SageTV or Windows MCE decision?

[brundag5]

I've tried several of the HTPC front ends (BTV, SageTV, Powercinema 4) and I like Sage the best. However, to buy a licensed version it is $80 which to me seems a little expensive. I can buy a copy of Windows MCE 2005 for $114 from newegg. Why should I buy SageTV over MCE? Has anyone used both and have a opinion? Does Sage have features that MCE does not?

Thank you for your feedback!

[GTwannabe]

$80 may seem steep, but consider that Frey gives you free SageTV upgrades to new versions.

There are other benefits to Sage as well. With MCE, you're getting a proprietary version of XP Pro with some crippled features (ie can't join a domain after installing the MCE part) MS will drop support for MCE 2005 once Vista comes out. There are also some DRM/broadcast flag issues with HDTV and MCE.

However, the main advantage to Sage is that it is client/server based. You can watch TV from any PC in the house (even wirelessly) or access your shows away from home via Placeshifter.

[SafetyBob]

Kinda used MCE...at first it kinda looked a little like SageTV. The only drawback to using SageTV vs MCE in my opinion is the lack of DVD viewing on media extenders like the MVP. Let me tell you how my use of Sage has changed over the couple of years I have been using it. At first I used it at my computer and was happy. Sit infront of the computer and watch the shows I missed. I wanted to stream that video to other televisions in my home but there was no good way......make that simple way.

Finally, some of the other Sage competitors forums started talking about a patch for MVP's. Did my research, was just waiting for SageTV people to write the code. They did and it is and was fantastic. I promise you as stated above, Microsoft will end support, updates, and upgrades for MCE soon. To soon. You can always upgrade your computer with sage....just install it on the new one, been there twice.

The best part about SageTV is that the company listens to it's customers and continually makes the product better, easier, and more logical to use despite the fact the program is getting more complicated and feature rich as time goes by. However, you will never realize this because each fix the Sage comes up with fixes a valid problem, not the problem Microsoft thinks you have.

It may take a couple of months to get used to, but once you do, you will never, ever consider purchasing another program of this type.

Bob E.

[dbfresh23]

Your best bet is to ask yourself what feature(s) you are most interested in. I'd bet that most people that setup an HTPC do so for recording tv, something that SageTV does MUCH better then windows MCE. MCE is limited to 2 tv tuners, SageTV is only limited by your hardware. I also find managing favorites to be much better with SageTV. Basically all aspects TV - SageTV wins hands down. Now when you get to the other aspects such as DVD and Music Libraries and FM Radio support - MCE wins hands down - not that Sage's libraries don't work well, they just aren't as "pretty". If you plan on using extenders to view your content on other TVs over a network, this is another place that IMO SageTV is still winning. With MCE you are very limited as to what can do this. You basically have a choice of 3 devices, while with SageTV you can opt to use a MediaMVP or a standard pc.

If your main purpose is TV recording then you'll love SageTV

If your main purpose is for cataloging MP3s and DVDs then I like MCE 2k5 much more for that.

Also, $80 is CHEAP for software. If you do plan on using extenders to get content to other TVs - that's where SageTV can be much cheaper then MCE. They charge $110 for a SageTV Extender vs $250-400 for an MCE extender.

[stevech]

Does Microsoft require use of their own fee-based electronic program guide monthly service with the $80 MCE?

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by GTwannabe

$80 may seem steep, but consider that Frey gives you free SageTV upgrades to new versions.

And if you are fine with download-only, you can get it at pcalchemy.com for $70. Either way, it's worth every penny ...

Dirk

[Polypro]

...and depending on how "pickey" you are, The Music, Video & DVD capabilities may be just fine (they are for me )

P

[malbec]

Sage has more of the features I want today.

Down the road, as HD really gains ground and the copy right and fair use issues really start to hit the common folk (not those on this board, but my 60 year old parents), I anticipate MS will become the front runner with such solutions as they are the only ones with pockets deep enough to take on a good fight with the movie and radio industries.

Regardless of what you choose, I bet you will be buying something new and different in 3-5 years. Sage's upgrade policy has been second to none.

So, my advice would be to go with Sage for now, realizing that 3-5 years from now, MS might be raising the bar quite a bit (of course, if you bought MCE now, you would likely need to pay for that new version then as well).

My two cents.

[jominor]

Originally Posted by brundag5

I've tried several of the HTPC front ends (BTV, SageTV, Powercinema 4) and I like Sage the best. However, to buy a licensed version it is $80 which to me seems a little expensive. I can buy a copy of Windows MCE 2005 for $114 from newegg. Why should I buy SageTV over MCE? Has anyone used both and have a opinion? Does Sage have features that MCE does not?

Thank you for your feedback!

?????? How is $80 expensive. That's dinner. I've spent more that in an evening drinking with friends.

Do you realized that MS, besides having $50 billion in the bank, can both leverage and amortize the cost of their software into Windows.

Also, you get free upgrades, free EPG data, and how do you think the developers eat?

If anyone thinks $80 for Sage is steep, I would say that an HTPC is not the solution for them.

[mikesm]

Cost should not be a reason for deciding against Sage, esp what you pay for hardware and OS to run it on.

Even though MCE is more expensive, it is a better product, esp with plugins, for general media center functionality, including music and photo display, and dvd archiving. MCE is OK as a PVR, but Sage is MUCH better in this one aspect.

It depends on what is important to you - no one builds one product that is best of breed in all categories yet.

Thanks,
Mike

[brundag5]

Originally Posted by jominor

?????? How is $80 expensive. That's dinner. I've spent more that in an evening drinking with friends.

Do you realized that MS, besides having $50 billion in the bank, can both leverage and amortize the cost of their software into Windows.

Also, you get free upgrades, free EPG data, and how do you think the developers eat?

If anyone thinks $80 for Sage is steep, I would say that an HTPC is not the solution for them.

Its not that $80 is out of the question, its just not to far from the price of MCE ($114). I am new to the HTPC and want to make the correct decision the first time. The information that has been posted is really helpful. Thanks!

[reggie14]

Frankly, MCE is probably more polished than Sage. But, Sage's client/server functionality (and at the time, multituner support which MCE lacked), is what made me choose Sage. That, and the fact that I want to stay as DRM-free as possible. I've been very happy with Sage over the past few years. Its most serious limitations in my mind are a rather unimpressive UI, and mediocre music support.

As other people have pointed out, it really depends on what you want. If you just want to do the standard HTPC stuff on one machine connected to a TV, then I think MCE is probably better. If you want lots of tuners supporting several clients, Sage is probably better. That said, MCE has more options for extenders (albeit expensive options), including HDTV support via the X-Box 360 extenders. I don't believe that MCE supports any software clients on other PCs though.

In any case, expect to make big changes in the next few years. I think Sage is going to have significant problems competing with Microsoft on the HDTV front once Vista comes out. DRM is very important to content-providers, and I don't think Sage is going to be able to do as much to protect the content-providers as Microsoft. So, Sage will likely have problems supporting things like CableCard, which Microsoft should be able to support with Vista.

Either way, buy MCE or Sage now, but you'll probably be using the PVR support in Vista in 3-5 years anyway. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Sage will find a way to survive, but I won't be holding my breath.

[jominor]

Originally Posted by brundag5

Its not that $80 is out of the question, its just not to far from the price of MCE ($114). I am new to the HTPC and want to make the correct decision the first time. The information that has been posted is really helpful. Thanks!

Don't forget
- A MONEY client/server setup. I've got clients for my TV, desktop, and laptops.
- Rock solid stability
- again free upgrades
- great forums

[stevech]

Without Competition there Is No Excellence.

I always buy AMD based PCs and mobos.
Can you imagine what a Pentium would cost were it not for AMD?

Now, consider Sage and BTV versus MCE. Many folks choose non-MS products becausse they're better, better supported, lower TCO, etc.

All too often Microsoft just acquires the competition, leading to another altrusism:

Every person has their price!

[gblinckmann]

For my setup, I thought that MCE 2005 was going to be a good investment. I'm running Sage on that OS. I have two extenders and placeshifter on my laptop with Sage running as a server. Just the two extenders would be at least $500 for both of them. I bought two extenders and Sage for a whole lot less than that.

I'm really hoping for CableCard support in the future. That and an HD extender and I'm all set. If I can't get CableCard, I might just go OTA for HD shows.