HD media extender - things that might be missing?

[jmann]

Originally Posted by reggie14

I think read somewhere that the USB ports unused at this time, but I agree keyboard support would be cool.

Cool? I view it as almost essential. How can you search Google video or search your own media when the pecking at the on-screen alphabet is nearly impossible? Or search the tv schedule?

I just hope we eventually get this feature. How hard would it be to receive keyboard commands from some common infrared keyboard instead?

I guess I should have posted this under "things that WILL be missing?"

[surge]

Originally Posted by jalaram

Did the spec mention if both the HD component and S-Video can be live at the same time? I have a SDTV and HD projector and would like to avoid switching modes.

Along these lines, can it output the following at the same time?
video: component and composite
audio: optical and regular analog

I currently have a Linksys V1 extender for MCE and hope to switch to Sage and an HD Extender. I use the component and optical for the main TV and the composite and regular analog for sending the signal to a modulator.

[sainswor99]

Originally Posted by surge

Along these lines, can it output the following at the same time?
video: component and composite
audio: optical and regular analog

I currently have a Linksys V1 extender for MCE and hope to switch to Sage and an HD Extender. I use the component and optical for the main TV and the composite and regular analog for sending the signal to a modulator.

I think you're gonna have trouble with the composite....

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

I think you're gonna have trouble with the composite....

Huh? There's a yellow RCA jack clearly labeled "C" in that image (in the block with the three component outputs).

Also:

Originally Posted by Narflex

Q: Can it be used for SD content?

Yes. It has S-Video, Composite and Component outputs.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...630#post239630

Whether component and composite can be used simultaneously I have no idea. But the composite output is definitely there.

[sainswor99]

You know I totally overlooked that one

I've been disappointed for a week, for no reason.

Did I also mention that I'm color blind?

[surge]

a couple of more questions... (for now )

in this thread a few posts up, there is mention that while someone is watching a live stream, the tuner is tied up.
So if a show is scheduled to record, someone is watching a live stream, and there are no available tuners, what happens?
Does the recording get missed? or will Sage notify the tuner is needed and switch over to the recording?

Also, I read that customizations will be available on the HD extender. Does that include themes?
I trying out Sage on WHS and with the PC client, I need to copy the theme files to the client PC. I've tried copying the theme files to the WHS machine, but the themes are only available on the client PC when the files are local. Am I missing something?

thanks.

[GKusnick]

Sage should prompt you if you're watching live TV and it needs that tuner for a scheduled recording. (But if you have enough tuners, you'll basically never see this prompt.) This should happen with any sort of client, not just Extenders.

UI-related files must be installed on the machine where the UI executes. For SageTVClient, that would be the client machine. For Placeshifter or Extender clients, that would be the server.

[surge]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

Sage should prompt you if you're watching live TV and it needs that tuner for a scheduled recording. (But if you have enough tuners, you'll basically never see this prompt.) This should happen with any sort of client, not just Extenders.

UI-related files must be installed on the machine where the UI executes. For SageTVClient, that would be the client machine. For Placeshifter or Extender clients, that would be the server.

Great!! 2 more items I can check off the list.

I don't know if one exists, but as you can probably guess, most of my questions are coming from my use of MCE so if may be helpful for others coming from MCE to have a Sage / MCE comparison thread or FAQ. Microsoft forcing XP MCE users wanting V2 extenders and HD to upgrade to Vista may bring more of us MCE users

[nebulink]

I am also a MCE user. I love the product but I am not very happy with the lack of multiple tuner support and video format support. I am just about to jump ship to Sage. I have been monitoring this forum for the last couple days.

Thanks for the info.

[surge]

Originally Posted by nebulink

I am also a MCE user. I love the product but I am not very happy with the lack of multiple tuner support and video format support.

MCE can actually handle more than 2 tuners.. I have 4 tuners in mine. You need to do a registry hack.

What's going to make a switch easier is that in order to get a V2 extender which can handle DIVX and HD, I need to switch to Vista so if others in the house have to learn a new interface, I might as well switch to something that gives me more control.

[nebulink]

mce cannot handle more than 2 set top boxes. Plus no divx support.

[lobosrul]

By far the biggest thing missing IMO is built in surround out. I'd have to get an external receiver to keep my current 5.1 speaker setup, and thats another $150 at least

Maybe, a delux version in a year or so that will include 5.1/7.1 output and HD-DVD or Blu-ray support (IF WE HAVE A FRICKIN SINGLE FORMAT ANY TIME SOON!).

[stanger89]

Good luck finding any CE device with multichannel out. It usually only comes on the "high-end" components.

[motobarsteward]

Shipping outside of the US and Canada?

[mikesm]

It would be nice if they added a flash memory driver so I could plug in a multifunction card reader into the USB port and enable the extender to display pics and video on the card.

There aren't too many things I like to do locally on my clients other than playback of stuff on my server, but this is very handy when friends come over or we have a meeting at my house and folks want to show some photos...

Thx
mike

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by CollinR

...2) Not like you want it to. The auto sleep timer above can make this happen with an IR blaster though....

Is there any way to connect an IR transmitter to the extender, though?