What is your dream SageTV client?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by SHS

I though they all come with (1) 2.0 and 1.4 port

I'm pretty sure (for example) that the Seiki panels don't have HDMI 2.0.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by wayner

People want to have to use only one device/UI. If I want to watch a show or movie why should I care if it comes from a ripped DVD, a TV recording, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or whatever and then have to choose a specific device to access that service.

Unfortunately that's not possible, to have everything accessible in the same UI. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, they all have their own proprietary UIs, even when run on the same device.

I gave up trying to hold onto the idea of "one device" a long time ago and embraced having a good control system (URC MX-880+MRF-350). IMO it's simpler and more "seamless" to integrate two boxes for two purposes, than two applications on a PC.

[cncb]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Unfortunately that's not possible, to have everything accessible in the same UI. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, they all have their own proprietary UIs, even when run on the same device.

It seems like Tivo comes pretty close with their new "OnePass" that displays episodes in your playback list from any source (online or recorded).

I personally don't get the excitement/fascination with 4K. Unless you have a projector it seems like you have to sit on top of your 4K set to take advantage of the additional resolution.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I'm pretty sure (for example) that the Seiki panels don't have HDMI 2.0.

Yup that a good example that an Fake Upscaler, I wouldn't even call it a 4k.

[stanger89]

The Seiki is a true 4K (3840x2160) panel. It's just HDMI 1.4 so limited to 30Hz@2160p.

[trk2]

An extender with an HDMI in might be a quick and easy solution to adding various streaming options. This would allow for the connection of any exterior streaming box. Some of those streaming boxes might have APIs that would allow for navigation control sent from Sage (ir, wifi, bluetooth). Just a thought.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by trk2

An extender with an HDMI in might be a quick and easy solution to adding various streaming options.

No offense but I do not get this idea at all (and this applies to the Xbox one as well). To me this is more complicated and cumbersome than just hitting a button on my URC and switching inputs to a different device. Then again, I don't get the fascination with "one box" either. Now I get the dream of "one interface" that was great while it lasted for me, but once that dream dies, I'd rather just have separate boxes that each perform their function well, than one box that does everything "poorly".

Besides I think any hardware extender, especially one that would require new hardware to be custom made, is truly a dream and nothing more.

[samgreco]

For me the "one box" solution is really about one interface with no switching, etc. I constantly get the question at my house: "Where do I find ABCD show?" Or variations like which button? Which menu? And the like.

So having one interface where my wife can search and find WHATEVER is what I would really, really love.

Playon almost gave it to me, except for the searching. But it has been very unreliable inside of Sage. And of course, no HD. So I think we are going back to 2 boxes for now.

[valnar]

Jeff, if you are reading this, please chime in on the probability that we could fire up a group buy for another round of HD300's or equivalent, especially once the firmware API (encrypted?) is open sourced. You had the previous relationship with Sigma. Would they deal with us?

[trk2]

Originally Posted by stanger89

No offense but I do not get this idea at all (and this applies to the Xbox one as well). To me this is more complicated and cumbersome than just hitting a button on my URC and switching inputs to a different device. Then again, I don't get the fascination with "one box" either. Now I get the dream of "one interface" that was great while it lasted for me, but once that dream dies, I'd rather just have separate boxes that each perform their function well, than one box that does everything "poorly".

Besides I think any hardware extender, especially one that would require new hardware to be custom made, is truly a dream and nothing more.

No offense taken I think there are several advantages to having an HDMI passthrough and using a separate streaming box.

Here are the advantages to having pass-through HDMI:
-1080i(p)/5.1 Audio. No issues with HD video and 5.1 surround sound which can currently be an issue using Playon.
-Shifting of support. Sage developers would not need to support streaming plugins since this would be handled by the streaming device of choice (Amazon, Google, Roku etc…)
-No delay to return to Sage TV. Sage TV would still be operating in the background, exiting the HDMI passthrough would essentially drop you back into Sage TV instantly.
-Customizable. This allows people to use the streaming device of choice versus developing a Sage App for a single or limited number of streaming devices.
-Saves an input for people whose TVs or receivers may be at a maximum

Finally, let me mention that I do this today by feeding Fire TV Stick (and previously Chromecast) into a Colossus on my Sage server. I essentially have a Fire TV “channel” within Sage. I have found this to be much more convenient since I am not powering up and powering down devices – I don’t have to wait the 30 seconds or so for my HD300 to boot. The best thing is that once a stream has started, the playback controls can all be handled by Sage. One of the painful experiences of Chromecast or Fire TV Stick is the control delay when using a phone as a remote. Sage fixes this issue and I prefer it over using a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast by itself. However, I am proposing an HDMI passthrough for an extender and not a capture device so many of these advantages are irrelevant.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by trk2

No offense taken I think there are several advantages to having an HDMI passthrough and using a separate streaming box.

FWIW, I was meaning vs separate inputs, not vs Playon, etc. For example:

Here are the advantages to having pass-through HDMI:
-1080i(p)/5.1 Audio. No issues with HD video and 5.1 surround sound which can currently be an issue using Playon.
-Shifting of support. Sage developers would not need to support streaming plugins since this would be handled by the streaming device of choice (Amazon, Google, Roku etc…)
-Customizable. This allows people to use the streaming device of choice versus developing a Sage App for a single or limited number of streaming devices.

These aren't advantages over using separate inputs.

-No delay to return to Sage TV. Sage TV would still be operating in the background, exiting the HDMI passthrough would essentially drop you back into Sage TV instantly.

This one depends on your HDMI handshake time. You get instant switching with this too:
http://www.dvdo.com/Quick6/

-Saves an input for people whose TVs or receivers may be at a maximum

But you only get one input, so you can only pass through one device, so that doesn't help "much" in the "one box" quest. And you can always add an HDMI switch relatively cheaply if you are out of HDMI ports.

[mrsupport]

Originally Posted by valnar

Jeff, if you are reading this, please chime in on the probability that we could fire up a group buy for another round of HD300's or equivalent, especially once the firmware API (encrypted?) is open sourced. You had the previous relationship with Sigma. Would they deal with us?

+1

[jchiso]

People are really enthusiastic about this poll; the responses add up to about 200% ...

[TechBill]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Ya but the new intel stick will be far superior and probably a good option if you want a stick configuration.

True, I have read about the new Intel stick but I have not yet to see one in action or seen a really good review on it using it as a media player etc.

With open source coming soon, maybe SageTV client can play on it

Bill

[7up]

To everyone requesting that a currently popular streaming device, roku, Firetv etc be supported with a dedicated SageTV app may I ask how you expect this device to be able to handle mpeg2 HD content? I'm all for it but but would like to hear how this is possible.

[jarredduq]

Originally Posted by 7up

To everyone requesting that a currently popular streaming device, roku, Firetv etc be supported with a dedicated SageTV app may I ask how you expect this device to be able to handle mpeg2 HD content? I'm all for it but but would like to hear how this is possible.

I'm thinking with the power of today's PC's that you would be able to transcode in real-time to h.264.

[BobbyDing]

Originally Posted by 7up

To everyone requesting that a currently popular streaming device, roku, Firetv etc be supported with a dedicated SageTV app may I ask how you expect this device to be able to handle mpeg2 HD content? I'm all for it but but would like to hear how this is possible.

Playing mpeg2 interlaced on my FireTV/SPMC is not the best experience, that's for sure. I've been experimenting with Sage's ability to convert recording automatically to MKV/MP4. These play better, though it's still a work in progress to find the best setting. If I remember correctly these can also be tweaked in the sage.properties file. Of course this doesn't help with live TV. I'm hopeful that the SPMC community might yet come up with a work around for this. In the mean time, I would really like to see an add-on to use Sage as a back end for Kodi. My thinking here is that a Kodi back end may be easier to accomplish than a full android client in the short term. And it might catch the attention of some Kodi dev's who may get involved with some true sage apps once sage is OS, as Kodi has a fairly large base of users/dev's.

Also, if sage can be modified to use the HDHomerun Extend (which converts on the fly) for recordings and live TV, maybe this could alleviate the interlacing problems with android playback.

Bobby

[7up]

If you know FireTV can't process mpeg2 properly including both kodi and spmc, why do you then jump to the request for SageTV PVR add-on? I'm not trying to be sarcastic but at some point people need to be realistic regarding options for future sagetv clients.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by 7up

If you know FireTV can't process mpeg2 properly including both kodi and spmc, why do you then jump to the request for SageTV PVR add-on? I'm not trying to be sarcastic but at some point people need to be realistic regarding options for future sagetv clients.

I think with the many varied potential pieces of hardware out there, and all with different playback capabilities, any future development must be based on the ability to selectively transcode on the server. Whether it is mixing down audio, transcoding MPEG-2 to H.264, or scaling down 4k source video to an HD player, the ability of the server to play back anything on any device is going to be key.

[dgeezer]

Originally Posted by 7up

If you know FireTV can't process mpeg2 properly including both kodi and spmc, why do you then jump to the request for SageTV PVR add-on? I'm not trying to be sarcastic but at some point people need to be realistic regarding options for future sagetv clients.

I have to agree with you here. I've tried a lot of these options. We have a Roku and a FireTV running Kodi. The HD300 still has, by far, the best experience as far as actual playback of mpeg2 recordings. Skipping forward and back is quick. I like seeing the timeline when I skip commercials in a currently recording show. I like that the timeline pops up for a second when comskip skips a commercial.

At least for me, the number one requirement would be a device with the native ability to play Mpeg2 1080i recordings with comskip.

Martin, I don't know if it will be possible once the SageTV client code is released, but a plugin similar to x-newa might work for a lot of SageTV users.