Switching from BTV?

[davefred99]

Ok now I am even more currios to try out Sage but I am not yet ready to cut BTV loose. Can I install SageTV on the same machine that I run BTV from without hosing my current setup. I want to evaluate SageTv and I know I would have to shut down BTV but is is possible to install both on the same computer or must I uninstall the other app first. Otherwise I will have to wait untill I build my new system in a month or so.

[flavius]

That's what I did. Worked for me. The last BTV (development) build I ran was 2240, I think.

[mayamaniac]

Same here.

I switched to SageTV last year but still use BTV for LiveTV streaming from the office (just watched real time streaming of Pistons vs. Miami Game 7). I run SageTV 2.28 and BTV 3.52 on the same PC. They don't share the tuners though, SageTV use the hauppauge tuners and BTV uses the software nvidia tuner. Everything works ok so far. SageTV didn't work with BTV 3.5 and 3.51 however, use 3.52 or older version 3.44.

[jeff_d]

Originally Posted by davefred99

Can I install SageTV on the same machine that I run BTV from without hosing my current setup. I want to evaluate SageTv and I know I would have to shut down BTV but is is possible to install both on the same computer or must I uninstall the other app first. Otherwise I will have to wait untill I build my new system in a month or so.

I am doing this also and it does work. I think you need to use a different tuner for each app though, or otherwise it won't work.

[tmiranda]

I too am considering switching to Sage from BTV. I searched the forums but can't find answers to two basic questions I have:

1. Will Sage support my BTV-250-BTV tuner card? This is supposted to be similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Hauppauge PVR-250. I know I am probably not searching on the right terms but I found nothing under "BTV-250" and "250-BTV" or even "tuners supported".

2. Does Sage offer a trial period? I'd like to give it a whirl before paying but the online store asks for my money right away! I live in a remote area and want to make sure EPG data is available and I use "unusual" hardware as my main machine.

This is my first post here but I've been active in the BeyondTV forums for some time.

[mlbdude]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I too am considering switching to Sage from BTV. I searched the forums but can't find answers to two basic questions I have:

1. Will Sage support my BTV-250-BTV tuner card? This is supposted to be similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Hauppauge PVR-250. I know I am probably not searching on the right terms but I found nothing under "BTV-250" and "250-BTV" or even "tuners supported".

2. Does Sage offer a trial period? I'd like to give it a whirl before paying but the online store asks for my money right away! I live in a remote area and want to make sure EPG data is available and I use "unusual" hardware as my main machine.

This is my first post here but I've been active in the BeyondTV forums for some time.

Check out the SageTV hardware list for tuners.
http://sage.tv/requirements.html?sageSub=tv

That card is on there. However, it is not known to be a very good card and was dropped by Hauppauge pretty quick. I can't comment on how well it will work.

On the same page you will see the link to the 15-day trial.

[tmiranda]

I'm impressed with the quick and helpful reply. I'm also embarassed that I did not find the information myself!

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I too am considering switching to Sage from BTV. I searched the forums but can't find answers to two basic questions I have:

1. Will Sage support my BTV-250-BTV tuner card? This is supposted to be similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Hauppauge PVR-250. I know I am probably not searching on the right terms but I found nothing under "BTV-250" and "250-BTV" or even "tuners supported".

I have that card, bought from snapstream along with BTV and have since switched to SageTV. The card works fine, no problems. I remember there was a driver problem or something. But I think I tried the official Hauppauge driver and it worked.

Originally Posted by tmiranda

2. Does Sage offer a trial period? I'd like to give it a whirl before paying but the online store asks for my money right away! I live in a remote area and want to make sure EPG data is available and I use "unusual" hardware as my main machine.

This is my first post here but I've been active in the BeyondTV forums for some time.

On that page mlbdude posted, there's a trial version link on the right.

[KenHerman]

I originally looked at both systems, but settled on BTV about 10 months ago. But, with BTV 3.5.2 I've run into a number of problems, including:

* random hangs after playbacks (have to task manager out of the client)
* random stuttering of playback because of high cpu usage
* random stuttered recording
* slow client responses and minimal user feedback to execute certain functions

I have 4DTV with C-Band and am forced to use the XML Importer because BTV can't support alpha-numerics in the channels (just doesn't send out anything). I had to write a custom Girder script to change the sat/channels for 4DTV support, but I'm a programmer - so it wasn't that big of a deal.

I've tried the BTV support route and forums, but overall I am only somewhat pleased with BTV, so far - provided you get used to working around the multiple quirks.

The good part is, that I have everything working fairly reliably.

So, I'm taking a closer look at Sage, but am somewhat hesitant about making the switch from a working system unless the rewards are worth it. Any more opinions in this area? Or, any other big advantages for the future?

I also have three MVP's that use the BTV beta interface. But, I am curious as to what the Sage solution for this is? I've seen the above posts about the MVP being a "full client", but what does that mean exactly?

Thanks in advance for any input...

[flavius]

Originally Posted by KenHerman

..The good part is, that I have everything working fairly reliably.

So, I'm taking a closer look at Sage, but am somewhat hesitant about making the switch from a working system unless the rewards are worth it. Any more opinions in this area? Or, any other big advantages for the future?

I also have three MVP's that use the BTV beta interface. But, I am curious as to what the Sage solution for this is? I've seen the above posts about the MVP being a "full client", but what does that mean exactly?

Since I ditched my MVP and put a HTPC in place I never tried the client - but apparently it's more advanced and functional than any BTV skin.

Get the trial, setup is easy, it will coexist with BTV (read this thread, if you haven't already).

And - with a good remote, the UI is not that bad anymore. As a BTV user, you'll find it very responsive actually. You gonna be able to race through the EPG.-

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by flavius

Since I ditched my MVP and put a HTPC in place I never tried the client - but apparently it's more advanced and functional than any BTV skin.

SageClient is exactly the same interface as SageTV (supports STVs and all). The only limitation of using the MVP as a client, is that the MVP is only capable of decoding MPEG, so you're limited to MPG files for playback.

[flavius]

How about the lag? Or is that a function of the (BTV) server api? How responsive is the client compared to the real thing? I always thought that lag was mainly caused by the protocol being used - VNC? Or am I totally off here?

[KenHerman]

My setup is as follows:

I have the HTPC in my office area - a 2GHz system with 1Gig of memory and 80Gig hard drive, and 10/100 hard wired throughout the house with a 10/100 switch.

The HTPC is mainly controlled in the master bedroom (or office) via the FireFly remote (with range greatly enhanced through an antenna in my attic). But, the HTPC is controlled via an IR keyboard (with integrated joystick style mouse). I have IR repeaters throughout the house. Therefore, the main BTV control is done through the mstr bedroom.

I have 3 MVP's - 1 in media room (also can be used as alternate main BTV control room (just move keyboard/remote and switch input on TV)) - and 2 kids bedrooms (MVP's only - but could be set up like media room).

I have found that the MVP beta software crashes frequently (several times a day - depending upon usage). This can be a pain if the service itself crashes (not quite as often). But, a service crash puts the typical send/don't send exception dialog on the main BTV viewing screen, which must be dismissed (the service restarts automatically).

Under heavy usage - i.e. 2 of 3 MVPs in use / recording show / watching in mstr bed, there can be some delays or stuttering from both the BTV client and the MVP's (but not always). The MVP's will just quit playing the show and reboot themselves, if the stuttering / delays get too bad - which can be annoying to the viewer.

But, it really gets painful when the BTV recording software gets into its "I want to suck up 100% of the cpu" mood. For some odd reason, the recording service (randomly) starts using all of the cpu. This can go on thru reboots, but then will randomly stop.

Overall, with normal usage (on weekends) the delays and crashes are tolerable (sometimes barely), but could be greatly improved upon. That is why I am considering moving to SageTV.

Also, the HTPC server is not an old PC, but was custom built for being an HTPC about 10 months ago and is not used for anything but serving and recording shows (no music or pictures - I use my office PC for that stuff).

Any feedback on similar setups and experiences or opinions about Sage's system responses/delays with this kind of setup?

Thanks.

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by KenHerman

I've seen the above posts about the MVP being a "full client", but what does that mean exactly?

I just bought an MVP and still testing it out. But with the MVPClient plugin, the MVP can display the fully functional SageTV interface. This means that it is not a skin for the MVP, but the MVP is actually displaying the SageTV interface like a normal SageTV client. There is a slight delay when navigation the menu with a remote, usually a fraction of a second in delay, but for most people, they learn to accept and live with it. And as stranger89 said, it has limitations of only MPEG2 and MP3 playback, but you probably already know this.

Any feedback on similar setups and experiences or opinions about Sage's system responses/delays with this kind of setup?

As I posted in this thread a while back, I'm one of the many that switched from BTV to SageTV. I think SageTV is a more affordable setup than BTV. With SageTV, you don't have to pay for tuner license when using more than two tuners. Also, media features such as Music, Pictures, and DVD is already part of SageTV, no need to pay for a separate product (Beyond Media). And SageTVClient licenses are cheaper than BTV Link. SageTV also has better support for more hardware, some are thanks to user created plugins. As for features, they are about the same, give or take a few from each. And as for performance, I think SageTV is more stable and less resource hog. Would I recommend BTV user to switch to SageTV? If it was last year, I'd say a definite YES. But with SageTV 3.0 near release and I'm sure the Snapstream folks is working on something to compete with SageTV 3.0, I say wait and see.