SageTV vs. Snapstream PVS

[ShadeD1]

I already own Snapstream PVS 3.3 really like it but due to a bug in the program I am having a problem using it as a video server across a 802.11g (54mbs) wireless network. I'm considering switching to SageTV but had a couple of questions.

1. How well does the video server work and can it stream video like snapstream?
2. Does it have built in support for the ATI remote wonder or will I have to use girder?
3. Will it play DVD's?

[ShadeD1]

BTW here is my current hardware setup
PVS 3.3

PVS Server
Soyo K7V Dragon+
AthlonXP 1700+
Nvidia Vanta 8mb Video
Hauppauge PVR-250
WD 7200 100mb HD

Client 1
Connected via 10/100 wired connection
ECS P4VXASD+ PCB 5.X
Intel Pentium 4 2.4
512mb CAS2 333 Ram
Geforce 5900 128mb
SB Audigy
2 30gb maxtor 7200 rpm hd in RAID 0
ATI Remote Wonder w/girder installed

Client 2
Connected via DLINK 802.11g 54mps wireless
Fic AD11
Athlon 1400
256mb generic memory
Geforce 2 mx 32mb
Hercules Game Theatre
ATI Remote Wonder without Girder

[mlbdude]

1. It will only work over a LAN (100 MBits preferably but man ypeople use it with 54g) but it works way better than SnapStream. You won't be able to tell the difference between watching the server itself (full retention of video quality). In fact, if you have not tried it yet you get an exact copy of the Sage UI on the client machines. My wife uses it to stream out our Divx collection to her PC too.

2. You will have to use girder for this, but with the Sage GML it is easy to setup.

3. I don't use this feature, but yes it plays DVD's.

[edmc]

ShadeD1> 3. Will it play DVD's?
mlbdude> 3. I don't use this feature, but yes it plays DVD's.

As I'm not at home, use a 802.11b there, and don't normally connect my SageTVClient up via 100-Base-T, I can't try this now, but I don't recall this being supported.

Can others chime in here and clarify...

[jptaz]

I have SageTVClient installed using a 100-Bse-T connection and on the client PC I have a DVD-ROM and it does indeed work. At this point the only annoyance with using it for DVD playback is having to change display settings when watching a DVD. I believe that in 2.0 there will be a way to configure it so that the display settings for TV is different than DVD.

John

[edmc]

jptaz> ...and on the client PC I have a DVD-ROM...

Ahh... I see the confusion here :-)

Whether or not SageTVClient can control the DVD Drive on the actual Client machine is interesting (thanks for confirming!), but I don't think that was the question/original-claim.

The purpose of SageTVClient is to get remote access to content generated by Tuner Capture cards on a SageTV Server as I see it. A similar request might be made to get remote access to the DVD Drive on the SageTV Server as well.

Does this make sense? Isn't it more consistent with the Client/Server model used for viewing content on a remote Client that was generated/stored on a Server?

[ShadeD1]

I would be watching the DVD on the Computer with the DVD Drive attached, not over the network. Can SageTV do that?

Also for my 4 computer network will I have to purchase 1 copy of SageTV and 3 Copies of SageTV Client or would the 1 copy of Sage TV be able to be installed across the network? I NEVER watch live tv, I ONLY watch recorded programs, and I NEVER use the server to watch TV only the clients.

[mlbdude]

You need 1 copy of SageTV, and 3 copies of SageClient. If the DVD drive is in the server (SageTV) then the DVD can be watched by any of the 4 installations.

Don't forget you can get more than one tuner going in SageTV too. I just mention it since Frey offers bundles that may save you some money when purchasing the software.

[Narflex]

Correction - The DVD Drive is in the client. The client can playback DVDs in its local drive, or DVDs that have been ripped and stored on the server. A DVD in a drive on the server cannot be streamed to the client....or at least it didn't work for me, it was all choppy. If anyone has gotten DVD streaming to work from a DVD-ROM drive on the server, please let me know.

[ShadeD1]

Wow...$150 bucks for software alone...so much for a TIVO replacement. I think I'll probably just stick with SnapStream (I can use 1 copy of the software over my entire network and it has built in support for my Remote Wonders).
Thanks for your time in answering my questions.

[mlbdude]

Just keep in mind that the streaming part of SnapStream will not work the the Hauppauge 250. You will need to get a software encoding TV card and record in the lower quality WMV format. You may not even be able to stream out 640x480 video either. Quality does seem to come at a cost....

Good luck

Also, your remotes will only work with the SnapStream FS interface. Though you could use it to control the web page that is the SS client. But that is not too pretty.

[ShadeD1]

It streams just fine in mpeg over my wired network and I just re-compress the couple of shows my wife wants to see on her laptop.

[mlbdude]

It is actually not streaming, it is just opening up the file over the network. Any application can do that . You could watch Sage files that way too.

http://kb.snapstream.com/Kb.aspx?kbid=1128

[mikejaner]

And....
Snapstream has to recompress to stream with a hauppaug. Ati All in wonder does not have anywhere near the quality recording at full 29.97 and 720X480 res. They are not bad, but not anywhere near hardware encoder quality. I'd like to see you stream livetv at 640X480 5mbps 29.975 MPEG2 over your network, and have a full interface with overlay and tvguide integrated.

mikejaner

[mlbdude]

How are you using your Remote Wonders on the client PC's with SnapStream? I did not know that SS had a client UI other than a webpage.

[ShadeD1]

I just installed PVS on the clients and made a video folder on a mapped drive on the server and voila...of course a bug in the program is causing 1 of my systems not to perform properly (which is why I started looking at sagetv) but I've got one of the programers working on it with me so it should be fixed soon.

[mlbdude]

So you will need two copies of SS to do that. It would save you money to just map a drive to the recordings share and play them back in a DVD player or MS Media Player, no?

[jptaz]

ShadeDI,

Does Snapstream allow you to have a copy of PVS on all the clients? It would seem that
from my understanding of how the licensing works you would have to purchase 3 copies
which should be way more expensive than SageTV. Also can you schedule recordings and
change Channels remotely? Have they added support for multiple PVR 250 cards?

I am not knocking using Snap Stream it is just that the last time I used the snapstream all
of these issues made it impractical for my purposes.

John

[ShadeD1]

I can run a copy on all 3 clients but only 1 tuner is possible per license. Even if I enter program recordings over the web the all go to my server. And yes they added support for PVR 250 cards but only 1 per license. I also seemed to have solved the problem I was having with the 1 client so all is golden

[jptaz]

Originally posted by ShadeD1
I can run a copy on all 3 clients but only 1 tuner is possible per license. Even if I enter program recordings over the web the all go to my server. And yes they added support for PVR 250 cards but only 1 per license. I also seemed to have solved the problem I was having with the 1 client so all is golden

So does that mean that Snapstream can support more than one PVR 250 card on a server? From a post on the Snapstream discussion forum it only supports 1 PVR 250 no matter how many licenses you have. I would have to have 4 PCs with a License of SnapStream to achieve what I have now then all the videos files would be all over the house or
would eat all my bandwidth getting to the server. To achieve what I have now would cost over $240.00 and still would not work as well from what I have seen
from my trial of 3.2 a while back.

SS may be right for you, but for more than one PVR 250 and better than Tivo usability and capacity SageTV is the only product for me.

John