Chapter 4: Media Playback

Supported Media Types
SageTV supports many current video, music and photo formats:

 File Formats – AVI, ASF, MKV, MOV, MP4, QuickTime, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 PS, MPEG-2 TS, M2TS, BDMV Folder (BluRay), BluRay ISO, DVD ISO, DVD

VIDEO_TS, VOB, M4A, MP3, FLAC, OGG, FLV, WAV, WMA

 Video Codecs – MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, H264*, WMV9, VC1*, MJPEG,

FlashVideo (some formats may require an external decoder to be installed)

 Audio Codecs – MP2, MP3, AAC, AAC-HE, ALAC, WMA, WMAPro, PCM, Vorbis, FLAC, DolbyDigital, DolbyTrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD/MA (some formats may require an external decoder to be installed)

 CC/Subtitle Formats – EIA-608 (NTSC/ATSC/QAM Closed Captioning), SRT, SSA/ASS, SAMI, .sub (Subviewer/MicroDVD), DVD, multiple languages supported in all formats (NOTE: HD media extenders support additional subtitle formats beyond this.)

 Playlist Formats – M3U, WPL, ASX, WAX, WVX

 Picture Formats – JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF

Using the SageTV Media Playback Interface
SageTV supports the basic media types of video, DVD/BD, music, and pictures. Each type has its own specialized playback interface. While most of the playback interfaces are similar in terms of which commands are available, there are some differences to be aware of. Therefore, each of the four interfaces will be described below, along with the most commonly used commands. See the full list of commands for a complete description of all available commands. The basic media types that can be played or viewed are:

 Videos – Videos include SageTV recordings of TV shows and videos that have been imported into the Video Browser. SageTV looks for library videos in the Media Center Import Directories, as defined in Detailed Setup: General Settings. For details about playing videos, see Video Playback.

 DVD – DVDs can be played from a DVD drive in the same computer SageTV is running on. DVDs cannot be played over a network from a DVD drive on another computer.

DVDs stored on a hard drive can be played by SageTV. (see: Appendix I: Playing DVDs and BDs from the Hard Drive.) For details about playing DVDs, see DVD Playback.

 Music – The Music Browser can play music files stored on the computer in any of the Media Center Import Directories, as defined in Detailed Setup: General Settings. For details about playing music, see Music Playback.

 Pictures – Pictures may be viewed individually or as a slideshow in the Photo Browser.

As with music and library videos, SageTV looks for pictures in the Media Center Import Directories, as defined in Detailed Setup: General Settings. For details about viewing pictures, see Picture Viewing.

A Note About Time Scroll Playback Mode
One command that is not listed in the playback sections below, because it is not assigned to a keystroke by default, is the Time Scroll command, which offers another way to jump forward or backward while playing media, in addition to the Skip Forward, Skip Bkwd, Skip Fwd #2, and Skip Bkwd #2 commands. It operates quite differently from those commands, however.

The first use of the Time Scroll command enters time scroll mode. If playback has not been paused, playback will continue while the time indicator will change color. While in this mode, you may:

Use the Skip Forward and Skip Bkwd commands to move the time indicator icon forward/backward 2 minutes 30 seconds for each time one of these commands is used. (This time is adjustable via the Fast Forward & Rewind times option.) For now, playback will continue at the current time; only the time indicator will move.

Use the Skip Fwd #2 and Skip Bkwd #2 commands to move the time indicator icon directly to the end or beginning of the media, respectively. For now, playback will continue at the current time; only the time indicator will move.

To exit time scroll mode:

Use the Time Scroll command a second time to exit time scroll mode and begin playback at the time indicator icon’s current location. If you have jumped to the end of the media, playback of that media will end. If playback was paused, it will still remain paused after exiting time scroll mode. Note: the time indicator icon does not move on its own while in time scroll mode; if you let playback continue for a short period without using any FF or REW commands and then exit time scroll mode using the command a second time, playback will jump back to where the indicator was.

Do nothing for a short delay period, or use commands such as Pause, Play, or Play/Pause, to cancel time scroll mode and continue playback at the current playback location, regardless of where the time indicator icon is currently shown.

If you wish to make use of the time scroll mode functionality, you will need to assign a key or remote control IR code to it. See the Link Infrared/Keystroke to SageTV Command option in Detailed Setup.

Video Playback
During video playback, the On-Screen Display (OSD) will appear after using most playback control commands and will turn off after a short timeout period. Alternatively, you can use the Info or Select command to toggle the OSD on or off. Note: Only certain portions of the OSD may be shown, depending on the current status and the command used. Tip: To change the timeout period, see Inactivity Timeout and OSD AutoHide in Detailed Setup: Customize Settings.

OSD Top
The upper left displays the channel where a recording aired, or the current channel for live TV. If playback is live TV, the and icons can be used to change the channel with the mouse. If SageTV has been configured to use channel logos, the channel logo will be displayed when available. Note: This section displays the video thumbnail, if available, when playing imported video files.

The middle section of the top displays an abbreviated form of the recording’s or imported video’s detailed information, including the show title, episode name, date and time when the show was recorded, and a description of the show’s contents. The titles for Manual Recordings and Favorites will be shown using bold text.

The upper right displays the current day and time, along with a volume indicator showing whether the volume has been muted or is audible. The volume may be controlled with the mouse by clicking on the volume bar. Clicking on the volume icon will turn the sound on or off.

OSD Bottom
The bottom contains the time bar display (see below for details) showing the current point of playback along with the overall length of the recording or imported video, and mouse icons to control playback, if mouse icons have been enabled. To control whether mouse icons are shown, use the Show Mouse Icons option in Detailed Setup: General Settings. Using the mouse, clicking on any point on the time bar moves the playback point to that position. Clicking on the icons

performs these functions:

Skip Bkwd #2 Skip Bkwd

Skip Forward          Skip Fwd #2

Stop                                         Pause orPlay

OSD Time Bar
The time bar is used to indicate the length of the recording or imported video, the current playback position, and such status information as the section that has been watched, recorded, and/or not recorded.

The time bar always displays “0:00:00” as the beginning at the far left (click on that number to jump to the start of the video) and the video’s duration to the far right (click on that number to jump to the end of the video).

If a recording has been padded so that the recording extends beyond the start/end of the show’s actual airing time, that padding will be displayed on the time bar also, to the left/right of the vertical marker bars for the start/end times.

The colors on the time bar display represent the four possible indicator states. Note: The time bar has slightly different coloring in the padded areas.

 Red – This is the portion of the show that is in the past and has not been recorded. If you have changed the channel and then returned to a previously watched channel during the same show, you may notice that there is a red section to indicate the portion of the show not recorded in between recorded sections.

 White – This part of the show has been viewed and is now considered Watched by SageTV. If you exit a show that has not yet been completely watched, SageTV will remember how much you have watched and continue from that point the next time you watch that recording.

 Green – This is the remainder of the show that has already been recorded, but not yet watched.

 Clear – This represents the portion of the show that has not yet been recorded since it is beyond the current time and thus has not aired yet. You cannot fast forward into the clear section, since it represents the future.

Playback Commands
Most SageTV commands are available during video playback. The most commonly used ones and their default key assignments are listed below. Please see Appendix E: Remote Controls for the default Hauppauge and Streamzap remote layouts and remember that you can customize your key assignments for every command. The SageTV Commands customization section contains full details of all the available commands, their default keys, and how to customize their assignments.

Command         Keystroke        Function 

Pause                  Ctrl+S               Pause playback. If already paused, advance one frame.

Play                    Ctrl+D              Resume playback if paused.

Video Playback Options Menu
Using the Options command while playing a SageTV recording or imported video will cause a pop-up menu to appear with additional options:

Cancel – Cancel the pop-up and close it. Using the Options command has the same result.

Detailed Info – Use this option while watching a recording to jump directly to the Recording Detail menu for the recording being played or the Video Detail menu for an imported video.

Subtitles – If the video contains subtitles, this option toggles whether subtitles are to be displayed. Subtitles are enabled if this option is checked.

Subtitle Language – If the video contains multiple subtitle languages, this option will be available for choosing which language to use for subtitles.

Save Downloaded File – When playing a downloaded video media file, this option will be available after the file has been completely downloaded. The downloaded video will be saved as an imported video and may be played from the Video Browser. Use the Record command as a shortcut for this option.

'''Shuffle Video Playback''' – This selection reflects whether random playback of the current video playlist is enabled or disabled. Selecting this item will toggle shuffled playback on and off.

'''Repeat Video Playback''' – This selection reflects whether repeat playback of the current video playlist is enabled or disabled. Selecting this item will toggle repeat playback on and off.

Main Menu – Go directly to the Main Menu.

Video Library – Go directly to the Video Browser menu to view imported videos. Available when playing an imported video.

SageTV Recordings – Go directly to the SageTV Recordings menu to view the list of recordings. Available when playing a recording.

Program Guide – Go directly to the Program Guide to view the grid showing the list of shows on each channel. Available when playing a recording.

Recording Schedule – Go directly to the Recording Schedule to view upcoming recordings. Available when playing a recording.

Standby – Stops playback and puts SageTV into standby (or sleep) mode.

BD Title Select – When playing a Blu-ray video, this option opens a dialog where the list of Blu-ray tiles are listed. The currently playing title is marked; select a title from the list to start playing that title.

Stop Playback – Closes the file and stops playback. You will be returned to the screen where playback was initiated. If that is not possible, then you will jump to the Program Guide, SageTV Recordings, or Video Browser menu, depending on the video that was playing. Use the Stop command as a shortcut for this option. Notes:

If you are watching live TV, this command will also stop the recording process.

If the live TV that you are watching is a show that was scheduled to record, the recording will continue; only playback will stop.

If you are watching a prerecorded show, no recording process is affected.

Next Chapter – If the video contains multiple chapters, this option will be available to jump to the next chapter.

Previous Chapter – If the video contains multiple chapters, this option will be available to jump to the previous chapter.

Record this show – This option’s name can change depending on the status of the recording. While watching live TV, use this option to toggle whether to record and keep the show. While watching an existing recording, this option will mark or unmark the Manual Recording status for the recording. Use the Record command as a shortcut for this option.

Jump to Beginning – Jump to the beginning of the video. While this dialog is open, use the Skip Bkwd #2 command as a shortcut for this option.

Jump to End – Jump to the end of the video. While this dialog is open, use the Skip Fwd #2 command as a shortcut for this option.

Audio Language – If the video contains multiple languages, this option will be available for choosing which language to use during playback.

Aspect Ratio Mode – Displays another pop-up menu where you can choose which aspect ratio to use for playback. See the Aspect Ratio Mode selection dialog.

'''Captions (Off/CC1/CC2)''' – Toggles between the Closed Caption display settings, when available. Also see Appendix K: Closed Captions.

'''Caption & Subtitle Options''' – If subtitles and/or closed captions are available, this option will be shown, allowing setting various caption and subtitle options.

Toggle Full Screen – Toggles whether SageTV should make its Window full screen or not.

Video Playback Completion Options
Since SageTV will not automatically delete a Manual Recording or a Favorite with AutoDelete turned off, when such a recording completes playback after being fully watched, an options menu will be shown to ask whether to delete the recording. Choose from:

 Delete this recording now – The recording will be deleted immediately.

''' Delete this recording when space is needed''' – (Shown only for Manual Recordings.) The recording will have its Manual Recording status cleared so that SageTV sees it as just a regular recording. Note: If the recording is also a Favorite with AutoDelete turned off, SageTV will still not be able to delete the file automatically.

 Do not delete this recording – The recording will not be deleted; it will be left as-is. Note: Using the Options command will also close this menu without deleting the recording.

Note: This dialog can also be configured to ask for all recordings or to never be shown. See Ask to delete recording at end of playback?, in Detailed Setup: Customize Settings.

Aspect Ratio Mode selection dialog
This dialog displays a list of the available aspect ratio modes that can be used for video playback. In addition, custom aspect ratio modes can be created and edited when using a SageTV HD Extender. The Aspect Ratio Mode dialog has the following choices:

 

 Close – Cancel and close this menu.

 Add new custom AR Mode – (HD Extender only) Create a new custom aspect ratio mode, with its default settings copied from a list of existing aspect ratio modes.

 Fill – Stretch the video to fill the SageTV playback area.

 Source – Use the video source information to determine the playback aspect ratio.

 4x3 – Force playback to fit the video into a 4x3 ratio area, stretching or shrinking the video to do so. (Not an option on the HD Extender)

 16x9 – Force playback to fit the video into a 16x9 ratio area, stretching or shrinking the video to do so. (Not an option on the HD Extender)

 ZoomA – (HD Extender only) Uses the complete screen in vertical direction.

 

 ZoomB – (HD Extender only) Zooms into the 16:9 part of a 4:3 show inside a 16:9 broadcast.

 ZoomC – (HD Extender only) Expands 16:9 content within a 4:3 video stream for playback on a 16:9 TV.

 Fill Wide – (HD Extender only)  Stretches 4:3 content within a 16:9 video stream to fill the screen on a 16:9 TV.

On an HD Extender, any custom aspect ratio modes will be listed in alphabetical order after the “Fill Wide” AR mode.

'''Aspect ratio notes when using the HD Extender only:''' Use the Right arrow while any aspect ratio is highlighted for more options:

''' Set as the default Aspect Ratio mode''' – Tells SageTV to use this aspect ratio mode as the initial AR mode whenever video playback starts.

 

 Delete this Custom AR mode – (Custom AR mode only) Allows the deletion of a custom aspect ratio mode.

 

 Rename this Custom AR mode – (Custom AR mode only) Allows a custom aspect ratio mode to be renamed.

 Edit this Custom AR mode – (Custom AR mode only) Opens a dialog where the custom aspect ratio mode settings can be configured.

 

 Return to Aspect Ratio mode list – Close the aspect ratio mode options and returns to the list of aspect ratio modes that can be used for video playback.

DVD Playback
During DVD playback, DVD menus that are not part of the SageTV interface may be navigated by using the directional arrow keys and using the Select command to make menu selections. Those are the DVD’s built-in menus that are shown on any DVD playback device and are not specific to SageTV. During playback of a DVD video, however, SageTV presents its own interface for controls such as pause, fast forward, rewind, etc.

During DVD playback, the On-Screen Display (OSD) will appear after using most playback control commands and will turn off after a short timeout period. Alternatively, you can use the Info or Select command to toggle the OSD on or off. Note: Only certain portions of the OSD may be shown, depending on the current status and the command used. Tip: To change the timeout period, see Inactivity Timeout and OSD AutoHide in Detailed Setup: Customize Settings.

OSD Top
The upper part of the OSD displays the DVD playback status information, including the DVD title, current chapter, and other current settings. The and icons can be used to change the chapter with the mouse. The DVD’s thumbnail will be shown in the upper left corner, if a thumbnail is available.

The upper right displays the current day and time, along with a volume indicator showing whether the volume has been muted or is audible. The volume may be controlled with the mouse by clicking on the volume bar. Clicking on the volume icon will turn the sound on or off.

OSD Bottom
The bottom contains the time bar display (see below for details) showing the current point of playback along with the overall length of the video, and mouse icons to control playback, if mouse icons have been enabled. To control whether mouse icons are shown, use the Show Mouse Icons option in Detailed Setup: General Settings. Using the mouse, clicking on any point on the time bar moves the playback point to that position. Clicking on the icons performs these

functions:

Skip Bkwd #2 Skip Bkwd

Skip Forward          Skip Fwd #2

Stop                                         Pause orPlay

OSD Time Bar
The DVD time bar is used to indicate the length of the video, the current playback position, and the section that has been watched.

The time bar always displays “0:00:00” as the beginning at the far left (click on that number to jump to the start of the video) and the video’s duration to the far right (click on that number to jump to the end of the video).

The DVD playback time bar uses two colors:

 White – This part of the DVD has been viewed.

 Green – This is the remainder of the DVD that has not yet been watched.

Playback Commands
Most SageTV commands are available during DVD playback. The most commonly used ones and their default key assignments are listed below. Please see Appendix E: Remote Controls for the default Hauppauge and Streamzap remote layouts and remember that you can customize your key assignments for every command. The SageTV

Commands customization section contains full details of all the available commands, their default keys, and how to customize their assignments.

Rewind times option.)

DVD Playback Options Menu
Using the Options command will cause a pop-up menu to appear with additional options and DVD playback controls.

Cancel – Cancel the pop-up and close it. Using the Options command has the same result.

Detailed Info – Use this option to jump directly to the Video Detail menu for an imported DVD.

DVD Menu – Jump to the DVD’s menu.

DVD Return – Returns the display from a submenu to its parent menu.

Subtitles – Toggles whether DVD subtitles are to be displayed. Subtitles are enabled if this option is checked.

Subtitle Language – Displays a pop-up menu where you can choose which language to use for subtitles.

Main Menu – Go directly to the Main Menu.

Standby – Stops playback and puts SageTV into standby (or sleep) mode.

DVD Stop – Closes and stops DVD playback. You will be returned to the screen where playback was initiated. If that is not possible, then you will jump to the Main Menu. Playback will be ended, so you will be unable to use the Back command to return to viewing the DVD.

DVD Next Chapter – Jump to the next chapter.

DVD Previous Chapter – Jump to the previous chapter.

Audio Language – Displays a pop-up menu where you can choose which language to use for audio playback.

Jump to Beginning – Jump to the beginning of the video. While this dialog is open, use the Skip Bkwd #2 command as a shortcut for this option. This option is available while playing the movie portion of a DVD.

Jump to End – Jump to the end of the video. While this dialog is open, use the Skip Fwd #2 command as a shortcut for this option. This option is available while playing the movie portion of a DVD.

Aspect Ratio Mode – Displays another pop-up menu where you can choose which aspect ratio to use for playback. See the Aspect Ratio Mode selection dialog.

'''Captions (On/CC1/CC2)''' – Toggles between the Closed Caption display settings.

'''Caption & Subtitle Options''' – If subtitles and/or closed captions are available, this option will be shown, allowing setting various caption and subtitle options.

Toggle Full Screen – Toggles whether SageTV should make its Window full screen or not.

Music Playback
During music playback, the On-Screen Display (OSD) will appear after using most playback control commands and will turn off after a short timeout period. Alternatively, you can use the Info or Select command to toggle the OSD on or off. Note: Only certain portions of the OSD may be shown, depending on the current status and the command used. Tip: To change the timeout period, see Inactivity Timeout and OSD AutoHide in Detailed Setup: Customize Settings.

The background consists of a visualization effect that changes with the music, or information about the currently playing song.

OSD Top
The upper part of the OSD displays the music playback status information, including the song title, artist, album, and track information. Playlist information will be displayed only when playing a Playlist. If album art is available, the image will be displayed. The and icons can be used to change to the next or previous song with the mouse.

The upper right displays the current day and time, along with a volume indicator showing whether the volume has been muted or is audible. The volume may be controlled with the mouse by clicking on the volume bar. Clicking on the volume icon will turn the sound on or off.

OSD Bottom
The bottom contains the time bar display (see below for details) showing the current point of playback along with the overall length of the song, and mouse icons to control playback, if mouse icons have been enabled. To control whether mouse icons are shown, use the Show Mouse Icons option in Detailed Setup: General Settings. Using the mouse, clicking on any point on the time bar moves the playback point to that position. Clicking on the icons performs these

functions:

Skip Bkwd #2 Skip Bkwd

Skip Forward          Skip Fwd #2

Stop                                         Pause orPlay

OSD Time Bar
The time bar is used to indicate the length of the song, the current playback position, and the section that has been played.

The time bar always displays “0:00:00” as the beginning at the far left (click on that number to jump to the start of the song) and the video’s duration to the far right (click on that number to jump to the end of the song).

The music playback time bar uses two colors:

 White – This part of the song has been played.

 Green – This is the remainder of the song that has not yet been played.

Playback Commands
Most SageTV commands are available during music playback. The most commonly used ones and their default key assignments are listed below. Please see Appendix E: Remote Controls for the default Hauppauge and Streamzap remote layouts and remember that you can customize your key assignments for every command. The SageTV Commands customization section contains full details of all the available commands, their default keys, and how to customize their assignments.

Ctrl+Down

Music Playback Options Menu
Using the Options command will cause a pop-up menu to appear with additional options:

Cancel – Cancel the pop-up and close it. Using the Options command has the same result.

Album Details – Jumps to the Music Browser view for the current song’s album.

Song Details – Jumps  to a screen displaying the detailed information for the current song.

Save Downloaded File – When playing a downloaded audio media file, this option will be available after the file has been completely downloaded. The downloaded audio-only file will be saved as an imported music file and may be played from the Music Browser. Use the Record command as a shortcut for this option.

'''Shuffle Music Playback '''– This selection reflects whether random playback of the current music playlist is enabled or disabled. Selecting this item will toggle shuffled playback on and off.

'''Repeat Music Playback '''– This selection reflects whether repeat playback of the current music playlist is enabled or disabled. Selecting this item will toggle repeat playback on and off.

Main Menu – Go directly to the Main Menu.

Music Browser – Go directly to the Music Browser menu.

Standby – Stops playback and puts SageTV into standby (or sleep) mode.

Stop Playback – Closes and stops music playback. You will be returned to the Music Browser. Playback will be ended, so you will be unable to use the Back command to return to the music playback display.

Jump to Beginning – Jump to the beginning of the song.

Jump to End – Jump to the end of the song.

'''Visualization: Graphics/Song Info''' – This selection toggles between using a graphical visualization background, or displaying the current song’s information as the background. Note: If graphical visualizations are not available for the current playback device, this option will remain set to Song Info.

Toggle Full Screen – Toggles whether SageTV should make its Window full screen or not.

Picture Viewing
Viewing pictures in SageTV consists of viewing an individual image or a series of images, shown as a slideshow. Whether you have chosen to view an individual image or a slideshow, only a single image is displayed on the screen at one time. Images are shown full size, unless they are too large to fit inside the SageTV window, in which case they will be shrunk to fit the space available while retaining their original proportions. Images smaller than the screen may optionally be enlarged to fill the screen.

If picture viewing is started as a slideshow, the Photo Browser Slideshow Options will be used to determine whether the slideshow will automatically advance to the next image, and how long each image is displayed.

If picture viewing is started by selecting a single image in the Photo Browser menu, the selected image will be displayed, but all images from the same folder will be sent to the picture viewer. If there are multiple images in the folder, slideshow mode can be started by using the Play command.

While slideshow mode is active or paused, Skip Forward, Skip Bkwd, and other commands listed below can be used to manually browse to the next or previous images in the slideshow or folder list.

Commands
A limited number of commands are available during picture viewing. The available commands and their default key assignments are listed below. Please see Appendix E: Remote Controls for the default Hauppauge and Streamzap remote layouts and remember that you can customize your key assignments for every command. The SageTV Commands customization section contains full details of all the available commands, their default keys, and how to customize their assignments.

Mouse Control
While viewing an image, mouse control consists of the following:

Left or Right Button – Toggles the display of the Options pop-up menu for picture option choices. See the detailed description, below.

Scroll Wheel – Scrolls to the next or previous image if viewing a slideshow or if multiple images are available in the current image’s folder when not viewing a slideshow.

Back Button – Ends viewing the image and returns to the Photo Browser.

Options Menu While Viewing a Single Image or a Slideshow
Using the Options or Select command while viewing an image will cause a semi-transparent menu to appear with these options:

Close Menu – Closes the semi-transparent menu.

Next – Displays the next image from the same folder or the next slideshow image, if there is one after the current image.

Previous – Displays the previous image from the same folder or the previous slideshow image, if there is one before the current image.

Slideshow – If a slideshow is paused, the Play command will resume the slideshow.

Pause – If a slideshow is playing, the Pause command will pause the slideshow.

Thumbnails – Ends picture viewing or the slideshow and returns to the Photo Browser. Use the Stop command as a shortcut.

Info – View detailed information about the picture. Use the Info command as a shortcut.

Rotate (lossless) – If the picture is a JPG file, this option will allow lossless rotation of the picture file.

Hide Tip – If unchecked, a tip will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen when slideshow mode is paused. If checked, the tip will not be displayed.

Regenerate Thumbnail – Forces the thumbnail for the photo being viewed to be regenerated.

Slideshow Options – Display the pop-up Photo Browser Slideshow Options dialog, where the various options for slideshows can be set.