Server and two clients?

G

GlobalFear

2[H]4U
Joined
Nov 22, 2003
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I would like to setup an htpc, two actualy. I've read somewhere that certain pvr software uses a server for recording and sends it out to the clients.

If that is right, would I be able to have a server and have two clients feed off of it? Would I need hdds? A bit new to htpcs.
 
here is my setup (about 3/4 done)

Server:
800gb of hard drive space
gigabit ethernet
PVR-250 (PVR 500 coming soon)

client 1
p4 2.8
ATI 9600
40gb hdd
10/100 ethernet

cleint 2
p3 1ghz
mx400
20gb hdd
10/100 ethernet


My goal is to have all of the cable running to the server, then run sage TV on it. I will use sage client for the other HTPC's. My golden rule is to have 1 tuner for each client plus 1 extra. so, each client will have it's own tuner in the server and one extra for schedule conflicts. This works better than one box with dual tuners and one box wit single tuner. less wire runs and I don't have to keep the dual tuner feature on one box. the server should allocate the tuners to whichever boxes are asking for a resource. Plus, all the recording will be done ont he server and in the same library, so the recordings will be viewable from any client box. now so far this is theory, but I will have it set up soon.
 
so your server holds all the pvr stuff as well as recorded material. sage client lets you run the frontend stuff and access all the recorded material as well as watch tv over the ethernet (i assume you need one tuner per client)? thats friggin awesome.
 
Also...if you plan on just using it for the "PVR" part of it you can use the hauppauge MVP instead of a full blown PC. They only cost $70 or so each. If you want bigger media control then you need a real PC. But if it is just TV...then you are golden.

The new version of SageTV (3.0) will also support MVP clients natively as well as a built in webserver to control sage from anywhere. The next version is due for release in a few months.



-tReP
 
Server 1:
Equiped with three tuners and SageTV (server mode) it records everything and then sends it out to the client boxes.

Client 1:
Sits in the living room streaming "Smallville" from the server for the wife and kids.

Client2:
While they watch "Smallville" your sitting in the Den/Office viewing the news highlights while getting some work done.

Server 1:
While it's recording and streaming the news to you and "Smallville" to the family it's also recording the local Baseball game using the thrid tuner for viewing later.
Click to expand...
You can use as many or as little tuners as you want but more is better as the example shows. ;) You can also get those features that Trep mentions as plugins right now. The MVP is a very cost effective to add another TV client but it doesn't support FFDshow (nor can it really support it) that is if you use that now, if not then it doesn't realy matter.
 
1. If you plan on using more than 3 tuners...I recommend going straight to the 500's. That way every upgrade is "two more" tuners.

2. Something that has finally gotten me to three tuners is how TV networks are now shifting their shows a minute or two. If you are recording one show and the next show is right after you will need a minute or two of overlap. This is fine if you have two tuners and are not watching anything. However if you are recording two shows one after another on different stations AND you want to watching something else you can potentially have a conflict for a minute or two. So if you plan on recording alot of TV...you might need three tuners to avoid conflicts :) This has happened a few times now....why I have three tuners.

A bit info on CPU usage. On an 1800+ XP, 2 tuners takes up about 50% of the CPU. You can see where this would go with 3, 4...5. However 6 tuners on a 2500+XP would do just fine :)
 
CE.....

How are you using FFDshow in your current path with SageTV? I've heard of people using it...but right now I just use VMR9 and the nVidia codec and get a pretty good picture.

-tReP
 
I didn't have CPU usage anywhere near that, with two 250MCEs I saw usage under 7% when both were in use with a 1900+. Overhead from Sage brought that up to 25-27%
 
Trepidati0n said:
CE.....

How are you using FFDshow in your current path with SageTV? I've heard of people using it...but right now I just use VMR9 and the nVidia codec and get a pretty good picture.

-tReP
Click to expand...
I don't use it for TV (far too stressing) but I couldn't ever go back to watching DVDs and videos with it. Because of the way that FFDShow works it can't be applied used with an MVP. My suggestion would be to build a good little box for the living room and use the MVP for other rooms around the house, the idea being that if your going to watch lots of things it's probably going to be in the living room.
 
This would be an awesome setup if it could be done with diskless clients. That avoids a good amount of noise, and you get the benefits of less heat and power usage as well. Unfortunely I've never seen a way to boot a modern windows os w/out a hdd in it.

This would be a great plan with a linux solution though. Maybe something like this might be available by the time I get around to getting a HTPC going, as it's endlessly getting delayed for me right now, until I'm assured my job will be around for a while and get a raise.
 
crim's logic is good. beefy PC for main viewing, smaller scale for other rooms. The MVP is cool, but it doesn't play DVD's and you can't change codecs to play other types of video's. but I alos have access to lots of free/cheap p3 stuff.
 
CrimandEvil said:
I didn't have CPU usage anywhere near that, with two 250MCEs I saw usage under 7% when both were in use with a 1900+. Overhead from Sage brought that up to 25-27%
Click to expand...

Ponderance on my part then...Something must be goofy on my end...to bad I wouldn't know how to go about diagnosing it. If both tuners are off Sage does nothing to my usage. Every tuner that I fire off chews up about 25% of my CPU. However...replay doesn't do much to my CPU usage.

-tReP
 
sandmanx said:
This would be an awesome setup if it could be done with diskless clients. That avoids a good amount of noise, and you get the benefits of less heat and power usage as well. Unfortunely I've never seen a way to boot a modern windows os w/out a hdd in it.

This would be a great plan with a linux solution though. Maybe something like this might be available by the time I get around to getting a HTPC going, as it's endlessly getting delayed for me right now, until I'm assured my job will be around for a while and get a raise.
Click to expand...

Sage is releasing a Linux version for OEMs. They are considering releasing an "unsupported" version for home users.

-tReP
 
Could be your decoder eating up cycles or you might need to reinstall the drivers.
 
Yup, Sage on Linux is going to be cool. I hope they release it as opensource-ish so that someone can recompile it for OS X. ;)
 
hmm...this is a good idea that i didnt think about. My plan was to have an HTPC in our Home Theater setup in the basement, and then my own HTPC in my room (my main rig), but this changes everything...

Will SageTV Client automatically recognize the SageTV Server? I'm having problems with file sharing...
 
CrimandEvil said:
Could be your decoder eating up cycles or you might need to reinstall the drivers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the idea. Arg...everytime I do "real" updates I have to lug up a 19" CRT monitor from the basement to hook up to the PC. Can't read squat on 27 SDTV...maybe i'm just getting old :(

I'll try updating the codec's next weekend (when I have free time).
 
also, how much network resources will it use? i.e. will it bring the network to its knees?
 
Believe me it's not your age, I'm 22 and have a hard time reading off of my SDTV as well. :)
 
rayman2k2 said:
also, how much network resources will it use? i.e. will it bring the network to its knees?
Click to expand...
For a Wireless setup it runs from yes to maybe, wired you shouldn't have much problems. Oh it was easy for me to setup a Sage server/client, almost brainless I'd say.
 
rayman2k2 said:
also, how much network resources will it use? i.e. will it bring the network to its knees?
Click to expand...
the only chokepoint would be if you had multiple clients connecting to the server. that is why I am doing gigabit fromt he server. eventually. as soon as I fin a reasonably priced gigabit switch
 
Thanks for the replies.

So if sagetv goes linux I could boot it off a mem card on the clients?
I was thinking of running a seperate wired network for the server/clients. How much would gigabit help? Maybe if I could find a cheap 4 port switch......


Also the server would be:

AXP 2500+ (have)
asus a7n8x Deluxe (have)
Gigabit network card (if I decide to do that)
Cheap gfx card (have)
512mb pc2700 (have)
TV tuners (2x wintv 500s, don't have)
200gb hdd (need, more will be added overtime)


Clients would be identical, easy updates.

matx/flexatx case (need)
AXP 1800+ (need)
512mb pc3200 (have)
2 gfx cards w/ video out (need, nvidia as ati linux drivers suck)
Gigabit network card (need)

Missing anything?
 
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