Description of the Software Products?

[Mark Worsnop]

I havent figured out what all of the software packages are. On the web page I guess it is just assumed that everyone knows what everything is.

Can some tell me what each of these are?

1. Media Center vs Media Server?

2. Placeshifter vs Client?

I have used the client and the server for many years, but now I am updating everything I am trying to figure out what is what.

Are these described on the Sage web somewhere?

thanks for the help!

[GKusnick]

SageTV Media Center is the main SageTV software product (the one you've been using all along on your server), described here. I'm not seeing a reference to "Media Server" so I'm not sure what you're referring to there.

Placeshifter is described here.

For a comparison of Client v. Placeshifter, see the FAQ.

[Mark Worsnop]

Sorry I didnt get the correct title... WHS - or Windows Home Server.

What is that version for?

[matt91]

Sage can run on your server which runs Windows Home Server.

Lots of info here on the forums, and also this link google found for me:
http://homeservershow.com/sage-tv-on...me-server.html

[Mark Worsnop]

Very cool. thanks for the link! Sounds like if you have the WHS then you should run the WHS version of Sage too? is that right? I guess I am going to have to just try it and see what it does so I really understand it... or try to understand it anyway!

thanks!

[Tiki]

Yes,

WHS = Windows Home Server, which is a special version of Microsoft Windows. Sage has different versions depending on which operating system your computer uses:

1 - Windows (Windows 98, NT, XP, 2000, Vista, 2003, Win7)
2 - Linux
3 - Macintosh
4 - Windows Home Server

If you are not familiar with the term WHS, you probably don't have that version of windows on your computer and probably don't want that version of Sage (unless of course you are considering buying or building a new PC just for Sage, in which case you may want to explore this option).

And by the way, the terminology can get confusing. As you look around these forums, you will see a lot of posters mixing terminology or making up abbreviated product names that make things confusing...

Some examples:

1. Some people write STV as an abbreviation for SageTV - this is confusing, since an STV file is what determines how the Sage TV User Interface looks and operates.

2. There are 2 main STV's currently used by most users SageTV3 (the "Default" STV) and SageMC. SageMC was originally intended to give SageTV a look and feel that was similar to Windows Media Center Edition software. This leads to occasional confusion between the main SageTV product (which is officially called "SageTV Media Center"), SageMC, and Windows Media Center (sometimes called Windows MC or Windows MCE). Not to mention that some people call any computer that runs this type of software a Media Center PC (but most would call it an HTPC - Home Theater PC).

3. An STVi file is an import file that modifies an STV by changing or adding functionality. Sometimes these are called Plugins or imports.

There are probably a bunch more examples...

[Mark Worsnop]

I am running Windows 7 on the box right now, but I just installed it. Is there any good reason to use WHS? I did read a few quick posts on this, but not really sure if its something I need. Basically the box is usually just recording TV only

[Tiki]

I don't use WHS personally. From what I can see, the most compelling reason to use it would be if you were interested in having a WHS computer setup anyway to backup other computers on your network or for some other basic server functions. In that case you would already be investing in the hardware for the WHS computer and would be paying the electric bills to leave that computer run 24/7, so it probably would make sense to install Sage on the same computer. Also, if you are building a new PC, you may be able to buy WHS for less $$ than a regular version of Windows.

Bear in mind that WHS is designed to run headless (with no Monitor or TV connected), so if you go that route, you are probably going to want an extender such as an HD200 to control and playback Sage. Also, it is a special operating system that is very different from regular Windows XP or Win7. So, you can't just install any software that you want on it.

If you think you might want to do other tasks (like playing a video game, web surfing, or taking some of your Sage recordings and authoring a DVD), you may not be able to do it on the WHS computer.

If you search these forums, you will find a lot of posts and topics about WHS. There appears to be a lot of people who think it's the greatest thing in the world. But for me, I think I'll stick with regular Windows.