Community Comments on Google's Acquisition of SageTV

[jptheripper]

The problem is, since you can no lnger buy an extender OR a client license, and since licenses are technically non transferable, unless you already own u r out of luck.

[matterofrecord]

yeah

I got a place shifter license ages ago and never used it. at least I'm sorted for one extendor truth be told I can't afford and don't need more BUT it would be good to know that there was the option in the future.

If only there was some work around for sage to unofficially sell through some sort of 3rd party.

Never mind perhaps in a years time we'll be using even better software and extenders and calmly chuckling about how uncertain and concerned we were about the google takeover.

However this "wait and see" thing sage and google are doing is getting to me. I'd gladly sign a NDA if they'd tell me what the future of sage is.

[stevech]

Perhaps it would be user-helpful if prospective customers contact Google and be vocal as to the impact of the abruptness of the cessation of sales.

[teesee150]

I was in the process of expanding my build, just switched over to V7, bought two colossus cards, and now I can't even use them as I need to buy additional licenses to expand my setup.

Looks like I have to junk Sage and switch to something else. Pisses me off that I just wasted money upgrading as well. Looks like I'll be calling the credit card to dispute charges.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by teesee150

Looks like I'll be calling the credit card to dispute charges.

On what grounds? You have everything you paid for.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

On what grounds? You have everything you paid for.

Yeah, I'm kind of curious about that too. Although, some cards let you do no-questions-asked returns (like AmEx cards). That's not the same thing as disputing a charge, but maybe that's what he meant.

[jptheripper]

Originally Posted by teesee150

I was in the process of expanding my build, just switched over to V7, bought two colossus cards, and now I can't even use them as I need to buy additional licenses to expand my setup.

Looks like I have to junk Sage and switch to something else. Pisses me off that I just wasted money upgrading as well. Looks like I'll be calling the credit card to dispute charges.

Look, sorry you missed an announcement that occurred months ago. But this is no how credit cards work. You bought something (the colossus cards) and you have it. The only mistake was on your part.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by teesee150

Looks like I'll be calling the credit card to dispute charges.

So wait...you can buy things and when you don't get to use them you keep them and act like you never made the purchase??? So credit cards are like free money!

Looks like I'm getting a boat!

[tvmaster2]

what are we going on since Sagetv acquisition . . . four months? sure is quiet regarding the old guard. If they were going to have offered us some scraps (extra licenses - HD300's), wouldn't it have happened by now?
I originally had hopes Sagetv management hadn't abandoned us, but it looks like they likely have.
sigh

[Fuzzy]

As has been mentioned MANY times (probably in this very thread), they would not even think of liquidating whatever extender stock they have, until AFTER all the outstanding warranties are expired.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

As has been mentioned MANY times (probably in this very thread), they would not even think of liquidating whatever extender stock they have, until AFTER all the outstanding warranties are expired.

interesting, sorry I missed that. What would the reason for that be - legal?

[Fuzzy]

So they can provide warranty replacements to avoid potential breach of contract law suits.

[jsonnabend]

Fuzzy, you seem to be in the know on this issue. Did Google acquire SageTV or just its assets?

[sleonard]

Narflex posted the Google announcement on June 21. That means we're coming up on 3 months.

Google acquired SageTV and everything Sage. Narflex is now a Google employee.

The leftover hardware will be kept for one year to cover warranty replacements. After that they will likely be liquidated thru a 3rd party. We will very likely never get a chance to purchase them ever again.

S

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by sleonard

Narflex posted the Google announcement on June 21. That means we're coming up on 3 months.

Google acquired SageTV and everything Sage. Narflex is now a Google employee.

The leftover hardware will be kept for one year to cover warranty replacements. After that they will likely be liquidated thru a 3rd party. We will very likely never get a chance to purchase them ever again.

S

concise and likely accurate. good post. now how does one get to be the "third party" ... sounds just like an IPO. lol

[vikingisson]

I'm a one tv house so extenders aren't important. Soft extender on a laptop is a nice to have but only if the server end is up to the job. I can live without multi room. Sage on the one hand is going to die for me once EPG dies which is already starting to go wonky again. I'm loath to even try the Windows app.

My only traditional tv is OTA and I have zero interest in getting the same content via streaming. It is other streaming content that interests me and ironically this is where Sage has always been very weak. On the other hand the alternatives focus on traditional tv crap and pay content that I see little value in.

My best alternative gives me SageTV level of OTA viewing and recording plus much better internet content. Call me cheap but I call it poverty. I did buy several licenses. I'll do one service such as Netflix but I find that less useful since it doesn't work in Sage or on anything I have especially in Canada. Netflix et al is just another source same as OTA etc. Buying another box is out of the question since none of them do what I want.

Bottom line is I want to know what Google plans to do. Nobody is saying and this has already driven me away from most Google services until this shakes out. My license investment won't last much longer it seems so I won't pay yet again for something that might also be abandoned or less useful.

Sadly the browser is still the most flexible and that rather sucks UI wise.

[vikingisson]

I find it a little bit ironic that as far as I know nobody took the OEM linux version and created a retail box. It could have been the best alternative and most familiar. Now it is up to Google to merge the products. Or just kill it forever.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by vikingisson

I'm a one tv house so extenders aren't important. Soft extender on a laptop is a nice to have but only if the server end is up to the job. I can live without multi room. Sage on the one hand is going to die for me once EPG dies which is already starting to go wonky again. I'm loath to even try the Windows app.

I find it amazing that so many people have this assumtion. Every point in these forums that talks about EPG ending, also talks about the alternatives (these aren't new alternatives, but sources that have been around for years). The sage provided EPG is easily replacable, and considering you are OTA only, the number of channels you'd have to map is pretty small, meaning it's really only about 15-20 minutes for you to set up via MC2XML, and an XMLTV importer, and you'll be all set.

[vikingisson]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I find it amazing that so many people have this assumtion. Every point in these forums that talks about EPG ending, also talks about the alternatives (these aren't new alternatives, but sources that have been around for years). The sage provided EPG is easily replacable, and considering you are OTA only, the number of channels you'd have to map is pretty small, meaning it's really only about 15-20 minutes for you to set up via MC2XML, and an XMLTV importer, and you'll be all set.

well then call me amazingly stupid because it isn't that simple. if it was then the bundled service would have been a lot easier than it has been. Perhaps DIY is what I should have been doing all along but then that makes me wonder what has been wrong at Sage for a very long time. This is from the perspective of an OTA user in Canada where EPG has always been a challenge. So I'll take the advice and forget about this whole drama and just do it the "15-20" minute way. Better that then the 15-20 minutes required over and over again up to this point with the zap2it route.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I find it amazing that so many people have this assumtion. Every point in these forums that talks about EPG ending, also talks about the alternatives (these aren't new alternatives, but sources that have been around for years). The sage provided EPG is easily replacable, and considering you are OTA only, the number of channels you'd have to map is pretty small, meaning it's really only about 15-20 minutes for you to set up via MC2XML, and an XMLTV importer, and you'll be all set.

If you could lead us to an easy to understand version of this I would be all ears. The last time I had a look at the instructions it appeared rather daunting, unless I am missing something. So you're saying we can eliminate the built-in EPG today, and be done with it?
Why haven't we done that? That would be good, you know?