It's Time to Say Goodbye

[NetworkGuy]

After over 10 years, I have shut down SageTV. A number of factors lead to this decision.

I did a review of what we were watching with some surprising results:

• 65% - OTA broadcast channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CW, etc.)
• 30% - Streaming services (Prime, Disney+, etc.)
• 5% - Cable channels (Bravo, SyFy, USA, etc.)

Then Xfinity raised my cable bill by $40 a month which made me realize that I could get most stations for free with an OTA antenna.

Also, I felt I was spending too much time ensuring that SageTV kept working (i.e. old plugins not supported, patches for transcoding, Windows updates, java dependencies, etc.). And if something did break, the resolution was in days, not hours. (No disrespect to the people supporting SageTV, you have done a fantastic job keeping it running in your spare time, but I wanted dedicated support.)

Finally, SageTV did not and would never support any streaming services.

Here is my new setup:

MEDIA SOURCES:

OTA – it took a while, but I finally found an antenna that lets me receive 83 broadcast channels. I replaced my HRHomeRun Primes with a HDHomeRun Quatro.

Cable Channels – I added a subscription to SlingTV Blue for $35 a month for 84 channels

Streaming Services – I have subscriptions to Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. I add subscriptions to other services for a month when I find a completed series I want to record.

SOFTWARE

Plex – is used as my library for all movies and TV series that I want to keep permanently.

AnyStream – downloads from the following streaming services: Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBOMax

PlayOn (Desktop/Cloud) – Used to record any shows that I might have missed or from other streaming services: Peacock, Paramount, Discovery +, etc.

ChannelsDVR – This is my new SageTV. I use it to record and watch and delete. It works great remotely and has a dedicated support team. (Bug fixes are often released in hours.) The best part is that it allows me to incorporate some non on-demand streaming services. You can record or watch live from OTA (HDHomeRun), Sling TV (TVE login), Pluto TV and other sources. (You also have the ability to add your own source.) It also supports multiple import directories for local content. (AnySteam and PlayOn Desktop record to these directories.)

In summary, ChannelsDVR is a single source for everything we want to watch. It is only $80 a year and they are constantly improving the service. For example: when LOCAST went out of business, they added Locals via a TVE subscription. SageTV was a major improvement over the Tivo’s I used before. ChannelsDVR seems to be the next step in the evolution of home DVRs.

I will stop in from time-to-time to see how everyone is doing. Thanks for a fantastic 10+ years.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

After over 10 years, I have shut down SageTV. A number of factors lead to this decision.

I did a review of what we were watching with some surprising results:

• 65% - OTA broadcast channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CW, etc.)
• 30% - Streaming services (Prime, Disney+, etc.)
• 5% - Cable channels (Bravo, SyFy, USA, etc.)

Then Xfinity raised my cable bill by $40 a month which made me realize that I could get most stations for free with an OTA antenna.

Also, I felt I was spending too much time ensuring that SageTV kept working (i.e. old plugins not supported, patches for transcoding, Windows updates, java dependencies, etc.). And if something did break, the resolution was in days, not hours. (No disrespect to the people supporting SageTV, you have done a fantastic job keeping it running in your spare time, but I wanted dedicated support.)

Finally, SageTV did not and would never support any streaming services.

Here is my new setup:

MEDIA SOURCES:

OTA – it took a while, but I finally found an antenna that lets me receive 83 broadcast channels. I replaced my HRHomeRun Primes with a HDHomeRun Quatro.

Cable Channels – I added a subscription to SlingTV Blue for $35 a month for 84 channels

Streaming Services – I have subscriptions to Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. I add subscriptions to other services for a month when I find a completed series I want to record.

SOFTWARE

Plex – is used as my library for all movies and TV series that I want to keep permanently.

AnyStream – downloads from the following streaming services: Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBOMax

PlayOn (Desktop/Cloud) – Used to record any shows that I might have missed or from other streaming services: Peacock, Paramount, Discovery +, etc.

ChannelsDVR – This is my new SageTV. I use it to record and watch and delete. It works great remotely and has a dedicated support team. (Bug fixes are often released in hours.) The best part is that it allows me to incorporate some non on-demand streaming services. You can record or watch live from OTA (HDHomeRun), Sling TV (TVE login), Pluto TV and other sources. (You also have the ability to add your own source.) It also supports multiple import directories for local content. (AnySteam and PlayOn Desktop record to these directories.)

In summary, ChannelsDVR is a single source for everything we want to watch. It is only $80 a year and they are constantly improving the service. For example: when LOCAST went out of business, they added Locals via a TVE subscription. SageTV was a major improvement over the Tivo’s I used before. ChannelsDVR seems to be the next step in the evolution of home DVRs.

I will stop in from time-to-time to see how everyone is doing. Thanks for a fantastic 10+ years.

Most of the reasons you posted above is also why I am in the process of retiring SageTV permanently. See you on the Channels DVR forum.

[tvmaster2]

So neither one of you two record off a satellite set top box? Would Channels DVR allow for that? I use Shaw Direct satellite, a Canadian service. Anyone? I didn't see ANY Canadian providers listed in their drop-down A-Z listings

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

So neither one of you two record off a satellite set top box? Would Channels DVR allow for that? I use Shaw Direct satellite, a Canadian service. Anyone? I didn't see ANY Canadian providers listed in their drop-down A-Z listings

Not directly, but they have implemented "Custom Channels" that lets your import other sources. (That is how I got Pluto TV into channels.)

Take a look at this thread:
https://community.getchannels.com/t/sat-ip-support/7449

Sign-in to the forum and ask, you might be surprised at the answer.

The developer is actively working with with people to get it working.

[KryptoNyte]

One of the networks that I watch frequently on Channels DVR has managed to implement DRM on their TVE stream, so we no longer receive it on that system. How much longer will it be before the rest do it, and leave us right back with only OTA?

[KryptoNyte]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

The developer is actively working with with people to get it working.

Where do we find this on their forum? Will I need to be a programmer to figure it out?

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

Where do we find this on their forum? Will I need to be a programmer to figure it out?

It is called search.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

Not directly, but they have implemented "Custom Channels" that lets your import other sources. (That is how I got Pluto TV into channels.)

Take a look at this thread:
https://community.getchannels.com/t/sat-ip-support/7449

Sign-in to the forum and ask, you might be surprised at the answer.

The developer is actively working with with people to get it working.

I see DirectTV on their list, so there must be a way via IR to control a set top box, but I don’t see Dish, or any of the Canadian satellite providers. I’ll try and understand that link you sent, which at the moment, I don’t. But anything that isn’t native from the manufacturer to begin with is usually a no-can-do for me

Note: I checked here, https://www.digitalhome.ca/ , for the words “ChannelsDvr”, or “Channels DVR” - nada. This is Canada’s foremost TV nerd site. So it doesn’t look like CDVR is in use there.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

I see DirectTV on their list, so there must be a way via IR to control a set top box, but I don’t see Dish, or any of the Canadian satellite providers. I’ll try and understand that link you sent, which at the moment, I don’t. But anything that isn’t native from the manufacturer to begin with is usually a no-can-do for me

Note: I checked here, https://www.digitalhome.ca/ , for the words “ChannelsDvr”, or “Channels DVR” - nada. This is Canada’s foremost TV nerd site. So it doesn’t look like CDVR is in use there.

Here is the link to the documentation on Custom Channels:
https://getchannels.com/docs/channel...stom-channels/

And there is an entire forum category about it:
https://community.getchannels.com/c/...om-channels/36

It is not as bad as it seems. Post some questions, you will get a lot of people who are willing to help.

[mlcarson]

The only way that Channels DVR supports DirecTV is via TVE (TV Everywhere). That's true for every service EXCEPT the HDHomerun Prime/Connect hardware. Their entire gimmick is really the ability to record the TVE streams. If you don't need that and are just recording HDHomerun or IPTV streams then you could go with Emby or Jellyfin or even Plex. They could also do Locast (when they still existed) and can do Pluto streams but that's not an exclusive.

The TVE thing is really nice if you have a family member or somebody that has a Cable/Sat service that you can use their TVE login for. You can get a nice group of channels that you can record that way and can even get the basic networks in markets where they are part of TVE (that market is where your server is -- not where the Cable/Sat service is that was subscribed to). If I was the actual cable subscriber, I'd want a cable card and a HDHomerun Prime rather than TVE though assuming that the channels aren't DRM'd.

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

I see DirectTV on their list, so there must be a way via IR to control a set top box, but I donÂ’t see Dish, or any of the Canadian satellite providers. IÂ’ll try and understand that link you sent, which at the moment, I donÂ’t. But anything that isnÂ’t native from the manufacturer to begin with is usually a no-can-do for me

Note: I checked here, https://www.digitalhome.ca/ , for the words “ChannelsDvr”, or “Channels DVR” - nada. This is Canada’s foremost TV nerd site. So it doesn’t look like CDVR is in use there.

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

I did a review of what we were watching with some surprising results:

• 65% - OTA broadcast channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CW, etc.)
• 30% - Streaming services (Prime, Disney+, etc.)
• 5% - Cable channels (Bravo, SyFy, USA, etc.)

Did you use any sort of tool to help you do that review? SageTV should have all of the information internally to do that kind of reporting; but unless I am missing something, nothing like that exists today.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

Did you use any sort of tool to help you do that review? SageTV should have all of the information internally to do that kind of reporting; but unless I am missing something, nothing like that exists today.

I just did a manual count of the shows I was recording.

[AlphaCrew]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

After over 10 years, I have shut down SageTV. A number of factors lead to this decision.

I did a review of what we were watching with some surprising results:

• 65% - OTA broadcast channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CW, etc.)
• 30% - Streaming services (Prime, Disney+, etc.)
• 5% - Cable channels (Bravo, SyFy, USA, etc.)

Then Xfinity raised my cable bill by $40 a month which made me realize that I could get most stations for free with an OTA antenna.

Also, I felt I was spending too much time ensuring that SageTV kept working (i.e. old plugins not supported, patches for transcoding, Windows updates, java dependencies, etc.). And if something did break, the resolution was in days, not hours. (No disrespect to the people supporting SageTV, you have done a fantastic job keeping it running in your spare time, but I wanted dedicated support.)

Finally, SageTV did not and would never support any streaming services.

Here is my new setup:

MEDIA SOURCES:

OTA – it took a while, but I finally found an antenna that lets me receive 83 broadcast channels. I replaced my HRHomeRun Primes with a HDHomeRun Quatro.

Cable Channels – I added a subscription to SlingTV Blue for $35 a month for 84 channels

Streaming Services – I have subscriptions to Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. I add subscriptions to other services for a month when I find a completed series I want to record.

SOFTWARE

Plex – is used as my library for all movies and TV series that I want to keep permanently.

AnyStream – downloads from the following streaming services: Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBOMax

PlayOn (Desktop/Cloud) – Used to record any shows that I might have missed or from other streaming services: Peacock, Paramount, Discovery +, etc.

ChannelsDVR – This is my new SageTV. I use it to record and watch and delete. It works great remotely and has a dedicated support team. (Bug fixes are often released in hours.) The best part is that it allows me to incorporate some non on-demand streaming services. You can record or watch live from OTA (HDHomeRun), Sling TV (TVE login), Pluto TV and other sources. (You also have the ability to add your own source.) It also supports multiple import directories for local content. (AnySteam and PlayOn Desktop record to these directories.)

In summary, ChannelsDVR is a single source for everything we want to watch. It is only $80 a year and they are constantly improving the service. For example: when LOCAST went out of business, they added Locals via a TVE subscription. SageTV was a major improvement over the Tivo’s I used before. ChannelsDVR seems to be the next step in the evolution of home DVRs.

I will stop in from time-to-time to see how everyone is doing. Thanks for a fantastic 10+ years.

Hate too see another user leave, but completely understand the need. Thanks for the help in the past.

In order for me to turn off SageTV, I would have to invest in new hardware. I do use Channels and it is indeed a great service, but the writing is on the wall, (actually has been for some time now) there will come a time when DRM will be encapsulated in every streaming environment. That monster just keeps getting more powerful by the year.

Until then or when the cost of my cable sub is higher then it's value, I will continue to use a combination of both SageTV (Main DVR for Cable), ChannelsDVR (TV Outlet and DVR) & Plex (Media Consumer).

Please stop in now-and-then with service updates.

[nycjoe]

Piggybacking on this thread; my SageTV setup has also reached the end of the line a few months ago.
Looking through some of my old posts here - boy I did a lot of complaining over the years! I do want to express my gratitude to the Frey folks and the community.
A quick recap — I’ve been ‘using’ since late 2005 (I would reinstall OS and trials over and over for Sage, BeyondTV, GB-PVR, etc, but settled on Sage pretty quickly, obv reasons). I can’t think of any software or hardware that lasted this long - a couple of lamps, maybe?
I probably would still be on the platform except that I spent extended periods of time away from home during the pandemic using just streaming services and.. it’s good enough. I don’t think I’ve added new favorite shows in years! Not to mention 4K > HD (all those years watching SD! How did we do it?).
So, thanks for everything - lots of equipment left over to unload! Marketplace post coming - I have lots of stuff (extenders, hauppauge, silicondust, etc).

[CanadianEh]

I left a long time ago (looks like I started out using SageTV back in 2004!) at some point after SageTV was sold, but have always come back every now and then to see how the product is doing. I can't remember the specific reasons I left, but I moved over to MediaPortal and used Raspberry Pi's as clients via Kodi. MediaPortal seems to have died off, and I was kind of sick of maintaining all of the Pi clients.

I moved over to Plex and for a while integrated my HD-PVR via NextPVR via xteve. I finally realized we were really only watching the local channels and streaming services (Netflix, Hulu), so I dropped Comcast and went OTA-only via Plex to reduce complexity and an unnecessary expense.

It still lacks some of the DVR capabilities of SageTV, but the simplicity of using Roku's, GoogleTV (Firesticks also work), make it such a simple solution for the wife and kids.

This year, I went a little crazy and threw a PC in the camper, which syncs all of Plex's recordings to its HDD while sitting in the driveway via Syncthing. I chose Jellyfin for the camper because it's free and does not require internet access for authentication - ever.

I'm glad to see that after all these years, SageTV lives on again. Good luck to all of you!