I remember buying the very first version of El Gato's EyeTV USB, way back in the days of Mac OS 9 and when USB was still a new technology. I also remember that, while it pretty much worked, quality issues, performance problems, and hassles with tuning made it little more than a novelty, at least for me.
But when a new version of EyeTV was release at Macworld Expo last month I realized that it might be time to revisit the technology. The promise of free, over-the-air digital TV in my office was very tempting, especially without having to add another piece of equipment to my already crowded desk. Eventually, I couldn't resist the temptation and I bought an EyeTV Hybrid .
The EyeTV Hybrid is very portable; it's not much bigger than a typical USB "thumb drive." It's not as portable if you need an antenna, of course, but you might not need one. I live in the city, and can literally see the broadcast towers on nearby skyscrapers, so I was able to receive 10 digital and 12 analog channels just by plugging the unit into a free USB port.
El Gato's software has certainly gotten a lot fancier, and prettier, over the years that I haven't been paying attention. The most welcome change I've found is that the channel schedule information, provided by TitanTV, is presented in familiar grid-format for easy perusing. The Setup Assistant has improved too, although it was quite good in the older version. I haven't had a chance to exercise the recording capabilities, my TiVo is plenty busy with that task, but I plan to give it a whirl soon.
My box came with EyeTV 2, so I can't comment on the new EyeTV 3, since I haven't been able to figure out how to obtain it from El Gato. Their website says to wait for an email that will be sent, someday, to registered owners. If you've received the update already, please let the rest of us know what you think of it by leaving a comment.
Performance with digital channels has been superb. I'm using a Mac mini that barely meets the minimum system requirements, so it's refreshing to find that the product works great under those conditions. (Granted, most of the time there's not a lot of other programs running at the same time as EyeTV.) Alas, analog channels still suffer from some of the old problems I had, such as stuttering, but almost every channel that I want to watch has a digital equivalent so it doesn't bother me much. And the quality of the digital picture on an Apple LCD monitor is breathtaking, particularly with the HD stations.
If you're about to buy an EyeTV Hybrid, you'll want to be sure to get the very latest version of the hardware. The newest one comes with EyeTV 3 and supports Clear QAM broadcasts. The only way to tell the difference, according to El Gato, is to carefully examine the packaging. The new one was only released in January, so there are plenty of old versions on store shelves, as I can attest to. Alas, I ended up with an older model and the retailer won't accept a return. But all in all, so far the upgrade has been worthwhile.
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It has much nicer and more intuitive on screen menus, as well as much better management of the library of programs that have been selected for automatic recording. And finally, there is a TiVo like "season pass" functionality -- the only thing I really missed compared to my TiVo units. Although it is not quite as simple as creating a TiVO season pass, it is in some ways superior because it is more flexible and you can more easily fine tune the selection criteria for future recordings.
The instructions say that you'll get an email if you bought EyeTV 2 software from Elgato's online store. But you bought your Hybrid from a retailer, right?
just fill in the form under point three. Or, here:
http://services.elgato.com/na/eyetvupgrade/index.php?file=nocoupon&lang=en
Clever product, but have given up on Elgato - In EyeTV 2 the UK scheduling information is half German, half English (and yes, I have triple checked every pref dozens of times).
Despite a couple of polite mails, Elgato have never taken the trouble to reply - cannot recommend them. Miglia make a similar product and their tech support is swift and efficient.
@ mkm
EyeTV offers two-level instant fast forward / rewind function, which can be accessed via left / right arrow keys, with or without the shift modifier; for example, right arrow jumps 10 seconds forward and shift + right arrow jumps 30.
Better still, you can customize (via Preferences) the amount of time for which each key press will skip the video (it works both for live feed and recorded materials), to suit your needs.
Furthermore, you can also select different FF speed (x2, x4, etc.) in case you do need / want to "skim through" rather than just skip the section.
i've been considering EyeTv, but am curious how one deals with commercials in the saved video files. With Tivo the 30 second button along with the instant rewind (back 8 seconds) makes short work out of commercials and is much faster than fast forwarding through the commercials. Is there anything like that available for EyeTv?
I've been using EyeTV 2 extensively for about a year now, and while I agree that it is quite good, version 3 is significantly better.
It has much nicer and more intuitive on screen menus, as well as much better management of the library of programs that have been selected for automatic recording. And finally, there is a TiVo like "season pass" functionality -- the only thing I really missed compared to my TiVo units. Although it is not quite as simple as creating a TiVO season pass, it is in some ways superior because it is more flexible and you can more easily fine tune the selection criteria for future recordings.
All in all a fine solution. I still love my TiVo's, but it was hard to justify yet another TiVo for a short term apartment during a consulting gig -- especially since EyeTV doesn't require monthly programming fees.
Yes, thanks, HZ. I should clarify that my box did not contain the requisite proof-of-purchase card that El Gato apparently left out of some boxes. So, I have to go through a slower process that involves sending in a copy of my receipt.
I purchased a Hybrid a week ago as well. I was able to instantly download EyeTV 3. I entered the two codes included with the Hybrid into the form on the elGato website, and received a link to download EyeTV 3 in my e-mail instantly.
Thanks for the comment, Simon. Yes, I agree that those upgrade instructions are clear. They clearly say that I should patiently wait until El Gato decides to notify me of how to get the upgrade. Patience is a virtue, as the saying goes.
Details of how to upgrade to EyeTV 3 software can be found clearly on the EyeTV website, e.g. here
http://services.elgato.com/eyetvupgrade/
When you get it, it's a massive download -- but well worth it.