DualTuner
Latest
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me dual tune
Dear Aunt TUAW, What the heck is going on with eyeTV why after 3-4 years of promises do they still not support dual tuners, or channel sorting? i've tried to reach out to elgato in various different digital ways, but to no avail, does TUAW have any contacts they could touch on to figure this out? Alternatively, is there any mac software that will do what EyeTV does, and give me support for my dual Terratec H7 Tuners? Your loving nephew, Ole Dear Ole, Auntie contacted Nick Freeman over at Elgato, to see if he could lend a hand with your question. He looked into this and here's what he had to say. He writes, "We're sorry to hear that your two TerraTec H7 devices aren't working simultaneously with EyeTV, on one Mac. Let me tell you a bit more about how EyeTV can (and can't) work with multiple devices. EyeTV is able to work with many TV tuners, from a wide variety of manufacturers. We've been able to get most of those devices to work well when used with EyeTV alone, and even in some combinations. For example, EyeTV software works fine when using two Elgato satellite products on the same Mac, at the same time. We're happy to support many TerraTec products, but we can only officially support them for individual use. We can't certify using more than one of them on the same Mac at the same time. You have found one of the few combinations that simply doesn't work (two TerraTec H7 units on the same Mac), but since that hardware is from a 3rd party, we're not able to modify it to potentially add multiple unit support. We're constantly trying to improve EyeTV, and while we'll try to support more products in the future, we may not be able to resolve this issue with two TerraTec H7 units. We apologize that we're not able to offer the extra feature you desire." Auntie hopes that, at least, gives you some insight as to what is going on. Hugs, Auntie T.
Hauppauge USB CableCARD tuner announced on Facebook, ships later this month for $129
It seems like just yesterday that we couldn't find a CableCARD tuner anywhere, and news that Hauppauge has has announced a name, price for its new device highlights what has suddenly become a flood of ways to get pay-TV on your HTPC. MissingRemote dug up a post on Hauppauge's Facebook page announcing the dual tuner WinTV-DCR-2650, which it developed in partnership with SiliconDust and plans to ship by the end of this month for just $129. It's already certified by CableLabs so everything appears to be ready to go, with preorders apparently ready to begin Monday through the company's direct store and Amazon. Are any of you canceling a HDHomeRun/InfiniTV 4 order and switching over? [Thanks, Craig, Brian & Joe]
Cutting Edge update brings multiroom, dual live buffers to DirecTV HR2x / R22 HD DVRs
DirecTV HD DVR owners keeping an eye on Cutting Edge releases got a special treat this weekend with a new update that enabled multiroom viewing and dual live buffers on HR2x and R22 receivers. Allowing users to pause one tuner for up to 90 minutes while they watch the other, DBSTalk notes this test release is a "Very High Risk" so don't bother calling customer service if it doesn't work properly, and if you missed the downloading window Friday then you'll have to wait for the next test period -- or whenever DirecTV is confident it has worked out all the kinks -- to give the new (or old, if you're a DirecTivo owner) features a try.[Thanks, Kevin]
DViCO launches PCIe-based FusionHDTV7 dual HDTV tuner card
Heads-up, OTA lovers. DViCO has just announced the formal launch of its FusionHDTV7 PCI-Express card, which claims to be the "world's first dual HD (digital or QAM) tuner PCIe card." The device is designed to pick up digital (ATSC) / analog (NTSC) terrestrial signals, and the twin silicon tuners also provide picture-in-picture support as well as the ability to watch and / or record two high-definition broadcasts simultaneously. And at just $140 (available now), we have a feeling this one's going to be a fan favorite.[Via TVSquad]
Hauppauge not officially supporting dual tuner setups with HD PVR?
If you've been looking beneath couch cushions in an attempt to scrounge up enough cash to pick up a pair of Hauppauge HD PVRs for some sweet dual recording action, hold your horses just a second. We're seeing conflicting reports floating around the web stating that Hauppauge isn't officially supporting dual tuner setups, yet some inquiries are yielding the opposite response. Interestingly, we've heard that the HD PVR drivers actually do understand multiple tuner setups, but the outfit has yet to test and officially acknowledge support for such scenarios. For those who already grabbed a couple, why not give it a go and let us know how it turns out? Either way, we're hoping Hauppauge clears this up in short order, but we'd probably steer clear of ordering several until that happens.[Via TV Squad]Read - HD PVRs don't support dual tuner setupsRead - HD PVRs do support dual tuner setups
Diamond Multimedia offers up HDTV100 portable USB TV tuner
Although these miniscule USB TV tuners have long been available overseas, we're thrilled to see Diamond Multimedia bringing the tiny OTA tuning love here to the States. The firm's HDTV100 sports an attractively small thumb drive-like enclosure, is powered entirely by USB, and features both ATSC and analog tuners within. Aside from supporting EPG, allowing you to schedule recordings and simultaneously playback a stored show while capturing another, it also comes with a "video capture dongle" to grab content from sources other than your trusty TV antenna. Best of all, Diamond's wee gem can be snapped up for just $99, which should give American travelers yearning for a little TV action while on the go little to frown upon.
TiVo Series2 DT hands-on review
We got our chance to have a little private time with TiVo's new 80-hour dual-tuner Series2 (TCD649080) last week. There isn't a whole lot we can tell you about the unit that you didn't already know (dual analog tuners, single digital, no CableCARD, no high def, integrated Ethernet, etc.). In other words, for those expecting something to ease the pain of the absentee Series3 box, you'll probably want to look elsewhere for something to meet your needs, perhaps a Media Center PC. But if you have analog cable and were thinking about snagging a TiVo, you might want to take a second look.
TiVo's Series2 DT 80 and 180 hour dual tuner boxes
Remember the dual tuner TiVos we heard about a few weeks back? Well, surprise, surprise, they're real and are more or less exactly as called. The two models feature a single cable / RF in jack with internal splitter, which allows you to record two analog programs simultaneously, or one analog and one tuned from your digital cable box. Beside the fact that now your TiVo now has dual tuners, it (freaking finally) has integrated Ethernet; starting May 1st you can expect to pony up $199.99 for the 180-hour TCD649180, or $99.99 for the 80-hour TCD649080, both after $150 rebate and service activation. Baby steps to the Series3, patience people.
Forget dual tuner, try ALL-CHANNEL recording
Thats what Japanese researchers for Sharp and Sony are saying we can expect......in 2010. The good news is that once broadcasters switch to DTV, building devices capable of recording whats being broadcast on every channel, all of the time will become much less complicated, the bad news is that even with new compression technologies like MPEG-4, you'll still need a 2-3TB HDD to store all the high definition content being broadcast, and there isn't an affordable 3 TB storage method yet, but they expect there will be in the next few years.Another challenge is building a suitable GUI for such a product, navigating through 7,000 recorded programs could be a bit difficult. Additionally, if IPTV and video on demand services really take off, there might not be a need for all-channel recorders by the time they become available, or broadcasters might move to block them to protect their advertising revenue. Despite all the potential challenges, it is an interesting concept, I just can't wait until 7,000 high definition programs are broadcast every week.
