| SageTV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Initial release | 2002 |
| Stable release | v9.2.16 / December 2, 2025 |
| Written in | Java,C++,C,Shell script[1] |
| Operating system | Windows,Linux |
| Type | Media center application anddigital video recorder |
| License | Apache License 2.0 |
| Website | www.sagetv.com (deprecated) Windows releases Linux releases SageTV forums |
| Repository | https://github.com/google/sagetv |
SageTV is a free and formerlyproprietary,open-sourcemedia center application anddigital video recorder software forWindows,Linux, and formerlymacOS. It requires that the host computer have a hardware-basedTV tuner card. The SageTV software has an integratedElectronic Programming Guide (EPG) that is updated via the Internet. The program provides a television interface for DVR, music, and photos on Windows and Linux. SageTV Media Center typically records in standard MPEG2, making it possible to transfer recordings to laptops or other devices. It also has a built-in conversion feature to transcode files into other formats compatible with iPod, PSP, cell phones and other portable devices.[2][3][4][5]
A "lite" version was commonly shipped as part of anOEM software bundle. Both the lite and regular versions offer aJavaAPI.
SageTV Placeshifter allows the user to watch TV from any high speed internet connection, similar to theSlingbox. As of Version 6, theSageTV Placeshifter is available for Windows, Linux and Macintosh platforms. TheSageTV Media Extender set-top allows other TVs to connect to SageTV over a home network. There is also the ability to use theHauppauge MediaMVP with SageTV by purchasing aMediaMVP Client License.
On June 18, 2011, Jeffrey Kardatzke, CTO and founder of the company, announced in a SageTV forum post that his company had been acquired byGoogle. An official press release followed later the same day, and since then the SageTV products have no longer been available for purchase.[6][7][8][9]
On March 9, 2015, Jeffrey Kardatzke announced that SageTV would be open-sourced "in the near future (i.e. months, not years)".[10] Then a few months later, SageTV became open source, hosted on GitHub.
After the acquisition of SageTV, LLC by Google, they began modifying and updating it to work with Google's upcomingGoogle Fiber TV service. SageTV v8 was the initial platform used for the Google Fiber Storage Box (DVR) and TV Box (Client). It has since been replaced with an in-house developed software.
SageTV Media Center for Linux is compatible with most major Linux distributions. Information on aGentoo distribution tuned for Media Center usage is available from the SageTV website. It runs on low cost PC and consumer electronics hardware including embedded processors (embedded only available for OEMs).
SageTV software also includes aSageTV Studio Development GUI that allows the customization of the user interface and development of add-ons. The company provides documentation so that these customizations can use a Java API. Built-in EPG support is available only for North America; however, the developer community has developed plug-ins that allow unsupported regions to access EPG info through sources such asXMLTV and ICETV in Australia. Additionally, there areIMDb and commercial skipping plugins.