EyeTV worth it?

[LtRammstein]

Hey all,

I have a few extra bucks to spend and I was looking around to see what would be useful for me to get. I plan on getting a 2nd monitor and spanning it with my iMac, but I would only need to use the 2nd monitor when I'm programming or writing papers for classes (very rarely will I play video games on the 2nd monitor).

Anyways, I was looking around and saw that an EyeTV that's within my price range. Of course I'll get the Hybrid. What I'd like to do is record some shows I usually miss because of work or class or some other unknown reason and of course, when I'm typing up a non-research paper to watch some news or what not.

I do have a TV in my room, but it gets a fuzzy feed (I believe it's the cable box in the basement).

So I'm asking, is it worth the buy or would it be easier just to get a DVR?

Steve

 

[newmacuser13]

Hey all,

I have a few extra bucks to spend and I was looking around to see what would be useful for me to get. I plan on getting a 2nd monitor and spanning it with my iMac, but I would only need to use the 2nd monitor when I'm programming or writing papers for classes (very rarely will I play video games on the 2nd monitor).

Anyways, I was looking around and saw that an EyeTV that's within my price range. Of course I'll get the Hybrid. What I'd like to do is record some shows I usually miss because of work or class or some other unknown reason and of course, when I'm typing up a non-research paper to watch some news or what not.

I do have a TV in my room, but it gets a fuzzy feed (I believe it's the cable box in the basement).

So I'm asking, is it worth the buy or would it be easier just to get a DVR?

Steve

The eyetv hybrid is great, but not for a HD picture off cable. HD is limited to the ATSC tuner for off the air signals, otherwise it is standard defintion only.

That being said, I am using my EyeTV hybrid to pick up all the HD off the air in my area (Milwaukee) using a "very sophisticated" UHF bow tie antenna ($5 at radio shack). Using this setup from my BASEMENT I am able to pick up all but one local station in HD. Now I have a 13.3" HD TV (i.e. my MacBook) in the basement (or anywhere for that matter) for the sum of $155. ($150 eyetv hybrid, $5 antenna). For portable use around town, I found that I could leave the bow tie at home, and pick up all the necessary stations as long as I'm not below ground with a 3 inch long antenna borrowed from a 900 MHz wireless camera receiver.

So far I love my EyeTV hybrid. My only concern is that is does get quite warm during use, I worry about component longevity, but so far no problems at all.

 

[brando06]

The eyetv hybrid is great, but not for a HD picture off cable. HD is limited to the ATSC tuner for off the air signals, otherwise it is standard defintion only.

That being said, I am using my EyeTV hybrid to pick up all the HD off the air in my area (Milwaukee) using a "very sophisticated" UHF bow tie antenna ($5 at radio shack). Using this setup from my BASEMENT I am able to pick up all but one local station in HD. Now I have a 13.3" HD TV (i.e. my MacBook) in the basement (or anywhere for that matter) for the sum of $155. ($150 eyetv hybrid, $5 antenna). For portable use around town, I found that I could leave the bow tie at home, and pick up all the necessary stations as long as I'm not below ground with a 3 inch long antenna borrowed from a 900 MHz wireless camera receiver.

So far I love my EyeTV hybrid. My only concern is that is does get quite warm during use, I worry about component longevity, but so far no problems at all.

How can you pick up signal, while away from your house??? Via the antenna??? I don't get it, i didn't think that you could use it wirelessly??

 

[newmacuser13]

How can you pick up signal, while away from your house??? Via the antenna??? I don't get it, i didn't think that you could use it wirelessly??

Not sure what your question is, but

EyeTV Hybrid is a small device that connects to your computer or laptop via USB. It is simply a small (about the size of a usb memory stick) TV receiver. At one end is the USB 2.0 connector you pug into your Mac, At the end of the device is a standard 75 ohm coaxial cable input. You can choose to connect it up your cable system for analog signal (not digital cable), or connect an antenna of your choice - just like you do when you connect up an antenna to a tv. If you connect an antenna to it, you have the choice of reception of NTSC (good old time tv signal - why bother) or ATSC (digital - what we soon will only have). The ATSC signal the tv stations send out is generally HD (at least for the major market stations).

Thus, I can pick up HDTV and display it on my macbook from anywhere my choice of TV antenna can pick up a signal. As the ATSC digital is a broadcast in the UHF band, thus my try (and success) with a simple $5 "bowtie" UHF antenna. There are other more compact UHF antennas (such as the one I described above) which are perfect to throw in your laptop bag.

 

[newmacuser13]

How can you pick up signal, while away from your house??? Via the antenna??? I don't get it, i didn't think that you could use it wirelessly??

It just occurred to me - the DVR aspect of EyeTV hybrid does require an internet connection to download the programming guide, but that's just to get the "TV guide". Thus, if your goal is to use it to record digital TV, you need the internet to get the progam guide. You can, however, just tune in the station and tell it to record, so internet availabilty really is optional.

 

[iKwick7]

I absolutely love my eyeTV 250. HD would be nice but that's what my HDTV is for. I already have over 300 gigs of video which includes 30 or so VHS tapes (that I will be turning into dvds some time this year), movies, and tv shows. I really love the programming guide.

I have read that it is possible to ge tthis thing to work with Direct TV- requiring an IR blaster and some software. Anyone familiar with this? I am currently using Cablevision and I just got the ok that I can switch to DirectTV if I'd like (and I really would like to, I HATE Cablevision with a passion).

 

[Maynerd]

Hmm this device sounds interesting. How hard is it to set up a DVR type thing with this? Do I have to buy addtional software or is that included?

 

[Sinsinnati]

I also love my EyeTV. I have the Plextor TV encoder and it has lived up to my expectations plus it is the only one that is NTSC & PAL.

http://www.plextor.com/english/products/TV402UMac.htm

 

[digarcia]

I also love my EyeTV. I have the Plextor TV encoder and it has lived up to my expectations plus it is the only one that is NTSC & PAL.

http://www.plextor.com/english/products/TV402UMac.htm

Do you know if the Plextor will allow you to take in sVideo feed froma DirecTV Tivo box. I have a load of DirecTivo'd shows that i want exporeted and available on my mac and to be burned on to DVD.

Will any of the EyeTV products or Plextor Products do this.