Do you have Eye TV?

[Jen5678]

Do you like it? Are you having any problems?

[robbieduncan]

Got a 410 connected to a Mac Mini. Seems to work really well. Does exactly what it's meant to do. Only thing that is missing a DVB text renderer so no teletext or red-button fun!

[Gerg]

I have an EyeTV 200 connected to my Mac mini, and their EyeHome attached to the TV (the EyeHome allows me to view any content on my Mac through the TV-recorded EyeTV shows, iPhoto albums, iTunes music, etc,).

Other than a brief hiccup in the EyeHome connection out of the box, I've had no problems. Well, that's not 100% true. My current problem is that I'm fast running out of disc space for all the stuff I've recorded. I want to leave it on a hard drive so I can easily axccess it through the EyeHome. If it weren't for that, I'd just burn it all off to a video CD or DVD.

I'm very happy with it!

[tpatricks]

I've had both the earlier EyeTV USB version and the Firewire model. Both have performed great. The real trick is the software, which seems to improve regularly. The earlier USB version had limited quality, but the Firewire version is full TV resolution. Nice.

Get a big hard drive. Size does matter.
-

[daveL]

My wife has a model 200 on her iMac G5; works great.

[noel4r]

How about EvolutionTV?

http://www.miglia.com/products/video/evolutiontv/

I think Gizmodo or Engadget said it was better than EyeTV because it support Divx and mp4 and its cheaper. Does anybody have one?

[risc]

Do you like it? Are you having any problems?

I've got the EyeTV 400 the only thing I don't like about it, is the mpeg2 streams seem to be huge in the latest bunch of updates - like over a GB for a half hour show, where they were a lot smaller when I first got it.

I've also got the EyeHome which is an amazing piece of hardware _EXCEPT_ for the lack of AC3 output from divx/xvid video to analog - which was working when I first got it, but as the updates came more functionality got added and AC3 was forced to only work through the digital output, which is nice and all except I don't have a digital-in on my amp. I asked El Gato about this and based on their response I don't expect to see AC3 over analog support in the future, they told me I need a TOS to RCA convertor I've never seen these anywhere, if any of you guys know what they are can you chuck me a product name, or link?

[iGary]

Can you hook cable directly into one of these things?

(I'm A/V handicapped, for real.)

[Grimace]

Yep, you can hook in cable, just not satellite. I have the EyeTV 500 and LOVE it! I record "24" in HD for free every week!

[varmit]

How about EvolutionTV?

http://www.miglia.com/products/video/evolutiontv/

I think Gizmodo or Engadget said it was better than EyeTV because it support Divx and mp4 and its cheaper. Does anybody have one?Yeah, but the EyeTV comes with a remote that can be used to contol everything the EyeTV does.

[risc]

How about EvolutionTV?

http://www.miglia.com/products/video/evolutiontv/

I think Gizmodo or Engadget said it was better than EyeTV because it support Divx and mp4 and its cheaper. Does anybody have one?

Recently an EyeTV update included support for exporting in different formats including mpeg-4.

[Jen5678]

has anyone ever used it to put vhs tapes onto the computer?

[Gerg]

has anyone ever used it to put vhs tapes onto the computer?
I haven't done this yet, but that is one of their main marketing points-digitizing your old video for archival purposes.

[dirk-a-lurk]

Yep, you can hook in cable, just not satellite. I have the EyeTV 500 and LOVE it! I record "24" in HD for free every week!

I recently purchased an EyeTv 500, and it works very well with my 1.33 Powerbook 17". I can view, record, and burn to DVD with hardly any chop in the picture (Elgato's website says that a Dual G5 is necessary for max resolution HD viewing and recording, but my 1.33 G4 powerbook does quite well...of course it does use over 90% CPU power during these operations).

That being said, it is limited in the amount of content it can receive. Restricted to OTA signals (Over the Air via antenna) and Clear QAM (unencrypted digital cable) via my Comcast digital Cable basically totals up to all of the major network's signals (NBC, ABC, etc.), ESPN-HD, DISC-HD, INHD, and INHD2).

Basically, if you’re looking for a device to record HD broadcast signals this is your product. If you want to be able to record channels like Comedy Central and other basic cable offerings, you should look into the EyeTv 200 or the EyeTv Wonder USB 2.0.

Personally, I'm flirting with the idea of buying an EyeTv 200 to supplement this shortfall, but I'm unsure if you can use both devices at once (have an email into Elgato right now). Good for Elgato...bad for my wallet.

Does anyone have experience with running two of these devices at once? I realize my Powerbook only has one Firewire 400 input, but was thinking of getting a mini-hub, or just trying to piggyback off the EyeTv 500 firewire input.

[sandman42]

has anyone ever used it to put vhs tapes onto the computer?

I have. It works fine and it's not too hard. You just run patch cables from the audio & video ports on your VCR to the corresponding ports on the EyeTV, then you have to select line in (instead of tuner) in the EyeTV preferences, as I recall.

[Gareth56]

I wonder if anyone can help?

I have bought a Miglia TV Eye from Apple and despite having a brand new digital aerial on the roof and being told by the engineer who installed it that the signal is excelelnt I cannot get any of the ITV channels or channel 5 nor BBC 4 or SKY News and a few other of the Freeview channels. In my lounge I have a Freeview box which can get ALL available channels via the same aerial. There are two lines coming from the aerial (the engineer said it was OK to have 2 separete lines because the signal is strong enough to cope) one goes to the Freeview box in the lounge, the other to the computer room. I can actually see the local transmitter from my house. Looking at the Elegato support page and their FAQ, it does suggest that if you cannot receive any ITV channels it could be due to the signal being too strong so insert an attenuator in te line, I tried this and I still just the same number of channels and no improvement.

Any suggestions would be welcome before I send it back to Apple for a refund.

Thanks
Gareth.

[dcv]

I wonder if anyone can help?

I have bought a Miglia TV Eye from Apple and despite having a brand new digital aerial on the roof and being told by the engineer who installed it that the signal is excelelnt I cannot get any of the ITV channels or channel 5 nor BBC 4 or SKY News and a few other of the Freeview channels. In my lounge I have a Freeview box which can get ALL available channels via the same aerial. There are two lines coming from the aerial (the engineer said it was OK to have 2 separete lines because the signal is strong enough to cope) one goes to the Freeview box in the lounge, the other to the computer room. I can actually see the local transmitter from my house. Looking at the Elegato support page and their FAQ, it does suggest that if you cannot receive any ITV channels it could be due to the signal being too strong so insert an attenuator in te line, I tried this and I still just the same number of channels and no improvement.


Have you tested the aerial socket in the computer room using the Freeview box from the lounge? Or have you tried connecting the Miglia TV to the aerial socket in the lounge? Might be worth double-checking as the problem could lie in the cable connection to the rooftop aerial and not the Miglia unit. Is there a little portable antenna supplied with the Miglia one (as you get with the Elgato EyeTV) - do you get any channels at all with that?

[qool]

I just bought Miglia's TVmini for my MB, and it's great! It uses EyeTV engine.
It's a USB dongle, and a small aerial on a suction cup. I've used numerous Digital STBs for my regular TV, and they were all crap. They were connected to the big roof aerial, and never had a perfect reception.
This little pen-sized aerial gets every digital channel offered, and records straight onto my HDD. I can export it out to my video ipod, PSP, etc. :)

[MacAficionado]

I imagine one can get an external HD and store the media in there instead of the boot volume. Am I wrong in this assumption?

[thumb]

I imagine one can get an external HD and store the media in there instead of the boot volume. Am I wrong in this assumption?

not just can, pretty much ought/have to.

[puckhead193]

i'm thinking of getting an eye tv 250 for my future iMac. How will this work at school. I'm pretty sure my school direct tv. But all the channels are messed up with direct tv and the package they have. How will this work? like 247 TBS isn't 247 its like 40 something...

[risc]

Do you like it? Are you having any problems?

I have a 400 it works exactly as expected, teletext etc work correctly. Great picture quality, can't fault it really.

[Gareth56]

Have you tested the aerial socket in the computer room using the Freeview box from the lounge? Or have you tried connecting the Miglia TV to the aerial socket in the lounge? Might be worth double-checking as the problem could lie in the cable connection to the rooftop aerial and not the Miglia unit. Is there a little portable antenna supplied with the Miglia one (as you get with the Elgato EyeTV) - do you get any channels at all with that?


Yes, I've connected the Miglia to the aerial that goes into the Freeview box and can still only get 23 of the >69 channels that I can get on my Freeview box. The portable (stick) antena that came with the unit can only pick up 6 channels despite been able to see the transmitter away up on the hills approx 20km from my house.

[Temujin]

Could anyone of you EyeTv owners tell me the quality vs. hard drive space stats? 1 hour of video max quality = ? gb

[risc]

Could anyone of you EyeTv owners tell me the quality vs. hard drive space stats? 1 hour of video max quality = ? gb

It depends on the model and what you are recording. On my 400 standard definition digital is a little over 2 GB an hour (this is an average and can change based on the quality of the broadcast), HD would be heaps more.

[eva01]

On my EyeTV EZ 30 mins equals ~1.5GB

[regan2]

On my EyeTV EZ 30 mins equals ~1.5GB

n/t

[Temujin]

Thanks risc / eva01 / regan2

[Cybix]

I have an EyeTV for DTT.

Recording a 1080i broadcast really soaks up hdd space! hehe.

Wondering if anyone could provide some tips on moving recordings to DVD to watch on a widescreen TV (not HDTV)..

I have toast 7.0.1 which unfortunately isnt a universal binary (i have a macbook pro)..

I exported a recording to a file for iMovie HD (720). then when I went into iMovie to import it, it wanted to convert the file again, it was taking a billion years so I stopped the process.

One I successfully converted to video CD using toast took AGES to encode/convert, like 4 or 5 hours.

I'm thinking I should get a newer version of toast? (universal binary?)

The reason I wanted to use iMovie was so I could have say two 2 soccer games on one DVD, and have a DVD menu (title), etc... do a bit of authoring.

Otherwise, the DTT is great, qual is excellent... even the included mini-antenna works pretty damn well!

[nittany4]

ok, I'm pretty mac savvy, but I am really at a loss here.

My goal is to be able to WATCH HDTV on my 23" cinema display which is in my bedroom. Recording it on my mac would be a bonus.

I currently have a a PCI card on my g5

http://www.miglia.com/products/video/alchemytvdvr/index.html

which is "adequate" BUT has 2 main draw backs
1. no HD (obviously)
2. limited channel through cable without a cable box (Comcast limits bare cable to about 20 channels...about 6 of which i have interest in)

so, my first thought was

get an HD box from Comcast, DVI out of the cable box into the cinema (I'd get a KVM if it it worked to switch between TV and the mac) and I should get a HD video signal from the box right? - NO PICTURE
even replaced the cable box, thought it was a faulty DVI out, same result.

second discovery - FireWire out of the cable box (Motorola 6200)

found all sorts of crazy developer apps and forums that are supposed to let you pull the HD signal right from firewire. Followed them all to a T, no dice. My mac recognizes the cable box but I cannot view any signal (aduio or video) via firewire.

third option - considering an eyetv 500, however, I read all sorts of conflicting reports, only works with over the air HD, doesn't work with cable boxes (see above Comcast let's nothing be viewed without a box), etc.

so my head is spinning. basically is there any way to view an HD signal on my 23" cinema display (short of using the eyetv 500 and a terrestrial antenna)?

thanks in advance :D

td
philadelphia

[bbrosemer]

i'm thinking of getting an eye tv 250 for my future iMac. How will this work at school. I'm pretty sure my school direct tv. But all the channels are messed up with direct tv and the package they have. How will this work? like 247 TBS isn't 247 its like 40 something...
My school had the same problem with my pvr luckily I found a channel guide that was similar to what I had just keep searching and you never know the channel guide could turn up in some unexpected place.

[iKwick7]

Anyone have any luck recording HBO or the like? All I really would record is a couple of HBO shows and some Comedy Central shows. I used to have a pci dvr on my pc (gasp!) that would allow me to record hbo if i plugged the cable box into the pc. Any such luck here? I am looking into getting the El Gato eyetv 250.

[howesey]

Can you record directly onto a Firewire HDD?

Can you view the recorded video in Front Row for example?

Does the TVMini support interactive TV?

[nittany4]

one problem at least explained

apparently, the DVI on the cinema display will not "handshake" with the cable box due to something called HDCP.

anyone ever hear of this?

if you have anyone think this thing would be a solution?

http://www.copperbox.com/lite/popinfo.php?lc_code=1332&uneek=101740959

[howesey]

one problem at least explained

apparently, the DVI on the cinema display will not "handshake" with the cable box due to something called HDCP.

anyone ever hear of this?

if you have anyone think this thing would be a solution?

http://www.copperbox.com/lite/popinfo.php?lc_code=1332&uneek=101740959
Yes that is true. They usually only/may output at SD resolution if they do not 'hand shake'. The same will be with Bluray and HD-DVD.

PC users think they will be able to run HD through a HTPC to a TV, however the version of HDCP is not the same and they will not play such formats. ATi and NVIDIA advertise it has HDCP, but it's an outdated version and not the same as a dedicated player.

[Cybix]

I recorded some world cup last night... (macbook pro, eyeTV DTT)

1:42, took about 5.6 Gig (Mpeg-2, 720x576 / 50fps, Mpeg-1 audio 48kHz)

(after compacting out the unwanted half-time drib drab)...

I clicked on my recording in eyetv, and clicked on "TOAST". toast opened, with the file, ready to burn to dvd... I left all the settings on auto, reset the name of the vid file in the "edit" (settings), and hit record.

It's just started the 'encoding' process.. (in toast).

IT TAKES AGES. and I mean HOURS and HOURS.

I'm running Toast 7.0.1 on my MBP (which isnt a universal app, it's using rosetta)..

Do you think it's taking such a long time to encode because it's not an intel app? It's seriously painful.. :(

Any advice is appreciated.. perhaps I need to buy Toast 7.0.2 ?

James

[thumb]

one problem at least explained

apparently, the DVI on the cinema display will not "handshake" with the cable box due to something called HDCP.

anyone ever hear of this?

if you have anyone think this thing would be a solution?

http://www.copperbox.com/lite/popinfo.php?lc_code=1332&uneek=101740959

i think you have correctly identified the problem. i dont know the solution. hdcp is one of the reasons i recently chose the dell 2407 over the acd 23 since the dell supports. i get my hd cable box next week so will see how it works.

i asked comcast to bring me a firewire capable box, but they said it was some number other than the moto 6200, so i hope it works as well for hd recording (not that i plan to use that much)

sorry i am not actually any help, but at least you know what problem to search for.

good luck

[howesey]

I recorded some world cup last night... (macbook pro, eyeTV DTT)

1:42, took about 5.6 Gig (Mpeg-2, 720x576 / 50fps, Mpeg-1 audio 48kHz)

(after compacting out the unwanted half-time drib drab)...

I clicked on my recording in eyetv, and clicked on "TOAST". toast opened, with the file, ready to burn to dvd... I left all the settings on auto, reset the name of the vid file in the "edit" (settings), and hit record.

It's just started the 'encoding' process.. (in toast).

IT TAKES AGES. and I mean HOURS and HOURS.

I'm running Toast 7.0.1 on my MBP (which isnt a universal app, it's using rosetta)..

Do you think it's taking such a long time to encode because it's not an intel app? It's seriously painful.. :(

Any advice is appreciated.. perhaps I need to buy Toast 7.0.2 ?

JamesHave a quickish PC with Windows?

Windows can encode video far faster than OS X, even with the same hardware. Some consumer 3D cards also do video encoding and can encode very quickly. OS X with awful video card driver support misses out.

[caj58uk]

I wonder if anyone can help?

I have bought a Miglia TV Eye from Apple and despite having a brand new digital aerial on the roof and being told by the engineer who installed it that the signal is excelelnt I cannot get any of the ITV channels or channel 5 nor BBC 4 or SKY News and a few other of the Freeview channels. In my lounge I have a Freeview box which can get ALL available channels via the same aerial. There are two lines coming from the aerial (the engineer said it was OK to have 2 separete lines because the signal is strong enough to cope) one goes to the Freeview box in the lounge, the other to the computer room. I can actually see the local transmitter from my house. Looking at the Elegato support page and their FAQ, it does suggest that if you cannot receive any ITV channels it could be due to the signal being too strong so insert an attenuator in te line, I tried this and I still just the same number of channels and no improvement.



I am in the same position as Gareth. I'm using a roof aerial providing a 100% strength signal, and also purchased an attenuator as recommended in the FAQ on the Elegato support page. The following FAQ from the Digital Spy website appears to provide an explanation - but no new satisfactory solution.

**Try this: Run the Set Up Assistant and re-tune with the attenuator, and then re-tune again without the attenuator. I'm now receiving ITV1 and other channels in the group for the first time as I write this!**

Good luck.

Tony

"If you have this problem then the channels normally affected are either Five, QVC, Bid-Up and TVTravelShop or ITV1, ITV2, ITV News and C4. (If you have difficulties receiving any other channels please see 'How do I know if I can get DTT and do I need to upgrade my existing aerial?')

"Both of these sets of channels fit into a single multiplex. A multiplex is a set of channels that only use up one frequency -- on analogue (normal) television you can only have one channel, whereas you can have 4 or 6 in the same space on digital.

"Both of these multiplexes use a different way of transmitting the signal compared to the other channels on Freeview. These channels use the QAM64 mode instead of QAM16.

"The trouble with sending a large amount of bits in one go (as is the case with QAM64) is that noise from power switches, cars or even just the distance between the aerial and transmitter can confuse the receiving box. If the box is confused into thinking that it is receiving something it isn’t, it classes it as an error. If there are lots of errors then the picture will break up, or, in extreme circumstances, not be picked up by the DTT box at all.

"QAM64 falls into precisely this problem. It has a greater bandwidth (6 channels instead of 4) but is more susceptible to noise. So, if you are not close enough to the transmitter, these channels will look worse than the others.

"QAM16 has less ‘points’ than QAM64, so noise isn’t as much of a problem -- there is far more tolerance for errors but there is less bandwidth (space) so you get less channels."

[caj58uk]

I wonder if anyone can help?

I have bought a Miglia TV Eye from Apple and despite having a brand new digital aerial on the roof and being told by the engineer who installed it that the signal is excelelnt I cannot get any of the ITV channels or channel 5 nor BBC 4 or SKY News and a few other of the Freeview channels. In my lounge I have a Freeview box which can get ALL available channels via the same aerial. There are two lines coming from the aerial (the engineer said it was OK to have 2 separete lines because the signal is strong enough to cope) one goes to the Freeview box in the lounge, the other to the computer room. I can actually see the local transmitter from my house. Looking at the Elegato support page and their FAQ, it does suggest that if you cannot receive any ITV channels it could be due to the signal being too strong so insert an attenuator in the line, I tried this and I still just the same number of channels and no improvement.

Make sure that the attenuator is connected directly to the Miglia, and then connect the co-axial cable to the attenuator...

[2yet]

I have a G4 Dual 1ghz Powermac and I installed Miglia TV MAX tuner and it works okay when there is signal. Every time I turn my Miglia on, it keeps saying no signal on the screen. I would have to open a recorded show and then open a new “live” tv screen and it will work, 80% of the time. I know my cable signal is good because I don’t have a bad signal problem when I plugged it directly to the TV. The second problem that I have is that the remote that came with this tuner card doesn’t really work smoothly like it should. Half of the buttons doesn’t do anything, including a few number buttons, like 0. Sometimes it work and sometimes it doesn’t and I aim my remote control directly at the TV tuner box. I even made sure to install fresh batteries. Does anyone have this problem or do I have a bad tuner? Please help?-2yet

[andysc]

got the eyetv 250, but it seems very laggy when changing channels.

[twoodcc]

i have an eyetv hybrid. sometimes it messes up, but it works nonetheless. looks really good in HD (smallville :D )

[TheSpaz]

I figured I'd chime in.

I used to have an EyeTV 250 but, it stopped working after only a month (no power getting to it at all) so I am in the process of returning it to Elgato Systems and they are sending me the Hybrid in place of it (upon my request). So that should be pretty cool. I have a Mac Pro so the Hybrid can use up a whole core if it desires and I'll still have 3 left. Anyways, I cannot get any OTA HD channels in my area (which really sucks but, who knows about where I'll be in the future) and it's always good to have the extra feature just in case I can use it some day. Maybe with everyone switching to HD soon, HD will become kind of a standard. I wonder if it can record HD signals using s-video hooked up to some sort of HD Digital Receiver.

[jessica.]

Yup I love it actually. Every so often there would be a weird connection problem, but usually that is because I disconnect it often from my powerbook so I can run around the house working. :)

[sunfast]

I've got the EyeTV for DTT stick. It's AWESOME. I use it all the time and the software is brilliant. I really can't recommend it highly enough

[TheSpaz]

I have a question! Will I get digital quality if I hook my EyeTV Hybrid to my Digital Cable Receiver box? If so, what sort of connection should I use.... Composite or S-Video? Elgato Systems states that digital channels come in without being converted, so therefore it would record in the original broadcast quality set by the cable provider.

[ronni3]

I am definitely considering getting a EyeTV Hybrid, I just need to sell my Slingbox AV. I bought the Av thinking it would be a good purchase for my needs, but I ended up not using it very much and it is just sitting on top of my cable box. I might as well sell it and buy the Hybrid so I can record Heroes in HD.

[risc]

I've got the EyeTV for DTT stick. It's AWESOME. I use it all the time and the software is brilliant. I really can't recommend it highly enough

I replaced my EyeTV 400 with a DTT and it's nice enough. IMHO the FW400 devices handle digital TV much better than USB. Stuff that would play perfectly on the FW400 EyeTV 400 lags and stutters and just plain doesn't work sometimes on the DTT.

[Multimedia]

I have a question! Will I get digital quality if I hook my EyeTV Hybrid to my Digital Cable Receiver box? If so, what sort of connection should I use.... Composite or S-Video? Elgato Systems states that digital channels come in without being converted, so therefore it would record in the original broadcast quality set by the cable provider.Not from the box. From the WALL. The box outpus analog except out the HDMI connector - if you have a modern HDTV. What kind of TV do you have? Where are you? USA? What City? Have you called your provider to ask them if they deliver any Clear QAM digital channels through the cable?

You're going to have to experiment. My USA EyeTV 500 has a Cable (Clear QAM) tuner in it so unscrambled digital channels in cable (I don't subscribe to cable) get added to your digital channels list. Have you tried hooking the cable directly from the wall (no vendor box) to the Hybrid and then tried auto tuning with the

Service: "Digital - Cable (Clear QAM)" popup yet?

Try that first please. Even not hooked to the cable, is this one of your options in the Channels Service Popup Menu? Thank you very much for letting us know. I don't have cable. I am strictly off air.

I need to know if you even see that option with a Hybrid. I have the old digital 500 AND the Hybrid hooked to my Quad G5 and I don't want to disconnect my 500 'cause getting it back can be a lot of work due to a FW address bug that can sometimes require a full shut down of everything including all the 12 drives I have hanging off this puppy before I can get the 500 tuner to work again.

UPDATE: Spoke with COMCAST rep. Supervisor says they will support QAM tuners "eventually" but they don't know when. What I am asking is for you to hook your cables up to hybrid directly and try to auto tune on the digital side and see if you get anything. Using EyeTV to record analog TV is like trying to put out a fire with a garden hose. Plus the picture is going to blow no matter what you do.

You will be much better served reverting to an off air digital antennae folks. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but Off-Air Digital HD is superior to Cable HD. Why? 'Cause the cable operators are messing with your signals. They are crushing the pristine HD that's in the air and selling you it's bastard son all mangled and mutilated.

So can I get a witness? I am only asking you to look in your Channels Pane for the Digital Cable (Clear QAM) popup option. Is it that hard for one of you to find?