Many of you around here will know that I am a big proponent of SageTV after having tried pretty much all of the alternatives. There has recently been some news on the SageTV front that may be of interest to DHC members.
SageTV7 Beta
The biggest complaint against SageTV is typically that the User Interface is fugly compared to alternatives such as Win MC and XBMC. The latest version of SageTV includes a much improved, although not perfect, UI. This latest version has been in beta since May but the beta version is very stable and many Sage users have been using it for their main PVR system for months. In addition, there are some UI improvements available or in the works. There is now a SageTV version of MyMovies which is a very good movie management framework that was originally developed for Win MC. There will soon be two new "improved" UIs for Sage - one is called Ortus and one is called Phoenix.
New Extenders - Sage HD-300
The main advantage that Sage has over its competitors (like WinMC and Myth) is the excellent hardware extenders. The third generation model, called the HD-300, is now shipping. It is cheaper than its predecessor at US$150, is faster and is better at handling some types of digital audio found on BluRay discs. These extenders, plus full support of the HD-PVR and all of the addins make Sage the best whole house solution particularly if you want to be able to record all HD channels, including cable. I have been using Sage as my main system for about two years and I have five extenders (HD-200s, the previous model) throughout my house to use as playback devices.
SageTV7 Beta
The biggest complaint against SageTV is typically that the User Interface is fugly compared to alternatives such as Win MC and XBMC. The latest version of SageTV includes a much improved, although not perfect, UI. This latest version has been in beta since May but the beta version is very stable and many Sage users have been using it for their main PVR system for months. In addition, there are some UI improvements available or in the works. There is now a SageTV version of MyMovies which is a very good movie management framework that was originally developed for Win MC. There will soon be two new "improved" UIs for Sage - one is called Ortus and one is called Phoenix.
New Extenders - Sage HD-300
The main advantage that Sage has over its competitors (like WinMC and Myth) is the excellent hardware extenders. The third generation model, called the HD-300, is now shipping. It is cheaper than its predecessor at US$150, is faster and is better at handling some types of digital audio found on BluRay discs. These extenders, plus full support of the HD-PVR and all of the addins make Sage the best whole house solution particularly if you want to be able to record all HD channels, including cable. I have been using Sage as my main system for about two years and I have five extenders (HD-200s, the previous model) throughout my house to use as playback devices.