Sage - Best Streaming Product?

[tjawed]

I finally got my Hauppauge HD PVR working, and I am now very excited to get this content onto my television. I've heard a lot about boxee and xbmc etc.

Does the Sage TV extender offer comparable features? How exactly does it work as a DVR (can I get rid of the multiple dvr's I have around my house?)?

Which solution would be best for streaming 720p or 1080i content from my computer? Does the SageTV solution offer me things like album art, lyrics, etc etc?

Sorry for the seemingly random newbie questions.

Thanks in advance

[pjpjpjpj]

Originally Posted by tjawed

I finally got my Hauppauge HD PVR working, and I am now very excited to get this content onto my television. I've heard a lot about boxee and xbmc etc.

Does the Sage TV extender offer comparable features? How exactly does it work as a DVR (can I get rid of the multiple dvr's I have around my house?)?

Which solution would be best for streaming 720p or 1080i content from my computer? Does the SageTV solution offer me things like album art, lyrics, etc etc?

Sorry for the seemingly random newbie questions.

Thanks in advance

The Sage HD-200 Extender allows all the functionality of SageTV to be on your TV set, away from the server PC. It has (from what I have seen) more HD streaming capability than just about any other extender solution. There's not many file types you can throw at it, that it won't handle. It handles up to 1080p without a hiccup. All the PVR/DVR content is on your HTPC, and you can access it all from any extender in the house - so, yes, you can get rid of the DVRs at each TV.

The SageTV music interface is admittedly clunky. There is album art, but I don't believe there are any solutions for lyrics (check through the "customizations" forum here, but I don't recall any). You can do basic playlists and listen to your MP3s, but the visual interface and lack of options for visualizations are one of the long-running gripes here. Granted, music isn't the true focus of the software, so we kinda have to just grin and bear it.

[wappinghigh]

Hi Newbie hear trying to understand how this new sage TV Theatre Extender product works.

I'm extremely familiar with Sonos. I've been using it for years and have become very comfortable with the concept of digital music streaming. I have an 8 zone Sonos networked on an Apple network using Cat6.

So is this basically how you set up a Sage TV extender system.

1/ Sage Server (say on my MAcPro) this is were the files exist (like my itunes library)
2/ Sage HD200 (attached to every TV) eg like a ZP90

3/ Recorded TV/DVD files can be pulled (or streamed) out to the TV, from my MAC. I control this whilst standing in front of the TV...how...using an IR remote? or is there an equivalent to the SONOS wireless handheld controller?

Also does this setup allow you to stream LIVE TV to each "zone" via the extender?

Thanks!!

[PLUCKYHD]

wapping high,

You got most of it down you just need a cat 5e run (doesn't have to be 3 but I recomend gigabyte if you are streaming hd/blu ray's) to each tv

There you plug in the hd200 and use it with it's IR remote or a universal like harmony anything that can send IR commands.

It grabs the livetv from the tuner/tuners in the server. You are limited to only having the number of "live" feeds you have tuners, but are no limited in how many recorded tv you can stream at one time.

[wappinghigh]

...And if you get a Hauppauge PVR, you don't need a computer server running for SageTV to work...correct?..SageTV just streams from the Hauppage?

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by wappinghigh

...And if you get a Hauppauge PVR, you don't need a computer server running for SageTV to work...correct?..SageTV just streams from the Hauppage?

Sorry. Incorrect. If you are going to do any TV recording with any tuner you are required to have a PC (server) running the SageTV Media Center software. The HD200 extender can be used standalone to play already existing files or it can go into the SageTV Extender mode in which it acts as a SageTV client with the SageTV UI interface and can play back everything the SageTV Media Center server/PC can record.

Gerry

[PLUCKYHD]

Yes what he said I would recomend a WHS personally.