Beta Version 1.4.5 Now Available

[dkardatzke]

Beta Version 1.4.5 of all applications is now available. Please give us feedback as this is beta software and has only been tested in limited environments. Notable changes since release version 1.3.8 are:

- DVD Playback
- Command Line execution for SageRecorder
- Error Recovery for SageTV Client
- USB Capture support (Hauppauge WinTV-USB-PVR2 (Model 941) is supported)
- DirecTV Serial Control is now fully integrated, supports multiple receiver control
- Added Transport Stream support

The beta versions are available through the following page: http://www.sage.tv/beta.html and the full release notes are included as an attachment.

Enjoy!
Dan

[JJarmoc]

How advanced is the integrated DVD playback support? Does it support Dolby Digital and DTS? Does it support FFDShow and/or DScaler plugins? What kind of aspect ratio control is there, same as Sage's PVR functionality?

[SHS]

This need be corr to (Hauppauge WinTV-PVR2 USB Model 941 is supported) dan

[PeteInSF]

Way cool on the directv serial port, as a note RCA changed the serial protcol in their newer series "G" recivers. (model ending in Gx or higher)

When I bought be ReplayTV I had to get an older RCA receiver on Ebay because the replay can't control the newer units.

It's a minor difference (someone documented the changes on a Replay forum.)

Since I had to buy two receivers I have both a new and old RCA running if you want me to test it out. Are there protocol setting in the config file?

Pete

[mangriotis]

Just a note to dkardatzke and Narflex: The wiz.bin issue I was experiencing (with 1.3.8 using 100% cpu all the time) was corrected by installing 1.4.5.

Thanks guys...

[KoolKat_Milw]

First off.....great product guys. I tried Snapstream first because it "looks better", but your program actually works better...for the most part

I installed the previous beta 1.4.3 and controlled my older RCA DirecTv box model #DRD420RE via serial cable using the EXETunerPlugin.dll and DTVcon. Everything worked great! But, with the new beta and the built-in DirecTv support......it does not work anymore. I did a fresh install of the 1.4.5 beta after uninstalling the previous one and deleting the install directory.

I know that there are a few different receivers out there, but I would expect the number of receivers supported to increase.....not decrease

If there is something I might be overlooking then please let me know and I will happily put my foot in my mouth. Is at all possible to use the EXETunerPlugin.dll like before or will this be fixed?

Thanks in advance!

-KoolKat

[edmc]

Attempted DVD Playback using all the various Filter combinations I have on my HTPC with 1.4.5B - same faulures as 1.4.3B. I can see no difference in behavior. From the ReleaseNotes.txt file for both versions, it seems to suggest that this should be sort of working. Not for me, alas :-(

It does raise one suggested improvement, however. I realize that there is no "direct" Setup Panels for DVD Playback (having to add my DVD Drive as a Library Directory is one clue), I'm sure this is coming - but for now it is a bit unfortunate that there is only one Filter dialog (1 each for Video and Audio that is). What's needed is a separate Filter Specification for TV Playback versus DVD Playback.

Please refer to my earlier posts documenting the Filter combinations which failed previously as these each still apply.

For those able to successfully get DVD Playack going, could you kindly post your Filter settings?

For me, the closest to successful combination I came up with was using my Hauppauge's Audio Filter but my Cyperlink Video Filter. This at least got me to the DVD Root Menu - with Audio. Alas, once the movie started, having selected the 5.1DD soundtrack, I couldn't hear any audio at all.

Anyone out there having better success?

[justme]

I just tried DVD out today. I had some problems til I switched to the Intervideo filter that came with WinDVD5. Then everything worked out great(I haven't tested 5.1 yet). I do agree having to add "d:\video_ts" is not all that intuitive, but after all it's still a beta feature.

Also I made a similar request to Jeff for one set of filters for TV and another set for DVD. He replied and I got the definite impression this is on the list of feature that will be added. If nothing else it's needed since so many people use Elecard+Dscaler, and the Elecard decoders don't support CSS(DVD) encoded video.

[fasttech]

I am able to play DVD's using the Cyberlink filter for video and audio, but then when I go back to the main SageTV menu to view TV or a recorded TV show, it errors out or it hangs up the computer like last night.

p.s. Also can we get normal Fast forward and Reverse functions like a standalone DVD player? I know the DirectX interfaces can do this, but I don't know if Jeff is using DirectX yet for this sort of stuff.

[gplasky]

Using Sonic Cinemaster 1.5 for both the Video and Audio decoders. I am also using the overlay, not VMR. Everything is working great on the DVD. The Cinemasters codec is giving me a sweet picture on both the DVD and the TV. 5.1 surround is great with this codec. As a matter of fact with the TV the sound is coming out solid out of all the speakers. These are the same codec I use with ZoomPlayer plus ffdshow. The latest beta is working great for me. Looking forward to the Studio version. I've started to change the UI for a more consisent look for my HTPC but really excited about the skinning possibilities in the Studio version. Noticed in the DVD player I have no "STOP" button. Pause, play, fast forward, rewind all work. Using girder to control Sage with a Streamzap remote. (Until native support for Streamzap shows up). Keep up the good work.

Gerry

[dkardatzke]

Originally posted by KoolKat_Milw
If there is something I might be overlooking then please let me know and I will happily put my foot in my mouth. Is at all possible to use the EXETunerPlugin.dll like before or will this be fixed?

Nothing changed about using the DTV con utility other than it's more tightly integrated through the Setup Wizard so you can control multiple receivers if necessary. When you resintalled SageTV did you reassociate the Serial Control Utility through the Setup Wizard?

[SHS]

DVD Play Back not working jeff all get BLACK screen but with Home DVD they work SageTV hang up.

[KoolKat_Milw]

I went through the setup wizard and selected DirecTv Serial control through COM1. Thats all.

Do I still need to use DTVcmd.exe or are you guys talking directly to the receiver now? Also, does DirecTV Control.exe need to be running anymore? I would assume not since thats the whole point of integrating directv support.

Basically if you could just walk through the steps I would appreciate it. Do I need any special DLLs or 3rd party apps running like I did with the previous beta? And are there any special registry setting that need to be in place?


Thanks for the help!!

-KoolKat

[stanger89]

gplasky,

How do you get multichannel sound with the CP filters? Did you have CP surround or did you upgrade the standard version? The only Sonic audio filter I can choose is "Sonic Cinemaster@ DS Audio Decoder" which one are you using?

[gplasky]

That is the one I am using through SageTV. I also have the AC3Filter decoder installed and it may be using that. But I explicitly chose Sonic in the SageTV setup. I had purchased the decoder pack (video & MP3) from their website.

Gerry

[Narflex]

For DTV Serial:
There's no special options to configure for it. If you want to use the old EXETunerPlugin, just select the IR/Plugin choice in the setup wizard and do it like you did before. The integrated DTVSerial support does not require DTVCon to be installed or running in any way. If you're having problems with DTVSerial (as some are), please post your sagetv_0.txt log file here. It'll have error information in it relating to that.

For DVD:
All of you that are having problems. Please reproduce the problem and email your sagetv_0.txt and any hs_err_pid.log files to support@freytechnologies.com so I can get all of this information together and figure out why its working for some people, but not for others.

And of course I'm going to change it so you don't have to add the DVD drive to your library and select the ts_video dir. That be just silly to keep it that way.

[PeteInSF]

The is the best information I have found on DirecTV serial.

http://www.pcmx.net/dtvcon/cmds.htm

Pete

[PeteInSF]

Sorry about that , the above should have been "This is the best..."

[KoolKat_Milw]

DirecTv Serial:

Once I get home from work I will post my log file

-KoolKat

[stanger89]

gplasky,

Are you using analog or digital out? AFAIK the decoder pack doesn't do multichannel analog.