SageTV, LLC, today released SageTV Media Extender, a $99.95 accessory for SageTV Media Center for Windows that provides a whole-house PVR, music and photo media center system with no subscription fees. Now any TV connected to the SageTV Media Center through the home network with the SageTV Media Extender, or any networked PC running the SageTV Client software, can access the SageTV user interface as well as any media available through the software.
The combined SageTV Media Center and Media Extender system allows customers to set up a whole-home media center for a few hundred dollars, compared to thousands of dollars for other solutions. There is no need to purchase additional digital video recorder boxes to add more recording capability or purchase brand new PCs with Microsoft Media Center Edition to get DVR and media management control.
Now in Version 4.1, SageTV Media Center enables Windows users to record a single show or whole season of their favorite standard and/or high-definition television programs on PCs equipped with the appropriate tuner cards. Users can also pause, rewind and fast-forward live or recorded cable, satellite or antenna TV shows, and record multiple shows simultaneously because of the application's multiple tuner support. HD and standard definition programs can be streamed to multiple PCs on the network using SageTV Client, and standard definition content can be streamed to multiple TVs in the home with the SageTV Media Extender.
SageTV Media Center also comes with the SageTV Studio Software Development Kit (SDK), allowing complete customization of the SageTV user interface and seamless integration of new applications and online content such as RSS newsreaders, interactive weather maps and IMDB browsers by users, developers and OEMs. The SageTV Studio SDK personal license comes free with every registered version of SageTV 4.1. More information on the SageTV Studio is available at http://www.sagetv.com/studio.html .
For end users, SageTV Media Center for Windows software eliminates the need to buy a new Windows XP MCE PC or Windows XP MCE operating system to record HDTV programs and obtain other PVR/media center capabilities. For OEMs, the application makes it possible to build leading multi-stream standard and high-definition PVR products that also provide access to all music, photo and movies on the network from a single interface on Windows PCs or Linux PCs and embedded set-tops.
Other notable features in the current version of SageTV Media Center include:
-- Support for integrated Canadian and European electronic program
guides, improving usability for Canadian and European users. All
guides provide up to 14 days of television listings directly from the
SageTV interface, eliminating the need to switch to a separate online
application to plan one's TV viewing and recording.
-- Expanded support for music file types and playlists, enabling users to
import playlists they have created in any PC music application
utilizing ASF, WMA or WMV file formats as well as the MP3 format
supported in earlier editions.
-- Integrated weather reports, now available from the SageTV interface at
the user's option.
-- New configuration wizard, enabling easier setup of all SageTV Media
Center features ranging from music and photo locations to video
playback checks and channel tuning including a HDTV signal strength
indicator. Clear and simple wizard prompts allow users to choose setup
options and media preferences in minutes.
-- Support for additional tuner cards and other hardware, enabling the
application to support most major tuner cards in North America, Europe
and Asia.
The SageTV Media Center software, Studio SDK and SageTV Media Extender are also available in a Linux OEM edition that enables OEMs to create powerful, reliable, custom-branded consumer electronics appliances including media centers, media extenders, NAS media servers with TV recording, and IPTV and broadband video on demand products at breakthrough feature/price points on x86 as well as embedded hardware.
Specifications, Pricing and Availability
SageTV Media Center for Windows and all accessories are available at http://www.sagetv.com . SageTV, the core PVR/Media Center application, costs $79.95. SageTV Media Extender, an add-on that allows any TV to be connected to SageTV through the home network, costs $99.95. SageTV Client, an add-on that allows both live and recorded content to be streamed to other networked PCs, costs $29.95. Minimum system requirements for recording HD include a 3 Ghz processor or a lower cost processor in combination with a video card and decoder that support DXVA; Windows 98SE through Windows XP including XP MCE; 256Mb of RAM; and 60GB of available hard drive space to store recorded content.
About SageTV
SageTV, LLC (formerly Frey Technologies, LLC) is a pioneer in personal video recording and home media center technologies that combine television, music and related media into a complete, easy-to-use home media experience controlled from an existing PC. SageTV Media Center, the company's flagship product, is the first PVR solution that operates on both PCs and TVs, can be deployed on either Windows or Linux, and supports multiple tuners, networking and intelligent recording. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. For more information, visit http://www.sagetv.com .