best way for newbie to get started (all HD)

[canon1230]

What is the best way to get started using SageTV to build up an HD library?

I have an HD settop box (from Cox, if that matters) and a Hauppauge HD-PVR (1212) connected to the settop box component video and optical audio inputs. I hope this is the right hardware. I'd like to record and archive HD TV and movies. I'd like to automatically skip commercials so that I don't have to touch the remote, unless the commercial skip algorithm makes a mistake and I care enough to back up or skip forward. I donated to Comskip and downloaded the HD version of Comskip (which processes the MPEG2 TS files output by the HD PVR). I hope this is the right commercial skip software. I want Comskip to automatically process recorded shows from channels that have commercials but not from those that don't (e.g., HBOHD, MAXHD, etc.). My HTPC is multicore so I'm not worried about Comskip running at the same time as Sage.

What is the simplest way to do these things?

[gplasky]

You have the right parts to start with. I would get recommend getting SageTV Media Center V6.5 for Windows for now. Install it on your current PC as a trial and use that to also watch recordings for the time being. Or install the SageTV PC client on another PC you have to watch the recordings. Make use of the manual, the forum and understand how all the pieces work. After understanding how it all works I would recommend a seperate machine running Windows Home Server and SageTV Media Center for WHS and a HD200 HD Extender for every TV that you want to watch your programs from. Besides Comskip you'll need Dirmon2 or Comskip Monitor or SJQ (Sage Job Queue) to act as the file watcher to kick off comskip on your recordings.

If you're sure you are going the Sage and HD Extender route there is some savings with the package deal.


Gerry

[canon1230]

gplasky, thanks for your comprehensive reply. I will follow your advice.

Of the three Comskip monitors that you mention, DirMon2, Comskip Monitor, and SJQ, which is the simplest to set up, and do they all distinguish between commercial-free channels and commercial-laden channels?

[gplasky]

ShowAnalyzer (the one I didn't mention) was the only one I knew of that you could tell it not to analyze files per channel because it also used nielm's webserver for that info. I didn't mention that one because development of ShowAnalyzer Suite seems to be in flux. SJQ may also be able to do it but I don't use it. Neither Dirmon2 nor Comskipmonitor can do it.

Gerry

[Peter_h]

SJQ allows you to set rules so you are able to tell it to not process comskipping for certain channels.

[freedml]

Even channels which don't have 'commercials' sometimes have commercial-like segments which Comskip correctly marks.