Appendix N: SageTV Placeshifter Client

= Appendix N: SageTV Placeshifter Client =

SageTV’s Placeshifter Client can be used to connect to your SageTV system via a network connection, either locally or via the internet while away from home. It allows the full SageTV User Interface to be used at a remote location, with media playback over the internet possible, including playback of live or recorded TV shows.

=== SageTV Placeshifter Client Installation ===

Run the Placeshifter Client installer on any system where you wish to use it, then follow the onscreen instructions.

=== Registering Placeshifter Licenses ===

In order to use the SageTV Placeshifter Client past the trial usage period, a license key must be entered on the SageTV server for each Placeshifter to be used simultaneously.

To enter your license, on a Windows SageTV server system, go to the Windows Start button, then select All Programs > SageTV > Register SageTV Media Extender License. Enter your license in the dialog that appears.

To enter your license, on a Mac SageTV server system, go to System Preferences > SageTV > Licenses. Select the plus (+) symbol to add an additional license.

'''Note: It is recommended that you exit SageTV on the server computer before entering a Placeshifter license. (If using service mode, stop the service.) Note: The Placeshifter Client uses the same type of license as the Media Extender. See Appendix M: SageTV Media Extenders.'''

=== Enable the Placeshifter Server ===

To enable your SageTV server to act as a Placeshifter Server, enable the SageTV Server option in the Detailed Setup: Server Settings menu and make sure the Media Extender and Placeshifter Server is also enabled on that screen.

=== Enable Remote Access to your SageTV server ===

For the Placeshifter Client to be able to access your SageTV server from a remote location, it must be able to connect through your firewall/router. SageTV can setup this connection via the Configure Placeshifter Internet Connection configuration wizard in the Detailed Setup: Server Settings menu. Notes: The configuration wizard will open and forward port 31099 to the computer that is running the SageTV server. See Firewall Settings for more port information.

Create Placeshifter users
Before the Placeshifter Client can connect to your SageTV server, at least one Placeshifter user must be created. See the Manage Placeshifter Users option in the Detailed Setup: Server Settings menu.

== Placeshifter Client Connections ==

Once the Placeshifter Client has been installed and the server configured to allow Placeshifter access (see above), then run SageTVPlaceshifter on the remote system. This will open the SageTV Placeshifter Servers Manager.

From the servers manager screen, you can choose what server to connect to, add other servers to look for, and configure some Placeshifter client settings.

While any local network servers may be found automatically, your SageTV server may not be listed if you are at a remote location. In this case, select the Add button to specify the location of your SageTV server. See Adding a Server, below.

To configure some the Placeshifter options, choose the Settings button. See Placeshifter Settings, below.

Double-click on a server to connect to, or highlight one and select the Connect button. See Placeshifter Login, below.

Adding a Server
Specify the location of a new server in the dialog that opens after selecting Add from the SageTV Placeshifter Servers Manager. In the dialog, create a name for the server, then enter either the Locator ID or the internet address of your SageTV server. By using the Locator ID, you do not need to remember the address to your home system, but you will need to know the server’s Locator ID. This information can be found in the server’s Detailed Setup: Server Settings menu, or on its System Information display.

Placeshifter Settings
After selecting the Settings option from the '''SageTV Placeshifter Servers Manager''' screen, the following options are available:

General – On the General settings tab, choose whether to exit the Placeshifter client when closing the SageTV connection. If this option is not checked, the '''SageTV Placeshifter Servers Manager''' will reopen after closing the SageTV connection.

The custom SageTV title bar can be enabled, allowing an option to set the window to Always on Top and to show the streaming statistics in the title bar after connecting. Note that enabling the custom title bar may disable some Operating System functionality of the window, and it may not look the same as other windows.

Choose whether to enable 3D Acceleration or video post processing.

To use an IRMan or USB-UIRT IR receiver for remote control of the Placeshifter user interface once connected, select the USB or COM port where the receiver is connected.

Select an option for Local Filesystem Security, which determines the SageTV server’s access to the files local to the Placeshifter system.

Streaming – On the Streaming settings tab, choose how SageTV will transcode media for remote playback. You can use SageTV’s dynamic streaming system to adjust the playback bitrate automatically, stream without transcoding (usually only on a local network), or manually select the streaming settings. If manually specifying the settings, the options at the bottom will be enabled and can be set to your preference.

About – Displays some information about the Placeshifter application, including the version number.

Placeshifter Login
After choosing a server to connect to, the SageTV Placeshifter Servers Manager will close and the Placeshifter login screen will open. On this screen, enter a valid username and password, then press Enter or select the Login button. If the username and password combination is valid, then the STV assigned to that user in the Manage Placeshifter Users option in the Detailed Setup: Server Settings menu will be loaded, and regular SageTV usage begins.

Notes: If the login screen sits idle for too long, or if an incorrect username and password combination is entered too many times, the login screen will automatically close.

When connecting via a local network connection, a username and password may not be requested.

If the Allow Placeshifter clients to automatically login option in Detailed Setup: Server Settings on the SageTV server has been enabled, then the Placeshifter client will be able to enable automatic login while entering the username and password.

== Placeshifter Client Media Playback ==

The Placeshifter Client can play most media via its transcoding feature, streaming the content to the remote location for playback. However, DVD and BD playback is not supported, and transcoding for certain other formats may not be available.

== Using SageTV Studio with a Placeshifter Client (optional) ==

Using the Customize command while using a Placeshifter Client opens Studio on the server computer that the Placeshifter is connected to.

Note: If the server is running in service mode, it may still be possible to open a Studio window by configuring the service to interact with the Desktop. This requires knowledge of how to use Windows utilities to configure the service in this way.