EyeTV vs. TiVo?

[eclipse525]

Ok....my VCR final brokedown and I refuse to buy another one. I do however need something to replace it. I was considering either TiVo or El Gato's "EyeTV". Has anyone used or have either one of these alternatives? What's the difference between the two? Are they basically the same thing? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!


~e

 

[Darwin]

TiVo is a box that connects to your TV and you access it via the TV but thats all I really know about it

EyeTV is also a box but this plugs into the computer, I have this one and with the software it simply puts TV on your Mac so you can and watch and record Live TV, then using something like Toast for Burning the recordings, pretty good i think

 

[ToddW]

I have Tivo it is for Direct TV and I love it. It works great. I will never miss another episode of ALIAS again!

 

[Krizoitz]

Ok....my VCR final brokedown and I refuse to buy another one. I do however need something to replace it. I was considering either TiVo or El Gato's "EyeTV". Has anyone used or have either one of these alternatives? What's the difference between the two? Are they basically the same thing? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!


~e

If you spend the majority of your tv time watching on the actual TV go with the TiVO. If you would rather watch on your computer go with the EyeTV. The nice thing about the EyeTV is it doesn't require a subscription like the TiVo does. But you want to get the EyeTV 200 if you want the best quality on the computer.

 

[mactastic]

See if your cable company is going to offer DVR boxes anytime soon. I just got one here, for $9.99/month I'll never miss another New Yankee Workshop.

The nice thing is no initial cost, and a lower monthly fee than the $12.95 (I think) that TiVo charges.

 

[DavidLeblond]

I agree with Mactastic, the cable company's DVR is usually the way to go. I have one (Time Warner) and one feature that it has over boxes like TIVO is the ability to record something and watch something else. If you have digital cable, this is the only way you can do that.

If you don't have Digital Cable though, the upgrade would probably be too costly. In that case, get a Replay TV. I've heard thats the best.

 

[ToddW]

I agree with Mactastic, the cable company's DVR is usually the way to go. I have one (Time Warner) and one feature that it has over boxes like TIVO is the ability to record something and watch something else. If you have digital cable, this is the only way you can do that.

If you don't have Digital Cable though, the upgrade would probably be too costly. In that case, get a Replay TV. I've heard thats the best.

I disagree to somewhat. My tivo service is only 4.99/month and I got a great deal through direcTV. I can also watch something and record something else at the same time.

 

[eclipse525]

Yeah, I heard "RePlay" was pretty good also.

I believe TiVo is about $10 a month, or is that just one of the plans.

I did a little digging and found that "EyeHome" has some issues with playing encoded "AAC" files from iTunes and with many Codecs. Which they say, VLC and MPlayer offers a wider range of formats they can play.

Here's two takes on EyeHome.

http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/elgato/

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/eyehome_review.html


At the moment, I think that Tivo or RePlay might be the way to go. I use Cablevision in New York and don't think they offer DVR along with their "IO Digital" system. Would be nice though.

~e

 

[Krizoitz]

I disagree to somewhat. My tivo service is only 4.99/month and I got a great deal through direcTV. I can also watch something and record something else at the same time.

Good point, EyeTV can't do that.

 

[Flowbee]

FYI - You can get a factory refurbished Tivo right now for $99 (after $50 rebate) when you buy directly from Tivo.com. Pretty darn good deal!

Signed,
Very happy Tivo customer

 

[Westside guy]

I disagree to somewhat. My tivo service is only 4.99/month and I got a great deal through direcTV. I can also watch something and record something else at the same time.

The reason this works is DirectTV's Tivo has two tuners in it - the particular DVR (don't remember who makes it, some outfit in Atlanta I think) offered by most cable companies also has two tuners. Regular Tivo and ReplayTV units only have one tuner, so this can't be done through the unit.

However you can always split your cable so it's possible to isolate the Tivo or ReplayTV, and use the TV's tuner to watch a show while you're recording. Of course this means you could use this method to record TWO shows while watching a third if you have one of the afore-mentioned two-tuner units.

I'm waiting to see what my cable company offers this year. I'd love to have a PVR, but the subscription fee is rediculously high - at least for someone like me who doesn't watch all that many shows.