SageTV Version 6.0 Public Beta is Available

[Narflex]

SageTV Version 6 Public Beta Has Begun

Hello everyone, and welcome to another round of public beta testing with SageTV.

Note: Due to changes in the database, there will be a delay when version 6 is run for the first time. This delay could last several minutes, depending on the size of your database. When running SageTV in UI mode (non-service mode), there will be a message indicating this delay, but since the service does not display such things, there will be no visible indication of this process when using service mode.


New Features for SageTV Version 6.0

Major Features
1. Integrated Google Video search and playback (also works on extenders)
2. Media Extender DVD playback with DVD menus and 5.1 audio for hard disk based DVDs
3. Thumbnails are now generated and shown for all video files (except for WMV9 or DRM protected content)
4. WMA, AAC (iTunes), FLAC, Ogg/Vorbis music files are now supported for playback with full tag parsing
5. MOV (Quicktime), 3GP, MP4, H.264 Playback
6. DVB-T/S/C Capture devices are now supported on Windows (BDA drivers required)
7. CAM/CI support for DVB-C on Windows
8. EPG Data from DVB capture devices is integrated into SageTV
9. EPG Data from ATSC capture devices is integrated into SageTV (i.e. DTV subchannel data)
10. Enhanced EPG Data for US/Canadian customers includes Series Information and TV Editorials
11. NEW Enhanced Picture Library has improved navigation and also supports lossless rotation/flips of JPEG images
12. NEW Enhanced Music Library has significantly improved tag parsing and much better navigation
13. NEW Enhanced Video & DVD Library has new detailed media format information and improved navigation
14. Database now cleanly separates music, video, pictures, DVD and television content and APIs have been updated to allow many operations to operate on specific types of content (referred to as a MediaMask)
15. Aspect Ratio correction is now fully implemented for all content types
16. Proper aspect ratio configuration is now supported by allowing the user to specify what the aspect ratio of their display is
17. Watched position for imported video files are now remembered
18. Conversion of files (transcoding) is fully integrated into the UI; as well as managing the transcode jobs. Any format SageTV can play it can transcode with the exception of WindowsMediaVideo9 and WindowsMediaAudioLossless.
19. Support for converting files to play on a PSP, iPod or cell phone (3GP/MPEG4)
20. Support for compressing HDTV recordings to MPEG4 while preserving the AC3 surround sound
21. Support for converting any imported file to MPEG4
22. Support for playback of progressive download Flash content (used for Google Video, can be extended to other things with the Studio)
23. Video Playlists can now be easily setup by the user
24. Song Information can now displayed on the screen as an alternative to music visualizations
25. Picture Slideshow Screen Saver is a new option
26. Significantly improved audio quality for the transcoder
27. Significantly reduced delay between playing back consecutive files on the Media Extender
28. Official support of Full Screen Exclusive mode on Windows
29. Improved conflict resolution user interface
30. OpenGL rendering is now supported with newer GPUs on Linux

Minor Features
1. The network adapter that the media extender server binds to can now be specified in the properties file
2. Audio stream can be selected when playing back content with multiple audio tracks (this is new for non-DVD content)
3. New command to toggle through the different aspect ratio modes
4. MS-DRM detection - SageTV can identify that a file is protected with Windows Media DRM.
5. DVD folders will now display their size in detailed information
6. Placeshifter clients no longer need to restart their buffering when seeking forward within the bounds of their current buffer

Studio Features
1. Re-use property editor windows in the SageTV Studio
2. Add scaling insets to Image widgets to allow specifying what regions are stretched when the image is scaled
3. Add ability to mark a widget as a background, this is now available in the property editor for Text, Item, Panel, Video, Image, Table and TableComponent Widgets
4. Image Widgets should have a property for automatically repeating their event if they're clicked on and the button is held down.
5. Setting the inactivity or screen saver now only resets the corresponding timer instead of both.
6. Added a drop-down list of previously used expressions to the expression evaluator
7. The results of an expression evaluation can now be copied to the clipboard by selecting the text
8. EXPERIMENTAL: There's a Launch Another Studio Frame option underneath Tools now. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. DO NOT OPEN MULTIPLE STV FILES WITH THIS. It is safe to use if you have the same STV open in all of the windows and you can drag & drop between the windows. There's also a Refresh option under Tools to refresh a frame if you change another and then the others fall out of sync.
9. Added LayoutStarted hook (much more useful for animations than RenderingStarted since LayoutStarted fires before the layout calculations are done)
10. Added context variables to Tables of:NumColsPerPage, NumRowsPerPage, HScrollIndex, VScrollIndex
11. Added Ctrl+R as the keyboard accelerator for Set Primary Reference in the Studio
12. Added a 'Recent Files' submenu to the File menu in the Studio.
13. Added HScrollIndex and VScrollIndex vars for scrolling panels (they're floats in Panels). They'll go between 0 and NumPages.

IMPORTANT UPGRADE INFORMATION

We've tried to provide generous upgrade policies to our customers in the past and we'll try to continue to provide generous upgrades in the future including a free upgrade for Version 5 customers to Version 6.0. Here's the details on our current upgrade policy for Version 6 which requires users of Version 6 to have one of the following:

1) A SageTV Media Center license key from Version 5 or higher

or

2) A SageTV Media Center license key from Verion 4 or earlier AND a Version 6 upgrade key.

You will NOT need to purchase new licenses for clients, placeshifter connections or media extenders.

Linux users do not need an upgrade key; all Linux license keys purchased are still valid.

Version 6 upgrade keys can be purchased here. (they are currently priced at $29.99 as a $50 discount from the regular full price of SageTV Media Center for $79.99)

If you wish to discuss the upgrade policy, please do so here.


Please submit all bug reports should be submitted via this form:
http://www.sagetv.com/bugs.html

Here's the download links you've been looking for:

SageTV V6.0.11 for Windows
http://download.sage.tv/SageTV_V6_0_11Setup.exe

SageTVClient V6.0.11 for Windows
http://download.sage.tv/SageTVClient_V6_0_11Setup.exe

SageTVPlaceshifter V6.0.11 for Windows
http://download.sage.tv/SageTVPlaces..._0_11Setup.exe


The Version 6 Linux beta can be installed the same way the V5 Linux software is installed; but the files are in a different folder on a server that you need to download.

The normal Linux install downloads files from:
download.sage.tv/linuxweb/

to use V6 beta, download the files from here instead:
download.sage.tv/linuxbeta/


We hope you enjoy this new version of SageTV. Thanks in advance for your assistance in beta testing.

[Humanzee]

[cslatt]

Quick, someone post some screenshots for those of us whose wives won't let us install betas!

[teknubic]

are there really no seperate install files or are the download links incorrect?

[phantomfsoc]

Client is located here http://download.sage.tv/SageTVClient_V6_0_11Setup.exe

[Narflex]

Sorry about the bad links...fixed now.

[Mark SS]

Fantastic news!

Only one thing that would solve all of my woes appears to be missing.

6. DVB-T/S/C Capture devices are now supported on Windows (BDA drivers required)
7. CAM/CI support for DVB-C on Windows

DVB-S support, hurrah! When is CI/CAM support to be added for it though?

[teknubic]

Originally Posted by phantomfsoc

Client is located here http://download.sage.tv/SageTVClient_V6_0_11Setup.exe

Damn. I *swear* that's not what it was before I refreshed. Thx

Originally Posted by Narflex

Sorry about the bad links...fixed now.

to everyone: See? I'm not crazy...

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by Mark SS

Fantastic news!

Only one thing that would solve all of my woes appears to be missing.

DVB-S support, hurrah! When is CI/CAM support to be added for it though?

Please submit a bug report so we can work with you on this. We're looking for testers in this area.

[Deadbolt]

Narflex, is there anyway to get a bug fix list? With the new cost associated with Beta testing, I'd like to make sure some bugs that were mentioned throughout the foroum as "fixed in the next release" have been addressed. Too bad the beta isn't still free...with each release having a monthly timeout. That way we'd only have to pay after the Beta kinks were worked out. Great features anyway! Love the DVD on extender support! Love the AAC support! Too bad no CD music support / or CD music rip support on Windows.

[evilpenguin]

Man, LOTS of great new features! Well worth a $30 upgrade. Great work devs

Quick question, are there any issues mixing v6 client and v5 server? (Answer: everything needs to be same version)

[Mark SS]

Originally Posted by Narflex

Please submit a bug report so we can work with you on this. We're looking for testers in this area.

Exactly what I was going to suggest, top man! Email on its way.

[SHS]

mixing v6 client and v5 server

Must have all ver the same for it to work

[Kirby]

What JRE version is this bundled with?

[jbarr]

Very nice! The new fearutes list is excellent!

Question: Anything need to be dont on the MPV side, or will it auto-load the latet version from the install?

[mikesm]

Wow, this looks amazing. You guys have been very busy! I have no problems with claling this a major update and charging for the upgrade. This is a huge leap forward in media center support - it may get me back to Sage after defecting to MCE!

A few questions:

1) Does the music player have bitperfect support if the sound card driver supports ks or ASIO?

2) Have you tested all this with purevideo support in the DVD and Video player?

3) Can the server transcode video on the fly to extenders, even if the source video is HD (that is, transrate it down to SD). This would help avoid the need to store both an HD copy of the program and an SD copy.

4) Is there a new GUI? Are there screenshots available that show all the improvments you've made? I prefer an MCE like interface, but maybe we'll see a SageMC skin for 6.0 show up if you guys don't make that you're default.

5) Does the new DVD and Video library support internet lookup of meta-data like the My Movies 2 plug in for MCE?

Thanks again for the hard work. This must have been a LOT of work.

Thanks,
mike

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by jbarr

Question: Anything need to be dont on the MPV side, or will it auto-load the latet version from the install?

I would just do a full reboot on the MVP -- unplug it, then plug it back in after the upgrade installation.

Chapter 8 of the updated manual has a list of changes. I'll get a direct link to the manual download a little later this evening.

- Andy

[Halstead]

Screenshots for those of us not quite ready (WAF issues) to beta test?

[MrApollinax]

how does one find out what version of key they have? I have my original order email but it does not contain any version information.

[robk]

NICE! Transcoding built in, Auto thumbnails! I just bought the upgrade license, took a while to access the online store, must be lots of people buying the upgrade. Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Rob