TIVO alternative Dishnetwork and IPOD

[mantry]

Howdy. My main goal is to get programs off of Dishnetwork and on to my iPod for traveling. I would not plan on doing anything other than this 1 function. We have DVR's on our Dishnetwork and I don't envision setting it up as HTPC, don't plan on watching record show from the computer, just moving them to my iPod.

I travel a lot and would like to watch a lot of TV shows on my IPOD. I am currently a Dishnetwork subscriber and we have 3 Dishnetwork receivers (721, 508 and 301. Note: the 508 and 301 are in the media rack in our server room)

My goal prior to stumbling across SageTV was to buy a TIVO seriies 2 unit with lifetime service and hook it to the Dishnetwork 301 receiver and then access my Tivo account from home or on the road to schedule shows that I want to record. Let them record and then when I am home next, move the shows off the TIVO using TIVO2GO and put them on my computer and convert them to IPOD, move them on my Ipod and take them with me. Then delete the files on the TIVO and the Computer. I have been watching Series 2 Tivo's on ebay with lifetime service and they are still in the $350.00 and up range. I would only get one with lifetime because I'm not paying TIVO monthly subscription fees.

So it looks to me I can accomplish the same thing here using SageTV.

Looks like I can buy the SageTV $144 bundle and it comes with the software and the Hauppage PVR-150 and the IR blaster needed to control the Dishnetwork 301 receiver. Not sure what IR blaster they include in the bundle or if the PVR-150 card is specially set up for the SageTV software or if need the remote, but PVR-150's seem to be available off eBay for cheap.

The other piece I'm not sure if I need is the SageTV PLACESHIFTER software. I would mainly just want to be able to set up recordings when I'm away from home. I can remote desktop into this PC and maybe that would be good enough. So if someone could comment on that. Again, don't plan on watching the TV accross the PLACESHIFTER just access it to set up recordings.

Looks like I could use the iPODIFFER software to move the movies from the SageTV to my iPod. Question: Can you have it monitor a network drive? Because on our home network, the SageTV pc would be in a rack down in our server/utility room with the Dishnetwork 301. This is currently where it resides. Currently the iTunes and iPods are on the computer in the kitchen. 2 different computers on the home 100mb wired network. Although a thought would be to put iTunes on the SagePC and then SERVE it out to the rest of the computers in the house.

To make sure the computer is adequate to handle this new task, it is a
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ 1.66 GHZ with 512 MB of memory and a 80GB Harddrive with about 30 GB free. I think it would be easy enough to throw some more memory at it and maybe a bigger hard drive dedicated to just Video and iTunes audio files. The video card is a nVidia GeForce 4 TI4200. But again, don't plan on watching anything off it or driving a TV display or anything like that.

Thanks for your help guys, I really appreciate it. Hopefully this will work out as a better solution than using a TIVO and having to pay an arm and a leg to get one with lifetime service.

Two things that I want to make sure work smooth and seamlessly would be:

1. EPG program guide access, pretty much like we are used to on DishNetwork or the Guide on a TIVO box. The ability to search for shows to record like "AMERICAN CHOPPER", etc.
Also the ability to access this remotely when setting up recordings while I'm on the road. I assume if I remote desktop in this shouldn't be a problem.

2. Not too much hassel to move the record files onto my iPOD. Sounds like the iPODIFFIER software should help this task and even automate it. Hopefully it could monitor a network drive (ie: \\server\video or map a drive letter to that device)

Any other comments, GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

(Oh would it be cheaper to get the PVR-150 off eBAY and just the software from SageTV and then what about the IR blaster???)

Mark Antry
Bountiful, UT

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mantry

Howdy. My main goal is to get programs off of Dishnetwork and on to my iPod for traveling. I would not plan on doing anything other than this 1 function. We have DVR's on our Dishnetwork and I don't envision setting it up as HTPC, don't plan on watching record show from the computer, just moving them to my iPod.

In all honesty, if your only goal is to be able to take recorded shows with you on a portable device, and you don't want to replace your Dish DVRs, I'd seriously consider simply getting a PocketDish.

That will connect to your Dish DVR via USB and allow you to transfer recordings and take them with you.

[mantry]

I did consider a pocket dish, but I would buying ($149 2.2", $299 4", or $399 7") and toting around another piece of hardware with associated chargers, etc and none of the Dish Receivers we have will support a direct transfer so we would have to do the old Cassette tape style, start the show, press RECORD on the pocket dish and wait for the show to finish. Then it would have commericals in it that I would like to have removed.

I did consider it though.

One thing I also wanted to add was this computer that the SageTV would go on also does 2 other functions:
1. It serves as the frame grabber for our security cameras using Conexants BitPCI Video capture card and Active WebCam recording software.

2. Runs our Weather Station software that collects WX data from a Oregon Scientific WX station using the COM port to the WX station.

This adds a little load to the box.

Thanks

[Opus4]

I don't know much about the iPod side of things, but...

Originally Posted by mantry

1. EPG program guide access, pretty much like we are used to on DishNetwork or the Guide on a TIVO box. The ability to search for shows to record like "AMERICAN CHOPPER", etc.
Also the ability to access this remotely when setting up recordings while I'm on the road. I assume if I remote desktop in this shouldn't be a problem.

SageTV has the ability to search for shows -- in addition to the program guide grid, you can search by title, person, description, or search for text anywhere in the show's info.

For remote accesss, Placeshifter gives you the complete SageTV UI at a remote location, with all the same features for searching, setting up recordings, etc. There is also a web server customization (see the cusotmizations forum section) that allows you to set up records & so on in a browser.

The blaster that comes with the 150 is the Hauppauge IR blaster, aling with the Hauppauge remote. If you need something that does more, the USB-UIRT works very well as an IR receiver and blaster.

- Andy