Media Server Software

[drvnbysound]

About the time I was ready to pull the trigger and purchase Sage and a couple of extenders, Google made the acquisition. While I would have liked to have the product anyway because it still seems that it is/was the only full solution available that was capable of doing everything I wanted, I am glad that I dont have to deal with the headache that is to come for the existing users. Having said that, I just registered on the Sage forum and added in my own post of questions regarding alternatives, but it seems that a moderator has to review it before it is posted to the boards; I am not sure if this is new due to the Google purchase or because I am a newly registered user. In any case, I wanted to post similar questions here...

Major things I was looking for from Sage:
- Centralized Media Server; including DVR functionality, ability to play ripped DVDs and BluRay movies, and music (Music is not a priority)
- User Interface through small-form factor extender
- Ability to watch multiple recordings and/or stored media in 3+ rooms simultaneously

I am sure there are others, but those are the major ones that I can think of right now. Since Sage has been bought out, I have just started to look into alternatives and have come across MediaPortal and NextPVR as what seem to be the next best alternatives.

I do have Windows 7 and realize that Media Center is also an alternative, but as mentioned above, I would like to use small-form factor extenders (able to fit behind a wall mounted LCD) and Xboxes are too big for that, not to mention that 7MC records in a proprietary format and couldnt be viewed on other extenders w/o manually transcoding them.

As many already know, MediaPortal and NextPVR are software only solutions, and don't offer their own extenders (not that I have been able to find anyway). That being said, I have been looking at using either MP or NPVR to handle the DVR functions and media handling, and using a Western Digital (WD TV) extender. I realize that this will not allow me to access the UI from the extender, but I don't know of any other viable alternative right now.

Are there any other limitations that I am missing that MP and/or NPVR are lacking?

 

[Waynedb]

As many already know, MediaPortal and NextPVR are software only solutions, and don't offer their own extenders (not that I have been able to find anyway). That being said, I have been looking at using either MP or NPVR to handle the DVR functions and media handling, and using a Western Digital (WD TV) extender. I realize that this will not allow me to access the UI from the extender, but I don't know of any other viable alternative right now.

Are there any other limitations that I am missing that MP and/or NPVR are lacking?

There are some versions of NMT hardware media players that work as extenders for Next PVR.
http://forums.gbpvr.com/showthread.php?49966-Which-NMT

 

[drvnbysound]

Wayne,

Thanks for the info. It does seem that the older model NMT's (A100 and A110) are compatible extenders. Unfortunately, they are only available refurbished, and it seems that they are intermittently listed on the Popcorn Hour website... so it may be tough to get a hold of one.

It would be nice if NextPVR worked in support for the newer models, but apparently there are some compatibility issues that they haven't been able to work out yet. From what I was able to read from the NPVR forum, it doesn't really appear that this is something that they are working on as a priority either. :-/

 

[Waynedb]

Wayne,

Thanks for the info. It does seem that the older model NMT's (A100 and A110) are compatible extenders. Unfortunately, they are only available refurbished, and it seems that they are intermittently listed on the Popcorn Hour website... so it may be tough to get a hold of one.

It would be nice if NextPVR worked in support for the newer models, but apparently there are some compatibility issues that they haven't been able to work out yet. From what I was able to read from the NPVR forum, it doesn't really appear that this is something that they are working on as a priority either. :-/

Amazon still has one of the players mentioned in the thread I linked to.

http://www.amazon.com/Egreat-EG-M34A-Network-Media-Tank/dp/B002IRBKOS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317870805&sr=8-1

 

[drvnbysound]

After playing with both N-PVR and MediaPortal, I was not really pleased with either. I had some issues getting either of them setup with a single HDHR. The HDHR has been around for quite some time now, and the setup for it was not necessarily easy and straight forward. I would think that this would be one of the easiest devices to setup. It seemed that it would take a substantial amount of time to setup and possibly to maintain over the lifetime of the system.

I am considering going with WMC, primarily as an interim solution until something better is released. Unfortunately, I have come across some features that may not be possible with WMC, and I am looking for some workarounds. I have done some minimal searching on TheGreenButton forums, but need to dig deeper. I am listing some of the limitations below that concern me the most:

1) The way WMC handles protections such as the 'copy once' protection that many providers utilize. I am really not certain what restrictions this actually causes, but if it is an issue with cable-provider media, I THINK this could be mitigated by using HDHRs for OTA recordings (not sure if they are tagged here or directly by the cable providers), and HD-PVRs for encrypted/scrabled media via cable box.

2) Can't stream DVD library to extender (Xbox or other) - I have accumulated quite the DVD library over the years and already have many of them ripped to HDD. Would love to be able to view library on extender, but it's not REALLY COMMON that I watch the movies over again. We generally watch new releases the most, but it would be really nice to have that library available.

3) Can't stream Blu-Ray's to extender (Xbox or other) - not as big of a concern for me, but it is still something that Sage had supported. All of my TVs are 1080p compatible. It would be a great 'nice to have', but far from a requirement for my needs.

In the end, what I want the most is a single, whole-home DVR that can record any show that my wife and I would throw at it, and be able to watch it in any room we decide to. Sometimes I am out of town for work, and she will watch the show via DVR, and I will re-watch it when I return to catch up. However, 90% of the time, we watch many shows 1x and delete. The primary reason we use our Comcast-provided DVR is to be able to FF through commercials.

On another note, does anyone know if there is any issues having the same DVR'd show playing-back in multiple rooms at once (e.g. wife wanting to watch a show, but is doing things is various rooms, so wants to have it play in both rooms simultaneously - wouldn't have to be perfectly sync'd or anything)? This would be another 'nice to have', but not a deal breaker at all.

 

[InspiredTim]

I am looking at an Apple TV system. You can use seasonpass to jailbreak it and than AtvFlash black to install a new platform on it. This will allow nearly all file formats to be played on any of your apple tv boxes. They also slip nicely behind most flat screens being so small. I am just trying to work out FTA tv recording ATM which looks like eyetv twin network tuners will be where I will be heading.

 

[drvnbysound]

I am not ready to jump onto the Apple wagon. I am a PC and enjoy building my own hardware... I already have a machine set aside for it, just looking for the right software/extender combination now that Sage is gone.

I was able to post on The Green Button forums, and received a response. It appears that the 'copy-once' protection will not apply to me since utilizing the HDHRs and HD-PVRs for recording. I was also told that the DVD library will show up on an extender.... now to just figure out how to use the large-form Xbox covertly; 2 of my rooms have LCD's wall-mounted with nothing below them to hold any hardware, and I like the clean look that provides. I have found some wall-mounts for them, but they aren't exactly stealthy. I have also thought of putting the Xbox's in the closet as well, but they are wirelessly (proprietary I assume) controlled, with max distance of ~30ft, so that might not work.... as odd as it sounds, IR really is nice to have for some things ^_^