Anybody tried ElGato EyeTV 200?

[mfacey]

I'm in the market for buying a dvd/harddisk recorder. But this would be an excellent alternative and its considerably cheaper!

Does anybody have any experience with this piece of hardware? If so, is it worth the money?

[Mertzen]

I don't have used one personally [ except the USB version] .. but from what I read at xlr8yourmac.com support is good and software updates / bug fixes come on a very regular basis ..

reading material here: http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/eye_tv_review.html#storytop

[EJBasile]

This is somewhat radom but "El Gato" in spanish means "the cat"

[m-dogg]

My new iMac is going in a small room without a TV so I thought this will allow me to have just the computer that will serve as computer & TV.

Plus the fact that i don't own any tivo-like device yet, this looks like it would kill two birds with one stone.

[Kwyjibo]

I have an eyetv USB and I like it. Quality could be a bit better but its supposed to improve for the 200.

[daveL]

Mine shipped on Monday, ground, so I should have it by this coming Monday, at the latest. I'll give you a brief review when I get it set up and running.

[wdlove]

The EyeTV 500 is even better with using Firewire. It also is Cable ready, which is very important to me.

[Kwyjibo]

I would wait till after MWSF, they may be debuting new products or expoing protoypes at the expo, they got alot of buzz at the last few.

[Diatribe]

This is somewhat radom but "El Gato" in spanish means "the cat"

Your point being?

[Converted2Truth]

don't forget the Formac TVR. I had one of those, and it was really cool. Don't know if it's the same exact thing though... still trying to figure out which one is better :rolleyes:

[mfacey]

The EyeTV 500 is even better with using Firewire. It also is Cable ready, which is very important to me.


As far as I can see the only difference between the 200 and 500 is that the 500 is HDTV ready. Seeing as we don't have HDTV in Europe (yet) that's not really a big thing for me. Besides that functionality is the same.

With a bit of luck I'll be ordering a new Powerbook next week (AFTER mwsf) and maybe I'll dig a little deeper in my wallet and go for an EyeTV too. My current PB only has 5 gigs of harddrive space left so it would be a bit useless on that!

[dejo]

As far as I can see the only difference between the 200 and 500 is that the 500 is HDTV ready.

The 500 is not HDTV "ready". It is HDTV ONLY! It's only input is from a terrestrial antenna. That means you cannot connect it to your cable system. As well, it does not handle analog signals. Be very careful when considering this model.

http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file=products_eyetv500_faq

[mfacey]

don't forget the Formac TVR. I had one of those, and it was really cool. Don't know if it's the same exact thing though... still trying to figure out which one is better :rolleyes:


THis one doesn't seem as versatile as the EyeTV. Plus it's only NTSC which doesn't help me over in Europe!

[Diatribe]

THis one doesn't seem as versatile as the EyeTV. Plus it's only NTSC which doesn't help me over in Europe!

If you read the fine print it says it's not even available outside the US.

[aussie_geek]

I would wait till after MWSF, they may be debuting new products or expoing protoypes at the expo, they got alot of buzz at the last few.

I like the sound of that! :) They are really expensive down here, you are looking at around $600 au for the EyeTv 400. A price drop would be welcomed.

aussie_geek

[mfacey]

I like the sound of that! :) They are really expensive down here, you are looking at around $600 au for the EyeTv 400. A price drop would be welcomed.

aussie_geek

EyeTV 200 goes for 420 euros where I live. THat's ridiculous! Luckily I have connections in the US :D

[Lugonn]

I was hoping for an HD TV version that allows both cable and broadcast.

Does such an animal exist? I thought there was some thread about requesting an FW decoder from cable providers a while ago?

[jelloshotsrule]

i used to have the formac, and just got the eyetv 200... i don't know how the hardware matches up yet (i had problems with formac's service moreso than the hardware), but the eyetv software so far is much more user friendly to me. it also has some great recording features. you can sign up with titantv.com (for free) and you can actually set the eyetv to record a show while you're away from home, over the internet... it just seems like better designed software, more robust..

just my 2 cents.

[aussie_geek]

EyeTV 200 goes for 420 euros where I live. THat's ridiculous! Luckily I have connections in the US :D

Oh well, I ended up getting it anyway - $580 au for the EyeTv 410. I coupled that with my new cinema display and now I am glued to the Powerbook - TV in one window, the net in the other!!

Anyone considering getting one of these should not hesitate. You will not be disappointed.

I will post some pics later. :)

aussie_geek

[daveL]

Mine shipped on Monday, ground, so I should have it by this coming Monday, at the latest. I'll give you a brief review when I get it set up and running.
Well, it showed up the other day. Setup was pretty easy, and the picture quality looks good.

[aussie_geek]

here - take a look :D

aussie_geek

[mhar4]

If you read the fine print it says it's not even available outside the US.

Yes, the Formac Studio TVR is, or at least it was. I have used a PAL version. It's a DV capture device, unlike the El Gato units, which are MPEG1 or MPEG2. DV is editable in iMovie or Final Cut, but needs 12GB/hour of storage. It does work (indeed its audio capture is astonishingly high quality), but its software really blows - very very buggy, limited functionality. There is a freeware alternative called Vidi for running the unit, which is a viable alternative. If PVR-style functionality is the thing, then the El Gato range is better; if film-making or other intensive editing and processing is required, then a DV capture device is the way to go.