Sage, Multiple Tuners and TV

[SoonerToucan]

I have a couple of questions about Sage and multiple tuners. I am looking for answers under the following assumptions:

Assumptions
1. One server with three H250 Tuners
2. Two Clients running Sage Client

Questions
1. Does each client control one and only one tuner?
2. Say in room 1 I begin recording a show (through the client in that room). Can I then watch live TV through one of the other tuners?
3. Lets say I have only one of the tuners connected to a cable box. Does this mean I can only watch the cable shows through one tuner or could I watch it in any of the rooms?
4. With three tuners, could I from one room set them all to record shows at the same time?

Basically I am trying to understand how the multiple tuner thing works.

Ideally I was thinking that you could control any of the three tuners from any client and on top of that watch a show from any of those feeds.

Thanks for the help
-ST

[Opus4]

Originally posted by SoonerToucan
Questions
1. Does each client control one and only one tuner?

The clients don't control any tuners. The client makes a request to the server. If that happens to be live TV & there is an available tuner, then it gets live TV. If all tuners are in use, you will be asked if you want to cancel a recording to watch live TV. You are not asked if one recording is an Intelligent Recording. I don't believe you will have a choice to chaneg the channel for a tuner being used on another client to live TV.

2. Say in room 1 I begin recording a show (through the client in that room). Can I then watch live TV through one of the other tuners?

If there is an available tuner. See #1

3. Lets say I have only one of the tuners connected to a cable box. Does this mean I can only watch the cable shows through one tuner or could I watch it in any of the rooms?

You can watch the cable shows in any room, depening on how that tuner is currently being used. See #1.

4. With three tuners, could I from one room set them all to record shows at the same time?

You can schedule recordings from any SageTV or client PC. If there are available tuners, the shows will be recorded. If you try to record 4 shows with 3 tuners, well...

Ideally I was thinking that you could control any of the three tuners from any client and on top of that watch a show from any of those feeds.

You do not really specify which tuner to use; SageTV determines that.

One other comment... these are often the questions new users ask: How do I watch live TV on all these PCs? You may find, like many of us, that as you get used to SageTV, you may watch less & less live TV & instead record all your shows for later viewing. You can watch TV at your schedule instead of watching it at the networks' schedules.

- Andy

[DVine_AMD]

I've been struggling with the use of 2 tuners with Direct TV. Granted I need 2 feeds, 2 STB's and 2 tuner cards. What I'd really like to accomplish is get rid of the RCA/MSN (and associated costs) dual tuner PVR and replace it with the PC. Both Meedio and Beyond TV seem to be struggling with getting out a product to support 2 tuners.
I'm a bit confused though. I was sort of hoping I could get a single card to be "dedicated" to recording (hopefully using COM1 to control the STB) and the second card to be "dedicated" to normal TV viewing (using COM2 to control the other STB). I envision one "copy" of Sage, dedicated to the WinTV PVR250, being run to schedule recordings while another copy dedicated to the WinTV PVR 350 for normal viewing. I would use a "Front End" menu type system (Meedio or Beyond TV) to select the copy of SageTV I wanted to use at the time. Is this way off base? Seems to me to be the perfect setup for my needs. Is it possible?
I'm currently running Beyond TV and the natives are getting restless

[stanger89]

Originally posted by DVine_AMD
I've been struggling with the use of 2 tuners with Direct TV. Granted I need 2 feeds, 2 STB's and 2 tuner cards. What I'd really like to accomplish is get rid of the RCA/MSN (and associated costs) dual tuner PVR and replace it with the PC.

Let me start by saying that Sage is perfectly capable of doing that.

I'm a bit confused though. I was sort of hoping I could get a single card to be "dedicated" to recording (hopefully using COM1 to control the STB) and the second card to be "dedicated" to normal TV viewing (using COM2 to control the other STB). I envision one "copy" of Sage, dedicated to the WinTV PVR250, being run to schedule recordings while another copy dedicated to the WinTV PVR 350 for normal viewing. I would use a "Front End" menu type system (Meedio or Beyond TV) to select the copy of SageTV I wanted to use at the time. Is this way off base?

Yes and no, Yes in that with Sage it is definitely possible to use two tuners and view LiveTV on one and record on the other. No in that you can't specify what tuner does what. And in fact that would actually limit Sage's performance.

Here's the fundamental thing about Sage - playback and recording are completely separate things. In truth there is no such thing as LiveTV, what you have instead, is the ability to watch something as it is being recorded, in essence "live".

So here's the basic theory of how Sage works:
Recording/backend
-You've got a pool of tuners.
-You've got scheduled recordings (Favorites, Manuals, IR)
-You've got requests from the user for liveTV, in essence a new scheduled recording
Sage takes that pool of tuners and all the scheduled recordings+liveTV request and does it's best to satisfy everything.

Playback/frontend
Completely separate
-You've got your previous recordings
-You've got the EPG
You navigate the UI and choose to watch something:
If it's a previous recording, Sage just starts playing it.
If it's something currently recording Sage starts playing it.
If it's something in the guide, Sage will decide to start recording it, and then play it.

Part of what might be confusing you is your combination of 250 and 350. It sounds like you want to have the 250 used for recordings and the 350 for liveTV/viewing. That's not necessary, remember playback and recording are completely separate, as far as you're concerned with a 250 and 350, from a user perspective what you have are:
2 available tuners
1 decoder/output
So what could happen, Sage could be recording something on the 350, and you decide to watch something Live, Sage would then start a recording on the 250 and it would play through the 350. Sage takes care of all that nasty logistical stuff in the background.

Seems to me to be the perfect setup for my needs. Is it possible?

So the short answer is yes.

I've got just one more comment for you. If you have an HDTV, or even if you don't but plan to get one soon, don't get a 350. With an HDTV you'll be much better served if you drive it with your video card at HD resolution.

[DVine_AMD]

OK, that makes some sense. But do the 2 STB's gum up those works? Or are you telling me that if one of my kids has gone nutso recording (scheduling) every Invader Zim episode in the EPG, and one of those episodes was scheduled for 4:30 on a FALL AFTERNOON (During Football Season), I will be seemlessly watching the game and will not be interrupted by the inane ramblings of a loud psychotic alien cartoon? Life could be good......

[stanger89]

No like I said, recording and playback are completely separate, if you aren't watching it, you don't hear it.