snapstream or sagetv

[oex]

Im a noob at htpc. I have a ATI remote wonder pro in my gaming machine and am looking for more. Just ordered parts for a dedicated pc. (Parts listed below) Ive read that SageTV is better quality & Snapstream is more user friendly. I will be wanting to use a pc monitor and connect to a rear projection tv. My ultimate goal is to have this new pc work as a mp3 file server for whole house stereo and for pvr. I am looking at the hauppauge 250 or 350 with either snap or sage. Recommendations? Also , any help or suggestions with the mp3 server idea. Would like to access the mp3 section from remote irr keypads thruoghout the house. Thanks greatly in advance.
Antec Overture
A&N8X deluxe
Barton 2500 w/Thermalright SP97 w/Zalman 92mm fan
512 Corsair twinx llpt
2 maxtor 160g SATA
Asus 9600XT
Augidy 2 Platinum
Plextor 708A DWDrw
NEED Hauppauge 250 or 350 and Snapstream or SageTV

[Cayars]

Part of the difference in quality I think is summed up in this thread.

As far as MP3s go BTV can play them back now. The problem is that from the player they are all mixed up with your video files. The next release of BTV should have folder navigation built in and this will greatly help your needs out.

SnapStream has also announced another product that will also handle music files called Beyond Media and you get more information on this here.

As far as hardware goes go for the PVR-250 instead of the PVR-350 for your needs with the projector. Your ATI remote will work just fine with BTV as well as the remote that will come with the PVR-250. Your machine will be fine other then the PVR-250 for your needs.

Probably the best suggestion I can give you is to purchase the PVR-250 and get it installed and then download and try the trail versions of both BTV and SageTV and make your own choice based on this.

Carlo

[Brett]

I am not gonna comment on whether you should buy Sage or Snapstream. But if you are buying Sage because of the possible Sage 2.0 features, I would *strongly* recommend you wait until a beta is *atleast* available. It seems from the board over there they get several people buying 1.4 based on 2.0.

Cayers mentioned 3.5 and Beyond Media for the exactly same reason, I would recommend not buying SS just based on future stuff, things change its a fact of life.

If neither qualifies for what you need today, just go with the trial and wait it out. Eventually it will all be good. Or if you need a product today, go ahead and buy which one *today* you are satisified with.

BTW if you do want music seperated from video I can explain a simple fix to the problem using version 3.4. It places BOTH music and video in "Recordings" Library but you can make music all at the bottom and videos all at the top. Its simple under advance settings add another Video Folder which is the location of your music, it should take care of everything automatically, assuming you do not have subfolders.

-Brett

[beyond]

from what they have said over at sage forums... the beta will be in the hands of the owners within a weeks time.

I can't say much about the beta, but I will say that it does everything advertised..

[weberj]

The wait is over, the Sage 2 beta is out. www.sage.tv/beta.html

JW

[Brett]

I wasn't gonna be the first to comment on this...now I am not. But as I figured Studio was not released....
Just for clearification if you read my previous post you will note that has always been Studio that I have questioned existing, and well the question still stands...I as a programmer just do not understand how its possible with Java to do what he is claiming it can do.

I am sorry I am so anti-sage also, its mainly because I have been trapped in a situation like they created earlier, only to get no software in return, obviously in this case they got a (well delayed) beta, but once your burned, you will understand my strong opposition against the marketing strategies at Frey's.

-Brett

[cmasters]

Putting out a development environment without documentation and with an initial beta product would be a poor maneuver indeed. Thankfully they decided to wait. Issues with the existing beta will be work enough for them for awhile. Fortunately they are a pretty bright company. Keep in mind the more and more negative comments based on speculation make the issuer look - well, you can figure it out .

It is interesting though, the elements of the new UI that are BTV like (so many button clicks to watch a recorded show for example) are really getting negative comments. Between the three I preferred the "feel" of Sage 1.4, and the look of Sage 2.

[Brett]

You can believe whatever you want about my negative point of view, but I am entitled to not approve of certain marketing strategies, and saleing hype is one of them.

Had I asked you three days ago if Studio was coming out this week, would you had honestly said no. I doubt it, you were lead to believe by Dan that it would be out when Sage 2.0 beta was to be out. Same as you were lead to believe that Sage 2.0 beta was just around the corner back in August.

And I am not speculating, I am saying that with all my experience I still do not understand how its possible for Sage Studio to work in the fashion I was told to understand, standard Java is simple not that powerful.

You are speculating that Sage Studio is not released due to lack of documention, just as much as I am speculating that they are having problems making it work.

-Brett

[cmasters]

You assume that I am speculating . In the end, negative opinions are fine, just keep them centered on the facts. Don't forget that everything you see in Sage 2.0 was developed using Studio.

[Brett]

with that I agree...I was trying to keep them on facts (ie Java performance)...but I guess some my previous experience with another company got me a little ticked off.

-And you are speculating in that post alone, don't worry its human nature

-Brett

[Cayars]

Brett, I don't see any problem with the Studio per say. In many ways it will/should be like using VB 6. You just drop the components on a page and put the glue/script behind the events.

This should work just as well with Java as it does .NET or COM stuff.

Carlo

[Brett]

Originally posted by Cayars
Brett, I don't see any problem with the Studio per say. In many ways it will/should be like using VB 6. You just drop the components on a page and put the glue/script behind the events.

Here we go with speculating again! No one has actually seen studio that I know of, I would love to see a screenshot of it!

The HCI knowledge required for it to work well would require some careful thinking. In my graphical experiences with Java it has always been sort of buggy (fails to refresh parts of screen, lags on response), making an editor out of it just seems like a challenge...

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the ideas behind Studio, actually its not a bad idea. I just "speculate" how well it can be implemented.

I admit my 'java' experience is far more limited than C or C++, so I might very well be wrong...

-Brett

[SHS]

RadioActive Studio aren't finished there still increase usability and expanded features you on the other hand may pick on it very fast being you are programmer but about min other that want lean it they will need example, documentation, how to, etc, etc.
Who care if your anti-sage or anti-snapstream or that matter anti-(WHAT EVER) and RadioActive should also be bitching at snapstream for no SDK/Skining thing to?.
Cmasters is rigth everything was developed using Studio.
Cayars is 100% rigth is no diff then VB, NET, COM, etc.
Well not to long ago I was crying about Mouse Support in old SSPVS so what am I doing agine the same dran thing WHERE MY MOUSE MOUSE SUPPORT hehehe .

[Brett]

SHS I can think of no other way to better word this, so I appologize in advance if this comes off rude. But for sometime I have been reading your replies and quite frankly your responses frequently make little sense to me. Could you in the future please slow down typing and atleast check for simple typos when responding to my post.

So I will try my best to interpret this response, but I think you clearly missed my point, I am ticked not because of anything other than the fact that Frey has in the past marketed hype, and in my opinion is still marketing hype. I have not questioned Sage 2.0s existance for sometime (although I did have moments), I have though continued to question Studio's existance. You have no proof that Sage 2.0 was made with Studio, if it was, then why is that not the example? Until I can see a product or a screenshot of a product, I have a hard time believing that statement.

I don't doubt something exist, I just think you all are not going to be so thrilled when you realize what it actually is, as I have a good idea.

Nevertheless, this conservation is really leading no where though, and while I enjoy a good flame war every so often, this is not the place for us to go at it.


-Brett

[Cayars]

Brett, I will agree with you on one thing you just mentioned. I don't think Studio is going to be what the typical person thinks it is. I bet it will be like a very early VB for windows (ver 2 or 3) type thing. It will probably allow you to make some types of changes but other things will not be very changable and this might make some "skins" pretty hard to do. Needless to say it won't be very easy to change the flow or menu structure to suit your own "PVR" style.

Personally, I'd much rather have a true API and components (com or net) that expose themselves and allow me to do what I want with them from any language "I want" in the development environment "I want" to use (VS .NET 2003). I'd also prefer them to be compiled instead of Java, but this is just my 2 cents.

Javascript to me is cool for some thing in the browser but Java on the other hand seems to exist just to p*ss off Microsoft and doesn't make the best use of the machine. I personally don't have much use for it.

Carlo