Feature Request - File Sync for Offline Playing

[Skiier__Dude]

Hey all,

Maybe there is such a feature already, but I'd like to be able to sync and/or download files to a remote PC for offline playing when a network connection is not available for Placeshifter. For example, it would be great to set a couple of my favourite shows up to sync with my laptop when I am in the office, and then when I fly, be able to watch these shows using Placeshifter as the player (with the associated benefits of commercial skipping, setting shows watched, deleting watched shows from the server and client etc...).

Would also be good to be able to set high or low bitrate to sync the files depending on the urgency of when they are needed (e.g. I am in the airport now and have 1 hour on WiFi vs. I have overnight), or schedule the sync for off-hours.

Anyhow, just a rambling thought. Maybe this can already be done or others would like to see this feature as well. Interested in shared thoughts.

[sainswor99]

I've actually made this suggestion a couple of times, so ditto. There's a SageTV 7.0 wishlist that you may want to add this feature to, and you may also want to submit it as a feature request (using the same method as a support request )

Stu

[GKusnick]

I agree that this would be useful (and have posted about it before), but Placeshifter isn't the right tool for the job. Placeshifter is strictly a "thin" streaming client & remote screen updater. It doesn't have any of the intelligence needed to actually execute the UI locally or play back local files. It would be kind of like trying use Remote Desktop without a remote computer to connect to.

SageTVClient, on the other hand, does have the ability to execute locally and play back local files, and would therefore be a more plausible client for this sort of use.

One thing I have done with some success, although it's a bit of a kluge, is to set up the full version of Sage on my laptop with no capture devices. I can then copy recordings from my main Sage setup onto the laptop and use Nielm's web server or something similar to import and export metadata (program descriptions, watched flags, etc) between the two systems. Not as seamless as I might like, but it does work after a fashion.

[bcjenkins]

Speaking of Nielm's web server.. It has RSS feeds. You can use it to pull in a list of shows into a capable media player (if supported)

For example, if you use JREKiwi's auto-compress tool and compress your shows to ipod/AppleTV or a custom profile you can set up an RSS link in iTunes which can be enabled to bring down your recordings upon launch. The webserver will also bring in recording info etc. This works great for getting shows onto a video ipod/iphone/touch. (I have the touch and use it for plane entertainment)

B

[Skiier__Dude]

I know that FTP-ing or otherwise transferring the files will work for watching the videos, but I really wanted tighter integration. Comskip, marking watched programs, deletion of watched and automatic sync for programs I selected would be the ideal.

I put my request onto the version 7 wish list.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by Skiier__Dude

I put my request onto the version 7 wish list.

Just so you know: those user-created wishlist threads have no official standing, and there's no guarantee the devs will read them all the way through. (They don't have time to read every post on this user-to-user forum.)

The recommended channel for submitting feature suggestions is via the support request form.