Any comments on new Beyond TV 3.5?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by fieldeffect

Great example - from the program guide if I ask it to record the current program I would intuitively expect to be asked if I want just this program or the entire series. Instead I have to go through several clicks to do this.

Do you mean you are doing this on the LiveTV Guide or on the Program Information Menu? If on the LiveTV Guide, you can use the Favorite command instead of the Record command: "Record" currently records that one airing, while "Favorite" will tell SageTV to add it as a favorite & record all airings by default.

If you use the Info command while highlighting the airing on the LiveTV Guide, you will go to the Program Information screen, where you will see separate buttons for "Record" and "Add Favorite".

I realize everyone has their own preferences, but I like the fact that I have the option of which command to use rather than being asked whether I want to always record the show every time I use the Record command.

- Andy

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by fieldeffect

I think that reviewers prefer Beyond TV because it has a much friendlier interface. The Sage interface may be more powerful when you get to know it, but with BTV everything is just where you intuitively expect it to be.

Great example - from the program guide if I ask it to record the current program I would intuitively expect to be asked if I want just this program or the entire series. Instead I have to go through several clicks to do this.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not Sage bashing (i'm actually thinking of making the switch from BTV because while the GUI might not be so polished, Sage actually works on a regular basis ) but BTV is a lot closer to the interface the average user is looking for.

Is there any way to get a beta of Sage Studio? I'm sure I could do something pretty cool with it. *itchy fingers*

Nick.

You could say that STV's are the polished UI's for Sage ... To me they are much more than a just different look and feel (though they are) like themes provided by others. STV's provide some great additional functions and features.

As for Studio ... we're all in line waiting ... look ahead of you .... there are already thousands!!! I’m the one that’s waving!!!

[fieldeffect]

Opus4 - Your entire post is exactly my point. Sage is a much richer interface once you know that there loads of different buttons to do things directly, but you have to figure out that they exist (and we all know that reading the manual is a cardinal sin )

To most Sage only users the BTV concept of asking you questions and giving you options all the time must seem a pain in the ass (i.e. the "just do what I told you to" complex when you press the record button and get presented with a menu with 6 options!@?#!), but it means that BTV works straight out of the box with zero knowledge required apart from a vague notion that if you want to record something...anything...you just press record.

There is however an argument that says that if you've built your own PVR and spent a good amount of time setting it up then you're not a casual user anyway

Initially Sage seemed very clunky to me, but it's growing on me fast. And the thought that when I get my hands on the right tools i'll be able to code a customised interface and make it the perfect PVR is very exciting.

So what's the deal at the moment with Studio? There is obviously some form of limited beta program, so who decides who gets what? Are the people who have it just personal friends of the developers or is there some kind of logical reason that the guys who have it have got it?

They should auction Beta licences on EBay and see how much we're willing to pay

Nick.

[btvbuddy]

A new feature of Beyond TV 3.5 is a developer API, is Studio going to be the developer API to Sage TV? The Beyond TV API is built with Microsoft .NET, will Studio be Java-based?

[mlbdude]

As you have seen Studio allows you to modify the core application. It is not an API like that. The BTV API will allow external access to the functions and data in BTV only.

[btvbuddy]

mlbdude, thanks for the quick reply. Do you know if you will be able to run multiple versions in Sage TV using Studio? What I mean is running malore's STV with another one that I can develop? Or will you be allowed loading only one set of core changes? Could you point me to where Studio is detailed on the site?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by btvbuddy

Could you point me to where Studio is detailed on the site?

Detailed Studio information has not been publicly released and there has been no announcement when it would be.

- Andy

[Cayars]

Originally Posted by btvbuddy

mlbdude, thanks for the quick reply. Do you know if you will be able to run multiple versions in Sage TV using Studio? What I mean is running malore's STV with another one that I can develop? Or will you be allowed loading only one set of core changes? Could you point me to where Studio is detailed on the site?

You can certainly do this now as some of the STV files already show. Take a look at MALDUDE as an example. It's a combination of two (or more) other STVs.

[btvbuddy]

Thanks for pointing to the STV's.

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by btvbuddy

Do you know if you will be able to run multiple versions in Sage TV using Studio? What I mean is running malore's STV with another one that I can develop?

Might try running one STV version on your server and another on a client to test and then migrate to server, thus same STV, different versions on server and client or completely different STV's on server and client.

T.

[MMAZEL]

I had installed Beyond TV 3.5 ( I actually paid for it ) becuse at that time i only had A Software Encoder and I had Problems
I went Bought A PVR-250 and bought Sage TV and I can tell ou that Sage Wins Hands Down In stability

[mls]

While I haven't really messed with Beyond TV enough to determine anything as far as differences in stability... I can tell you for absolute certainty that my PVR-250 produces far better quality than anything I could get from the software encoding with my ATI AIW 9000.

I can also say that SageTV is far more stable than anything ATI has for recording with software encoding. After putting in the PVR-250 I've never used the ATI AIW 9000 again to record anything. I only use it to output to my monitor and TV now (of course SageTV is always running full screen all the time on the S-video TV out so I can use the monitor to surf the web and such).