SageTV vs. MMC

[Player0]

Hi all, great board you've got here. I've been reading for a couple days now and will continue to read. I'm not new to the HTPC thing, but I am switching up parts here. I've been using ATI AIW cards for the past couple years, with okay results. I have been plagued with crashing and compatibility problems since starting this HTPC thing. When I moved to ATI from a WinTV/Matrox solution, ATI's MMC seemed to give me better luck. I moved to the AIW 9700 Pro and VideoSoap worked great. Ive been burning MPEG2s to DVDs and the quality with videosoap was good. But the software still sucked.

I've taken it on a friends advice to get a Haup 250 and give SageTV a shot. So I bought the combo pack today. I've heard that the Hauppage PVR-250 will provide better quality recordings than the ATI with VideoSoap, which I really am doubtful of. But, Im willing to try Has anyone here thoroughly used both products enough to know which one is better? I guess I'll find out in less than a week myself.

My video rig has 750G of RAID5 storage, but that fills up quickily with all the files I have. I mostly record 30m anime shows, and the occasional movie. (I'd record more if this software makes it easier). With schedules changing all the time, and machines crashing in the middle of records, and the occasional bad audio glitches, my collections are just full of holes. And commercials.

I would PREFER to burn DVDs that will actually work like DVDs. Even on my 3.7G P4 it still takes at least 30m to burn a real DVD with DVDit or whatever. And burning real DVDs only seems to allow me to fit 3 half hour episodes of MPEG2 from the ATI. I have been burning simple Data-DVDs which allow me to fit 4 episodes (I guess the DVD conversion is upscaling something and it creates problems).

Can someone recommend a QUICK MPEG2 editor that I can use to strip out commercials and the like? I have hundreds of files to fix and I just dont have that kind of time. I just want open, zwoop zwoop, save. I know Ill have to find the commercials manually, and I dont mind that as long as the software makes it easy.

Also, I need decent DVD burner software. Maybe something that works quicker, and doesnt upscale as much. Can anyone recommend SageTV record settings to easily accomidate DVD burning so I can fit 4 half huor episodes with the best quality? Maybe minus commercials?

Also, I'm now lookign at having a second HTPC (one that is actually in the living room). I can use the SageTV client I guess, and an 802.11G card. Can I stream MPEG2 files over the wifi? Can I easily play Data-DVDs thruogh the SageTV client?

This second HTPC will also need a remote. Is Remote Wonder recommended? I want this second box to basically act just like a TiVo. Just a device. Dont want to mess with a kb or mouse or nothing. Just plug and play.

One last Q... Ive recently started using Win2003 Server instead of WinXP for my boxes, since it's SO much faster and more stable. Will SageTV work on that?

Sorry about all the newbie questions. Im using the search button, honest

[glbrown]

Spent a lot of time with a lot of programs and the simplest, absolutely quickest mpeg2 edit is with VideoRedo. It's 40 bucks and you won't regret it. Very reliable, no sound sync issues and it's fast.

I am burning data dvds because they play in Sage and no conversion is involved. You can set Sage to record in a variety of qualities.

[stanger89]

Originally posted by Player0
Hi all, great board you've got here. I've been reading for a couple days now and will continue to read. I'm not new to the HTPC thing, but I am switching up parts here. I've been using ATI AIW cards for the past couple years, with okay results. I have been plagued with crashing and compatibility problems since starting this HTPC thing. When I moved to ATI from a WinTV/Matrox solution, ATI's MMC seemed to give me better luck. I moved to the AIW 9700 Pro and VideoSoap worked great. Ive been burning MPEG2s to DVDs and the quality with videosoap was good. But the software still sucked.

I've taken it on a friends advice to get a Haup 250 and give SageTV a shot. So I bought the combo pack today. I've heard that the Hauppage PVR-250 will provide better quality recordings than the ATI with VideoSoap, which I really am doubtful of. But, Im willing to try Has anyone here thoroughly used both products enough to know which one is better? I guess I'll find out in less than a week myself.

I can't say I've run and AIW, but the 250 provides excellent PQ and I'd say a HW encoder will beat the pants of any SW encoder in a PVR application.

My video rig has 750G of RAID5 storage, but that fills up quickily with all the files I have. I mostly record 30m anime shows, and the occasional movie. (I'd record more if this software makes it easier). With schedules changing all the time, and machines crashing in the middle of records, and the occasional bad audio glitches, my collections are just full of holes. And commercials.

It will definitely make it easier. Sage is a true PVR wher MMC is more of a glorified VCR.

I would PREFER to burn DVDs that will actually work like DVDs. Even on my 3.7G P4 it still takes at least 30m to burn a real DVD with DVDit or whatever. And burning real DVDs only seems to allow me to fit 3 half hour episodes of MPEG2 from the ATI. I have been burning simple Data-DVDs which allow me to fit 4 episodes (I guess the DVD conversion is upscaling something and it creates problems).

Sage (or probably more correctly the 250) provides three DVD compliant recording qualities that can be burned strait to DVD (after authoring) without re-encoding.

Can someone recommend a QUICK MPEG2 editor that I can use to strip out commercials and the like? I have hundreds of files to fix and I just dont have that kind of time. I just want open, zwoop zwoop, save. I know Ill have to find the commercials manually, and I dont mind that as long as the software makes it easy.

Womble MPEG2VCR and VideoRedo have been reported to work very well for simply chopping MPEGs without re-encoding:
http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthr...&threadid=3774

Also, I need decent DVD burner software. Maybe something that works quicker, and doesnt upscale as much. Can anyone recommend SageTV record settings to easily accomidate DVD burning so I can fit 4 half huor episodes with the best quality? Maybe minus commercials?

As I mentioned above there are DVD compliant qualities, 1.8, 2.5, and 3.25Gb/hr so you can get 2.5hrs of 1.8Gb/hr on a 4.7Gb DVDR, but you could probably get 4 1/2hr shows minus commecials onto a DVD at 3.25Gb/hr.

Also, I'm now lookign at having a second HTPC (one that is actually in the living room). I can use the SageTV client I guess, and an 802.11G card. Can I stream MPEG2 files over the wifi? Can I easily play Data-DVDs thruogh the SageTV client?

I'd recommend against wireless, 11B won't work at all (at least not at a decent quality). 11A/G may work but would be limited to one client probably. Good quality recordings are 4-8Mbps. You'd be much happier with a wired network.

This second HTPC will also need a remote. Is Remote Wonder recommended? I want this second box to basically act just like a TiVo. Just a device. Dont want to mess with a kb or mouse or nothing. Just plug and play.

There are many remotes that will work, including the RW.
http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthr...&threadid=2311

One last Q... Ive recently started using Win2003 Server instead of WinXP for my boxes, since it's SO much faster and more stable. Will SageTV work on that?

It should work:
http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthr...ws+server+2003

Sorry about all the newbie questions. Im using the search button, honest

Not a problem

[Player0]

Great info thanks