STV: SageMC - 1.0 Jan 9

[RedCoat999]

Originally Posted by GbrNole

redcoat - do you have the back button seperately mapped in your remote to better navigate this stv?

You can map any remote button to any function you want using the simple features under the SageTV Detailed Setup with the IRMAN. On my remote it happens to be the "Exit" button since I don't have a 'Back' button. You can see my remote in my signature, cheap, nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

[Wheemer]

MlbDude

When I adjust the number of rows in the guide it does not extend the boxes down, which is what I was hoping, to illiminate more of the dead space on the bottome of the screen.

If the weather images are being called by the descriptive words used in the forcast then I can't rename the images to match. There are some descriptions like Wind / Snow / Ice, and the "/" can't be entered into the files name... Or perhaps I have misunderstood you. As far as implimenting the other, more complex weather module, I fiddled with it and although it is very impressive, it doesn't do much for a Canadian. At least not with my limitted coding understanding and abilities. So I do much prefer your simple approach. I just wish I could get it working right!

For the menu navigation, after roaming around this stv for a couple days now, having hardly even tried the origianl stv, I've noticed a few things. It seems that the Back button always takes you back to the screen you were in previously. As I mentioned before, the last time I tried Sage I thought it was counter intuative, but I was really sure exaclty why. Well now I realize what bothers me so much, and it is the "Back" or "Left" functionality that is the culprate. In order for this stv's navigation to function smoothly and coherantely, I am looking for a "Up one level" button. In other words I would like the "Back" button to always take me out or up a level in the structure. Instead of to the previously viewed menu.

As I mentioned before, I do not really want to use a "Home" button. Sage already requires more remote keys to be programmed than I have. So without the home button I found myself stuck a few times in a detailed setup menu, or in live tv.

There are also other family members, young and old, that I must please with my implimentation of the HTPC into the living room. With all the different buttons I have to teach them already, I would like to keep it to a minimum.

While in the media list screens is it piossible to have each screen remember individually your view choice? I like to see the folders in a list and the video files in a folder view. And I enjoy it always in folder view when looking at albums, but in a list when looking at the actual tracks. It seems now that the change to view by in universally affected.

Also right now you can always scroll past the bottom last choice for any menu and it brings you back to the top choice, however scrolling up does not bring you back to the bottom last choice. I'm reffering to the Main screen and media lists.

Thanks a lot, I know you really must get used to and sick of all the praise. But the last time I tried Sage I thought it sucked, I didn't even give it a fighting chance against Beyond TV. However this time, with the addition of this fabulous STV and all yours and others hard work, after only two days of playing with it, I am convinced. I'm actually selling by BTV liscence and jumping ship.

Does Sage offer competitor upgrade pricing I wonder?

[mlbdude]

If the weather images are being called by the descriptive words used in the forcast then I can't rename the images to match. There are some descriptions like Wind / Snow / Ice, and the "/" can't be entered into the files name... Or perhaps I have misunderstood you. As far as implimenting the other, more complex weather module, I fiddled with it and although it is very impressive, it doesn't do much for a Canadian. At least not with my limitted coding understanding and abilities. So I do much prefer your simple approach. I just wish I could get it working right!

The STV changes the "/" character to a space " ". So for Wind / Snow / Ice call it

"Wind   Snow   Ice.png".

For the menu navigation, after roaming around this stv for a couple days now, having hardly even tried the origianl stv, I've noticed a few things. It seems that the Back button always takes you back to the screen you were in previously. As I mentioned before, the last time I tried Sage I thought it was counter intuative, but I was really sure exaclty why. Well now I realize what bothers me so much, and it is the "Back" or "Left" functionality that is the culprate. In order for this stv's navigation to function smoothly and coherantely, I am looking for a "Up one level" button. In other words I would like the "Back" button to always take me out or up a level in the structure. Instead of to the previously viewed menu.

It should do this already. If there are any places I missed let me know.

[lbrandolo]

Great work!!!

I have noticed that I cannot use my remote buttons or keyboard shortcut to set watched, don't like, or delete on many screens. Set Watched works on Recent Recordings only. It does not work on Program Info, Recorded TV, etc.

Thanks.

[RedCoat999]

Originally Posted by GbrNole

when you have selected a genre can we get a "play all" button added on the side menu?

that is how primative my music playback is. i'm in absolute heaven if that feature were in place

I second that one. For instance I have all my Christmas music tagged, and would like to just select that genre and play all.

On a side note, I have download the latest SageMC and Sage 2.2.2, and it is working smooth for me right now (not too much slowing down like I had previously reported). And I have heard the sounds for the first time. They are quiet, but alright. I vote to keep them!

[GbrNole]

andy gave me the pointer i needed to properly get my remote to utilize it's "back" function using the back/exit button. previously iy was just dumping back to live tv so all is good in that regard now.

so now if you could just whip up a hardware playback client using this stv and have that client be able to render mpeg4 video and ac3 audio natively that would be great......

just kidding but man that would be nice


mlb - do you feel like you have progressed this stv to a point where it makes you question the need for mce2005 yet?

other than getting a play all button the only nice items that i'd like to have from this point would all have to be included by jeff and dan.

in no particular order:

1) a bit better vizualization

2) cd playback through sage (maybe this could be stv'd?)

3) the ffdshow function through sage dvd being codec independant rather than having to use ffdshow with the default codec (this really isn't a biggie though)

4) the dvd function using renderless playback with vmr9 to eliminate any possible chance of tearing ala mediator and media player classic

5) the ability to zoom the dvd window incrementally while a dvd is playing preferably with user specified H & V percentage adjustments (again this one isn't a biggie though since i already assign a seperate zoom to "fill" mode when playing a 2.35:1 dvd and sage natively expands 4:3 movies to fill the screen so no adjustment necessary there)

heck if those functions existed then we would have one heck of an application especially considering the comskip and web plugins that are already available let alone the weather plugin we all take for granted now.

[mlbdude]

1, 2, and 4 are not possible in an STV directly.

3 is supposed to be possible with the latest beta. A property setting for now.

I am still using MCE. The lack of CD/WMA support are making it difficult for me to move. Also, we like the MCE remote and not all the buttons are supported in Sage. It is getting close though.

[GbrNole]

the buttons that aren't directly supported for the mce remote i assume are only applicable to when you use the mce remote receiver and driver?

if you were to use an irman or usbuirt with that same remote would all buttons then be able to be mapped?

cd playback is always the item i forget about since i have so much music ripped to the hard drive but it's that occasional time when someone comes over and says "quick, put this on" then you remember.....

for wma stuff i really wouldn't mind if frey took the same approach as zoom player and charged a nominal fee to license wma to those who would like to use it. it's not huge for me anyway since i rip all my music using MMJB and so i can choose to rip to either mp3 or wma that way. not even checked to see if the latest MMJB supports wma lossless ripping yet?

the more i look at what frey supplies the more i find it hard to believe how little they charge compared to what it costs to achieve similar setups using the likes of meedio or beyond tv.

this is one user who certainly wouldn't balk at the idea of having to spend a few more bucks to extend sage a little further.

[chrysek]

Originally Posted by mlbdude

Sorry guys, Back is the only way this STV will allow you to move back a menu. The Left command will get in the way of some stuff I want to do (let alone some stuff I have already done).

thank you...

Chris

[Droid]

So we are close... I am using all the functions on my MCE remote with Sage and your SageMC skin. I am not sure which functions you are not seeing? The trick to make it work is to ensure you get both IR codes/per button learned as the remote toggles between two IR codes to handle holding down the buttons and having fast repeat. Once this skin is done I will be thrilled... The only question will be how to get commercial skip added.... (This was NOT a request )

Andy

[JUC]

Droid, does your MCE remote's back button work with sage too? What about the dedicated buttons on the top (i am not sure exactly what they are now but something like: my TV, my audio....)?
JUC

[Droid]

Totally, I have ALL buttons including the My Tv/My Videos/My Pictures/My Music and the back button works and even have the big green button mapped to HOME. Very nice and easy (Hopefully high WAF)....

As to the sounds I dont seem to have them either... Anything I need to do to enable them?

[ukmgranger]

Originally Posted by ukmgranger

I have already started designing some new sounds for my main system, I'll let you know when they are done.

I have abandoned this venture as I find the noises excruciatingly annoying! Well, it is a combination of things really:

1) noises are pretty annoying on the menu screens period
2) my 5.1 amp is connected by coax to my HTPC. the amp internally turns itself on when it gets audio signals from the HTPC, therefore doesn't turn on quick enough to take advantage of the menu noises even if I wanted to hear them. This is also rather annoying when commercials come on as you miss the first few frames of sound. (If anyone has a solution for this last part let me know )

So, sorry guys/gals, no new sounds from me

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by GbrNole

the buttons that aren't directly supported for the mce remote i assume are only applicable to when you use the mce remote receiver and driver?

if you were to use an irman or usbuirt with that same remote would all buttons then be able to be mapped?

The button usage limitation only applies when using the mce remote's own receiver/software/driver. In the link I previously posted, you can see how the mce remote driver sends commands -- only the ones that send keystrokes can be used for new functions in SageTV (i.e.: can be reassigned), the others use Windows messages that SageTV can either use one way only (cannot be reconfigured) or that SageTV does not yet recognize and use at all (WM_INPUT).

Originally Posted by Droid

I am using all the functions on my MCE remote with Sage and your SageMC skin. I am not sure which functions you are not seeing? The trick to make it work is to ensure you get both IR codes/per button learned as the remote toggles between two IR codes to handle holding down the buttons and having fast repeat.

Note in your sig lines that you are using a USB-UIRT and that you mention learning the IR codes. This means you are not using the mce receiver. Instead, you are using it as a generic remote, teaching its codes to SageTV/Girder/whatever just like you could with practically any other IR remote. You can learn the codes & assign the buttons to use any SageTV command you want.

- Andy

[Droid]

Ahhh... I understand... Until version 2.1 I couldnt even get the MCE remote to work. It works well now with the USB-UIRT provided you learn the 2 codes / button.

[Wheemer]

Cool, thanks for that help MlbDude... The weathers working well now, I'll just have to change it once new terms appear.

[Wheemer]

I also noticed that sometime there is a longish pause when hitting stop on video playback. I suppose it might have something to do with the stop screen. Other times it's faily quick, however it's never as instant as any other screen.

[mlbdude]

Originally Posted by Wheemer

I also noticed that sometime there is a longish pause when hitting stop on video playback. I suppose it might have something to do with the stop screen. Other times it's faily quick, however it's never as instant as any other screen.

The menu is actually pausing the video as it opens. For some reason it takes longer. I thought maybe it was just me and my crappy 1Ghz PC .

[Wheemer]

Oh well... I'm running on a P4 3.0 with 1gig ram, so it seems that there may be something else causing this possibly?? Hopefully!

Is there any particular reason why hitting stop twice takes you back to the start screen rather than the last media list screen?

The top OSD rectangle also seems drastically huge on long file names. On short file names it's still rather big, but tolerable. When the names long enough to extend to a second line the box size increase seems upropotionally increased.

Let me know if I ma bother you with all my comments, it's just that I would love to help perfect your stv.

Thank You

[RedCoat999]

Originally Posted by mlbdude

I thought maybe it was just me and my crappy 1Ghz PC .

The things I would do for a 1Ghz PC