Gauging Interest in Native Netflix support for Client PC

[PLUCKYHD]

Title says it all. I am gauging interest in developing a native Netflix App for SageTV Clients. The goal of this would be the following.

• Allow browsing of netflix streaming selections
• Allow browsing/editing of user que
• Allow playing of instant/streaming movies by launching silverlight player directly from sagetv or possibly embedding it into the sagetv player (haven't tried this yet)

Basically that is the just of what I would want to do with it basically a full blown netflix app navigated through sage and playback and hd resolution or highest available from netflix. There has been much talk here about the need/want for one.

This would of course not work on extenders (although browsing would just no watching).

So see the above survery my point for wanting to charge for the API needed to do this is simply so I can personally replace 2 to 3 of my 5 extenders with clients. If I am going to code it I want to use it plain and simple . I currently use netflix via aptv and tv apps but would use a native plugin as well. I am not wanting to make money off this other than replacing my extenders.

So that begs the survery do you want and would you pay. My thought process is this as many people will say they will pay but when the time comes they won't cough up the money and I won't even get one client out of it so to avoid this and help with development in my house and testing I am thining I will offer a limited number of licenses for the api in advance at a 50% discount until I have enought to purchase the first client then that offer will end. I will guarantee you will see a netflix app or I will give the money back if not delivered in 6 months time. I have been around sagetv for a while now and hopefully my word is good enough for people to "pre-pay" on that promise. That will also invite you to the early beta stages and those "pre-pay" customers would be the only beta testers allowed in the first couple of stages.

Again I will be charging for the api only if this goes foward. I am thinking this may want people to go from extenders back to clients but who knows.

Also fee would be a one time fee not subsciption based in the range of $30 to $40 full price. It will have my normal flair and "bling" as always

Cheers

pluckyhd

[wayner]

I would pay but I sure would prefer to see it on extenders.

How much hardware would you need in a client to run Netflix in HD plus all Sage content, including H.264 files from HD-PVR/Colossus? If I were to start building PC based clients I don't imagine it makes sense to get anything less than an i3 given that they start at a little over $100. That is plenty of horsepower for such an application, isn't it? Now the only issue is to make a SFF PC in a small case that is nice and quiet for this.

Any idea on how this would affect Sage's revenue if people stopped buying extenders and started buying more client licenses?

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by wayner

I would pay but I sure would prefer to see it on extenders.

Will never happen on extenders without netflix's blessing and I don't see that happening.

an i3 is perfect and what I am going to build. a mini-atx is easy to keep quiet.

No idea how it would affect their revenue...I mean you already bought an extender right

[wayner]

I was looking at mini-ATX as well the only issue is to find a decent case that is small but has enough room for a decent heatsink. An Antec ISK-100 would be ideal but apparently it is a bit of a PITA to work with.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

No idea how it would affect their revenue...I mean you already bought an extender right

Six of them actually plus two server licenses (with additional upgrades to V7) plus a PS license.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by wayner

I was looking at mini-ATX as well the only issue is to find a decent case that is small but has enough room for a decent heatsink. An Antec ISK-100 would be ideal but apparently it is a bit of a PITA to work with.

go mini You only need motherboard/ram/cpu/drive/harddrive

I was looking at this one myself.

And don't buy yet I haven't commited yet

[jptheripper]

Sorry plucky, only interested if it works on extenders. Besides, you are busy with other things

[wayner]

That's far bigger than I want since I don't think I need an optical drive and I would just use a single SSD - 60GB should be plenty. Therefore assuming you could get a heatsink of the CPU something half as high would work for me.

On that note - why do SSDs have to be the size of 2.5" hard drives? Couldn't they be around the size of SD or CF cards?

That unit also seems to have an interior PS - I would think that using an external brick would be better to keep heat out of the case.

[sleonard]

Sorry Plucky, I'm only interested in extenders. I gave up the PC clients years ago. Also, for my own selfish reasons I want your development time on the SMM TV support.

S

[macsupergeek]

interested but only if it works with extenders -- after doing windows and codec hell - i am never going back

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Will never happen on extenders without netflix's blessing and I don't see that happening.

We used to do it with a loop-back on the SageTV server in the past. Navigating the timeline was more problematic, but it was better than nothing -- and could potentially be better than PlayOn.

Edit: Even a loop-back into an old SD capture card could be better than PlayOn, and would put some of those old capture cards back into service.

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by macsupergeek

interested but only if it works with extenders -- after doing windows and codec hell - i am never going back

+1

Interested but we're an Extenders only family here.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by brainbone

We used to do it with a loop-back on the SageTV server in the past. Navigating the timeline was more problematic, but it was better than nothing -- and could potentially be better than PlayOn.

That's what I was thinking...
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55499

[wayner]

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but here is a very interesting case - review done by babgvant on Missing remote http://www.missingremote.com/review/wesena-itx7

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by sleonard

Sorry Plucky, I'm only interested in extenders. I gave up the PC clients years ago. Also, for my own selfish reasons I want your development time on the SMM TV support.

S

I hear you trust me I went extenders only 2 years ago as well.

Originally Posted by macsupergeek

interested but only if it works with extenders -- after doing windows and codec hell - i am never going back

That was my issue with clients but everyone swears with the new i3 and integrated graphics the issues are pretty much non existant now adays.


And to clearify there would be no way to do it on the extender without netflix's support which sagetv is not big enough. Belive me I would do it if I could.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by brainbone

We used to do it with a loop-back on the SageTV server in the past. Navigating the timeline was more problematic, but it was better than nothing -- and could potentially be better than PlayOn.

This has been mentioned before. A Roku feeding into your server through a Colossus would cost about $250 and would be accessible to any client. So if you're going to shell out money for new hardware, that seems like a better way to go than replacing all your extenders with PC clients.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

This has been mentioned before. A Roku feeding into your server through a Colossus would cost about $250 and would be accessible to any client. So if you're going to shell out money for new hardware, that seems like a better way to go than replacing all your extenders with PC clients.

That debatable I tried it. The lag is just unbearable to me. Makes it almost useless my 2 cents at least. But navigating with the 3 to 7 second lag by my count is no usable. Plus you got the issue with the collusus card on top of that.

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

That debatable I tried it. The lag is just unbearable to me. Makes it almost useless my 2 cents at least. But navigating with the 3 to 7 second lag by my count is no usable. Plus you got the issue with the collusus card on top of that.

No Roku, no Collussus:

Render the Netflix silverlight player on the SageTV server (assuming the server is windows), pass the video output of the server back through an analog capture card.

Since most navigation will be done with the Netflix Plugin, some lag in waiting for the video stream shouldn't be a huge issue.

The bigger issue is that most modern graphics card don't have s-video out to make use the of the s-video in on your capture card -- though I've got to think there's an easy way around this.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by brainbone

No Roku, no Collussus:

Render the Netflix silverlight player on the SageTV server (assuming the server is windows), pass the video output of the server back through an analog capture card.

Since most navigation will be done with the Netflix Plugin, some lag in waiting for the video stream shouldn't be a huge issue.

The bigger issue is that most modern graphics card don't have s-video out to make use the of the s-video in on your capture card -- though I've got to think there's an easy way around this.

SD no thanks mise well use playon for that and then you still have the limitation of only one room at a time for netflix. With kids that is hard to do.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

That debatable I tried it. The lag is just unbearable to me. Makes it almost useless my 2 cents at least. But navigating with the 3 to 7 second lag by my count is no usable. Plus you got the issue with the collusus card on top of that.

I've had zero issues with my Colossus.

Regarding lag, as I mentioned in the other thread, you don't really need to navigate the Roku interactively. You just need some way to kick off playback of a specific movie. After that the UI experience while watching a movie is exactly like we have now with the PlayOn plugin, but with better video quality.

But hey, if that's not the project you want to work on, then don't. But like many others, I have no interest in a solution that works on software clients only.