GeekTonic

SageTV HD200 Theater Gets Netflix Hulu CBS and More via PlayOn

2008-12-02T23:01:00.002-06:00

I was browsing the SageTV forums tonight and stumbled upon a post that confirmed that the new SageTV HD200 HD Theater that began shipping this Monday (and now is temporarily out of stock) works with PlayOn. Many Xbox 360 and PS3 owners know what PlayOn can do - it provides Hulu, Netflix, CBS, YouTube, ESPN and other online video content right to your HD200-connected Television! I can also confirm that this works as I've tried it out myself.

This functionality is possible because the HD Theater (HD200) supports UPnP server connections. PlayOn uses UPnP functions of the SageTV HD200, and uses the computer to serve the video content from the Web across your home network onto the SageTV HD200.

INSTALLATION PROCESS
The installation process is very simple:

Install the PlayOn software on your Computer (free trial, but $30 to purchase)
Start the HD200 in Standalone Mode (doesn't work in extender mode yet at least)
Select "file systems" from the HD200 main menu

You should have three options - Select the third option: "Browse Device: PlayOn (mediaserver):

Next you'll see the main Playon menu with CBS, ESPN, Hulu, Netflix etc.

From there you just browse and play the video content with your remote. Below are a few screen-shots I took of the PlayOn screens on the SageTV HD200:

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR NETFLIX WATCH-NOW:
PlayOn doesn't yet support the new Silverlight version of Netflix Watch-Now so if you upgrade to the Silverlight version, the Netflix Streaming won't work within PlayOn.

PLAYON SOFTWARE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later), Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2003/Windows Home Server (Service Pack 1 or later). 64-bit versions of Windows are also supported
Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
Windows Media Player 11.0 or later
Installation includes the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 if needed
Minimum 1.5 GHz x86 processor
512 MB RAM
100 MB of available disk space for installation, plus recommended 4-5 GB extra space on the same drive where Windows is installed
Internet broadband connection of at least 1.5 Mbps, and home network with wired, powerline, or 802.11n connections (for wireless home networks with 802.11g, either the PC or device should be on a wired connection)

INITIAL EXPERIENCE WITH PLAYON VIA SAGETV HD200:
The license for Playon includes a 14 day trial and costs $30 to purchase. My initial experience with PlayOn on the HD200 was good, but not great. I wasn't able to get Netflix or ESPN working as of yet (only been at it for 30 minutes) and I do not love the way the User Interface is organized although that could easily be fixed with a simple update from SageTV. The other thing I'm hoping is that SageTV will somehow enable UPnP in extender mode so that this can be added to the extender menu - that way you wouldn't have to switch away from extender mode to get Hulu for instance. Remember though that I had very little time with this before writing this post. Also the HD200 is brand new and PlayOn is still in beta so there is plenty of time for further improvement.

Ideally the folks at SageTV will work out an arrangement with Netflix for instance to deliver Netflix Watch-Now integrated into the HD200's, but for now this should provide everything the HD200 users need. I'll bet there are a lot of HD200 owners who would pay that $30 just to get Hulu and Netflix Watch-Now onto thier Televisions via the SageTV interface. I think it could also bring even more demand for the HD200.

Discovered via SageTV Forums

Stay tuned to GeekTonic for a detailed review (and giveaway!) of the new SageTV HD200

SageTV HD200 Theater Already Out of Stock

2008-12-02T22:46:00.000-06:00

Remember that new SageTV HD Theater we just told you about earlier this week - you know the one that can act as a faster HD Extender for SageTV as well as a standalone media player that gives you access to all of your network media, YouTube and Google Video? Well if you weren't quick, you missed out for the moment cause it's already out of stock!

Here's a screen-shot of the "out-of-stock" notice at the SageTV Store:

The good news is that SageTV is projecting to have more in stock by 12/15 and will be taking preorders beginning 12/12. So if you want one before Christmas you better plan to stop by the SageTV store on December 12th - the HD100s and now HD200s seem to sell like hotcakes and its obvious SageTV orders in relatively small batches so you've been warned.

SageTV Store HD200 Theater Sold Out Announcement

BeyondTV Externinator Plugin Updated to 1.7

2008-12-02T05:05:00.001-06:00

If you are a heavy-duty BeyondTV user you probably already know about a little plugin for BeyondTV called "BTV Externinator." This plugin takes the popular BeyondTV PVR software and adds several amazing features to BeyondTV. This past week, BTV Externinator (BTVE for short) was updated to version 1.70 which requires BeyondTV 4.8.

WHAT IS BTV EXTERNINATOR?
The goal of BTV-Externinator is to perform recordings, using capture devices not currently supported by Beyond TV (i.e. Firewire, DVB, unencrypted QAM, etc.). For instance, I used this plugin with BeyondTV before the SiliconDust HDHR was officially supported. The addon acts as a bridge between BTV's powerful scheduling and an external application, which knows how to perform recordings with that unsupported capture device (i.e. VLC, ProgDVB, FusionHDTV, etc.) This add-in is free donationware coded by the long-time BeyondTV user Fonceur

Read more at the Snapstream Forums here and here. Also the BTV Externinator Website

Holiday Viewing Guide

2008-12-01T12:26:00.000-06:00

Wanting to record as many of the Holiday Specials as you can? Well you'll want to check out the Holiday Viewing Guide put together by CliqueClack.com.

They have the most comprehensive listing of Holiday specials I've seen all in one place - everything from The 12 Dogs of Christmas airing today to the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol airing on Christmas Eve. Check out the Holiday Viewing Guide at CliqueClack.com

MediaPortal Refreshed with 1.0 RC4 Update

2008-12-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

Now that the Media Portal 1.0 RC3 release has been available for several weeks and the HD-PVR now works with Media Portal, the MediaPortal crew has been busy working out any remaining bugs in that release. Just before Thanksgiving they released RC4 with a bunch of bug fixes so if you're using Media Portal RC3, be sure and get your update.

The final release is set for sometime before Christmas 2008.

Changelogs for RC4:
Changelog: MediaPortal 1.0 RC4
Changelog: TV-Server 1.0 RC4
Changelog: DeployTool 1.0 RC4

Read More at MediaPortal Website

Deal of the Day - Hauppauge HD-PVR for $183.99 Free Shipping

2008-12-01T00:03:00.000-06:00

The hot Dell.com deal for $183.99 Hauppauge HD-PVRs went back up to over $200 dollars a few days after I posted it last time, but the deal is now back at Dell Home with a coupon!

Dell Home is listing the price as $229.99, but with Coupon code "5MNL7?12RHRDD6" it drops to $183.99 with free shipping!

If you want to time-shift or record your HD content to your HTPC without DRM Or you are in the market for one of those awesome Hauppauge HD-PVR 1212 devices (read my first impressions on the device here) that let you record any content (HD, SD, digital etc) from your cable box, satellite box or any other device with a component cable output - Dell(affiliate) has the best deal I've seen on these so far with the HD-PVR for $183.99 including shipping!

Hauppauge Computer HD PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder $183.99 with Free Shipping!

This is an awesome deal. If you've been waiting for an Hauppauge HD-PVR, this is the time to buy!

Cyber Monday Deals

2008-11-30T23:38:00.003-06:00

If you're like me, you skipped the Black Friday madness and decided to see what kind of deals you could get online instead. Even last Friday there were some good online deals, but today, CyberMonday (the online equivalent of Black Friday) arrives for the really smart shoppers.

I'm seeing free shipping deals across the board including Amazon, Apple, Buy, ZipZoomFly, Dell and HP. Beyond that there are plenty of small discounts and even a few really good ones. If you're looking for the best deals, watch for the HDTV's, cameras, video game machines and even a few of the MP3 players.

Rather then throw too many deal links at the GeekTonic readers (GeekTonic will still have a few of the best HTPC & Media Gadget Deals), I'll refer you to our new site www.GeekTonicDeals.com for all of the CyberMonday Deal Listings. Here's the one I've posted so far for CyberMonday:

NewEgg Cyber Monday Deals
ZipZoomFly Cyber Monday Deals
Dell Cyber Monday Deals
Buy.com Cyber Monday Deals
BestBuy Cyber Monday Deals
CircuitCity Cyber Monday Deals
More Will be posted Monday mid-morning so check back

If you're looking for the deals and discounts, be sure and take a look or better yet subscribe to GeekTonicDeals keep up with the latest good deals. I'm working hard to keep all of them updated on a daily basis.

SageTV HD Theater Arrives - Replacement for SageTV HD100 Extenders

2008-11-30T23:22:00.009-06:00

Big News for this CyberMonday! If you’re one of the many SageTV users who have been waiting for the return of the SageTV HD Extenders, your wait is over. The SageTV store has for sale the new version of the HD100 available as of Sunday evening

                   Front of SageTV HD Theater:


                    Back of SageTV HD Theater:

The new HD Extender is called the SageTV HD Theater or the more geeky name of HD200.
Here’s what I can tell you about the new HD200 (most of this is based on the information available at SageTV.com

The SageTV HD Theater (HD200) can function just like the HD100 extenders did – it handles all of the same video & audio formats plus some, handles STVs (replacement UI’s) just like the HD100, handles STVi’s just like the HD100, Can act as Placeshifter client etc).
The SageTV HD Theater can also function as a standalone media player without connecting to the SageTV server and CAN run without a PC if desired to play media it finds on your local network or on a local USB storage device connected to the HD200, without connecting to SageTV server

Screen-shot of the Stand-alone mode menu for the new SageTV HD Theater

Price is $200 – so you get the same functionality plus some new functionality all for the same price as the HD100 was selling for. Alternatively you can buy the SageTV bundle and get the HD200 along with the SageTV software for a PC (required if you want the PC to be the HTPC server).
Includes a faster processor with more memory then the HD100
User Interface and firmware updates are much faster (probably because of the faster processor and additional memory)
Just like the HD100, the unit is fanless (and therefore probably silent).
Includes the same remote as the HD100 did
Hardware - My guess is that the insides are slightly upgraded with a new Sigma Chip as well although I don't have confirmation of this yet.
Form factor is different – smaller footprint then the HD100
Control buttons are no longer on the front of the unit like they were on the HD100.
There is a USB port on the front and back of the unit –NOW CONFIRMED TO HAVE ACTIVE USB PORTS (see notes on standalone mode)
Video Ports Include: HDMI (looks like HDMI 1.2), Component, Composite or S-Video input (NTSC)
Audio Ports Include: HDMI, Optical and Left and right audio input jacks
Video Format supported: MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264 up to 1080p, AVI, VOB, WMV9/VC-1 up to 1080p
Audio formats supported: MP2, MP3, AAC, WMA, Vorbis (stereo only), AC3 (stereo down-mix/pass-through), FLAC, DTS (pass-through)

Other Details:
Maximum Number of SageTV HD Theaters: Limited only by your home network bandwidth, each HD video stream may use 20 Mbps or more of home network bandwidth.
Network Requirements:

One 10/100 RJ-45 port on a Router, Hub or Switch network with DHCP server on network or
Direct connect from SageTV HD Media Extender to PC running DHCP server via cross over LAN cable (not supplied)

Included with the SageTV HD THeater:

SageTV HD Theater digital media receiver
Remote control with batteries
1.5 meter A/V cable set
S- video cable
HDMI cable
1.5 meter Ethernet cable

To read more about the new SageTV HD Theater, check out the SageTV Store for more details
Just keep in mind. SageTV is saying that the HD Theater device can do everything the HD100 Extender can and then some so it might be helpful to review the SageTV HD100 Extender review if you're not familiar with the device.

Stay tuned to GeekTonic for a complete review of the new SageTV HD Theater (HD200) coming soon!

GeekTonic BlackFriday & CyberMonday Deals

2008-11-28T14:13:00.001-06:00

If you’re like me you probably skipped out on the brick and mortar Black Friday deals this year, but still looking for the best online deals. If so, check out the new GeekTonicDeals website for all of the latest electronics deals.

The site is just getting started, but with all of the big deals going on I thought it would be a good toime to get it started.

I’ve collected the best online deals for today and will update for CyberMonday soon as well. Check all of them out at GeekTonicDeals.com

Plex Theme Spotlight

2008-11-28T05:00:00.001-06:00

As a self-proclaimed HTPC addict, I've become more and more interested in the many different User Interface layouts and themes for the different software alternatives. Themes and Skins are partly about the appearance and visual appeal, but often times it's also about the UI (user interface) and how you actually navigate your HTPC program.

Plex, a fork of the XBMC HTPC software has some of the more exciting themes/UIs available. Below are several screen-casts of 3 themes available to Plex users. All three look very, very nice and display the awesome capabilites of the HTPC. What is even more amazing to me is that this creativity and ingenuity of themes you find at Plex, SageMC, XBMC, Meedio, Media Portal and others all are coming from unpaid developers who just love their HTPCs.

I think most if not all of the themes available for Plex are also available for XBMC (probably originally created for XBMC matter of fact.)

Aeon
This skin/theme is called Aeon and is also available on XBMC. This skin definitely has the cool factor going for it and is VERY popular:

Plex with Aeon skin demo from muzo178 on Vimeo.

MediaStream
Below is the MediaStream skin - The UI is unique from many other HTPC UI's I've seen and I really like how this one works:

Plex with MediaStream skin demo from muzo178 on Vimeo.

via Plex Wiki

The Best Black Friday Deals for the Deal Hunters

2008-11-27T23:34:00.000-06:00

Looking for the best Black Friday gadget deals? Here are my picks for the good ones:

(stay tuned for the online deals - I'll have the best online deals for this weekend and CyberMonday posted later today.)

Best Buy

Garmin nuvi 350 GPS Navigation System 499.99
Insignia 2GB Video Mp3 player 99.99
Hitachi 51" Widescreen HDTV (Projection) 699.99
PNY 1GB USB Flash Drive 14.99
Western Digital 1TB My Book Home Edition External Hard Drive $150
Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player $200

Circuit City

Creative Labs 8GB Zen Photo Mp3 Player 129.99
Sharp Aquos 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV $1499.99
Samsung 50-inch Plasma $899.99
Polaroid 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card 29.99
Optoma DLP Digital Media Projector and Projector Screen 449.99

CompUSA

Microsoft Zune (4GB) MP3 Player $49.99
Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition $99.99

Walmart

ilo 26-inch LCD HDTV - 618.00
Sony PSP Video Game System 169.24 (Early Bird)
Samsung 10.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Zoom $69
HP A526 Photo Printer $60
Magnavox Blu-ray Player $128
HP Pavilion Desktop w/ 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 19″ LCD Monitor $392
Polaroid 42” 1080p LCD HDTV $598
Samsung 46” 1080p HDTV $1,098
Samsung 50” Widescreen 720p Plasma HDTV $798
Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle with Guitar Hero III with Guitar $199
Seagate 500GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive $69
Garmin Nuvi 200 3.5” GPS Navigation System: $97

Target

Samsung Mini-DV Camcorder 179.99
Atari Flashback Game System 19.87
Guitar Hero World Tour with Guitar Kit for Wii $60
Western Digital 750GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive $88.88

OfficeMax

Simpletech 640GB Mini Hard Drive $89.99

Staples

eMachines 19” Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor $99.98
Western Digital My Book Essential 640GB External Hard Drive $69.99

If you ventured out with the masses for Black Friday shopping, let us know what you picked up in the comments. I'll have the online deals posted later this Friday so stay tuned.

Plex 0.7.1

2008-11-26T08:30:00.001-06:00

The Plex team has a Thanksgiving treat for all of the users of Plex with their release of Plex Seven (0.7.1). Plex, a Mac-based Home Theater PC software based from the XBMC software just released version 7 of Plex just over a week ago and yesterday updated to version 0.7.1.

This update includes some nice, new features and bug fixes. Here's a few of the new features:

Aperture support - automatic reloading of databases and access across the network
Enhanced CoreAudio - Play 24-bit 96khz (or higher) audio. The same is true for CD audio or other 16 bit 44.1/48Khz audio. No more format conversion for audio.
Programs Area of Plex Enhanced
Thumbnail Generation - Plex Media Server generates thumbnails for artists, per request.
Update for scrapers to the latest versions from XBMC
Lots of other bug fixes and improvements

Read about the latest version including the full change list and download links at the Plex Blog

via MissingRemote