Understanding SageTV

[susanj]

I am looking to network my home so that all of my kids can access our movie collection via the TV versus opening a box and putting a DVD in.

With that said, I was originally looking into PLEX and was then told by a friend that there have been some hacking problems with that software and to look into SageTV. Everything I have been reading states that the STP-HD300 is no more and that Google bought out Sage TV. Have they released anything that I can buy yet for the purpose I mentioned above? Can I still buy any STP-HD300's and how many would I need to have? Some people have told me I need one at every TV that I want to access the library at. I bought a NAS storage system, do I even need this with SageTV?

Anyone with helpful information would be appreciated. I am definitely, not tech savvy and need help understanding how I can make this work.

[Fuzzy]

you cannot currently purchase sagetv, other than from an existing user via the forum here. Google has released the ability for sagetv to be moved to an open source project, and when that happens, you'd be able to use it (the open source version) for free. There is no timetable for that to occur, as they are working on stripping out the commercially licensed bits and pieces.

If all you are looking to do is to be able to watch your media library from elsewhere, the plex or kodi are likely better options for you. There are a large number of hardware clients that support them. Sage's only hardware clients are not available (some hd300's may still be available here on the forum from the last remaining stock, but they are certainly not cheap). SageTV's primary focus is as a DVR, so if that's not your primary focus, then the other options are likely better.

[susanj]

Thank you for the information! I really appreciate it. I thought Plex would be good too, but then was warned away from it. Since I am new to the site, how do I know if anyone is selling any and do I only need 1?

[pjpjpjpj]

But to answer a few of your questions, should you want to get into Sage once it is open-sourced:

- Yes, you would need an extender (STP-HDx00) at each TV set, or you can get a "client" license to have a computer running another instance of Sage (but client licenses are only available occasionally in the resale portion of this forum, from other users). HD300s, the last iteration of the extender, are currently for sale from old stock on this forum from "Opus4", see the announcements at the top of the forum page. There are also older versions, the HD200 and HD100, which you can still get on resale here (or eBay) from other users. They both still work fine, but the 100s/200s have some limitations with newer audio and video types. However, if you just had all your DVD rips in native folder format, or, say, MP4 with dolby 5.1 surround (or some other common format that has been around a while), they will work just fine. They all have HDMI, component, composite (older ones even S-video), and handle 1080p. The menus move a bit slower (especially noticeable once you've had an HD300).

- You don't need a NAS, but you can have one. If you want to use "full" Sage TV, with the DVR functionality, you need a server and the server software, running at the time. When you power up the extender, it will search for the server, and connect to it in a few seconds unless you hit a button to bypass it. If you bypass - or you don't have a server running the software at all - you can use the HD200 and HD300 in "media player/HD Theater" mode, without a server. Those models then default to a basic menu screen which allows access to media files anywhere on your network, or even a USB stick that you can plug into the extender itself. If you have a computer on your network that has media on its hard drive (or an external USB drive, or whatever), that can all be accessed through the extender in media center mode. Note the HD100s do not have this mode at all, and only work in conjunction with a Sage server.

But as Fuzzy said, there are certainly other cheaper, and "prettier", options out there, if you don't care about the DVR aspect of Sage.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by susanj

Thank you for the information! I really appreciate it. I thought Plex would be good too, but then was warned away from it.

I've not heard anything bad about Plex regarding hacking. You can run Plex entirely within the confines of your local network. Lots of folks on AVS Forum (and here to I suspect) run Plex. Now Plex does have some streaming/remote access features, if you use those, that might open you up to some risk, just as anything requiring you to open your network would.

Kodi is a great option, and Media Browser/Emby are also great options for streaming media throughout your house.

Since I am new to the site, how do I know if anyone is selling any and do I only need 1?

If you have no interest in recording TV, I would look at Emby, Kodi, or Plex. SageTV does do media well but it's really not it's strength and isn't quite up to the level of the others.

As for Sage, if you're interested, I'd just sit tight and wait for the Open Source release, otherwise you would need:
One:
SageTV Media Center (aka "server") license

Plus some combination of these:
SageTV Client license for each PC you want to use as a client
SageTV Placeshifter license for each PC you want to use simultaneously
SageTV Extender (HD100, HD200, or HD300) for each TV