SageTV FAQ

[Opus4]

Q: How do I edit the properties file? The settings don't change when I change them.

A: Edit the properties file with a plain text editor while SageTV is not running.

See Appendix A of the SageTV PDF for more information about properties files.

Here are some reasons why property file edits may not work:

1. The wrong properties file was edited -- Make sure you are editing the correct properties file: sage.properties or sageclient.properties in the SageTV directory, or <mac address>.properties in the "clients" subdirectory. Appendix A of the PDF manual has more information about which properties file to edit.
   
   
2. SageTV is still active -- Make sure that SageTV is not running. If using service mode, stop the service -- this means using the SageTV-provided SageTVServiceControl.exe tool to stop the service (or Windows' tools to do it); if you simply kill the service's process, it may just get restarted automatically. The UI must be exited, not just sleeping in the system tray. In Windows, make sure there is no SageTV process in Windows Task Manager. For a different OS, check its list of running processes.
   
   
3. Use a plain text editor -- Do not edit the properties file with something like MS Word. Use a program that does not add extra characters, like Notepad in Windows, with Format -> Word Wrap unchecked. If the editor adds extra characters, then the properties file may be seen as corrupts and the .autobackup copy may be used instead.
   
   
4. The wrong properties file was edited, part 2 -- In Windows, make sure that Windows Explorer does not have extensions turned off. If extensions are turned off, then "sage.properties" may be seen as "sage", while "sage.properties.autobackup" would be shown as "sage.properties".
   
   
5. The property already exists -- If you add a new property line and that line already exists somewhere else in the file, the already-existing value may be used instead. Search the file for the property to be changed before adding it.
   
   
6. The wrong properties file was edited, part 3 -- If using Windows Vista or 7 with SageTV versions earlier than v7, the properties files to be edited may be in the VirtualStore instead of the SageTV install directory. See this FAQ for more info.

- Andy

[Opus4]

Q: Why do some of the DVDs I have ripped to my computer freeze part way through when I play them back through SageTV on a Windows PC?

A: Make sure the VOB files are all below 1GB in size.

Check the individual files inside the DVD's VIDEO_TS folder on your PC. The DVD movie should be stored in one or more files with a *.VOB extension. The DVD standard dictates that all VOB files must be less than 1 GB.

Some DVD Ripping software will allow you to ignore the 1GB file size limit and rip an entire movie to a single file. Some DVD playback software (including SageTV) cannot handle the larger files properly in Windows. SageTV will play the first part of the movie properly, but it will freeze once you reach the 1GB boundary. Attempting to skip to a later part of the movie by clicking on the time line or using the chapter menu will also cause playback to freeze.

When ripping your movies, be sure to select the option to break the movie into 1GB VOB files.

Note: This is a problem when playing a DVD on Windows, due to SageTV's use of the Microsoft DVD Navigator DirectShow filter. I don't think this is an issue on an extender; not sure about using a client on another OS.

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[Opus4]

Q: What version of Java do I need for SageTV?

A: Version 1.4.2 is required; version 1.6 is recommended.

While Java v1.4.2 is required, SageTV recommends using version 1.6.

The SageTV installer will check to see if Java v1.6 is installed. If it isn't, then the version of Java included in the installer will be installed.


Q: How do I update Java on my Windows PC?

A: Exit SageTV and any other application using Java, uninstall the old version of Java, then install the new version.

1. Before installing a Java update, exit SageTV:
   • If the SageTV UI is open, close it. If closing it puts the SageTV icon in the system tray, right click on the icon and choose Exit SageTV.
   • If using service mode, stop and disable the service. This can be done using the SageTVServiceControl.exe utility, found in the SageTV install directory or in Windows' Start -> All Programs -> SageTV, or by running Windows' services.msc service manager.
   • If the SageTVServiceControl.exe utility is open, close it too once the service has been stopped.
   
   
2. Close any other applications that are using Java. This may include internet browsers.
   
   
3. Uninstall any previous versions of Java. Advanced Java users may not need to do this, but it is recommended for simplicity.
   
   
4. If installing Java version 7 or later, be sure to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable runtime files.
   
   
5. Install the new version of Java. There are various sites where Java can be installed, including:
   • java.sun.com/getjava
   • java.com
   
   
6. Re-enable SageTV's service mode, if you are using it, and restart SageTV.

If you have already installed Java before exiting SageTV and are having problems, see:
Installing Java Updates for SageTV.

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[Opus4]

Q: How can I play my Hauppauge HD-PVR recordings on a PC?

A: Make sure that your PC has an h.264 capable video decoder and that SageTV is configured to use it.

Note: This is not an issue for SageTV HD media extenders.

If you do not have a video decoder capable of playing h.264 videos, you will need to install one. The Arcsoft Total Media Extreme (TME) application that comes with the Hauppauge HD-PVR includes such a decoder, so install TME while SageTV is not running, if you have not already done so.

SageTV will attempt to automatically find and use an h.264 capable video decoder, but if it is unable to do so, try setting these properties while SageTV is not running:

videoframe/aac_audio_decoder_filter=ArcSoft Audio Decoder HD
videoframe/ac3_audio_decoder_filter=AC3Filter
videoframe/h264_video_decoder_filter=ArcSoft Video Decoder


Q: After installing the Hauppauge HD-PVR and Arcsoft's Total Media Extreme, my PC cannot play MP3 files. How can I fix that?

A: Configure SageTV to use an MP3 audio decoder.

If MP3 files no longer play on your PC after installing Acrsoft's Total Media Exteme, then see this post for instructions describing how to configure SageTV to use a specific MP3 audio decoder.


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[Opus4]

Q: Is there a list of registry settings that SageTV uses on Windows?

A: Yes - download the file below.

This file contains the list of Windows registry settings used by SageTV:

SageTVRegistrySettings.txt

An editor for these settings is here:
Utility: SageTV Registry Settings editor by babgvant

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[Opus4]

Q: Why are some of my channels missing from the Program Guide?

A: If you enable them, they will be there.

Step 1: Make sure the channel is enabled. All channels enabled in Channel Setup will be listed in the Program Guide. So, the first step in finding a missing channel is to make sure it is enabled in Channel Setup.

Step 2: Find it. All enabled channels are listed in the Program Guide once. This means that if a channel is available on multiple lineups and/or if it is listed multiple times on a single lineup, it may be listed under a different channel number than you expect.

To find the channel in the Program Guide, use the Options command -> Menu Options -> change Channel Sorting to Name instead of Number. Now, look for the missing channel. If you want the channel to be listed at a different number, it can be remapped from the Program Guide by using the Options command, then choose Channel Manager, then remap the number to whatever you want. This will remap the logical channel number for that channel on all lineups where it appears.

Alternately, configure Channel Setup to sort by name & see if the station name is listed twice. Enable only the channel with the logical channel number you want to see in the Program Guide or change the logical number for it to whatever you want the guide number to be.

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