Monday, October 04, 2010

Join GeekTonic on the SageTVCentric er HTPCentric Podcast

This month I joined Adam and Jere on my favorite HTPC podcast – HTPCentric.  We covered the ins and outs of SageTV (yes the good AND the bad) and discuss what’s new and coming for one of the most popular HTPC software programs – SageTV.

If we missed anything you wanted us to cover let me know in the comments.

HTPCentric Podcast – SageTV

Sunday, October 03, 2010

How Frequent are SageTV Software & Firmware Updates?

SageTV Logo

During the recording of the HTPCentric podcast we discussed the frequency of software and firmware updates from SageTV.  I knew it was pretty frequent, but I wasn’t honestly sure how often they came along.  So I looked back over the past year which presumably also included many private beta’s we don’t see – especially with the move to SageTV 7.  Even with that the updates are amazingly often!

With SageTV 7.0 we’ve had nine public betas in the past four months.  That’s a lot of bugs getting squashed and feature improvements being added.

  • 7.0.18 RC2 09/30/2010
  • 7.0.17 RC1 09/23/2010
  • 7.0.16 09/02/2010
  • 7.0.15 08/11/2010
  • 7.0.14 08/05/2010
  • 7.0.13 08/04/2010
  • 7.0.12 07/15/2010
  • 7.0.11 06/15/2010
  • 7.0.10 06/03/2010
  • 7.0.09 5/20/2010 First public beta of SageTV 7
  • 6.6.2 10/07/2009 Mac & Snow Leopard
  • 6.6 Release Windows, Mac & Linux
  • 6.5.20 07/09/2009
  • 6.5.19 07/02/2009
  • 6.5.18 07/09/2009
  • 6.5.17 07/09/2009
  • 6.5.16 06/23/2009
  • 6.5.15 06/09/2009

Add to that the roughly nine firmware updates for the SageTV HD300 and you get the picture – these SageTV developers are a busy bunch of folks.



TV Premieres, Finales & Specials This Week 10/03/2010

It’s October already which means the high-profile premieres have already happened and some shows begin to get canceled.  But there are still plenty of new premieres and finales this week so read on.  Something to keep in mind for the more popular shows – this is Nielson’s “Sweeps” month where they aggregate more detailed TV viewership data during Oct. 29nd - Nov. 25th.  So these weeks should be the best content from each series.

Each week GeekTonic covers the TV scene with a complete listing of premieres, finales and specials for the week.  This week is pretty much the busiest premiere week of all.  There is a LOT of TV beginning which means this is basically the official start of the Fall 2010 TV Season.

Note:  I’ve added a quick PDF Guide to TV this week for those that want to take it with you.

Don’t miss these other GeekTonic Fall 2010 TV Season Features:

Check out the complete list of finales, premieres & specials below.

 

Above is a trailer for the premiere of “The Resistance” a new online web series.  First episode airs on SyFy Monday and then moves to online distribution channels for the remainder of the season.

 

The GeekTonic Guide to TV Premieres, Finales and Specials this Week – 10/03/2010

NOTE: All Times are Listed for EST – TV schedules subject to change

A downloadable PDF  version of this “GeekTonic TV This Week Guide” is available now

 

Sunday, October 3

America’s Funniest Home Videos (7pm on ABC) Season 21

Ice Road Truckers (9pm on History – Available in HD) Season 4 finale

The Next Iron Chef (9pm on Food – available in HD) Season 3 premiere hosted by Alton Brown

American Dad (9:30pm on Fox – Available in HD) Season 6 premiere begins with episode number 100

CSI: Miami (10pm on CBS – Available in HD) Season 9 premiere

IRT Deadliest Roads (10pm on History – Available in HD) New reality series spinoff from Ice Road Truckers hence the IRC in the shows title.  Brave drivers tackle some the most dangerous roads on earth in brutal weather conditions.

The Glades (10pm on A&E – Available in HD) Season 1 finale

Law & Order: UK (10:30pm on BBC America – Available in HD) The series premiere is aired in the U.S. for the first time.  This is the British version (with wigs) that aired across the pond in early 2009.  If you’re a Law & Order fan you may as well check this one out as well.  Moves to 9pm on Fridays after this premiere.

 

Monday, October 4

Scare Tactics (8pm on SyFy) Season 5 premiere

Parker Spitzer (8pm on CNN) A new, news talk show on CNN with Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer…

Lie to Me (9pm on Fox – Available in HD) Lie to Me has its season 3 premiere a bit earlier than expected thanks to the failure of Lone Star.

Real Housewives of Atlanta (9pm on Bravo – Available in HD) Season 3 premiere

American Masters (9pm on PBS – Available in HD) This episode focuses on the career of controversial filmmaker Elia Kazan famous for “On the Waterfront” as well as the House Un-American Activities Committee.  This episode includes comments from director Martin Scorsese

Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory (9:30pm on MTV) Season finale

Disappeared (10pm on ID – Available in HD) Season 2 premiere

Southern Fried Stings (10pm on TruTV) – Season premiere.  This reality show follows a former state trooper and his team as they intervene when people commit illegal acts.

The Resistance (10pm on SyFy) – This is a test-run of science fiction action thriller “The Resistance” by Starz Digital Media.  The show was originally meant to be a web-series and they decided to test the waters and push it with a multi-platform launch.  This premiere will be an hour-long on the SyFy channel and then will be released the next day (October 5th) as a multi-episode web series for purchase on iTunes, XBOX Live, Amazon Video and The PlayStation Network.  The trailer for the series is at the top of this post.  More info at their website

 

 

Tuesday, October 5

Making History (9pm on National Geographic – Available in HD) New series where National Geographic historians and three filmmakers come together using one camera and a green screen re-create historical events using different forms of technology.

I Hate My Kitchen (9:30pm on DIY) A new home improvement series where James Young, contractor and electrician, hosts.  They present economical and clever kitchen design ideas for homeowners.

Harry Loves Lisa (10pm on TVLand) New reality series that goes inside the marriage of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin as they juggle Hollywood careers while being parents to their two daughters.

House of Glam (10pm on Oxygen) New series that follows a group of trendsetters and stylists working for B. Lynn Group, a styling agency for the entertainment industry.

Underbelly: Into the Mystic (10pm on DirecTV) Season 2

 

Wednesday, October 6

Michael Feinstein's American Songbook (8pm on PBS – Available in HD) A new three-part documentary series exploring the history and great icons of American music

Dog the Bounty Hunter (9pm on A&E – Available in HD) Season 7 premiere

South Park (10pm on Comedy – Available in HD) Season 14 premiere

Steven Seagal Lawman (10pm on A&E – Available in HD) Season 2 premiere

The Challenge: Cutthroat (10pm on MTV) Season premiere

Ugly Americans (10:30pm on Comedy – Available in HD) New animated series.  Synopsis:  New York is overrun with extraterrestrials (zombies, demons, aliens) attempting to assimilate into society alongside humans.

 

Thursday, October 7

The Promise (9pm on HBO – Available in HD) A documentary about the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 “Darkness on the Edge of Town” album

 

Friday, October 8

Dog Whisperer (8pm on National Geographic – Available in HD) Season 7 premiere

Real Housewives of DC (9pm on Bravo – Available in HD) Season 1 finale

Swamp Loggers (9pm on Discovery – Available in HD) Season 3 premiere

Fatal Attractions (9pm on Animal Planet – Available in HD) Season 2 premiere.  It’s about deadly animals – not people this time :)

Gigantic (10pm on Teen Nick) This show is set in Los Angeles and focuses on the fictional lives of the children who live in the shadows of their celebrity parents.

 

Saturday, October 9

Monsterwolf (9pm on SyFy – Available in HD) A made-for-TV movie.  Synopsis:  Terror strikes when an oil crew unwittingly unleashes a Native American animal spirit.

Auctioneer$ (10pm on TLC – Available in HD) New series gives a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most busiest auction houses in America.

 

Sunday, October 10

10 Killer Weekend Projects (7pm on DIY) New home improvement series

Sweat Equity Top 10 (8pm on DIY) New home improvement series

Look (Midnight on Showtime – Available in HD) A new R-rated series that probably belongs on Showtime…

 

Monday, October 11

Hardcover Mysteries (9pm on Investigation Discovery) New series where America's most popular authors of thrillers give their thoughts on real-life mysteries.  The first episode features well-known author David Baldacci

Texas Quints (10pm on TLC – Available in HD) Series premiere

 

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