PC TV: Here, There And Everywhere
SageTV 5 is marketed as an alternative to Windows Media Center 2005 because the software runs on Windows XP/2000/ME/98SE and is compatible with the majority of TV tuner cards on the market. The product's hardware requirements are rather light, allowing system builders to create an inexpensive media-centric PC using common components. Minimum requirements are 128 Mbytes of RAM and a Pentium III processor (although advanced features up the ante slightly), making most new PCs a candidate for the product.
SageTV 5 brings a different perspective to the Media Center functionality market. The product is easy to install, configure and use, yet retains the look and feel of Microsoft's Media Center interface. The product offers all of the normal bells and whistlessuch as recording off-the-air broadcasts, scheduling, channel/program guides, media management and everything else one would expect from a Media Center PCall of which makes it an ideal alternative to TiVo.
The real magic of the product comes from the PlaceShifter option, which introduces remote viewing of either recorded or live TV. Users can access the product from local PCs, and remote users have the option to log on and set up recording schedules so their favorite shows are saved for later viewing. The company also offers a media extender product that allows televisions in other rooms to access content on the host PC.
The Test Center engineers selected a generic PC built around an AMD Athalon processor, 1 Gbyte of RAM, Windows XP and an ATI All-In-Wonder TV tuner/video card to test the product and encountered no difficulties during installation and usea good thing as the company only offers technical support via e-mail. Users connecting remotely to the PlaceShifter functionality will enjoy good quality audio and video, but available bandwidth does have a major impact on quality.
All things considered, SageTV Version 5 hits the mark when it comes to system builders looking to build media-capable PCs.