EyeTV Hybrid Problems

[garychanchan]

Hello - this is to anyone with experience using an eyetv

i've been using the hybrid for awhile, and for the most part it works well. however, every once and awhile, it'll miss recordings and I cant figure out why. Sometimes, it'll be sleeping while it's supposed to be recording and when I wake the computer up, then it starts recording. so if the recording was supposed to start at 8pm and I wake it up and 8:15, the recording doesnt start until 8:15.

and yes, the preferences are set to "start eyetv when device plugged in".

it seems to record fine when it starts up the computer from being off.

also, sometimes it'll record without sound.

and.. if I'm doing something else while it s supposed to record - ie using Final Cut Pro - it records choppy footage.. is this a RAM issue? (512)

anyway, anyone else having problems with this product or know what I'm doing wrong?

 

[twoodcc]

i have a hybrid also....

i don't really have those problems, but mine has messed up in a recording before (probably a ram issue)

i don't put my computer to sleep, and i'd advise you the same if you're going to record something

 

[Mike Schwend]

My EyeTV Hybrid has "Failed to initialize" after sleep

I had submitted this to Elgato a couple weeks ago; I have had no response, except for an RMA "promise." The unit is TERRIFIC when it works! I only have difficulty if I try to run the unit after the 24" iMac has been asleep.

-Any HINTS on this? (Thank you for any help...)

-Mike-

====== Here's the email I had sent in ======
> Good day;
>
> Thank you for sending the replacement unit out! -I would like to add some more info to this case, just in the remote possibility that there is yet some possible resolution to our Hybrid unit failing to "INITIALIZE." Here is some text that will expand on our observations and the setup.
>
> I must stress that this unit has this failed-to-initialize problem ONLY when our 24" iMac has been asleep; It is after a sleep period of two or more hours that this problem arises:
>
>
> "I have one issue with mine: If I open the EyeTV application after
> waking the iMac from SLEEP MODE, it is sometimes hard to get the thing
> to RUN, if I load the EyeTV application; The application is running
> properly, but the 'Hybrid appears that it is not properly "polled" by
> the USB port. (The message in the EyeTV program's window is "Failed to
> initialize.") It sometimes will operate as desired if I simply restart
> the EteTV program. -Other times, (after several failed tries) I must
> unplug, then reconnect the USB cable that runs between the 'Hybrid and
> the iMac. This always results in a proper startup and operation.
>
>
>
> -Any ideas??? I emailed Elgato; They said that they WOULD LIKE TO
> REPLACE the unit, and that they needed our name, mailing address, etc.,
> as well as our telephone number. I replied with all of this, but no
> more word. (This was more than a week ago, that I have heard from them. -I shall re-email!)
>
>
>
> My system is as follows:
>
> 24 inch iMac core 2 Intel
>
> 1 meg of RAM
>
> OSX 10.4.8
>
> EyeTV Hybrid, with EyeTV software version 2.3.3
>
>
>
> I mention that I am running the 24" iMac, as there have been some
> scattered reports of less than ideal operation with PARALLELS and BOOT
> CAMP, running Windows XP.

 

[applelabs]

i've been using the hybrid for awhile, and for the most part it works well. however, every once and awhile, it'll miss recordings and I cant figure out why. Sometimes, it'll be sleeping while it's supposed to be recording and when I wake the computer up, then it starts recording. so if the recording was supposed to start at 8pm and I wake it up and 8:15, the recording doesnt start until 8:15.

and yes, the preferences are set to "start eyetv when device plugged in".

it seems to record fine when it starts up the computer from being off.

That's because EyeTV can't wake the computer from sleep mode.

and.. if I'm doing something else while it s supposed to record - ie using Final Cut Pro - it records choppy footage.. is this a RAM issue? (512)
anyway, anyone else having problems with this product or know what I'm doing wrong?

Since the EyeTV doesn't have a hardware encoder, your computers CPU has to do the grunt work. If you are recording something and using another CPU intensive program, you'll get choppy footage. This only applys to an analog recording. So if you're doin' digital it's probable RAM related.

 

[toddgarvin]

Hello - this is to anyone with experience using an eyetv

i've been using the hybrid for awhile, and for the most part it works well. however, every once and awhile, it'll miss recordings and I cant figure out why. Sometimes, it'll be sleeping while it's supposed to be recording and when I wake the computer up, then it starts recording. so if the recording was supposed to start at 8pm and I wake it up and 8:15, the recording doesnt start until 8:15.

and yes, the preferences are set to "start eyetv when device plugged in".

it seems to record fine when it starts up the computer from being off.

also, sometimes it'll record without sound.

and.. if I'm doing something else while it s supposed to record - ie using Final Cut Pro - it records choppy footage.. is this a RAM issue? (512)

anyway, anyone else having problems with this product or know what I'm doing wrong?

I just received my Hybrid yesterday and am having the same problem as you. I have contacted Elgato and will share their response here.

As for the choppy footage, the other poster is correct. both apps you are using are very processor intensive. I would not recommend using both of those at the same time. That <i>should</i> give you much better recordings.

 

[pubucks]

Need Help!!!

I been using eyetv hybrid since last christmas. I live in Ottawa Canada.
Here's my problem with my eyetv hybrid. Up here we only have 2 HD tv ch OTA , CBC and Radio Canada. For the first few days i used internal HD antenna from RCA and it worked well. Then i decided to try to connect it to the cable coaxial from the wall inside my apartment. And somehow i was able to get the same number of chs as i did from my RCA antenna. So i returned my antenna. The problem i'm facing now is that since couple of days ago, I haven't been able to watch HD Chs(CBC and RAdio Canada), they are blacked out. I'm getting analog Chs thou. Does anyone live in Canada facing the same problem? Should i repurchase an internal antenna or is it the hybrid hardware problem? If anyone have any clue, please help me out.

 

[lag1090]

That's because EyeTV can't wake the computer from sleep mode.

Actually, it can. I also am the owner of an EyeTV Hybrid and when my MBP is asleep, EyeTV automatically wakes it up a few minutes before the recording is supposed to start, and it even puts it back to sleep when the recording is over.

 

[Passante]

What Mac are you using?

 

[brando06]

What Mac are you using?

He states he's using a MBP

 

[Angsty]

If I put my MacBook Pro to sleep by closing the lid while leaving EyeTV open in the Dock, EyeTV won't wake up to record; well, it does record 'something' of 0 kb in size.

If I leave EyeTV open in the Dock, close the live tv window, leave the lid open and let MBP go to 'sleep' by itself, then it records OK. (I don't think it opens up the live tv window to record, it just records...). This method doesn't seem to put the HDD to sleep as I've checked the next day and the fan & HDD are still humming along.

Waking up from sleep while the lid is closed and recording would be at the top of my request list to Elgato.

Ang

 

[Multimedia]

Never Sleep - Record To Dedicated HD Where Nothing Else Is Happening

Hello - this is to anyone with experience using an eyetv

i've been using the hybrid for awhile, and for the most part it works well. however, every once and awhile, it'll miss recordings and I cant figure out why. Sometimes, it'll be sleeping while it's supposed to be recording and when I wake the computer up, then it starts recording. so if the recording was supposed to start at 8pm and I wake it up and 8:15, the recording doesnt start until 8:15.

System Preferences->Energy Saver->Sleep Pane-> Move that top slider all the way over to the right so computer will NEVER sleep while inactive. Then manually turn off and on your monitor(s).

and yes, the preferences are set to "start eyetv when device plugged in".

it seems to record fine when it starts up the computer from being off.

also, sometimes it'll record without sound.

and.. if I'm doing something else while it s supposed to record - ie using Final Cut Pro - it records choppy footage.. is this a RAM issue? (512)

anyway, anyone else having problems with this product or know what I'm doing wrong?

What is your Mac model processor and speed, ram quantity? I do all my EyeTV work on a Quad G5. Anything less can be problematic. I know that reads elitist and it isn't meant to be. You can't use a major program like Final Cut on the same drive you're recording to. Your Recordings should be on a dedicated HD that you have nothing else happening on but recording. I have about 10 HDs hanging off my Quad G5. One of them is recording EyeTV stuff all the time and nothing else.

 

[notdavid]

Hello - this is to anyone with experience using an eyetv

i've been using the hybrid for awhile, and for the most part it works well. however, every once and awhile, it'll miss recordings and I cant figure out why. Sometimes, it'll be sleeping while it's supposed to be recording and when I wake the computer up, then it starts recording. so if the recording was supposed to start at 8pm and I wake it up and 8:15, the recording doesnt start until 8:15.

and yes, the preferences are set to "start eyetv when device plugged in".

it seems to record fine when it starts up the computer from being off.

also, sometimes it'll record without sound.

and.. if I'm doing something else while it s supposed to record - ie using Final Cut Pro - it records choppy footage.. is this a RAM issue? (512)

anyway, anyone else having problems with this product or know what I'm doing wrong?

I have found that the not waking issue is a USB Port issue, not an EyeTV issue. Seems the Mac puts the ports into deep sleep and the software can't wake the port(s). This is really a big issue with some USB PCI cards. SOMETIMES plugging the device directly into the native USN port will make it work properly. But I have also seen a good high quality Powered USB Hub fix the situation. Since the Hybrid is a port powered device, as soon as the USB port powers down, it takes a powder and doesn't come back without a reboot. Still an issue I am working on, sorry for the non-commital answer! My opinion is that this is an Apple USB issue. Especially with laptops, Apple is supplying the ports with minimal power.

Stuttering during record, this is an issue with the Hybrid hardware, not the EyeTV software. The Hybrid has NO hardware compression, it relies solely on the Mac to compress the video stream, it can take up to 50% and more of the Mac's horsepower to get the analog video stream ready to put on the disc.
In comparison, I run four Plextor's with hardware compression, it takes less then 3% of my CPU to write all four streams to disc.
I have been ripping DVD's with MacTheRipper, using HandBrake to compress them to disc for my MediaStreamer, surfing, and recording four streams, the CPU's were pegged at 200%, not a bobble on the recorded shows! This is on a first gen DPG5 2GHz, 4GB of RAM.

-ND