Is a minimal website programming interface in the pipeline, somewhere?

[jimbobuk]

With SageTV making the transition into a network based program I was wondering if there were any plans to get some form of internet server support... either interfacing with an external apache install or directly supporting a basic logon process that would then let me at work log onto my machine at home and look at what was being recorded, and be able to set programs recording etc... this would be a really really useful feature for me... and its a really kind of neat USP...

[bodgadle]

lol,

just replied to your previous suggestion with exactly the same suggestion as this one

yep, defo gets my vote this one.

[jimbobuk]

defo!??

This really would be cool but its a heck of a lot of work it'd just be nice to know something like it was on the horizon somewhere... even if its a helluva long way away... same goes for the EPG.. tho perhaps slightly less so....

[dkardatzke]

It's definitely on the horizon, Jeff and I will be discussing at what point on the horizon it will occur in the near future.

[justme]

It's definitely on the horizon

Cool, SageTV definitely needs this feature. This is one of the main things that SnapStream can currentlty say they have you beat on. I want everyone using Sage instead.

[dkardatzke]

I understand this is a "Cool" feature but is it really a deal-breaker? I'd like to understand what level of functionality you guys are looking for.

Do you just need something that allows you to see your recording schedule and add recordings? Do you have to be able to view more than a day's worth of Guide data? What if you used Zap2it.com to look up listings but were then able to tell your SageTV unit to record based on someting like time and show id?

Feedback is appreciated.
Dan

[grot]

That would be awesome, and a reasonably easy hack - just run your own pages that call the zap2it pages for the user and insert your own buttons. I believe that's how the titantv interfaces work as well.

[Hocky]

What I would like to see is an interface for an Ipaq. Not really a full blown EPG (though it would be nice) but just a way to schedule something for recording. So, you are watching normal TV and see something you would like to watch, but you might not be home from work. You pick up your ipac and schedule it to be recorded! If you get the web interface done, it would most likely work on the ipac or any other pocket PC with a network adapter.

[bodgadle]

Originally posted by dkardatzke
I understand this is a "Cool" feature but is it really a deal-breaker? I'd like to understand what level of functionality you guys are looking for.

Do you just need something that allows you to see your recording schedule and add recordings? Do you have to be able to view more than a day's worth of Guide data? What if you used Zap2it.com to look up listings but were then able to tell your SageTV unit to record based on someting like time and show id?

Feedback is appreciated.
Dan

Not really a "deal-breaker" since most of us are registered users anyway, but would give SageTV a massive thumbs up here.

Not looking for a full-blown website inside sageTV, just something we can go on and view the epg and set schedules in. doesnt have to be fancy, just that if, say we are at work and someone says that a cool program is on that nite, we can just www in and set it to record that program. Or perhaps we find out that one of our fave progs has been postponed tonite, we could go in and alter it.

oh just had a look at zap2it, probably great if you are in the US, but kinda leaves the rest of us high and dry

Thanks for listening guys

[jimbobuk]

yeah i was thinking that zapit would only cater for the US unfortunately...

Simple webbased EPG functionality and management would be great... Firstly the ability to record programs is a given... the ability to cancel intelligent recordings too... I still get the situation where i am losing some of my shows.. I've started to move must see stuff to the library.. for fear of losing it... so that 'd be enough i guess...

I guess getting an EPG interface working online could be an issue... you would definately one some good authentification.... and to be able to perhaps configure what functionality you would want to expose to the web incase it got tampered with... so y ou could be sure that no one could stop something you wanted to be recorded from being recorded.. or from removing things from your favourites...

Would some form of a java applet even work!?? then becoming a mini-client to the sage server that can only get guide info out...

Maybe even a primitive version could use an email address or something .. and you email your server to get listings... replying telling it what to do with that listing.. I dunno...

[justme]

Originally posted by dkardatzke
I understand this is a "Cool" feature but is it really a deal-breaker?

Definitely not a deal breaker for me, I like alot of people in this thread already own SageTV.

What I'm after is access to the EPG(one day ok, more better) to schedule recordings and change channels if no recording is taking place. ie My PocketPC(with WIFI) becomes a simple remote for SageTV. I would also like the ability to play(on the host computer, not PPC) any recording in the EPG/Library where ever.

A web client would be the easiest way to implement most people desires. It would be less secure than a local client, I guess. In my particular case a PPC client would solve all my personal desires, but I realize that a web client is what most people need. A web client would work great on my system(just a little roundabout), so I think this should be the first priority.

PS:Please try and keep Zap2it or TitanTv websites out of this solution. They are part of they reason I bought your software.

[rsesler]

For features
Simple viewing and setting recordings with access to an EPG.
I agree with the Snapstream reference. It is the one thing that keeps me going back to Snapstream in my evaluation (although I feel I will end up using both for the curiousity factor).

But for my ongoing requirement I think web access for setting and viewing recordings is in the category of "killer App".

[shodge]

Sounds like I may be a bit late with my opnion, but I think you heard it before.

WEB access IS needed. I really don't care at what level, (i.e. simple record this channel at this time for this long, or full EPG). I travel and it would be great to set things up remotely.

I can see that not everyone needs this, so I would propose another add on - SAGETVWEB.

Another approach would be to create a activeX component and let the community design the WEB server as they see fit. This may fit in with the future UI editor edition as another user supported add on system. I would perfer this as it opens up the software to more creativity and allows Jeff to concentrate on new hardware support (HDTV & etc...).

Its worth money to me.

-Stan

[pbarrette]

Hi all,

I'd suggest that it's not necessarily web access that is needed, but perhaps a full command-line interface. I, personally, don't run a web server at home, but I do use telnet to access my home computers from remote locations.

A fully functional command-line interface would allow people like me to remotely perform my Sage functions, and it would allow all of the pro-web people to build and completely customize their own web interfaces for whatever web server they happen to be using. This could be web integrated even better if the interface had a switch which would allow diretly dumping the output as HTML.

pb

[Sailn]

How about just a non-video version of the client. Then you could remote login, vpn, etc and do some type of recording control. The issue of security and internet access and connectivity then becomes an os problem and sage doesn't reinvent the wheel. As I see it, in my world, a single sage client should be able to run in the following states:

1) with or without video streaming
2) with or without connection the server (for local playback of video files)
3) with a selectable connection mode to the server (highspeed connection, slow wireless, internet, lan, smoke signals (which sould control 1)

[PGPfan]

Personally,

I've always thought that you could make some additional money by doing a web interface (or a part of it) like this:

You are sufing the net at your favorite sites which have 'banner' ads. However these ads are for upcoming TV shows. If one looks interesting, just click it and then Sage would schedule it to be recorded.

This seems like a win-win all the way around. The networks are happy because they see a return on their ad placement, the website owners are happy with more ad revenue, Sage adds a convienient new feature that nobody else has.

What do you think?


-PGPfan

[bodgadle]

Originally posted by Sailn
How about just a non-video version of the client. Then you could remote login, vpn, etc and do some type of recording control. The issue of security and internet access and connectivity then becomes an os problem and sage doesn't reinvent the wheel. As I see it, in my world, a single sage client should be able to run in the following states:

1) with or without video streaming
2) with or without connection the server (for local playback of video files)
3) with a selectable connection mode to the server (highspeed connection, slow wireless, internet, lan, smoke signals (which sould control 1)

I dont think that this is really the best solution. The whole point is that we want to access our epg & scheduling data remotley, so you could be anywhere and you certainly dont want to be downloading sage client or taking that around with you.

Hence the web interface Taht way just leave your pc with sage on and access it from wherever you want. Obviously its up to you to secure it

[ChrisDev]

Yes this is a deal breaker for me! (Hi everyone - newbie registered just to post this!)

I'm considering using Showshifter too and this has a web plugin available (http://www.iwg.nl/webshifter/). It's a very, very popular feature. Being able to schedule and alter recordings from anywhere in the world is a really key feature for me, and it's one I'm looking for on my HTPC.

PS. Starting an mp3 playing when you're at work and the wife/gf is at home really annoys them apparently! ;-)

[Sailn]

Originally posted by bodgadle
I dont think that this is really the best solution. The whole point is that we want to access our epg & scheduling data remotley, so you could be anywhere and you certainly dont want to be downloading sage client or taking that around with you.

Hence the web interface Taht way just leave your pc with sage on and access it from wherever you want. Obviously its up to you to secure it

Well I guess it depends on how you plan on using it. As I said, "in my world".
BTW, what is wrong with taking the client with you? The whole reason I wanted a remote access via the client is that I do take the client with me. The client resides on a laptop which travels with me. When at home, it runs as a client on my network.

If all you want is a command line interface, then that should be quite easy. BTW, if you did a non-video version of sage, couldn't you just connect via remote desktop and do everything that way?

[bodgadle]

Originally posted by Sailn
Well I guess it depends on how you plan on using it. As I said, "in my world".
BTW, what is wrong with taking the client with you? The whole reason I wanted a remote access via the client is that I do take the client with me. The client resides on a laptop which travels with me. When at home, it runs as a client on my network.

If all you want is a command line interface, then that should be quite easy. BTW, if you did a non-video version of sage, couldn't you just connect via remote desktop and do everything that way?

Ah but you're assuming everyone either

a) carries a laptop around with them

b) Is running on a windows machine capable of remote desktop connections

It would be much better with a web interface or a command line interface which you could write a web wrapper for since then you're totally platform independant on how you connect to it, and no ned to worry about the sage client on your laptop or finding a windows machine capable of remote desktop connections which again would cause problems with firewalls if you're at the office and forgot to set something to record!