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

In Depth Look at the Fall 2010 TV Season – Seen in HD Podcast

I joined Phil and Matt for the “Seen in HD” Podcast again this year.  We spent most of the podcast reviewing this Fall 2010 TV Season including a rundown of what TV Shows are new and returning and our picks for winners and losers for this year.

If you’re a casual or hard-core TV watcher, this is one podcast you’ll want to give a listen to.

If you want to follow along as you listen, open up the Fall 2010 TV by-Day Schedule at GeekTonic.

Check out the Seen in HD Podcast at this link or at iTunes or Zune.

HTPCentric Podcast – the Hardware Show

This month’s episode of HTPCentric covers what I consider the difficult part of Home Theater PCs – the hardware.  Video Cards, CPUs, storage and more – oh my!  Another must-listen podcast in my book so don’t miss it if you’re a HTPC enthusiast.

HTPCentric Podcast – The Hardware Show

MythTV Gets Spotlighted on HTPCentric Podcast

This month’s episode of HTPCentric brings us two MythTV users explaining how they use MythTV for their HTPC setups.  If you are curious at all about MythTV this is a good episode to give a listen to.  I listened last night and enjoyed hearing more about MythTV which seems to be built around a framework that will sound very, very familiar to SageTV fans.

Jere and Adam talk over the ins and outs of MythTV with Patrick and Gadgetwisdom.  You may remember Gadgetwisdom who has had several excellent guest-posts here on GeekTonic about his MythTV rig and other MythTV-related articles.

HTPCentric Podcast

My New Favorite Podcast – HTPCentric

Over the past several years I’ve subscribed to and listened to many different media + gadget focused podcasts – I’ve even been a guest of a few of them.  But these past six months have stretched my time so thin that I’ve really not listened to more than a few hours of podcasts during that entire time.  That’s about to change though as I took the opportunity of eight-and-a-half hours of driving to listen to a new podcast by the guys at Digital Media Zone called HTPCentric.

You may remember HTPCentric from a while back.  I was a guest on the final episode of that version where we did a MS MediaCenter vs SageTV rundown.  This new re-creation of HTPCentric shares the same name, but really re-focuses on the topic of HTPC’s in general. 

Yes, there’s definitely more attention spent on Microsoft Media Center and on SageTV, but the key here is it’s not necessarily software-specific. 

The co-hosts are Adam Thursby who uses Microsoft Media Center and Jere Jones who uses SageTV.  The plan is to have a monthly podcast with a couple of guests on who all run through a set of topics that will interest anyone who uses HTPCs regardless of their favorite HTPC software. 

If you’re a typical HTPC enthusiast, you’re always interested in what the other “side” is doing and this is the perfect place to find out and be in the know."

I’ve just finished the first two episodes and in my book this is a must-subscribe podcast for anyone interested in HTPCs.  I’m already learning a lot from listening to these.  Do yourself a favor and listen in to these first two and I’m betting you’ll be hooked like I am.

A great start by Adam & Jere!

Find out more on the podcast and for subscription information at TheDigitalMediaZone

SageTV PlayOn Add-on Brings Hulu Netflix Amazon VOD and other Online Video

Last week I told you about a 3rd pary add-on being developed for SageTV that would give SageTV users easy access to Hulu and other online video content from their HTPC.  Last night, that application was released and is available for download.

What is SageTV PlayOn Online Video?

This new add-on called “PlayOn in Online Services” uses well-known PlayOn to automatically deliver online video content to all of your SageTV devices including PCs and extenders.  Online video content includes Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, CBS, ESPN and CNN.  SageTV users already have access to all of the popular video and audio podcasts as well as YouTube and Google Video via the Online Video menu of SageTV.  This plugin adds all of the PlayOn content to that menu so that control and navigation work exactly the same as with all video playback in SageTV.

What are the Requirements?

SageTV

Latest version of Default STV User Interface (2009091601)

Latest version of PlayOn installed and running (Version 2.59.3555 9/24/09) – You can get a free 14-day trial and $10 off of PlayOn through 9/30

OPTIONAL: Netflix Account for Netflix "Watch It Now"

OPTIONAL: Amazon VOD account

Using SageTV PlayOn Online Video

I’ve been using a test version of this add-on over the weekend and it’s working great.  This release version is fairly easy to install and it works with the custom SageMC user interface as well.  One of the great things about this add-on is that it works on extenders (HD200 AND HD100!) perfectly as well.  The default install organizes the various online video content into different categories – here’s a screenshot of some of those:

 

Main Menu

This is the lower part of the Online Services Main Menu.  Most of these are from the new PlayOn add-on with Hulu, Amazon, the Networks etc.

 

Review the New TV Premieres on the Seen In HD Podcast

I was a guest on one of my favorite new podcast shows this week – Seen in HD with Phil Lozen and Adam Thursby.  In the show Phil & Adam preview the upcoming shows for the week, review the Blu-ray releases, upcoming HD Sports schedule and review a few movies all with a emphasis on the High Definition.  This weeks show was a special one with a focus on the Fall 2009 TV Premieres.  You can hear the three of us talk about which shows will make it, which ones won’t and which ones you should record and watch.  It was a pleasure to join Phil & Adam and if you’re a casual or hard-core TV watcher you’ll want to give it a listen.

If you want to follow along as you listen, print out the Fall 2009 TV Premiere Listings.  There is a free PDF with all of the premieres sorted by name and by premiere date.

Check out the Seen in HD Podcast

GeekTonic on Entertainment 2.0 Podcast

Quick Programming Note:  Be sure and check out the Entertainment 2.0 Podcast with Adam, Josh, Andy VanTil, creator of DVR-MS Toolbox and myself.  We had a great discussion on the topic of HTPC’s and Why they Aren’t Mainstream

Listen to the Podcast Here: Entertainment 2.0 Episode 43: Why Aren’t HTPCs Mainstream?

Why Home Theater PCs Aren’t Mainstream – and Why They Shouldn’t Be

 

    Simple or Complicated?

The Home Theater PC (HTPC) is far from a mainstream consumer product today.  This discussion comes up time and time again in the HTPC enthusiast circle and this past week rose it’s curious head again.  Here’s the question and my answers:

What is keeping HTPCs from the mainstream?  The Key Obstacles to the HTPC/Media Center going Mainstream?

I think we can all agree that HTPCs, Media Center, SageTV, BeyondTV, XBMC and the rest of these powerful Home Theater PC products are in a very tiny, niche market.  One that is made up of mostly technically adept and/or very determined enthusiasts who want more than a DVR, more than a TiVo – just more flexibility and power where you are in control of your media.

For fun, lets look at the key obstacles keeping HTPCs far from Mainstream:

Note that many (most) of these obstacles were gathered via an interesting Twitter conversation I had with other enthusiasts as well as those who follow (and are aware of) HTPCs to some degree.

Complexity

The number one obstacle in my opinion is complexity.  This is a tough one that can only be solved by dumbing down the HTPC or at least making it more appliance like.  You can go part-way towards appliance without giving up too much of the flexibility a HTPC gives you but it’s a fine line.

• Setup & Maintenance Can Be Time Consuming and Requires at Least Some Technical Knowledge.  Many of the things HTPC enthusiasts deal with are things we take for granted, but more mainstream consumers wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to do or even want to expend energy doing.
• It’s Not Plug & Play - To be mainstream it has to be a simple Set Top Box that you plug in and begin exploring.
• Tuner Cards Inside Computers = Complications/Confusion – If we have to use an internal tuner card its going to be too complicated for the average Joe UNLESS it’s pre-installed.  If the tuner is USB that helps things but then you have the “is it compatible with given HTPC software”, is it HD?, will it work with my cable/satellite company? how do I change the channel.  The list can go on and on.  There are certainly answers for this, but they aren’t easy enough for the mainstream.  And most computers we buy do NOT come with a tuner card installed.
• Too Many Hardware/Software Variables – As it stands today, building your own HTPC requires some serious homework – even for the seasoned HTPC enthusiast you better know what hardware and software combinations will work together the best.  And those multitudes of combinations in use makes the support the HTPC software company provides that much harder.
• Home Network - Lack of home network capability.  How many have network connections to their TVs?  OR a wireless network that can handle HD?
• Remote Control – Getting the remote control to work everything.  It’s easy for me, but not for the mainstream folk.
• Self Imposed Complexity – This is sort of a knock on Microsoft or you can look at it as a knock on the organizations that forced MS to put these artificial restrictions on Media Center to get the content they wanted.  Microsoft has self imposed complexity with their many format restrictions, lack of viable extenders (XBox360 being an exception), native DVD and/or Blu-ray playback and other weird limitations.

Content

Getting content into your HTPC and distributing it throughout your network is a growing concern of HTPC enthusiasts these days.   The simple CATV connection just doesn’t cut it anymore – especially with the Cable Companies getting the go-ahead to ignore the FCC rules, limitations of clear QAM and no satellite tuners in sight.  The Hauppauge HD-PVR works great for the geeks like me, but won't work for mainstream.

• Getting Premium HD channels and even regular, non-OTA HD channels isn’t cut and dry for Cable and Satellite customers with HTPCs.  And I don’t see this getting any easier.  Currently CableCard (for cable) on Microsoft MediaCenter and the Hauppauge HD-PVR are the only two solid solutions for getting that content to the HTPC.  And both have their disadvantages and complications.
• Blu-ray & DVD for Movies – Want to play a movie stored on your HTPC server and stream it to an extender or other computer?  It isn’t as easy as it should be and ripping it to your hard drive has it’s legal issues regardless of how you look at it.  I can view all ripped and even streamed DVDs and Blu-Rays from my hard drive or my server’s optical drives, but you can’t do this with all HTPCs.
• Video On Demand – Getting a cable video-on-demand movie or event isn’t in the cards for HTPC users.  Some (myself included) don’t care all that much as the quality is many times lacking and the price is usually too high.  But if that event happens to be a Missouri Football game I might think twice…
• Compelling default online channels - Hulu, Netflix etc – Another one that isn’t cut and dry is online delivery of content.  Hulu doesn’t want anyone to view their content unless it’s on a computer screen.  Netflix is on the XBox 360 and even Media Center, but not on extenders.  As the media companies inch closer to online distribution of content this will become more of an issue.

Price

While the high price is definitely an obstacle, I personally don't think price is the main issue - if it was then you'd see 50% or more of wealthy households with a HTPC or some sort of media center and that just isn't the case.  It is an issue - one of perceived return on investment by the buyer, but I think a smaller one then the others really.  If we’re talking about HTPCs going mainstream then the price does come into play yes, but I think price is a smaller issue compared to those above.

Awareness

• Understanding of the concept of the HTPC – Ever have someone ask you: how do you do that?  And you answer “it’s my HTPC powering all of my TV/Movies/Music/Photos.”  The glazed over look from these people is almost universal – HTCP?  What’s that?  Did you get it from Time Warner?  They don’t even know what MediaCenter is (mine is a SageTV powered – not Microsoft, but still.)
• Names of HTPCs, Extenders, Etc – Is the name HTPC something so foreign and/or geeky that it won’t sell?  I think it probably is and thats why I like what Microsoft did with “Media Center.”  It sort of gives the meaning that HTPCs are more than just a computer.
  

Market

• Too many devices fighting to be the ONE device attached to the screen (HTPC, PCH, WDTV, Laptops, Roku, Blu-ray players, SageTV HD Theater, Windows MC Extenders.)  Even the techno bloggers say “not another box at the TV!”
  

Other

• You Want to Put What in My Living Room?  Clutter & complexity of all that HTPC stuff - Server, Tuners, Networks, More computers or extenders or XBox360's around the house.  HD-PVR's and/or cable boxes etc.  Cords galore!
• Noise – Something that causes some fits is the noise an HTPC or XBox360 emits.  My SageTV HD Theater is silent and that is what we need to make it acceptible

 

Now that we Have some of the Obstacles Listed, Do we really want it to become mainstream?

I think eventually there will be some sort of device or concept similar to HTPCs that IS mainstream.  It will be easier to use, but won't be as "powerful."

I want something in-between what we have today and mainstream.  It has to be popular enough to garner a force with getting content (online and via tuners) and to make it a profitable business for a larger company like MS, Apple and even the CE manufacturers, but it doesn't have to be as mainstream as the DVD Player for instance!  You give up way too much to make it truly mainstream.

Andy Van Till had a good Twitter quote when I posed the question about mainstream:  "Toasters are 'mainstream', I wonder if that is the right target?"  I think most of us would agree that toasters aren't what we're going for here.  But I think the existing market is EXTREMELY difficult for a company like MS or even Apple to operate in. 

There just isn't a bunch of revenues there with such a small niche of a market.  That's why I think SageTV is pretty successful.  They keep it small because they have to, but that gives them the ability to focus on one single market - the enthusiasts.  And a decent profit to them is a microscopic drop in the bucket to Microsoft.

  You see what I mean here?  There is a real incentive for a small company like SageTV to push forward through the difficult HTPC market with new features and CE devices even if the numbers of users are small compared to a MS or Apple.  Snapstream is another company that was in the market and even with their small size, they've moved on to focus more (or at least split their focus with the enterprise market.

Apple had dabbled with the Apple TV but it's hardly a true HTPC.  And even if they do come out with a home media device in the next months or years I see it being a crippled device in comparison to a full-blown HTPC.  Microsoft will continue with Media Center, but I think they’ll continue down the path of complete focus on the custom integrators as that’s where the customers and the money is.  And its a small enough group of customers to be able to support that group and their needs.  The enthusiast continues to be left to work harder to get the HTPC/Media Center he or she wants.  Some will get that with Microsoft Media Center, some with SageTV, and others will go with the many other options available.  But the mainstream customer will continue on with the crappy DVR and eventually VOD boxes that lock them into the content their way and not the customers way of doing things.

For more, be sure and check out the Entertainment 2.0 Podcast with Adam, Josh, Andy VanTil, creator of DVR-MS Toolbox and myself.  We had a great discussion on this topic and you’ll hear some good viewpoints in the podcast.  Another good post on this topic to check out is Phil Lozen’s at LivingHighDef

Entertainment 2.0 Episode 43: Why Aren’t HTPCs Mainstream?

Roku Getting Mediafly – and something even better?

According to Dave Zatz at ZatzNotFunny, the Roku box is getting Mediafly this fall. Mediafly aggregates free audio and video podcasts along with other clients for the iPhone, popcorn hour, chumby, blackberry and RSS.

Zatz also hints at another service coming to the Roku, but doesn’t go as far as saying who.  Whiile it would certainly be nice, I’m betting against Hulu and Roku already has Amazon On Demand so I wonder what it is?  Hmm.

Read more at ZatzNotFunny!

The Media Center Show Hits #200

As a HTPC enthusiast, I'm always looking for great content about Home Theater PCs.  One of my favorite podcasts is Ian Dixon's Digital Lifestyle Media Center Show.  His focus is exclusively Microsoft Media Center but even if you use a different HTPC software product you can learn a lot from Ian's podcasts.  This past week he produced show number 200 which is pretty amazing.

In the show Ian interviews Charlie Owen, Ed Bott and Chris Lanier for what runs out to be a great conversation about Media Center's past and future as well as several other HTPC related topics.  Congratulations to Ian for hitting the 200 mark - keep up the great work!

Media Center Show - Three Wise Men: Episode 200

EngadgetHD Special Podcast - Windows Media Center Custom Integrators

I always enjoy the EngadgetHD podcast each week with Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim.  They focus on all things HD, but because of Ben's time with Windows Media Center there always tends to be a little HTPC talk as well.  This week, Ben ran a special pocast Engadget HD Podcast (two this week) focused on Windows Media Center and it's place with enthusiasts and custom integrators.  Ben interviewed Derek Flickinger who happens to be the host of the new podcast The Custom Integrator Show on Ian Dixon's Digital Media network.  Ben and Derek cover Windows Media Center, HDMI and the Media Center Integrator Alliance.

If you have any interest in Windows Media Center and are curious at all about the custom integrators and how they fit in with enthusiasts like you and me, give this one a listen.

Engadget HD Podcast 126

GeekTonic on Kindle Chronicles Podcast

The Kindle 2 has been our digital media gadget of choice at the GeekTonic home these past two weeks.  While not our normal TV or Audio-based media gadget of discussion at GeekTonic, the Kindle 2 eBook reader by Amazon.com fits in very nicely with its convenient, easy to use digital book reading capabilities.  Earlier this week, Len Edgerly asked me to join him for a segment of his popular Kindle-Podcast, the Kindle Chronicles.  In the interview Len asks me about my experiences with the new Kindle 2.

If you have any interest in eBook readers or the Amazon Kindle readers, the Kindle Chronicles is the Podcast to subscribe to.  I've been listening to it for several months now and look forward to each week's podcast.  Len does a great job of mixing in Kindle-related news, tips and tricks and an interesting interview in nearly each podcast.  Highly recommended.

Read more about the Kindle Chronicles Podcast at the website (you can also download the episode with my interview from this site)

Get the Kindle Chronicles Podcast on iTunes

 

More Kindle 2 Writings:

We've been pouring over every detail we can get our hands on about the Kindle 2 so don't miss these other Kindle 2 posts on GeekTonic:

Kindle 2 Shortcuts, Tips, and Tricks

GeekTonic Kindle 2 Comprehensive Review 

The Non-Geek Tonic Kindle 2 review companion piece by my wife, Shelly

Kindle 2 Photos, Unboxing Video and 1st Impressions

Kindle 2 Text-To-Speech in Action - Video

 

Stay Tuned to GeekTonic for more Kindle 2 and Media Gadget talk by subscribing to the GeekTonic RSS Feed

SageTV vs Windows Media Center Showdown Podcast

 

I had the pleasure of participating in a a fun Home Theater PC (HTCP) roundtable podcast that pitted SageTV against Windows Media Center.  I joined the regulars on the HTPCentric Podcast, Tim Campbell and Adam Thursby along with Josh Shenkle and Josh Pollard.  We hashed out the pros and cons of both SageTV and Windows Media Center talking over cost, ease of use, third party applications and more.

If you're a HTPC enthusiast or just trying to decide between the two I think you'll find the podcast a must listen.  There's no way we could really cover all of the many great things (and the pet peeves) about both of these HTPC programs in just an hour, but I think we gave it a good start.

Listen to the promo here

 

HTPCentric Website The Podcast is Published and ready for you to listen.

HTPCentric Podcast on iTunes

 

Thanks to Adam and Tim for having me on the show and for Josh Pollard and Josh for joining us for a great HTPC Talk.

GeekTonic on the EngadgetHD Podcast

As I've said before, the EngadgetHD podcast is one of my favorite podcasts – Ben Drawbaugh & Steve Kim cover all things HD including topics such as HD gadgets and HD content.  This week Ben invited me back to the show for the second time (my first time on the podcast was to review the TV premieres) as a guest on the EngadgetHD Podcast. 

We covered a bunch of topics including several HTPC-themes such as Windows Media Center, Boxee, SageTV and the SageTV HD Theater.  While Ben Drawbaugh (EngadgetHD team member) uses Vista Media Center to drive his Media TV at home, but he's been reviewing the SageTV HD Theater so it was really intereresting to get his perspective on the HD Theater and SageTV itself.

If you're interested in Media Computers or High Definition Media in general, be sure and check out the EngadgetHD Podcast.

Listen to the EngadgetHD Podcast Episode 121

GeekTonic gets Mention on HTGuys Podcast

As many of my readers know I'm a avid listener of podcasts and one of my favorites mentioned GeekTonic on todays show.  HTGuys does a daily HDTV Podcast that covers the news, some reviews and pretty much all HD-related coverage.

They reviewed the always popular, bi-annual TV Season Premiere Guide in quite a bit of depth.  If you're a TV fan and like HDTV, be sure and check out the January 9th HDTV Podcast (#344).  I listen to most of their podcasts and highly recommend them!  This is probably the third time the GeekTonic TV Premier Guide has been mentioned on excellent podcasts - the last time was on the highly recommended EngadgetHD podcast.

 

By the way, I updated the TV Premiere Listings PDF downloads with several updates and improved formatting.  There is a by-date listing and a alpha-by-name listing available for download so be sure and check it out.

 

Check out the HDTV Podcast at HTguys.com