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No Apple Digital Video Recorder (DVR) Planned?

Elgato TV

gugy said:
Unfortunately, I guess EyeTV will be the only solution available. Too bad.
I wish a solution from Apple. That would be much better.
DVR is a great deal. Too bad Apple is not planning to have that.
But Steve also said the we would not see video on the ipod. So maybe that's a good hint that the DVR will be here soon.
Click to expand...

Have you tried Elgato, I use the 410 regularly, and burn to DVD with Toast. Elgato are continuously improving the software, you can record as many channels at once as your computer will cope with.
The quality is awesome. We dont have to just use Apple product🙂
 
is the mini dvr is already here?

has anyone ever read about recording from a cable box via firewire? I was checking out some threads on an av forum and found a very interesting tutorial about using a mac to record and time shift tv using a cable box equipped with a firewire port. You can get all the software you need to start recording from Apple's website. The best part, its free. Yup, F-R-E-E. People have even written some scripts to work with iCal so you can schedule recordings. I checked my cable box and low and behold, firewire port. I know how I'll be spending my tax refund. Here's the thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=386740

I'll report back if I can get it to work
-s
 
dornoforpyros said:
So in other words they are planning one. Remember everytime apple says their not working on something they actually are
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Just like they told Apple Records "We're never gonna be in the music business...." . I hope they make something to capture TV - but it really doesn't make sense now- they are building a revenue stream with online video sales, why compete with that. If I had PVR on my mac, I would never have bought that 'Mitch Hedberg' from itunes.

phil doesnt say that Apple will not be making a TiVo killer though
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Poor Tivo, everyone trying to kill you.
 
But if they did include a DVR in the Mini, I don't think Apple could sell it internationally (Just a thought..maybe not)

All domestic computer makers here in Japan have DVR as a standard on most PCs (Some are even Terrestrial Digital HDTV compatible), and a lot of people demand a DVR in a computer (..which automatically puts Macs out of consideration). But I don't see any foreign makers (such as Dell) that include DVRs.

...the rumors been rasing your hopes up way too much. Some people seem to be demanding too much from Apple recently.

By the way, does anyone know of Apple's "DVHSCap" application? It's interesting if you own a i.LINK compatible D-VHS. It's an application that emulates a D-VHS recorder on the Mac, and allows you to dub MPEG2-TS content from a D-VHS deck to your Mac, and also the other way around, using the FireWire (i.LINK) cable.
...but Japanese digital TV broadcasts have copy-protection so it's useless here...

seansf said:
has anyone ever read about recording from a cable box via firewire? I was checking out some threads on an av forum and found a very interesting tutorial about using a mac to record and time shift tv using a cable box equipped with a firewire port. You can get all the software you need to start recording from Apple's website. The best part, its free. Yup, F-R-E-E. People have even written some scripts to work with iCal so you can schedule recordings. I checked my cable box and low and behold, firewire port. I know how I'll be spending my tax refund. Here's the thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=386740

I'll report back if I can get it to work
-s
Click to expand...

Oh ya, I got that to work... It was real choppy getting pure-HDTV playing on my Mac mini, but SD resolution video played fine.
It all worked until all TV broadcasts became Copy-protected a year ago...
 
I think if the Mac was going to get any more media center-ish it would have to be through an OS upgrade. The way front row works now is that its just a front end to your iApps. If you have no iApps installed, it cannot run. If the ability to play dvds, music, and so on could be done through the OS itself, it would make a media center mac more like a reliable appliance.
It is really easy to say what a killer dvr mac would be like, but I don't think the people in charge at Apple want to invest the money all at once to come up with what will eventually be the Tivo killer. Its like they are coming out with little pieces of the the big puzzle and milking each piece for all its worth.
 
One thing that I think Apple would find tricky in a PVR would be how to support all the different flavours of TV broadcast around the world. In the UK alone, we have the following:

1. Digital terrestrial ("Freeview", plus the optional "TopUp TV" Add-on)
2. Digital satellite (BSkyB)
3. Various providers of digital cable (NTL, etc...)
4, 5 & 6. Analogue Terrestrial, Cable and Satellite (although these are being phased out)

I don't have a clue what systems are popular in other countries. But I bet there's several different standards.

So what is Apple supposed to do, release a version of the Mac Mini for every broadcast flavour in the world? That would be expensive for them, and it would push the price of the units up. Then we'd moan.

To me, it makes sense to have the TV receiver bit in a different box.
 
Good now I can build a Myth TV system.

Macrumors said:
... Apple is not going to be competing with TiVo in the Digital Video Recorder market.
Click to expand...

Any news like this is usful. Now I __know__ I will not be wasting my time building a "Myth TV" system (see http://www.mythtv.org/ )

All you PVR fans should look into this. It's non-Microsoft and likely could run on Darwin using cheap PC hardware. or even run on expensive Apple hardware if you like.

This really is what I want, the abilty to record multiple channels at once and play on any of several screens and a central video library and you can't complain about the price.
Myth is "tivo on steriods" with "some asembly required".

I don't really even watch TV or rented movies either. I mostly want a juke box for all the video I've shot myself. My kids and wife are different they watch for hours every day.

I've got most of the hardware I need laaying around I may as well get going.
 
More TiVo/Apple partnerships?

Maybe Apple will partner with TiVo and allow you to watch content purchased from the iTMS on the networked TiVo like you can with your iTunes music on TiVo currently. Who knows...
 
A DVR is nonsense for Apple's Business Model

Why would Apple release a DVR? They just released TV shows through iTunes for 1.99 Do you think they would provide a product that enables you to choose a free recording of the material? Of course not. Tv's are great for watching content and I admit Tivo's interface is nice as well however, Apple will make the make the Mac the interface; iTunes stays the interface. You download and purchase there, then stream to the TV. Remember, Apple creates products. It doesn't bother trying to improve on existing ones. The Mac Classic, Mac OS, iMac, and even the iPod were true originals.

DVR for Mac is dead. Go El Gato if you really need it. Meantime, wait for iTunes; that's where the money is; literally.
 
KTYS said:
Oh ya, I got that to work... It was real choppy getting pure-HDTV playing on my Mac mini, but SD resolution video played fine.
It all worked until all TV broadcasts became Copy-protected a year ago...
Click to expand...

So does copy-protected mean you are unable to record or does it mean you are not allowed to record?
-s
 
Riiight. And there will never be an iPod that will play videos...sure...


Maybe if the video store does not follow through a DVR is plan B for them?
 
A DVR-enabled Mac mini was never a great thought of mine anyway. All I really need is Front Row for entertainment purposes when it comes to using it on a TV.

However, this doesn't mean that Apple definitely is not thinking about a DVR box of some kind. It's wise for a company to say they are not interested in something when they really are.

Video iPod anyone? 😉
 
apple just closed the door in competing with microsofts meda center edition which records tv etc.

the new media center with windows expected with windows vista is supposed to kick major ***

so i dont know why apple would do this.

it would have been a great way to get users to s w i t c h .
 
direzz said:
apple just closed the door in competing with microsofts meda center edition which records tv etc.

the new media center with windows expected with windows vista is supposed to kick major ***

so i dont know why apple would do this.

it would have been a great way to get users to s w i t c h .
Click to expand...

Give me an A! Give me an M! E! N!
 
gugy said:
good to know. I really want a DVR solution for my Mac. Elgato looks good but I wasn't sure about it. I was waiting for an Apple solution. I guess I'll look again into EyeTV.
Click to expand...


Elgato currently sells refurbished units; eyeTV 500 for $199!
I ordered one as soon as I read this article.
 
Stella said:
Some people are deluded, they want a Powerful Mini Mac + PVR for the bargain price of $499.
This is reality. Its not going to happen.
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I didn't see how they were going to fit TV tuner hardware onto the cramped Mini motherboard to begin with.

You're right. It's not going to happen, and it's mostly because the content providers would sue Apple if it released a PVR people actually wanted (one that can burn it's shows on the SuperDrive and stored the programs in an unencryted format (like H.264). The fact others may already have software solutions that do the same thing is unimportant. Apple making it so easy would still cause them to get targetted.

There is a reason your cableco's DVR's never include a DVD burner built in.
 
good.

All Apple needs is a video Airport Express that receives a constant Front Row signal from the mac. Then let the APE receive signals from the Apple remote and you have all of your media content constantly streaming to your tv and is remote controlled.

PVR would cripple iTMS, this gives Apple more chips in their favor.
 
I really try and not state the same thing over and over.

Why does apple have to do everything in order for it to be valid? let a developer write his/her own killer app. This attitude makes me sick because it forces apple to monopolize development for its own platform. so much so that given this attitude, if someone else wrote a nice DVR app, you wouldn't use it because it didn't work with front row.

guess what: front row isn't amazing. infact its pretty void of features if you ask me. but is anyone going to try and compete? hell no.

everythings gotta be an ipod accessory or an itunes hack...
absurd.
 
Stridder44 said:
Riiight. And there will never be an iPod that will play videos...sure...
Click to expand...

😉

I look at this as virtual confirmation that Front Row will include DVR functionality in the next go-round, and the mini will have it as well. It's classic apple "we're not trying to beat tivo" and then they do.

That said, I'd rather they bought tivo and made the two separate products work really well together.
 
Good to hear. I never thought PVR in Apple's budget Mac made sense, but a special model, maybe Mini-based, was believable. Or an add-on usable with any Mac.

In the future, anything's possible. For now, El Gato has some solutions for Mac PVR (which IS how I intend to do my TV viewing one day).

And PVR functionality does not compete with iTunes: PVR lets you freely choose WHEN, but not WHAT. Apple could do this any time in future.
 
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