Google Fiber+TV

[888jay]

Hello,

Google Fiber came to our neighborhood last week so I'm investigating my options.

Right now I have an HDHomeRun Prime + CableCard + TWC and stream to all of our pc's via Windows Media Center and to our living room TV via an Xbox extender. Given that WMC is a dead end product I'd love to switch over to Google Fiber Gigabit+TV.

However, I've come to find out that there's no app to stream Fiber TV to the desktop over the LAN. Someone suggested I use Slingbox but that seems kind of silly when there's a far superior product already built into the network box.

Are there any plans for a Windows app that can access Fiber TV over the LAN?

Thanks,
Jay

[wayner]

You should probably contact Brent (aka Geektonic) as he has had GF for a couple of years now.

And maybe GF will play nicely with SageTV Open Source as GF's DVR is SageTV 8.0.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by 888jay

Hello,

Google Fiber came to our neighborhood last week so I'm investigating my options.

Right now I have an HDHomeRun Prime + CableCard + TWC and stream to all of our pc's via Windows Media Center and to our living room TV via an Xbox extender. Given that WMC is a dead end product I'd love to switch over to Google Fiber Gigabit+TV.

However, I've come to find out that there's no app to stream Fiber TV to the desktop over the LAN. Someone suggested I use Slingbox but that seems kind of silly when there's a far superior product already built into the network box.

Are there any plans for a Windows app that can access Fiber TV over the LAN?

Thanks,
Jay

I don't know of any plans per se, but I can tell you what I believe will and won't happen with Google Fiber TV. Just know these are my educated thoughts, not official word.

There is currently no way to stream Google Fiber TV to the desktop or even to a mobile device outside your home network. You can today stream to your iOS or Android mobile device inside your home, GF network. I think we will eventually be able to stream to those mobile devices outside the home network (over the internet), but I suspect they are working out the agreements with the networks on that. Same thing happens with all the cableco's - this isn't HTPC as we knew it with SageTV.

As to the stream to desktop, I have no idea really, but I'll be surprised (pleasantly I guess) if they ever do that. That's just my guess though. Think of Google Fiber TV this way:
Your Network/Storage box is your SageTV server - albeit strictly locked down server.
Each TV will need an extender like we used with SageTV. In the Google Fiber world they call this the "TV Box". There is no exception to this rule at least so far. You want to display TV to a TV, you'll need a TV Box.

[888jay]

Originally Posted by Brent

Think of Google Fiber TV this way:
Your Network/Storage box is your SageTV server - albeit strictly locked down server.

Hi Brent,
Thanks very much for your input. My wife and I both work from home and we each already have four screens on our desks. There's just no room for more. That's what we love about accessing TV through a client app (in our case, WMC) because it can be positioned on whatever monitor has open real estate at the time. On top of that, right now I pay $2/mo for a single CableCard that streams to five locations in the house vs. $5/mo that Google wants for each TV box ($25/mo total).

I guess the issue here is the "strictly locked down" part; or perhaps I have misconceptions of how the software works. But it seems like it would be a pretty simple task to have a SageTV client for access over a private home network.

[reggie14]

Is the Google Fiber TV app willing to run in a Chrome window using ARC?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by 888jay

But it seems like it would be a pretty simple task to have a SageTV client for access over a private home network.

I'm sure there's no technical barrier to using SageTV client, and it would be simple, but it's also pretty clear that Google does not want, maybe is not allowed (content owners may require secure playback devices), to have their system allow that.

[Fuzzy]

I've no doubt Google Fiber uses the standard SageTV network interface between its 'server' and its 'clients' as traditional SageTV does, it's just likely the video files themselves are protected, so the standard SageTV client wouldn't be able to play them.

[Brent]

I believe all above are correct - it's due to the content protection and licensing. Definitely not a technical restriction. SageTV is still running things inside Google Fiber TV thus far at least.

[888jay]

Yes, I see now where I got confused. The copy-protection / DRM is the constraint. I (wrongly) assumed that since the Google Fiber app allowed streaming in your home to an iOS or Android device that this meant they had some kind of licensing in place to play protected content.

But their support forum has multiple caveats:

With the Google Fiber app, you can start watching TV in one room and finish watching the same show in another room, or switch the video from a TV to your mobile device or vice versa, if the show is available to watch on a mobile device.

If the show is available on your mobile device, the name of your mobile device appears on the list. If it does not appear, it indicates that the show is not available to watch on mobile devices. If you have only one TV Box and the show is not available to watch on mobile devices, Transfer to does not appear on the option menu.

Some shows do not play on your mobile device; however, we are constantly working with the programmers to bring our subscribers new and innovative ways to interact with content.

Still, even if you could play the content currently available on the Android app via a Windows SageTV client, which I assume is copy-freely or copy-once, that would be a start!

I really want to ditch Windows Media Center.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by 888jay

I really want to ditch Windows Media Center.

Switch to SageTV.. It still is the best option, even with HD-PVR's and Cable Boxes.

[888jay]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Switch to SageTV.. It still is the best option, even with HD-PVR's and Cable Boxes.

I would, gladly, if it could play protected content without WMC in the background!

But the lure of gigabit internet is a siren-song I find hard to resist. And my Windows 7 / Windows Home Server media system is destined for the dust bin of history.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by 888jay

I would, gladly, if it could play protected content without WMC in the background!

That's why I said with an HD-PVR and cable box...

[Brent]

Originally Posted by 888jay

I would, gladly, if it could play protected content without WMC in the background!

But the lure of gigabit internet is a siren-song I find hard to resist.

You could always just get the Google Fiber Internet-Only package and skip the TV part. I think your biggest problem with using SageTV in KC is the fact that TWC and AT&T (the other major players in town) lock down most/all of their channels so HD-PVR isn't a great solution there.

[Fuzzy]

or CableCard isn't a great solution.. while HD-PVR is about the only viable solution.

[jm9843]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

That's why I said with an HD-PVR and cable box...

Google Fiber TV -> HD-PVR -> SageTV v9