My Sage Experience and my thoughts for the future

[thopkin1]

My Hardware:
AMD Phenom II x6, 4 gb RAM, 1 TB HD, Win 10 64-bit
HD-PVR, HDHomerun Dual
HD200 x1, HD300 x3, MiBox x1

My SageTV History:
I started with Sagetv in December of 2009 and quickly fell in love with it! I expanded from 1 TV to 3 with the purchase of three HD300s just after the Sagetv to Google sale in July 2011 (via ebay, got totally robbed). I used and enjoyed Sage for the next few years but in early 2014 decided to put it on the shelf and go with the Dish Hopper w/ Sling.

My SageTV Currently:
In January of this year I had it with the $110+ a month bill and chose to try the DTV Now over the top (OTT) streaming service and got in on the $35/month for life promotion. While I didn’t mind the new service (it isn't that bad) and did get a free FireStick, I really missed a DVR for both pausing live TV as well as scheduling recordings. So I dusted off the old hardware and downloaded the new SageTV v9. I was able to quickly get my HDHomerun going for over the air (OTA) channels but I was dead set on getting it working with DTV Now. After spending a significant amount of time I was able to rig a working solution. While I am not a developer by any means, I am a fairly competent network admin with a language preference to VBScript. Using tools found on SageTV forums (ex: exemultituner, SJQ, and sagex) as well as some custom written VBScripts I am able to effectively and efficiently tune a channel (VBScript that opens Chrome via psexec in full screen directly to a DTV Now url (unique to each channel) and my PCs output is fed into the HD-PVR (via a HDMI to component adapter). When a channel is changed the tuning command (VBScript) will close Chrome (via a program called nircmd) and open a new Chrome screen with the new URL. When you stop watching (press stop) or turn off an extender SJQ will call another VBScript to close Chrome (again via nircmd).

My SageTV Future:
I continue to play with Sage and I want to add a second tuner (DTV Now is limited to 2 streams at a time) as well as finalize my callerid on TV using YAC and the infopopup plugin. I am in love again with SageTV and hope to use it for many years to come.

My SageTV Thoughts:
One of my eye opening experiences is how Sage related websites (software/plugins) are no longer around. In fact I had to post on the forums here to find exemultituner and look for a very long time to find YAC. Additionally, while biased I think the future is in OTT streaming. Currently OTT options include DTV now, SlingTV, and Playstation Vue, but, YouTube, Comcast, Hulu and Verizon all have announced their intent of providing OTT service in 2017. If we are able to find a cost effective way of capturing these streams and use SageTV for the DVR we can make SageTV more relevant for cord-cutting generation. Finally, a new extender or a way to optimize recordings to play on an AndroidTV box will allow for additional growth.

Conclusion:
The work of those who have rewrote v9 as well as the GIANTS who created the original and all of the plugins have made an amazing experience for the rest of us! Your work does not go unnoticed nor is it unappreciated. Thank you for sharing your expertise and passion and together we can continue to make SageTV the best DVR available. Thanks!

[panteragstk]

Very interesting.

[davidb]

I agree the industry is moving towards streaming. I used to watch a series on CBS that ended last year called the Good Wife. It now has a spin off series called the good fight. So great all I have to do is go into the sage guide and add it as a favorite! I wish I could but the series is only available on "CBS All Access". Yet another streaming service. Yet another subscription. Yet another means I can't get content to Sagetv.

The technical means exist to write an app to send keystrokes to the streaming app to control the app but that is not the real problem.

The real problem is the "DirectTV Internet Service Addendum" prohibits this and I am sure all the other streaming services do also. Even if you find one that doesn't prohibit it now they change change the agreement in the future.

[jusjoken]

Have you checked out the Android miniclient as an extender?

https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63813

k

[Korny]

I haven't checked, but has the playon plugin remained functional? I've been reading multiple articles stating comcast is going IP only which would make cablecards pointless. I'm already running 2 virtual machines on my server, whats one more(for windows/playon) I guess

[thopkin1]

Originally Posted by jusjoken

Have you checked out the Android miniclient as an extender?

https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63813

k

Yes, I'm using the Android Mini-Client on my Mibox but as other forum threads have pointed out it struggles with mpeg2. I am able to play the OTA ts files by using exoplayer but then it won't play my HD-PVR H.264 files.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by thopkin1

Yes, I'm using the Android Mini-Client on my Mibox but as other forum threads have pointed out it struggles with mpeg2. I am able to play the OTA ts files by using exoplayer but then it won't play my HD-PVR H.264 files.

Odd. I have the opposite issue. Plays colossus h.264 with DD 5.1 without issue, but is terrible with mpeg2 ota dd 5.1.

That's why I started on the fly transcoding ota. No more issues.

[thopkin1]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

Odd. I have the opposite issue. Plays colossus h.264 with DD 5.1 without issue, but is terrible with mpeg2 ota dd 5.1.

That's why I started on the fly transcoding ota. No more issues.

How are you doing on the fly transcoding for your OTA channels?

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by thopkin1

How are you doing on the fly transcoding for your OTA channels?

OpenDCT does it for the supported tuners. Check the thread in hardware

[thopkin1]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

OpenDCT does it for the supported tuners. Check the thread in hardware

Thanks! I'll give that a try.

[frontlinegeek]

Interesting thoughts!

I have been doing Sage since v6 and pretty much agree with everything you said. I have been a cord cutter for quite a while now. As soon as HD OTA came to Canada, I was done with cable as I don't watch sports and don't care about premium channels. With that, I have been on an HDHR for a tuner since 2011 and use SageTV to manage that and also handle playback of archived content.

All of our OTT content is managed via chromecasts as everyone in my household has an android device of their own so there is no contention that way.

Having been a paying customer of Sage and buying one of the HD300 units, I am definitely thankful for it all. It is just sad that it is becoming more and more irrelevant except for OTA recording management. I have BluRay players in all relevant locations and my son is not a small peanut butter covered minion anymore.

I know Jeff did what he thought was best at the time and I am quite confident that for him, it was and financially likely is still the best choice. It just feels like when Google bought Sage, it was at such a crucial juncture that we ended up missing out on a lot of great improvements and enhancements. Ah well. I will keep going till the end!

[wayner]

Originally Posted by frontlinegeek

It just feels like when Google bought Sage, it was at such a crucial juncture that we ended up missing out on a lot of great improvements and enhancements. Ah well. I will keep going till the end!

That may be true but I think that the spot that we are in today, with SageTV being Open Source, is the best spot to be. But as everyone has said, the future is OTT and SageTV's raison d'etre is recording TV. I came to SageTV from MCE as I wanted HD content and I needed to use HD-PVRs to record HD and MCE took years to support the HD-PVR. Plus the SageTV extenders were, and still are, the best way to distribute video through the house. The Android boxes are ok but are less of an option if you have MPEG-2 content and I supplement cable with OTA - although I could pretty much just go with my two HD-PVRs and have everything that I need to watch.

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by wayner

I came to SageTV from MCE as I wanted HD content and I needed to use HD-PVRs to record HD and MCE took years to support the HD-PVR. Plus the SageTV extenders were, and still are, the best way to distribute video through the house.

Generally the same here but more for the centralized management at first as MCE never did add softsling or whatever it was called for multiroom support.

I will be here as long as there is OTA to be recorded

Getting ready to do the move to v9 and Schedules Direct this weekend actually!

[wayner]

Originally Posted by frontlinegeek

Generally the same here but more for the centralized management at first as MCE never did add softsling or whatever it was called for multiroom support.

I will be here as long as there is OTA to be recorded

Getting ready to do the move to v9 and Schedules Direct this weekend actually!

I would have liked softsled too but I was happy with the old MCE WMCE54AG extenders - except they couldn't do MPEG-2 HD nor H.264. But I would have bought the next gen extenders if MCE would have worked. I am glad it didn't as I think SageTV was, and still is, the way to go.

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by wayner

I am glad it didn't as I think SageTV was, and still is, the way to go.

TOTALLY agree. I just finished my upgrade to v9 about 30 minutes ago and it was generally painless. I will always have a desire for locally hosted videos as I love having all my paid for content from discs, available with little to no fuss. I also don't see by OTA stopping at all.

Sage, as it is now, will simply be part of my home media ecosystem and I love it.

I still remember the nervousness of moving from MCE to Sage v6 and the whole WAF factor. Thankfully, there were few issues and FAR more benefits.

[KarylFStein]

How do you do EPG data?

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

How do you do EPG data?

You need to get a subscription to "Schedules Direct". It is $25 (I think USD) per year and is not auto renewing. When you have your account credentials, you just go through your tuner setup process and it will ask you from where to get your EPG data from and you choose Schedules Direct and give it your ID and PW. I just went through the process a couple weeks ago and it was dead simple.

[thopkin1]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

How do you do EPG data?

Frontlinegeek is correct with Schedules Direct. I have a v7 license and am currently using Sage for EPG data but will be switching to Schedules Direct over the next 4-5 weeks.

As a side note, While I'm not sure that either Sage or Schedules Direct has guide data for Directv Now (or any OTT service for that matter) I just chose the regular Directv lineup and selected the channels that are part of my Directv Go Big package. Works very well!

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by KarylFStein

How do you do EPG data?

easy peasy, did it today. There's a seven day free trial, a two-month $6 plan, or one year for $25. Create an account, password, etc. I'm using a new lineup from SD and it seems correct. If you have SageTV v9 installed, you add and setup the lineup in Sage, NOT on the Schedules Direct web site.

[sdsean]

Btw, about half way through this forum it was asked, "Has the playon plugin remained functional" . . . the answer too that is YES ABSOLUTELY.

First, that plugin is just a browser for the UPnP server that PlayOn's software creates, so honestly it's pretty simple to maintain.

2ndly, while I agree alot with what you said, PlayOn with SageTV is why I don't see it changing for myself for at least a decade. I have been watching Amazon and Netflix and the like all within SageTV as well, along with access to all my own stuff, and still doing DirecTV as well. Even if I get rid of the DirecTV part, PlayON has been gang-busters. . .(of course as soon as they offered a lifetime license i bought it, which helps, and I don't think you can still get that any more).