SageMCTuner - use a cablecard in Sage!

[ohpleaseno]

Basically, something that rolls off the tongue better than DVRMS Toolbox

Listening to Ben mushmouth his way through that one almost every week on the Engadget HD podcast is painful.

[Surtr]

Originally Posted by babgvant

Any suggestions? Looking at my body of work, you can probably guess that naming stuff isn't my forte.

PCLOADLETTER

[wayner]

Originally Posted by jm9843

This bodes well for Media Center being included in WHS v2 I think.

1. There is a high demand for such a feature.
2. WHS v2 is based on Server 2008

It may be late 2010 or even 2011 until we see v2 however. In the meantime, virtualization is the ticket.

A couple of comments on this - I am not sure that this follows MS's current convention that everything that you can do in WHS can be done through the Console. There is no need to ever one a RDP session to the WHS box. I would think that doing this would require much more "tweaking" on the WHS, such as installing drivers for tuners, etc.

Wouldn't this require MS to FINALLY release softsled so that you could use a PC as a client?

Why does being based on Server 2008 make it easier? Is Server 2008 based on W7?

[ohpleaseno]

Supposedly, 2008 is a different code base than 2003.

[gplasky]

Server 2008 is the Vista code base. Server 2008 R2 is the Windows 7 code base. I would think WHS would go 64bit before it goes Media Center. (If it ever does)

Gerry

[jm9843]

Originally Posted by wayner

A couple of comments on this - I am not sure that this follows MS's current convention that everything that you can do in WHS can be done through the Console. There is no need to ever one a RDP session to the WHS box. I would think that doing this would require much more "tweaking" on the WHS, such as installing drivers for tuners, etc.

Wouldn't this require MS to FINALLY release softsled so that you could use a PC as a client?

Why does being based on Server 2008 make it easier? Is Server 2008 based on W7?

Remember that WHS is an OEM only product, similar to how MCE started out. If they do include MC7, then WHS v2 would likely ship with drivers pre-installed for certain "certified" tuners. OEMs like HP would have the option to ship a separate MediaSmart sku with a cable card tuner included. Imo, WHS v2 should match or exceed all of W7's capabilities when it comes to serving up digital media.

Software clients become less needed with WHS's integration (beginning with Power Pack 3) into W7's library feature. Scheduling programs to record through WHS's web interface becomes a no-brainer while live-tv viewing would likley remain limited to hardware clients such as the Xbox 360 or TV's with integrated MC. I have to admit, controlling MC simply by gesturing with Natal on the Xbox 360 with a cable card equiped WHS v2 backend sounds compelling to me.

Originally Posted by gplasky

Server 2008 is the Vista code base. Server 2008 R2 is the Windows 7 code base. I would think WHS would go 64bit before it goes Media Center. (If it ever does)

WHS v2 has been said to be 64-bit only, although I don't know if it's been confirmed. Beginning with Server 2008 R2, all MS server OS's are 64-bit only.

[gplasky]

You've attributed the first quote to me. It is not...it is wayner.

Originally Posted by jm9843

WHS v2 has been said to be 64-bit only, although I don't know if it's been confirmed. Beginning with Server 2008 R2, all MS server OS's are 64-bit only.

Just so you know:

As I know, 32bit operating system will be eliminated in Windows code 8. Windows 7 still included both 32bit and 64bit system and will be released on 10/22/2009. Therefore, 32bit operating system will not disappear in the near future. It will exist at least several more years.



Hope it helps.



Tim Quan - MSFT

From what I understand 32bit is not the default install but it is still there in 2008 R2.

Gerry

[jm9843]

Originally Posted by gplasky

You've attributed the first quote to me. It is not...it is wayner.

Sorry, it's fixed. Quoting multiple people in a single post is hard work!

Originally Posted by gplasky

From what I understand 32bit is not the default install but it is still there in 2008 R2.

Tim Quan must have been discussing the desktop or didn't hear right.

Originally Posted by Dan Reger - Senior Product Manager, Windows Server

Windows Server 2008 R2 will be 64-bit only

64-bit, Windows Server, Hyper-V, and the future

[gplasky]

You're right. Windows 2008 R2 is all 64 bit. It's the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core that has optional 32-bit support. You will have to explicitly enable 32-bit application support. WoW64, the 32-bit app support layer, is not installed by default. This reduces the attack surface, helps saving memory and makes the whole OS, when running native 64-bit apps only, leaner.

Sorry to get so far off topic.

Gerry

[fyodor]

Originally Posted by babgvant

Money's not the problem, if it was for sale I'd have one already

Are you only looking for a standard (single tuner) device? Cannon PC sells them separately (bottom right hand corner).

http://www.cannonpc.com/

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by fyodor

Are you only looking for a standard (single tuner) device? Cannon PC sells them separately (bottom right hand corner).

http://www.cannonpc.com/

Single tuners aren't worth the effort, I'm better off w/ a HD PVR. I'm waiting for a dual or quad (depending on price).

[petereader]

Is an OCUR bios still required with the "relaxed" restrictions and Windows 7?

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by petereader

Is an OCUR bios still required with the "relaxed" restrictions and Windows 7?

Any version of 7 that has MC should work with a DCT regardless of who put the PC together.

[petereader]

Originally Posted by babgvant

Any version of 7 that has MC should work with a DCT regardless of who put the PC together.

Hmmm...this is very tempting, being able to build my own pc and just attach one of those cablecard tuners from cannonpc. I'm leaving on a trip soon and need to save money, but when I get back in early November, I may just bite the bullet and pick one of those tuners up and convert my bedroom PC into a 7MC. I've already got the OS and was going to install it on that PC anyways, I just never imagined that I would be fiddling with the MC stuff.

It's almost worth canceling my trip just to find out!

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by babgvant

Single tuners aren't worth the effort, I'm better off w/ a HD PVR. I'm waiting for a dual or quad (depending on price).

That's the reason I suggested the donations, so you can buy a single tuner card to test out your software rather than waiting for a 2 or 4 tuner card, which I have no idea when it will be available. I'm sure many SageTV users are willing to donate $5 to help add cable card support to SageTV. You can always give it away if you don't intend in keeping the card afterward.

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

That's the reason I suggested the donations, so you can buy a single tuner card to test out your software rather than waiting for a 2 or 4 tuner card, which I have no idea when it will be available. I'm sure many SageTV users are willing to donate $5 to help add cable card support to SageTV. You can always give it away if you don't intend in keeping the card afterward.

Should be out in a couple/few months. Until the updated ATI firmware is public there's no rush even for single tuners.

[Chriscic]

Ok, I don't get it.

If this doesn't work with DRMed/premium channels then who cares?

What am I missing...

Maybe it does work with all channels, but I don't see how this could be. If you're changing the file to a .ts container so Sage and use it and read it, how is this going to happen without "un-DRMing" the stream?

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by Chriscic

Ok, I don't get it.

If this doesn't work with DRMed/premium channels then who cares?

What am I missing...

Maybe it does work with all channels, but I don't see how this could be. If you're changing the file to a .ts container so Sage and use it and read it, how is this going to happen without "un-DRMing" the stream?

Everyone who doesn't subscribe to premium cable channels, or uses it as a backup tuner w/ a HD PVR.

[Clift]

One of the commenters on EngadgetHD called it a kludge but I totally disagree. How many of use here use HDHomeruns or other ClearQAM tuners and get just the locals in HD? Yet the HDHomerun is extremely popular - I love mine. So this setup (which is bound to be pretty reliable) should provide more channels than the HDHomerun. At the same time, as Andy says, it should prove to be a great supplemental tuner. Imagine with the right cable provider if channels that you don't get with the HDHR such as USA, SYFY, Disc HD, HD Theatre, TNT, TBS, SPEED HD, ESPN, MTV, etc etc etc are all of a sudden available? This would be great! Also, with a multi-tuner like the CETON card you could immediately have 2 more tuners for ~$2.99/month versus 2 HD PVR's and 2 HD Cable Boxes at ~$10.99 each or more.

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by Clift

One of the commenters on EngadgetHD called it a kludge but I totally disagree.

That guy would be shocked to see how complex real software is. Compared to the Goldberg machines I make IRL, this is nothing

Originally Posted by Clift

Also, with a multi-tuner like the CETON card you could immediately have 2 more tuners for ~$2.99/month versus 2 HD PVR's and 2 HD Cable Boxes at ~$10.99 each or more.

Exactly! I need to keep my STB for On-Demand, but paying the monthly for another one and buying another HD PVR doesn't compare to [hopefully] very similar outlay for a dual DCT and a Cable Card.