Blu-Ray Playback In SageTV - Yes or No?

[sdsean]

Does SageTV support Blu-Ray Playback on its own yet?

I don't mean ripping the DVD, just playing a DVD?

If not supported technically, is it even possible via some properties setings?

I've seen a lot of traffic but its all older. . .

If not I suppose I can just use PowerDVD for now. . . (be nice if I could launch it correctly from Sage/SageMC).

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by sdsean

Does SageTV support Blu-Ray Playback on its own yet?

No.

I don't mean ripping the DVD, just playing a DVD?

If not supported technically, is it even possible via some properties setings?

Closest you can get is to use something to launch a player that supports it, like PowerDVD/TMT/etc.

If not I suppose I can just use PowerDVD for now. . . (be nice if I could launch it correctly from Sage/SageMC).

Not likely to happen, it's just to expensive and difficult to build an AACS-compliant player, and it also appears as though AACS licensing basically makes offering "Blu-ray Decoder Filter" packs impossible, which is how Sage, Theatertek and any number of other small companies managed DVD playback (they licensed/relied on filters from bigger companies).

[Brent]

You can drop a Blu-Ray disk in a Blu-Ray player on your SageTV HTPC server and if you have AnyDVD running can play/stream it on your HD200. I do that some - but 5.1 audio only atm. As Stanger89 says, nothing on a SageTV client

[sdsean]

I don't have an HD200 yet, I'm just running this on my current machine.

Seems a little ridculous (I understand all the economic and technical dribble)

So Can I have SageMC only play Blu-Ray discs in PowerDVD?

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by sdsean

So Can I have SageMC only play Blu-Ray discs in PowerDVD?

If you use SageTVLauncher, I added the ability to launch an external player and play a specific drive (only tested with PDVD) just need to package it up for public consumption.

Not as clean as launching from sage, but solves the pick up the remote problem.

[Fuzzy]

I have been using PowerDVD with Sage for a couple years now, originally for HD-DVD, and more recently for Blu-Ray. This gets me full blu-ray support (including BD-Live, and HD-Audio, if I had an HDMI receiver). The amount of time it takes for PowerDVD to launch and play the disc is certainly no longer than it would take to fire up a stand-alone blu-ray player, and it was a whole lot cheaper. (got the drive, which included an older, but fully functional, version of PowerDVD, for $75).

I'm using Girder as my remote interface. So it is what my remote talks to. Normally, when it loads up, it is listening for remote signals form my USB-UIRT and sending those commands to Sage. I have a menu setting in Sage that loads PowerDVD, and switches Girder to PowerDVD mode. Girder then sends the remote commands to powerddvd instead. Pressig the exit command on the remote, when in powerdvd mode, closes powerdvd, and switches girder back to sage mode. It really is quite seemless.

Excerpt from my sagemc_menu.xml (this would work in the default STV if using dynamic menus as well, except in menu.xml):

                <actionMenuItem icon="C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\STVs\SageTV3\SageMCE\Themes\Serenity\MenuIcons\bluray.png" title="DVD/Blu-Ray">
                    <actionList>
                        <sageCommand command="Power Off"/>
                        <extCommand arguments="StartPowerDVD" command="C:\Program Files\Promixis\Girder5\Event.exe" waitforexit="1" window="normal"/>
                        <extCommand arguments="/fullscreen" command="C:\Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\PowerDVD.exe" waitforexit="1" window="normal"/>
                        <extCommand arguments="StopPowerDVD" command="C:\Program Files\Promixis\Girder5\Event.exe" waitforexit="1" window="normal"/>
                        <sageCommand command="Power On"/>
                    </actionList>
                </actionMenuItem>
                <!--                                   -->

[scat]

sdsean

Take a look at this: http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40592

Scat

[sdsean]

babgvant -- let me know when you have this ready as I'd like to test it out. . .
Also I should ask about the Launcher. . . in Vista, its still launch both Sage and MCE which I found weird, and even when it does launch sage, it still seems to have a problem getting the focus in the window, are these known issues?

Fuzzy -- I don't use girder, but I can play with this option maybe. . .
Couldn't you just start powerDVD directly with the arg specified and hide/close sage?

Scat -- Yeah I saw this, but it seems hugely complicated. . . I really just want to pop in a movie. . .

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by sdsean

Fuzzy -- I don't use girder, but I can play with this option maybe. . .
Couldn't you just start powerDVD directly with the arg specified and hide/close sage?

It pretty much DOES just start PowerDVD.. but first, it has to switch girder to PowerDVD mode, so your remote commands can be used for controlling the bluray/dvd playback. This is what the Girder event.exe commands do, just switch girder's operating modes.

Girder DOES have support for switching modes based on foreground application, but I've found there are too many times when the foreground is unpredictable, so I find forcing it to a specific mode works much better.

[Polypro]

If you use the MCE Receiver for SageTV, ArcSoft's TMT (I have 2.x) uses the same commands. You can launch it with neilm's Dynamic Menu. I really love how simple this solution is...been using it forever.

P

[AtariJeff]

I was going to start a new thread but this one seems relevant. Can SageTV Client play a ripped blu-ray in a folder ? External blu-ray player software does not play nice with a blu-ray on a hard drive. If not, will it ever ?

[stanger89]

No it can't. Not as a Blu-ray like the extenders can.

[AtariJeff]

That's what I thought. Seems like a huge deficiency though. Most new movies I buy are BD and I do still use the client in a few places throughout the house. I wonder if it's even close to the top of their todo list? Seems like most of the engineering lately has been focused on the HD200 IMHO.

[stanger89]

Unfortunately BD on the PC is really difficult.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Unfortunately BD on the PC is really difficult.

Certainly encrypted discs and BD menus are tough, but it doesn't seem like it should be that hard to duplicate the blu-ray features found on the HD200 in a PC. I could certainly be wrong, but I think VLC 1.0 can do that. And, I think I read somewhere MPC is close (maybe it even already mostly works).

[Fuzzy]

Personally, the number one reason I haven't switched to extenders is the LACK of blu-ray support. Sure, it can playback the main feature (if it detects it properly), with limited audio capabilities, from within the sage interface, but on a PC Client, I have no problem playing BluRay, with full menu support, full Audio support, etc, using PowerDVD. I would be giving up quite a bit moving to extenders, in this regard.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by reggie14

Certainly encrypted discs and BD menus are tough, but it doesn't seem like it should be that hard to duplicate the blu-ray features found on the HD200 in a PC. I could certainly be wrong, but I think VLC 1.0 can do that. And, I think I read somewhere MPC is close (maybe it even already mostly works).

Maybe, but 100% of Blu-rays are encrypted, it's part of the license for prerecorded content. Working within directshow, I get the impression it's much harder to do things with playback than on the HD200.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Personally, the number one reason I haven't switched to extenders is the LACK of blu-ray support. Sure, it can playback the main feature (if it detects it properly), with limited audio capabilities, from within the sage interface, but on a PC Client, I have no problem playing BluRay, with full menu support, full Audio support, etc, using PowerDVD. I would be giving up quite a bit moving to extenders, in this regard.

For me, not having to deal with POS PowerDVD is an enormous plus.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by stanger89

For me, not having to deal with POS PowerDVD is an enormous plus.

Seriously? What problem have you had with PowerDVD? It runs perfectly fine for me, always have, and that's with an old version 7.3 that came with my blu-ray drive. It certainly plays blu-ray a LOT better than Sage does...

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by sdsean

babgvant -- let me know when you have this ready as I'd like to test it out. . .
Also I should ask about the Launcher. . . in Vista, its still launch both Sage and MCE which I found weird, and even when it does launch sage, it still seems to have a problem getting the focus in the window, are these known issues?

focus issues should have been sorted with the last release; they were for me anyway.

the app listens to the same keys as ehtray.exe (the MC launcher app) and will try to kill it if it's found, but ideally you will configure the PC to not launch ehtray.exe (delete a reg key) and disable MC altogether using some gp settings.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Seriously? What problem have you had with PowerDVD?

The UI is horrible. Remote support is basically non-existant. Required AnyDVD even though my HW/Drivers should have been fine.

It certainly plays blu-ray a LOT better than Sage does...

Not nearly as good as my BDP-51FD does.