Video card required for WHS install?

[buymysoul]

I've been trying to set up SageTV on my Windows Home Server (WHS) and keep running into little roadblocks when recording TV.

At first I hadn't realized that I needed to have Directx 9 and Java installed...actually, I'm still not sure if those are actually required with a WHS install or not (I've seen some posts that imply otherwise) but I uninstalled SageTV, installed Directx 9 and Java and installed SageTV again. I can configure everything just fine but when I record a show it goes away after it is done recording. If I actually try to tune in a channel over remote desktop, I get a "no Signal" message. I did do a trial run with sage on a Vista box in the house and that worked fine.

I'm using an HDhomerun for QAM content but it dawned on me that maybe Sage still wants a video card to record? I feel pretty silly for not thinking of this ealier, I was just thinking about a pure digital stream from the HDHR, through Sage to my hard drive but maybe some video hardware is still needed?

Searching through the forums, I've seen lots of requests for a hardware list when someone asks for help so don't think this is just gratuitous:

WHS PP2
AMD Turion 2.0Ghz
2GB RAM
Drive Outside Pool formatted with 64k clusters
HD Home Run tuner

Thanks for the help,

Robin

[Polypro]

While not required , I installed DX9 and Java as well, and got everything running on the server first...to me it's easier that way. On board video would be fine however, if you don't have a video card. It's playback that needs those items, not recording. A dissappearing recording would seem to indicate that the recording had a problem...probable with a mis-configured HDHR setup. Follow the HDHR setup again (remember to shut down Sage UI AND Service, scan with both tuners, check that you have a .scn and .freq for each tuner, etc...) and fix that "No Signal" error.

P

[buymysoul]

Actually, I don't have any onboard video either. On a lark, I removed the video card when setting up my WHS originally and the system still boots and runs fine (although I do get a beep from the bios griping at me on startup) so I leave it out to save a watt or two.

My original scan with the HDHR was before I installed Sage. And sage has been uninstalled and reinstalled a couple times since then...

I just installed VLC and I can tune in channels just fine with it. Well, I can see a picture. I am just remote desktoping into it after all. Doesn't that mean that the HDHR is configured correctly? When I setup and scan for channels with sage, it only selects channels that I have selected (with a check) in the HDHR scan.

Could you remind me where the .scn and .freq files are by default so I can verify they are there?

I figured the same thing about the video hardware but I wonder if having no GPU at all is a problem for Sage?

I guess I'll have to dig the server out of the closet and install a video card to see if that fixes the problem....

EDIT: So I should be able to watch live TV (at least marginally) with just remote desktop? Or at least I will see something other than "No Signal", right?

Thanks for your help.

[buymysoul]

Thanks again for the advice.

I rescanned again with the HDHR, rescanned with Sage and now things look like they are working.

I swear I had done that before but maybe installing Java and Directx since the last scan is what made the differerence.

I still can't watch live TV as I get an audio error in sage but since I don't have the sound enabled in the bios on the server that isn't a huge suprise.