasky

I usually stop and start if it is just me but I could see this being useful in like a whole house Party Mode. For recordings, movies or music would be cool.

Gerry

Yup especially when you have people over for a game or fight. I have a 70" and a 52" just feet away from each other (of course on the other side of the wall) and would be nice for them to be in sync.

[hagur]

I don't know if this has been mentioned here before, but a SageTV client/placeshifter for the iPod touch/iPhone whould just be amazing to have

[bsung]

Schedule a recording for a show in case it ever comes on. My wife has been asking me to record a specific movie if it ever comes on. I'd love to be able to just type in the title and allow Sage to check the new Guide each time it downloads an update. In keeping with this thread, it would essentially be a wishlist for movies.

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by hagur

I don't know if this has been mentioned here before, but a SageTV client/placeshifter for the iPod touch/iPhone whould just be amazing to have

The sad part is that Steve Jobs would never allow it as it would be an app that somehow competes with iTunes/AppleTV.

Either way, I agree. And further, a placeshifter app for ALL the major smartphone platforms would be just awesome.

[sandor]

Originally Posted by Bacon2002

Dear SageTV,

I'd really like to see:-

- The ability to when watching a program (in full screen) use the up, down, left and right arrows on the remote to cycle through the channel line up (as a overlay across the bottom of the screen) whilst not having to jump back to the program guide screen, also to be able from there to set recordings etc

isnt this possible in the default STV now? just by setting:

Detailed Setup: Multimedia: Video Menu Options:

Display Video on Menus: "If Active"
Video Menu Style: "Background"



If i am watching something, and hit the guide button on the remote, the guide pops up as a transparent overlay over whatever i am watching. i suppose having the option of having it only be one line (or one channel) across the bottom would be a nice addition, but i think seeing the entire guide as a transparent overlay makes it faster to find something.

and every menu (main, settings, guide, recordings, imported videos, etc) is displayed as an overlay like this... i love it.

[purpleflux]

I am very happy to see a few people mention the feature that is dearest to my heart: TIME STRETCHING

Time stretching is the ability to play back video at a faster or slower speed, much like fast forward or rewind, but with the audio having the pitch corrected. So it sounds as if someone is just talking faster.

This is such a useful feature, it is a feature that is quite literally a time saver.

Some shows are just too darned slow, like History Channel's Modern Marvels. I can usually watch that at 2.5x with no problems and that is great. Even just watching at 1.2x will save you a lot of time over your lifetime and is barely noticeable.

Time stretch is the only reason I've thought about playing with MythTV since it supports it. I currently use a 3rd party program from Enounce to handle time shifting via Windows Media Player, but not being integrated with Sage makes it a PITA to use.

Here is some additional information:
The wikipedia article is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_t...h_modification
A previous request on the forums is here: http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28175