New here - a couple of questions!

[rockinray]

Hi all,

First post.

I have a 2009 Mini, 2.0 with 4 GB RAM. I also have a NAS with 4 TB storage.

I am looking to use the Mini as a server, store recorded TV on the NAS and pick up an extender or two. I have two HDHOMERUN boxes also.

Really, I am wondering how this setup might work? Specifically, I am looking for feedback on the HD200 units before I buy a few of them. How well do they work? What kind of picture quality could I expect? Once of these units will be hooked up to a Pioneer Elite PRO-111...

We are all Mac in the house with the exception of Windows 7 (RTM) Media Center - and - it works quite well. I am looking to do away with this windows box...

So what do you all think? Will this change over work well???

I would appreciate any replies and I am sorry to sound so general. I am just wondering if anyone is suing this type of setup and howe well it works?!

Thanks very much for any replies!

Ray

[wrems]

The HD200 PQ is really fantastic. I really like the HD200 it’s fast, reliable, plays nearly anything you throw at it, and it operates on just a tiny amount of juice ~7 watts.

If you haven’t already I would make sure that you’re running gigabit network and a nice gigabit switch. You want to ensure that your network overhead is capable of routing streams to multiple HD200’s and the 2 HDHR’s, and any general surfing traffic you amass.

I’m not a mac guy but I don’t see any issues with your proposed setup.

[kmp14]

Any recommendations on a "nice gigabit switch"?

[rockinray]

Right now I use Netgear Business Class (blue case) Gigabit for any switches that I have in the house.

They seem fairly solid. Using Media Center and two Linksys Extenders - never really had a problem...

Ray

[sandor]

Originally Posted by kmp14

Any recommendations on a "nice gigabit switch"?

I use a DLink 655 802.11/n with 4 port gig-e. no issues at all.

[rockinray]

Cool - thanks for the feedback!

I have the software installed and have ordered an HD200 to see how it works...

One thing that I cannot figure out is the software is constantly giving me a pop up stating it has found new drive and asks what SageTv should do with this. I have everything set up on my NAS as I want it -

How do I make these messages stop?

Thanks again!

Ray

[carlgar]

Go to Setup->Detailed Setup-?Customize. Then disable the Display pop-up when a new drive detected option.

[rockinray]

PERFECT!! Thank you so much.

The software is very nice and I am looking forward to the HD200 arriving this week.

I hope with the Mini acting as a server and the NAS as storage that the HD200 will play both live and recorded TV without issue.

Ray

[sandor]

Originally Posted by rockinray

PERFECT!! Thank you so much.


I hope with the Mini acting as a server and the NAS as storage that the HD200 will play both live and recorded TV without issue.

Ray

shouldnt be an issue. i have a slightly older macbook (non-pro) as my server, and have no issues whatsoever. granted, i am recording to FW400 drives attached locally, but with 1000bT networking, the NAS should be pretty darn quick.

[lynnejohn]

Sandor,
I've been waiting here a long time for someone to get a MAC set up as server with HD-PVR's hooked to satellite decoders (channels changed via USB serial) and playing through a HD200 (my setup except I'm running Vista.)
Do you know of anyone with this type of setup? (yours looks a little more complex, but I don't see where your video comes from.


Thanks,
John C.

[sandor]

My video comes mostly OTA (ATSC over the air broadcast, aka antenna on the roof) and QAM cable (basic) from comcast.

I only use the HDHR tuners, i should try to pick up an HDPVR just to test it out with the mac..

[davephan]

I also have a Pioneer Elite amplifier. I hooked up the HD-200 to the Mitsubishi 73" HDTV with HDMI, then the coaxial digital output of the HDTV goes to the digital audio input of the amplifier. All the sources also go through the HDTV the same way. That way I do not have to keep switching input sources on the amplifier, I just leave it on the digital audio input.

I don't know if a gigabit network would help. The HD-200 and the HDHomeRun only go up to 100 MB. Maybe having multiple NICs would help more to reduce any contention problems, connecting devices to separate NICS.

Dave

[GregT]

Originally Posted by lynnejohn

Sandor,
I've been waiting here a long time for someone to get a MAC set up as server with HD-PVR's hooked to satellite decoders (channels changed via USB serial) and playing through a HD200 (my setup except I'm running Vista.)
Do you know of anyone with this type of setup? (yours looks a little more complex, but I don't see where your video comes from.


Thanks,
John C.

I have an HDPVR hooked to my Mac Pro, getting it's signal from a DirecTV HD Tuner. Channel changing on the DTV receiver is via USB (through a USB-serial converter on each end). That is my server, and also the machine I watch on most of the time. There is very low processor draw on the server during capture. The load only jumps during playback.

I currently have an Acer Windows box with the client on it in our workout room. In the coming months, I'll be changing that out to an HD200. The Acer is working fine, but I don't like the fan noise.

I'm currently doing everything wirelessly, but have started pulling cable to get a wired network in place.

My plan is to move the server off of the Mac Pro and on to a Mini, with two HDPVR units, hooked to two DTV HD receivers. We'll probably end up with 3 HD200's, as well as keeping the current clients on the Mac Pro and the Acer Windows box.

None of this was really working well, until about May of this year. Working with Sage through the 6.5 beta process, video playback on the Mac improved, and I was able to get channel changing on the DTV box working.

[lynnejohn]

So your changing the Direct TV channels via a USB to serial converter that the MAC recognizes? Do you ever get a channel that does not changer the first time? Needs to be changed again before the Direct TV gets the channel change correctly?

Thanks,
John C.

[GregT]

Yes, I am changing channels on the DTV receiver via a USB to serial converter (one on the Mac and one on the DTV box), and it has been extremely reliable. It did take some work with Sage support to get it working, through the 6.5 beta chain. Now it seems to be built into the build and working properly. I choose the serial device in the SageTV preferences panel.

[lynnejohn]

That sounds great. My Vista system has also had some reliability issues with having the video paused on the HD-PVR for long times or when there was a rapid video change, the HD-PVR would stop running and I would have to restart Sage. But like you, with the latest builds things have really stabilized. Vista still has some annoying issues with disk drive access constantly running on occation (I've shut off everything you can imagine), and Sage runs through it but studders sometimes.

I'm going to try running Sage on an 2 yr old iMAC 2.4Ghz using your USB to serial for channel changing. Hopefully it is enough horsepower to handle it, but it would be a wasted screen.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by davephan

I don't know if a gigabit network would help. The HD-200 and the HDHomeRun only go up to 100 MB. Maybe having multiple NICs would help more to reduce any contention problems, connecting devices to separate NICS.

Even though the individual devices are only 100MB, the link between the switch and the server, and in this case, the NAS, are the bottlenecks here. Having a gig-e switch will allow the devices to all aggregate together into the wider gig-e channels to the server and nas.