Where I think PVR solutions will head

[Kanati]

cmaffia!!! how could you!?!?!?

Oh wait... I tend to agree. Tivo series 2 is the machine to beat and it hasn't even been matched yet. I like sage and it's capabilities. I plan on continuing to use sage. But I'm always going to keep an eye open for another software package that comes closer to Tivo. I'm even giving consideration to creating my own (the tools are all out there, it's not rocket science)... I've already got a media player nearly finished so I don't have to use sage's viewer (it just flat out refuses to play some files that normal media players have no trouble with at all) so it wouldn't be too huge a leap to start adding recording.

Anyway... Sage is good. It's got a lot going for it. But those things that it does wrong or has trouble with are annoyances I just wish I didn't have to live with.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Kanati

Tivo series 2 is the machine to beat and it hasn't even been matched yet.

Hmm, I had one once, returned it after two days or so.

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by cmaffia

... and hundreds of hours I have spent configuring, tweaking and experimenting with SageTV, my Series 2 Tivo still blows it away!

In terms of easy to setup and nice interface, yes, Tivo is king. As for amount of features and functions, SageTV blows Tivo away. I use both Tivo and SageTV, so I know the differences, also documented in my SageTV review in my sig.

As for the future of PVR, its really hard to guess. With HDTV and DMR at an uncertainty, who knows what's gonna happen. But whatever happens, it will be a slow process. We will be well in the next decade before the majority of the homes are equipted with some sort of digital entertainment device. So just relax, you can enjoy your SageTV for many more years before anything happens, whether it's good or bad.

[cmaffia]

Originally Posted by Kanati

Tivo series 2 is the machine to beat and it hasn't even been matched yet.

No it hasn't been matched yet which is kind of unforgivable as it has been on the market for so long. As far as SageTV having more features that Tivo, yes this is true but then again SageTV is hosted on a PC so these features (as interesting and useful as they are) are not as difficult to add.

The core of what we all use SageTV for, which is to record and schedule our TV shows needs to be refined. All the STV's that are out there are just fluff to compensate what Sage "out of the box" is missing and should already include natively.

I really miss the way that Tivo fast forwards then would back up 2 seconds as if it knew you overshot your destination! Hopefully with 3.0 the author has tried to emulate the functionality and interface of Tivo even more!

[nielm]

Tivo fast forwards then would back up 2 seconds as if it knew you overshot your destination!

<plug>my continous ff/rew plugin also does this -- the amount backed up is also proportional to the speed of the FF/REW and configurable</plug>

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by cmaffia

SageTV is hosted on a PC so these features (as interesting and useful as they are) are not as difficult to add.

Not all, things like multi-tuners, ComSkip, and Client/Server model are not PC specific. And Tivo is running Linux, so its a PC also.

All the STV's that are out there are just fluff to compensate what Sage "out of the box" is missing and should already include natively.

This is Tivo's strong point, it limits the features and therefore easy to setup. SageTV on the other hand requires countless hours to get all the features you want in it, a feat only computer hobbyist should attempt.

I really miss the way that Tivo fast forwards then would back up 2 seconds as if it knew you overshot your destination!

This is a debatable feature, depends on who you ask, so it does not necessary mean Tivo has the edge. Personally, if I can make Tivo skip like SageTV, I would.

[JasonJoel]

Bah.... Comskip (well, really SA) is so accurate these days I RARELY ever have to FFWD through a commercial anyway! It is all automatic.

So suck THAT Tivo.

I never liked the Tivo functionality or interface. Either did my wife. She would be ticked if the interface went back to that (and so would I)... I think it is simply a matter of personal preference, what you get used to, and how you set your STV up.

SOME people like Tivo better, some don't.

Jason

Originally Posted by cmaffia

I really miss the way that Tivo fast forwards then would back up 2 seconds as if it knew you overshot your destination!