Concurrent use with SageTV

[Sam]

I'm considering getting a TV capture card, but don't have it yet so can't try the evaluation versions, and have a few questions:

1) If the server PC is in the process of recording a show and you are watching it live using SageTV, can another user on the LAN use Placeshifter concurrently with their own start/pause times without impacting the ongoing recording or the view schedule of the server (SageTV) instance?

2) Do I understand correctly that the bandwidth may be set manually to any of various rates, and that you can change that on the fly? IE, the change takes effect instantly while streaming and no transcoding pass has to occur first?

3) Or that you can configure for automatic dynamic bandwidth where it tries to adjust to what it detects are current network conditions?

4) If you have about 3Mbps bandwidth available, how good of quality can you expect on a 32" Plasma connected via DVI as a secondary monitor on the PC running Placeshifter?

5) What bandwidth does the media extender require? Can it do on-the-fly transcode and stream the way placeshifter does? IE, how would a media extender behave if only 3-4Mbps bandwidth was available?

6) Why can't Placeshifter be used for playing DVDs remotely? I understand the source of the raw video is different, but why can't it read from the DVD and transcode/stream to Placeshifter?

7) Will SageTV Client play DVDs remotely? How will STV Client behave with 3-4Mbps bandwidth available?

Thanks in advance.

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by Sam

I'm considering getting a TV capture card, but don't have it yet so can't try the evaluation versions, and have a few questions:

1) If the server PC is in the process of recording a show and you are watching it live using SageTV, can another user on the LAN use Placeshifter concurrently with their own start/pause times without impacting the ongoing recording or the view schedule of the server (SageTV) instance?.

If the second user wants to watch something previously recorded, then there would be no problems. If he wanted to watch the currently recording show, he would be able to. However, I believe that the show would start at the current spot that the other user is at. He could then back up to the beginning of the show, and watch as he wanted to. However, if he wanted to watch another Live program, then if you only had 1 tuner, then there would be a conflict.

2) Do I understand correctly that the bandwidth may be set manually to any of various rates, and that you can change that on the fly? IE, the change takes effect instantly while streaming and no transcoding pass has to occur first?

If you are watching on the LAN like you mentioned, then the default setting of the placeshifter is to not do any transcoding of the signal. You would watch the original recording. However, if you needed to, you can tell the placeshifter to transcode all recordings, even over the LAN. I have never tried to adjust the bitrate on a transcoded signal, I think you have to disconnect from the server, adjust the setting, and then reconnect, but I may be mistaken on that.

3) Or that you can configure for automatic dynamic bandwidth where it tries to adjust to what it detects are current network conditions?

That is the default setting for the placeshifter, to dynamically adjust the transcoding rate to match the available bandwidth.

4) If you have about 3Mbps bandwidth available, how good of quality can you expect on a 32" Plasma connected via DVI as a secondary monitor on the PC running Placeshifter?

Never tried the placeshifter with a 3Mbps connection. My DSL upload rate is 768k, and it is "acceptable" to me on my laptop but would never be acceptable on a 32" screen. If you are using this on a LAN, why is your bandwidth so low? wireless? powernet?

5) What bandwidth does the media extender require? Can it do on-the-fly transcode and stream the way placeshifter does? IE, how would a media extender behave if only 3-4Mbps bandwidth was available?

Well, the extender only works on a LAN, it won't work over the internet. The Sage Server will transcode on the fly if it needs to, for non-mpegs, but you need a powerful CPU for that, 3Ghz class. I'm not sure if a media extender would work on only 3-4Mbps. I have heard of people messing around with 802.11b, but I don't think they really liked it alot, and that they needed to go to 802.11g.

6) Why can't Placeshifter be used for playing DVDs remotely? I understand the source of the raw video is different, but why can't it read from the DVD and transcode/stream to Placeshifter?

Don't know that.

7) Will SageTV Client play DVDs remotely? How will STV Client behave with 3-4Mbps bandwidth available?

Haven't tried DVD's on the client. and I think that the Client will need more than 3-4Mbps and it will need to be a good connection, no flakeyness. I think people have used the client over a strong 802.11b connection, which is spec'd at 11Mbps, and I think that was borderline, I think they recommend 802.11g for that. The placeshifter is designed for over the internet usage, so it is designed for fluctuations in the datastream, but the client is designed for a nice big fat stable LAN connection.


I would normally recommend the Sage Client for the connection to the plasma. More features in the client, can use better decoders for the video, better remote support, etc. The placeshifter really isn't designed to run a permanent TV like that. There isn't a lot of choice for the video decoder, and there isn't currently any native remote support. The placeshifter is really geared toward external usage, but if you can't get the client to run on the limited bandwidth, then you have no choice..


edit: IF you want to, you can set up Sage and just test the bandwidth needs and transcoding stuff if you had some MPEG2 files. There is a way to add in a fake tuner so that you can play with the product more. Running SageTV without PVR source

[Sam]

Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by ke6guj

I believe that the show would start at the current spot...

As long as they can then back up and proceed on their own pace, I guess that is OK.

Originally Posted by ke6guj

If you are using this on a LAN, why is your bandwidth so low?

A wireless bridge. One of my bridges is 802.11g so 54Mbps, the another segment of the network uses different technology to penetrate foilage, and it gets only about 4Mbps. I said 3Mbps just to have some margin of error.

Originally Posted by ke6guj

Well, the extender only works on a LAN, it won't work over the internet.

This is a private LAN, all in the same private IP subnet range, but is between multiple buildings, one of which has the lower bandwidth.

Originally Posted by ke6guj

There is a way to add in a fake tuner so that you can play with the product more.

Thanks for that. It may allow me to try some scenarios and see what happens.

Sam