EyeTV, HDHomeRun, iTunes Questions

[GarrettL1979]

I'm planning on cutting the cord this summer, so I'm gradually gathering the tools I think will help with this. My plan is to get an HDHomeRun, pair it with the EyeTV software, and then access the recordings on our ATV3 using Home Sharing. EyeTV will apparently automatically import to iTunes.

I have an Airport Extreme that I will connect the HDHR to. I already have an external hard drive connected to it which is housing our iTunes library and time machine backups. The AEBS only has one usb port though. Will using a USB hub cause me any problems here? Good idea?

Also, I noticed on EyeTV's site that a Turbo.264 HD video encoder is needed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Is this required? If so, does it come with the software, or would I need to purchase it separately? Will the software automatically import recordings to iTunes without it? Little confused by this.

Thanks for the help!

[mic j]

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

I'm planning on cutting the cord this summer, so I'm gradually gathering the tools I think will help with this. My plan is to get an HDHomeRun, pair it with the EyeTV software, and then access the recordings on our ATV3 using Home Sharing. EyeTV will apparently automatically import to iTunes.

I have an Airport Extreme that I will connect the HDHR to. I already have an external hard drive connected to it which is housing our iTunes library and time machine backups. The AEBS only has one usb port though. Will using a USB hub cause me any problems here? Good idea?

Also, I noticed on EyeTV's site that a Turbo.264 HD video encoder is needed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Is this required? If so, does it come with the software, or would I need to purchase it separately? Will the software automatically import recordings to iTunes without it? Little confused by this.

Thanks for the help!

Really interested in seeing replies, as I am at about the same point and thinking about the same setup. I am thinking Tivo vs HDHR. I read somewhere that the Tivo could dump it's files onto a local HD to be converted to h.264. But my inquiries as to if this could in fact be done and if so, how, never got answered.

[d21mike]

If you are making the move this summer I would wait for the new HDHomeRun Hardware. You can read all about it on their web site. Just announced at CES. Main part is the built-in H.264 Support and future DVR Capabilities.

I have done what you are looking at doing over the XMAS Holidays as a hobby. I have the HDHomeRun Dual and Prime with CableCard. The problem is that EyeTV does not support the Prime device. I hope they will add support later but they only say they have no plans now. This could be because of what HDHomeRun is planning for the future.

So I only use the Dual with EyeTV to record Network TV which is 90% of what I record. I did get the EyeTV Turbo.264 USB Hardware because the encoding is very CPU Intensive and the hardware helps offload quite a bit of it. It also adds it to iTunes and so I can see it on my AppleTV after the encoding process. However, the new HDHomeRun hardware is supposed to be able to do this as part of the hardware. Most of the recordings are excellent but some are pixilated. Not sure why but it is a hobby for now.

I also have a WDTV Live which can play the recorded MPEG2 files without encoding but I don't like the current interface.

Tomorrow HDHomeRun is releasing the "Project: Connect" to Beta which I am excited to try.

Lastly, EyeTV is a excellent product but they don't seem to be moving forward. Again, I do not understand their strategy.

[chipfiev]

You don't need the H.264 converter with EyeTV. If you want faster encoding, it's a nice addition. If you want to stream live TV to iOS with adaptive streaming, it's required. You don't need the encoder to export to iTunes.

I have the Turbo H.264 dongle. It does speed up my exports to iTunes and allow me to watch live TV via streaming...but it's not necessary to simple record and send to iTunes.

[BigDukeSix]

There is a lot of good info on this thread. Scroll down to post #93, he lays it all out quite well.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...1481019&page=4

[Panch0]

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

I'm planning on cutting the cord this summer, so I'm gradually gathering the tools I think will help with this. My plan is to get an HDHomeRun, pair it with the EyeTV software, and then access the recordings on our ATV3 using Home Sharing. EyeTV will apparently automatically import to iTunes.

I have an Airport Extreme that I will connect the HDHR to. I already have an external hard drive connected to it which is housing our iTunes library and time machine backups. The AEBS only has one usb port though. Will using a USB hub cause me any problems here? Good idea?

Also, I noticed on EyeTV's site that a Turbo.264 HD video encoder is needed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Is this required? If so, does it come with the software, or would I need to purchase it separately? Will the software automatically import recordings to iTunes without it? Little confused by this.

Thanks for the help!

HDHR is a network device, you don't need a USB Hub, but an ethernet port.
You might have an issue with the USB drive connected to AEBS when doing your exports to iTunes, because you will be writing large files to a slow connection. I had problems ripping DVDs in Handbrake using this setup, because pushing that much data kept overheating the Base Station (well, really a Time Capsue with external USB drive). Not saying you definitely will have trouble with this, but you might. Rather than auto importing my EyeTV programs into iTunes, I export them to a temp location then import them to iTunes from there. I also like to edit the commercials out of my recordings, so I'm doing a manual process anyway.

Turbo H.264 definitely speeds up the export process, but you can do it without. The H.264 hardware is recognized by the EyeTv Software, but it is a different piece of Hardware that you buy separately. Turbo H.264 also comes with it's own software so you can use it to do conversions without EyeTV itself.

[GarrettL1979]

Originally Posted by Panch0

HDHR is a network device, you don't need a USB Hub, but an ethernet port.
You might have an issue with the USB drive connected to AEBS when doing your exports to iTunes, because you will be writing large files to a slow connection. I had problems ripping DVDs in Handbrake using this setup, because pushing that much data kept overheating the Base Station (well, really a Time Capsue with external USB drive). Not saying you definitely will have trouble with this, but you might. Rather than auto importing my EyeTV programs into iTunes, I export them to a temp location then import them to iTunes from there. I also like to edit the commercials out of my recordings, so I'm doing a manual process anyway.

Turbo H.264 definitely speeds up the export process, but you can do it without. The H.264 hardware is recognized by the EyeTv Software, but it is a different piece of Hardware that you buy separately. Turbo H.264 also comes with it's own software so you can use it to do conversions without EyeTV itself.

Thanks! Not sure what I was thinking regarding the USB connection. Of course it's Ethernet. Thanks for pointing that out. Must have had a brain freeze. Also, I'm planning to have eyetv record and store files on the MBP internal 1tb drive. That's part of the reason why I wanted to move most of our media onto an external drive.

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Originally Posted by d21mike

If you are making the move this summer I would wait for the new HDHomeRun Hardware. You can read all about it on their web site. Just announced at CES. Main part is the built-in H.264 Support and future DVR Capabilities.

I have done what you are looking at doing over the XMAS Holidays as a hobby. I have the HDHomeRun Dual and Prime with CableCard. The problem is that EyeTV does not support the Prime device. I hope they will add support later but they only say they have no plans now. This could be because of what HDHomeRun is planning for the future.

So I only use the Dual with EyeTV to record Network TV which is 90% of what I record. I did get the EyeTV Turbo.264 USB Hardware because the encoding is very CPU Intensive and the hardware helps offload quite a bit of it. It also adds it to iTunes and so I can see it on my AppleTV after the encoding process. However, the new HDHomeRun hardware is supposed to be able to do this as part of the hardware. Most of the recordings are excellent but some are pixilated. Not sure why but it is a hobby for now.

I also have a WDTV Live which can play the recorded MPEG2 files without encoding but I don't like the current interface.

Tomorrow HDHomeRun is releasing the "Project: Connect" to Beta which I am excited to try.

Lastly, EyeTV is a excellent product but they don't seem to be moving forward. Again, I do not understand their strategy.

Glad you pointed this out. I'll definitely wait until this summer in that case. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by chipfiev

You don't need the H.264 converter with EyeTV. If you want faster encoding, it's a nice addition. If you want to stream live TV to iOS with adaptive streaming, it's required. You don't need the encoder to export to iTunes.

I have the Turbo H.264 dongle. It does speed up my exports to iTunes and allow me to watch live TV via streaming...but it's not necessary to simple record and send to iTunes.

Thanks!

[WoodNUFC]

I use the HDHR every day. Right now it's setup to record network programs through the Clear QAM signal that my cable company transmits. It works well, but I really only use it to record shows. Very rarely do I use it to watch live tv.

However, during Hurricane Sandy the HDHR and EyeTV were the only way we could see what was going on around us. We lost cable and internet, but I have an antenna that I plugged in to the HDHR. Since we still had power we used the EyeTV iOS app to airplay our local channels to our ATV3. It worked like a charm.

To be honest, I really dislike EyeTV. The program just isn't all that great, IMO. I really do like how Windows Media Center is laid out, and would use that if there was an alternative to using an Xbox as an extender.

[davids8477]

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

I'm planning on cutting the cord this summer, so I'm gradually gathering the tools I think will help with this. My plan is to get an HDHomeRun, pair it with the EyeTV software, and then access the recordings on our ATV3 using Home Sharing. EyeTV will apparently automatically import to iTunes.

I have an Airport Extreme that I will connect the HDHR to. I already have an external hard drive connected to it which is housing our iTunes library and time machine backups. The AEBS only has one usb port though. Will using a USB hub cause me any problems here? Good idea?

Also, I noticed on EyeTV's site that a Turbo.264 HD video encoder is needed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Is this required? If so, does it come with the software, or would I need to purchase it separately? Will the software automatically import recordings to iTunes without it? Little confused by this.

Thanks for the help!

I've been using the same set up for about 2 years - just using an antenna signal. The only difference is that I store my itunes library on an external drive connected to my IMAC.
I'd say that it works very well and the quality of the video is very good.
I have the Turbo.264, but with an I5 processor it does not speed up the processing at all - although it did do so when I used it on a C2D system.

[mic j]

Just hit a roadblock on my to this setup. I am on the fringe of OTA from Chicago. Currently use the Leaf antenna to pick up stations but the signal is marginal with some pixelation/freezing. Tried the Mohu Jolt (signal amplifier), which did not help. Seems like my only options are to string coax from an outside antenna throughout my house and into the basement (where my TV is) or keep DirecTv. Bummer.

[blueroom]

Check your coverage with www.tvfool.com

A better antenna will make a difference, so will height. I use a ClearStream C2 antenna and can pull in stations that my quad bowtie could not.

Also signal boosters are designed to overcome long cable run signal loss (you need to mount them very near the antenna). Mounting your HDHR close to the antenna might help, also use quality RG6-U quad shield.

Don't split the signal either.

[GarrettL1979]

So the question I have now is whether it makes sense to wait for the new HDHR. The current version appears to cost around $85, and I imagine once the new one is released it will cost roughly $40-50 more. The new HDHR apparently will have a built in transcoding capability. But isn't this what EyeTV already does? I like the fact the EyeTV automatically imports to iTunes, so I think I would want to buy the software anyways.

Any thoughts on this?

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Originally Posted by mic j

Just hit a roadblock on my to this setup. I am on the fringe of OTA from Chicago. Currently use the Leaf antenna to pick up stations but the signal is marginal with some pixelation/freezing. Tried the Mohu Jolt (signal amplifier), which did not help. Seems like my only options are to string coax from an outside antenna throughout my house and into the basement (where my TV is) or keep DirecTv. Bummer.

Can't you replace the DirecTV dish with an outdoor antenna and use the existing coax connections?

[d21mike]

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

So the question I have now is whether it makes sense to wait for the new HDHR. The current version appears to cost around $85, and I imagine once the new one is released it will cost roughly $40-50 more.

The $85 is for the DUAL not the PRIME. The DUAL has 2 tuners and the PRIME supports CableCard and has 3. The new PRIME will have 4. Also, EyeTV currently does not support the PRIME and may not support the new PRIME either. The main reason to wait is for the on board mpeg4 encoding. And as I said before EyeTV may not even support that. Regarding doing the encoding within EyeTV it is very CPU Intensive. If using a MacMini the Fan will get very loud for a while while it is doing the encoding. If you are going to do that I recommend you spend the $100 for the USB Hardware to reduce the CPU Load. The fan will still get load but for a much shorter time.

Again, you said that you were planning to make the move this summer so I suggested to review the new hardware. If you want to make the move sooner then get the dual now and then you can always add another tuner later if it makes sense.

Lastly, if you are going to go OTA instead of having basic cable in the house then the PRIME may not be your choice anyway. My goal is to support all of my TV's in the house without paying the cable company for the hardware but I do not mine paying for the content. You have to look at the cost for Internet Only vs. Internet + Basic Cable.

[cdavis11]

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

I'm planning on cutting the cord this summer, so I'm gradually gathering the tools I think will help with this. My plan is to get an HDHomeRun, pair it with the EyeTV software, and then access the recordings on our ATV3 using Home Sharing. EyeTV will apparently automatically import to iTunes.

I have an Airport Extreme that I will connect the HDHR to. I already have an external hard drive connected to it which is housing our iTunes library and time machine backups. The AEBS only has one usb port though. Will using a USB hub cause me any problems here? Good idea?

Also, I noticed on EyeTV's site that a Turbo.264 HD video encoder is needed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Is this required? If so, does it come with the software, or would I need to purchase it separately? Will the software automatically import recordings to iTunes without it? Little confused by this.

Thanks for the help!

I have been doing exqactly what you plan on doing for a couple of years now.

THe HDHR will be a network cable, not USB so no worries there. I'd very strongly reccomend cabling the HDHR to the same switch as your computer if possible. The HDHR over wifi, even good 5Ghz N, suffered some pretty bad dropouts and missing frames on my network. When I cabled it all, the problems went away and recordings were perfect.

The Turbo 264HD stick is nice to have, but it's not 100% necessary for streaming to iOS devices. I have one and like it, but on a newer system the benefits are not as pronounced as you'd think. Still, nice to have.

EyeTv will automatically export to iTunes in HD when scheduled programs are set to do so. When you set up EyeTV and build your recording schedule, you'll see how easy this is - it's a dropdown menu and a simple resolution selection to trigger auto export into iTunes.

[cdavis11]

Originally Posted by mic j

Just hit a roadblock on my to this setup. I am on the fringe of OTA from Chicago. Currently use the Leaf antenna to pick up stations but the signal is marginal with some pixelation/freezing. Tried the Mohu Jolt (signal amplifier), which did not help. Seems like my only options are to string coax from an outside antenna throughout my house and into the basement (where my TV is) or keep DirecTv. Bummer.

I use this amp with great results:

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Signa...torola+bda+s-2

[mic j]

Originally Posted by cdavis11

I use this amp with great results:

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Signa...torola+bda+s-2

Thanks, I may give it a shot. Can always return it, right?

----------

Originally Posted by blueroom

Check your coverage with www.tvfool.com

A better antenna will make a difference, so will height. I use a ClearStream C2 antenna and can pull in stations that my quad bowtie could not.

Also signal boosters are designed to overcome long cable run signal loss (you need to mount them very near the antenna). Mounting your HDHR close to the antenna might help, also use quality RG6-U quad shield.

Don't split the signal either.

I've check TVFool. It says I need, at minimum, an attic mounted antenna and even better an outdoor antenna. That's why I commented about having to run coax from one end of the house to the other, then down through a finished basement, where the TV/AEBS is located. So running the coax is not for the faint of heart and not sure it is worth it, as I only pay $85/mo for DirecTV.

[blueroom]

Try a ClearStream C1 indoor, excellent little antenna. Don't use the preamp.

[GarrettL1979]

Originally Posted by d21mike

The $85 is for the DUAL not the PRIME. The DUAL has 2 tuners and the PRIME supports CableCard and has 3. The new PRIME will have 4. Also, EyeTV currently does not support the PRIME and may not support the new PRIME either. The main reason to wait is for the on board mpeg4 encoding. And as I said before EyeTV may not even support that. Regarding doing the encoding within EyeTV it is very CPU Intensive. If using a MacMini the Fan will get very loud for a while while it is doing the encoding. If you are going to do that I recommend you spend the $100 for the USB Hardware to reduce the CPU Load. The fan will still get load but for a much shorter time.

Again, you said that you were planning to make the move this summer so I suggested to review the new hardware. If you want to make the move sooner then get the dual now and then you can always add another tuner later if it makes sense.

Lastly, if you are going to go OTA instead of having basic cable in the house then the PRIME may not be your choice anyway. My goal is to support all of my TV's in the house without paying the cable company for the hardware but I do not mine paying for the content. You have to look at the cost for Internet Only vs. Internet + Basic Cable.

Thanks. We won't have cable anymore, so no need for Prime.

[Panch0]

Originally Posted by mic j

Just hit a roadblock on my to this setup. I am on the fringe of OTA from Chicago. Currently use the Leaf antenna to pick up stations but the signal is marginal with some pixelation/freezing. Tried the Mohu Jolt (signal amplifier), which did not help. Seems like my only options are to string coax from an outside antenna throughout my house and into the basement (where my TV is) or keep DirecTv. Bummer.

Well, here's a possible alternative...
Run a shorter length of COAX from the roof to an area with a power outlet. Install the HDHR there. Either run ethernet to that location, or install a wireless network extender (The Airport Express would work). The HDHR doesn't need to be anywhere near your TV, it just needs to be on the network.

Another possibility - just run a length of COAX from your OTA Antenna to your directTV Dish, then reuse the existing COAX run from there to your TVs. As far as I know DirectTV just uses plain old RG6 COAX from the Dish to the receiver...

[mic j]

Originally Posted by Panch0

Well, here's a possible alternative...
Run a shorter length of COAX from the roof to an area with a power outlet. Install the HDHR there. Either run ethernet to that location, or install a wireless network extender (The Airport Express would work). The HDHR doesn't need to be anywhere near your TV, it just needs to be on the network.

Another possibility - just run a length of COAX from your OTA Antenna to your directTV Dish, then reuse the existing COAX run from there to your TVs. As far as I know DirectTV just uses plain old RG6 COAX from the Dish to the receiver...

Good suggestions, particularly using the DirecTV coax.

Thanks.

[dgalvan123]

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

I'm planning on cutting the cord this summer, so I'm gradually gathering the tools I think will help with this. My plan is to get an HDHomeRun, pair it with the EyeTV software, and then access the recordings on our ATV3 using Home Sharing. EyeTV will apparently automatically import to iTunes.

I can confirm this works. Been using the same setup for over a year now. My wife loves it since the Apple TV makes it about as close to a DVR experience as you can get without either paying someone (Tivo) or pirating.

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

I have an Airport Extreme that I will connect the HDHR to. I already have an external hard drive connected to it which is housing our iTunes library and time machine backups.

Off-topic but just thought I'd ask: Are you saying that you store your iTunes Library on the same external hard disk as your Time Machine backup? If so, that means you are actually not truly backing up your iTunes Library. If that one external hard drive crashes, your iTunes Library is gone.

Originally Posted by GarrettL1979

Also, I noticed on EyeTV's site that a Turbo.264 HD video encoder is needed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Is this required? If so, does it come with the software, or would I need to purchase it separately? Will the software automatically import recordings to iTunes without it? Little confused by this.

The Turbo hardware is completely optional. I don't have one. I just let EyeTV auto-export the recordings to iTunes, which means it's using your mac's CPU. On mine, it can take up to twice as long as the length of the recording itself (I'm using a 2009 MBP 17", Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz with 8 MB RAM). The end result is that we don't watch a show until the next day, since it usually isn't done exporting to iTunes (and thus available on our Apple TV's) until past our bed time.

[davids8477]

Originally Posted by mic j

Just hit a roadblock on my to this setup. I am on the fringe of OTA from Chicago. Currently use the Leaf antenna to pick up stations but the signal is marginal with some pixelation/freezing. Tried the Mohu Jolt (signal amplifier), which did not help. Seems like my only options are to string coax from an outside antenna throughout my house and into the basement (where my TV is) or keep DirecTv. Bummer.

What about placing the HDHR in a convenient place with respect to the outside antenna, then connect the HDHR to a wireless router - also conveniently placed.

Or just one ethernet cable from the HDHR to your router - one cable and then wireless

Use the wireless network to stream TV.

OOOPS - see some already had that idea

[mic j]

Originally Posted by davids8477

What about placing the HDHR in a convenient place with respect to the outside antenna, then connect the HDHR to a wireless router - also conveniently placed.

Or just one ethernet cable from the HDHR to your router - one cable and then wireless

Use the wireless network to stream TV.

OOOPS - see some already had that idea

The problem is, I have ATT U-verse for DSL service. That means I have only 1 wall outlet paired to enable the 11MB/s download, that means the router has to be there. Not sure where I would have to place the antenna for good reception, but I would imagine that the ethernet cable from the HDHR would be as long as the coax, so no benefit (and you would have to have an outlet near the antenna). I already stream wirelessly to the aTV.

But I do appreciate all the suggestions.

[EvilC5]

I dont know which it is, but I am using the eyeTV HD and the eyeTV software with the turbo encoder, and the last 12 months its been a steaming pile of crap. it locks up, it crashes, I havent been able to stream live tv, it forgets recordings, etc.

if using the Hd home run works better with the software, i might give it a try because when it worked, it was very nice.

[GarrettL1979]

Originally Posted by dgalvan123

I can confirm this works. Been using the same setup for over a year now. My wife loves it since the Apple TV makes it about as close to a DVR experience as you can get without either paying someone (Tivo) or pirating.



Off-topic but just thought I'd ask: Are you saying that you store your iTunes Library on the same external hard disk as your Time Machine backup? If so, that means you are actually not truly backing up your iTunes Library. If that one external hard drive crashes, your iTunes Library is gone.



The Turbo hardware is completely optional. I don't have one. I just let EyeTV auto-export the recordings to iTunes, which means it's using your mac's CPU. On mine, it can take up to twice as long as the length of the recording itself (I'm using a 2009 MBP 17", Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz with 8 MB RAM). The end result is that we don't watch a show until the next day, since it usually isn't done exporting to iTunes (and thus available on our Apple TV's) until past our bed time.

Our iTunes library is backed up on a separate hard drive, so no worries there.

So here's my plan-- We have DirecTV right now, but our contract ends this summer. I figured I would just replace the satellite dish with an outdoor antenna and attach the coax that had been running to the dish to this antenna instead. Then I'll connect the antenna's coax which runs into the house to the HDHR. The HDHR will be connected to our AEBS. We plan to use EyeTV on our 2011 MBP (upgraded internal hd to 1tb; 8gb of ram) to transcode and then import videos to iTunes for viewing on our two ATV3s.

Will this work? Also, will our MBP need to be connected via ethernet to the AEBS or will wifi work? I'd rather not have to keep it connected.