myHTPC integration

[-LD]

i know it's been brought up before but i was wondering if there was any new or updated info about integrating SageTV with myHTPC

both are great programs and i think compliment each other

with myHTPC 2 coming up soon with the plugin feature perhaps that's a better possibility for integration...i just know i'd love to see the two of them work together without launching seperate programs

SageTV is the best for what it does and myHTPC is the best for what it does

[comprat]

I agree, myHTPC's slick interface coupled with the power of SageTV would be an awesome combo. Hopefully this will become reality!

comprat

[fasttech]

One more vote from me. myHTPC and SageTV integration would rock!

[Lester Jacobs]

So how exactly do you guys visualize this functionality would work? Both programs are great in their own right but I cannot see a lot of synergy besides maybe some support for launching SageTV from myHTPC.

Can someone paint a an integrated scenario for me?


Cheers
Lester

[-LD]

i would envision is as Sage for the engine with myHTPC as the interface...both use xmltv btw...myHTPC is a great frontend

Sage also has a very nice frontend, but to integrate it into a common, single frontend would be ideal i think

i can launch Sage from myHTPC, that's not a problem...but it's an ugly process...i can launch as many instances of other programs as i would like but having a single, unified interface makes it that much more elegant and appealing

myHTPC 2 is implementing a new plug-in feature so developers can make their own plug-ins that work seemelessly in myHTPC...perhaps that will make it possible to use myHTPC as a single interface with Sage as the PVR engine

[Lester Jacobs]

What parts of the interface would myHTPC provide? I'm not trying to be difficult here, but I've used both myHTPC and SageTV and I don't see much value add. What I can see is myHTPC possibly providing better graphics for the EPG and the library screens, however this is hardly worth the effort. The time it would take to implement SageTV as plugin could be spent simply making the graphics for SageTV prettier.

So, if there is a deeper integration synergy here, I'm still missing it. What I would like is someone to step through a scenario in an integrated SageTV/myHTPC world and demonstrate why the integration would be compelling. Here's some common tasks I do using SageTV

1) Scheduling favourites
2) Picking a previously recorded program to watch
3) Looking at the Guide and choosing a program to watch "live".

How would myHTPC integration make each of those tasks better and easier to perform than they currently are in Sage?


Cheers
Lester

[-LD]

a single interface, not launching multiple programs...that's the compelling reason

if that's not compelling to you then there's nothing i can do to convince you

it's not a replacement for Sage, it's an option for users who don't wish to launch many programs and want a single, unified interface

myHTPC provides a frontend to playing music, videos, pictures, weather modules, movie showtimes, games, etc...it has an EPG but it's just an EPG...with a Sage engine integrated into the myHTPC frontend you get a software that is very much an integrated multimedia experience, like MCE only a lot better

Sage is great for what it does, PVR...but it doesn't do all the other things that myHTPC does...and myHTPC sucks as a PVR because it doesn't have a built-in engine...combining the two (via a plugin) for users who wish to do so gives you one amazing, unified product

i want to use an HTPC in my living room...i don't want it to be a regular old PC...by launching multiple programs, each with their own remote interfaces, each with their own graphics and styles, etc you simply have a PC in your living room with some cool programs on it, not a true HTPC IMHO

[fasttech]

I guess for me, to be realistic about it, I would just like a couple simple things.
1.) Whenever SageTV is called(just the SageTV.exe executable), have it come up to the front and in focus, even if asleep. Right now if it is already loaded, it gives a box saying that there is already loaded. However it doesn't bring it to the foreground though when it does this so I still have to get out the mouse to fix it.
2.) Maybe give me a way to launch a command from within SageTV so I could then go back to myHTPC. However, I may be able to just put it to sleep instead. though.

I realize that given the abilities of SageTV, that a myHTPC plugin might be pretty hard to come up with. To do this, we would need some type of way to send messages to SageTV to change channels, Show the Guide, and such.

Kenny

[JasonJoel]

Add the '-awake' parameter when launching SageTV (i.e. "sagetv.exe -awake"), then it will open it to the front if already loaded or load it if not loaded. That takes care of #1...

Hope that helps.

Jason

Originally posted by fasttech
I guess for me, to be realistic about it, I would just like a couple simple things.
1.) Whenever SageTV is called(just the SageTV.exe executable), have it come up to the front and in focus, even if asleep. Right now if it is already loaded, it gives a box saying that there is already loaded. However it doesn't bring it to the foreground though when it does this so I still have to get out the mouse to fix it.
2.) Maybe give me a way to launch a command from within SageTV so I could then go back to myHTPC. However, I may be able to just put it to sleep instead. though.

I realize that given the abilities of SageTV, that a myHTPC plugin might be pretty hard to come up with. To do this, we would need some type of way to send messages to SageTV to change channels, Show the Guide, and such.

Kenny