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Review: Elgato's EyeTV Mobile for Dyle
Elgato has been making video hardware for a number of years, and typically I've found the offerings to be as good as any given consumer would need. As hardware has gotten better, Elgato's offerings have been able to pump out HD signals to your Mac or iOS device. Here I'll review an odd duck, a digital TV tuner called EyeTV Mobile, but it's only for a TV service called Dyle. Unfortunately the Dyle service, which is tied to the hardware I'm reviewing, has no history of success. It appears to be an experiment by a consortium of broadcasters, and there's no telling if it will last. If you want broadcast TV on your iDevice, Dyle is only going to take you so far. Hardware Elgato's hardware is great. The 30-pin accessory (at the time I was sent the review unit the Lightning connector was brand-new) allows you to tune in Dyle.tv programming. You're able to attach a small antenna (seen in the picture above) or add a more substantial one (included) with a magnetic base. You can also plug in to USB, and apparently the accessory contains a small battery (although I was able to watch TV without it showing much of a charge). Unfortunately this USB port is not able to charge your iOS device at the same time, so forget about pass-through charging. This is just to charge the EyeTV Mobile, for reasons slightly unclear to me. But as I said, the hardware is great. Elgato makes good stuff. It's the service that will leave you scratching your head. Service According to its site, Dyle is "the creation of Mobile Content Venture (MCV) -- formed by major broadcasting groups." Unfortunately those major groups wound up only agreeing to broadcast Fox and NBC programming. Not all of it, mind you. If you tried to tune in to the football game last night you couldn't -- it was blocked. Also, coverage is limited. Also, unlike actual terrestrial digital television broadcasts, Dyle isn't showing you the full channel lineup of any given channel. Where I live, the local Fox and NBC stations have two channels on digital TV (not cable, this is free TV over the air), so I'd have 10.1 and 10.2 for my local NBC affiliate, and one would carry "primary" stuff like the national feed, and the .2 channel is typically local -- a loop of the weather or a local talk show, stuff like that. Dyle doesn't have this. It only has the national feed. The channel guide is virtually useless. I wound up using i.TV to see what was on or coming up later. There is a tiny amount of buffering, in that you can rewind a tiny bit and pause playback, but it is not that useful. So yes, Dyle is "free" TV over the air, but not free TV digital broadcasts as we know them. It's an alternative to these built by a consortium. And in the consortium's wisdom they have removed most channels (because those networks apparently refused to participate), removed all secondary channels, agreed not to show things like sports with blackout restrictions, and launched a product with less coverage than existing broadcast coverage. And one more thing; the quality of the image sucks. AllThingsD tried the service in San Francisco and New York and found a couple more channels were available, but as with my testing, they also had issues with image quality and audio sync. Basically, it's like watching HD video compressed using Cinepak. This really sounds like a brilliant plan, doesn't it? It's exactly the sort of design-by-committee platypus tech that a consortium of old world thinkers would produce. It's as if the King of Spain told Columbus to sail back to America, but in a concrete boat powered by a tiny sparrow and he can only bring back what will fit in his skinny jeans. Dyle may not even be free forever, apparently. There's no telling what the future holds (because the consortium of geniuses who came up with this boondoggle refuse to say what plans they have, yet to refuse to agree to going forward). Maybe this will get better or perhaps it'll wind up on the scrap heap of failed ideas. While Dyle says it is working on big things, I just don't understand how this layer fits in the ecosystem. Do we need this intermediary? I feel like it's ill-conceived and superfluous, devoid of any real purpose now and merely a beta test to see if they can provide a real service (for a fee) later on. Conclusion If you gotta have free TV and live in a big city, the Elgato EyeTV Mobile for Dyle is great. It's too bad Dyle itself is so utterly terrible. If you want to just watch regular digital television broadcasts, get the EyeTV Mobile which supports actual digital television broadcasts, not this limp noodle of a service called Dyle. Unfortunately you'll only be able to use that in Europe, not America.
Elgato releases EyeTV Mobile for iPad, iPhone
Elgato used Germany's IFA 2012 tradeshow as a springboard to announce a new version of its EyeTV Mobile product for the iPhone and iPad. The dongle connects to the dock connector and lets a user receive DVB-T broadcasts on their iOS device. Due to improved chip technology, the latest version of EyeTV Mobile is significantly smaller than previous models. EyeTV Mobile will go on sale in September for £89.95 through Elgato's online storefront and other resellers. It's compatible with the new iPad, the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S. The companion EyeTV Mobile app is available for free from the iOS App Store. [Via Engadget] Show full PR text IFA 2012: Elgato presents mobile TV solutions for iPad, iPhone and Android Munich, August 30, 2012 – Elgato today unveiled the new EyeTV Mobile, a redesigned, even smaller model of its highly acclaimed DVB-T TV Tuner designed to fit the iPad's and iPhone's dock connector. With the IFA 2012 launch of the new EyeTV Mobile comes the announcement of EyeTV Micro, an ultra-compact DVB-T TV Tuner for Android smartphones and tablets. Also on display at this years IFA is the Game Capture HD, Elgato's solution for recording and sharing PlayStation or Xbox gameplay. Visit Elgato in Hall 12 / 113. An even smaller EyeTV Mobile Thanks to highly efficient chip technology, the new EyeTV Mobile is just half the size of any other TV tuner for the dock connector. Despite its ultra-compact enclosure, EyeTV Mobile can be used with different aerials to get the best possible reception both on the move and at home. EyeTV Mobile will be available for the new iPad (3rd generation), iPad 2, and iPhone 4S in September at a price of GBP 89.95 £ through Elgato's online shop and resellers. The EyeTV Mobile app is free and is available on the App Store. EyeTV Micro turns Androids into TVs EyeTV Micro brings powerful DVB-T reception, extreme portability, and clean design to Android. It connects to the Micro USB port which is common on many smartphones and tablets. Alternatively, EyeTV Micro can be connected to a computer using the included USB adapter cable, and Mac or PC software. EyeTV Micro ships with different aerial options to deliver the best possible reception both on the move and at home. It will be available in September for Android devices with a dual-core CPU, NEON support and Android 4.0.3 ("Ice Cream Sandwich") at a price of GBP £54.95 through Elgato's online shop and resellers. The EyeTV Micro app is free and is available on Google Play. Game Capture HD Elgato also shows the Game Capture HD a simple and stylish solution for recording and sharing PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 gameplay using a Mac or PC. With Elgato Game Capture HD, gameplay videos are easier to record, edit and share than ever before thanks to its innovative hardware design, powerful H.264 encoder, and software that is specifically tailored to gamers needs. Elgato Game Capture HD is available for EUR £179.95 .
Elgato outs smaller EyeTV Mobile for iPhones and iPads, EyeTV Micro for Android
It was at the last IFA we got some time with Elgato's EyeTV Mobile for the iPad, and this year they're at it again with a redesigned iDongle and a brand new model for Android gear. The smaller EyeTV Mobile will have you watching DVB-T broadcasts on your iPhone 4S or iPad (2 or new), while the EyeTV Micro swaps Apple's dock connector for, you guessed it, microUSB. Not all Android devices support the Micro -- you'll need a dual-core CPU, Neon support and at least the 4.0.3 build of ICS. That said, the Micro's a generous little chap, as you can use the included USB cable to hook it up to your PC or Mac and get your TV fix on bigger screens, too. Both peripherals can be used with myriad aerials to meet your reception needs, provided you're in Europe, of course. The Mobile and Micro will be available in September for £89.95 and £54.95 (around $143 and $87), respectively, and we hope to see one on the show floor before IFA 2012 is done, so stay tuned.
TUAW and MacTech interview: Elgato
Elgato is currently celebrating the tenth anniversary of its EyeTV product. EyeTV is now a line of hardware and a set of apps for Mac and iOS which allow you to watch and record TV. Elgato makes other products as well, like capture devices and storage. In this video, Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) interviews Florian Dejako of Elgato at WWDC 2012. Florian was kind enough to tell us about his thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect Elgato's plans moving forward. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Elgato Game Capture HD delivers easy HDMI recording to OS X
Talk about off-label use: I own neither an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3. These are the normal devices associated with Elgato's Game Capture HD box. Retailing for US$200, the box lets you hook up an HDMI video source to record your interactions with your favorite gaming system. For me, I wanted to see how well it worked with Apple TV and iPad. With Game Capture HD, you can plug in a second-generation-or-later Apple TV unit and, boom, you can watch and record anything you'd normally view on a TV. This is, roughly speaking, a billion times easier than earlier solutions we wrote about on the blog. Plus, the video quality is astonishing: really crisp and clear. You can also connect an iPad up directly, using the digital AV adapter with HDMI or mirror an iPhone 4S through Apple TV for the same effect. There is, however, lag. Like connections made through Elgato's flagship product EyeTV, you'll find that the video you're watching is a second or two behind the real world. That's because this product's focus is on recording action, not on mirroring it for direct interaction. If you need that direct mirroring, use the unit's HDMI output port, to play through to a TV rather than focusing attention on the software display. The unit runs off USB power, limiting the number of cables you have to deal with. What you're buying into is a good set of tools including an editing suite, levels controls, integrated social sharing and more. Basically, Elgato has streamlined this product into everything you need to show off battles, walk-throughs, and so forth. As a parent of children who endlessly record and share their game progress, I think Elgato has hit the mark in terms of their feature set and interface. The application focuses strictly on capture/edit/share and its interface is much cleaner and more modern than their better known EyeTV tuner system/software. You might ask questions: why does an OS X user need this when Reflection provides direct video mirroring and recording already for far less money with no lags and why are you hooking up Apple TV or the iOS device to your computer, why not just watch the same stuff directly on OS X or the device? As a tech writer, my ability to capture Apple TV screens -- not just mirrored iOS -- is, in itself, valuable. That's something other solutions do not provide. Plus, it's nice to be able to record and edit in a single app. Also, the HDMI source is not limited to game boxes and iOS/Apple TV. The mid-2011 Mac mini introduced HDMI output. You could record the mini's desktop without putting extra strain on the native processor. If you're thinking that Game Capture HD might offer a workaround for re-recording HDCP content, think again. It cannot process any HDMI signal that uses HDCP protection. The box itself felt solidly built, and had a nice rounded profile on its sides, compared to the relatively blocky design of earlier Elgato units I have worked with. Mind you, those other boxes are fine. They are nice blocks, with a fairly standard Apple look. It's that Elgato stepped up the look on this unit to appeal to gamers. It's shiny, it's black, it's a little slicker. Elgato promises to ship an EyeTV update this June to support their new box. Until then, the Game Capture HD software they provide for the unit is the only way to view and record incoming signals. Unfortunately, I found this software was fairly unstable. That's not so surprising for a brand new app, but was a bit of a let-down compared to the relative polish of the design. Update: According to a spokesperson, Elgato has addressed the issues that caused my spinning beachball of doom hangs. The fixes have been pushed under a "Check for Updates" release. Elgato also sent me a new build of EyeTV that supports the Game Capture HD directly. This will be released to the public shortly.
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.
Elgato EyeTV Mobile streams live TV to iPads
Elgato, makers of the EyeTV line of accessories, has announced EyeTV Mobile for the iPad 2. Consisting of a dock connector dongle with a built-in TV antenna, the accessory will allow iPad 2 owners to watch live TV anywhere via a forthcoming EyeTV Mobile app on the App Store. The accessory and app replicate a great deal of the functionality of the EyeTV lineup for the Mac, including the ability to pause/rewind/record live TV and receive certain kinds of radio transmissions. The best part is this setup will not consume any mobile data whatsoever; the TV signals come in directly through the antenna accessory, so you don't even need to be connected to the internet to watch live TV on your iPad 2. There are some caveats to the EyeTV Mobile rig. First is the price: €99.95 / ₤99.95 (US price unavailable) may be a bit steep for many people's wallets. According to the product's tech specs, it only supports standard definition channels, and its lack of support for Freeview HD suggests it will be of limited utility where I live. The product is also only compatible with the iPad 2; owners of the iPhone, iPod touch, and original iPad are out of luck. That having been said, if you've been looking for a no-fuss way to watch TV on your iPad that doesn't involve hooking up a bunch of different devices and streaming over Wi-Fi or 3G, EyeTV Mobile might work for you if your terrestrial TV channels broadcast a compatible signal. There's no word on a release date yet (Engadget says late September), but when it's released we'll see if we can get hold of a review unit.
Create quality iPad 2 product demos with Apple TV and EyeTV
After much effort, we've found a solid TUAW solution for screencasting the iPad 2 to desktop computers. Steve Sande and I have been documenting our attempts at this challenge for several months now. Back in March, Steve got basic 480p mirroring working. I then improved that to 720p/720i, although my solutions did have a slight aspect ratio problem. I also wrote about adding audio narration and pointer effects. Now, by modifying my setup and adding in technology introduced in Steve Jobs' keynote this past Monday, I've built a really reliable system with great responsiveness, minimal wires, and good video details. It's built, as you've already guessed, around AirPlay Mirroring, so it is limited to the iPad 2. And, because it uses AirPlay's announced but not-yet-shipping features, I can't offer screenshots or talk about how to set it up on the iPad side. That's okay, because from the iPad side it's just a matter of setting the AirPlay options as required. The hardware is the interesting bit, and none of that is specific to iOS 5. I'm going to describe how I set up things on my computer, with equipment you can purchase and test today, even if you're not in the developer program. What I'm going to describe is not capturing video from the iPad, it's capturing video from your Apple TV. When iOS 5 is released, you'll be able to use the wireless screencasting from Monday's keynote to send your iPad video to Apple TV. Right now, unless you are in the beta program and have an iPad 2, you will only be able to record your Apple TV screen with whatever content is on it today. Like my previous efforts, this solution is built around the Elgato EyeTV HD (street price around $170). The EyeTV HD accepts component (RGB/RW) input and can ably display and record 720p HD video. I was met with complete failure when I first tried converting the iPad 2's HDMI cable output to composite video. I had bought an HDMI-to-Component converter box from Amazon. For that failed effort, I was personally out about $55 dollars plus a bit of time. The box didn't work with Apple's multimedia cable and the iPad 2, and I never ended up posting about the solution -- there was nothing more to say than "it didn't work." Fortunately, the converter was still on-hand this week. I had tossed it into a box of outdated and failed equipment. When I realized I might be able to use the Apple TV's HDMI output for product demos, I connected the converter up to the EyeTV HD and ran the Apple TV HDMI cable to it. Success! So what do you get for your approximately-$325 solution (EyeTV, component converter and Apple TV)? You get very good quality capture, as shown in the screen shot at the top of this post. Don't expect pixel-perfect accuracy. EyeTV will compress your video and you will experience some blurriness. What's more, wireless video almost always involves some bandwidth compromises, so don't expect perfection there either for when you do get access to iOS 5. Instead, expect a really workable answer to your iPad 2 demonstration-recording needs. This setup works well for both product videos and screencasting. As a bonus, the iPad 2 isn't tethered to an awkward cable adapter, and your various boxes can stack neatly next to your computer (or TV, as the case may be).
Elgato offers HDHomeRun TV tuner bundled with its EyeTV software for $180
Elgato has been pushing EyeTV for Mac software alongside its own various TV tuner devices for a while now, but if you prefer Silicondust's HDHomeRun it's added a new package to the list of offerings. For $179.95 the dual-tuner HDHomeRun comes with EyeTV3 software for Mac, drivers for a PC and the requisite cables for you to watch some TV on your computer. It's not a major leap for the hardware or software involved, but if you're a fan of both they're now available in one convenient package at the Apple Store, Amazon and other retailers.
Elgato HDHomeRun lets you record live digital TV over network
Elgato has just announced a new product that will let you watch and record digital TV in full high-definition on any computer on your home network. HDHomeRun is a dual tuner that connects to both your cable TV or digital TV antenna and your network router, and then streams live TV over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. On your Mac, Elgato's EyeTV 3 software is used to watch, pause and rewind live TV. The software can also be used to find upcoming TV shows, record the shows for viewing at a later time, and export the recordings to iTunes so that they can be played back on iOS devices. Elgato also notes that by using HDHomeRun with its EyeTV app, you can stream live or recorded video to your iPhone or iPad over 3G. If you have a PC on the network in your home, you can watch and record the video using Windows 7 Media Center. The ability to stream to your iPhone or iPad is Mac-specific. The HDHomeRun box is tiny -- at 4 x 4 x 1 inch and 3.8 ounces, it won't take up a lot of room in your media center. HDHomeRun is available through Elgato's website, Amazon, the Apple Store and B&H Photo at a suggested retail price of US$179.95. We hope to have a full review of the Elgato HDHomeRun for your reading pleasure in the very near future.
How to: Capturing iPad video with audio narration
Recently, Mike Rose asked me to check out an ongoing discussion over at the Telestream forums to see if I could assist one of the posters. Mike knew that Steve Sande and I were working on testing out a variety of iPad-to-computer screen capture solutions. He thought I might be able to help out Dr. J, host of the "Lighting the Lamp" podcast.
Elgato updates EyeTV iOS app, does the AirPlay dance
If you've been longing to use your EyeTV HD to sling content from your AirPlay-enabled iOS device to your designated Apple TV 2 setup, listen up. Elgato has pushed an updated version of the EyeTV iOS app (version 1.2.3) that enables Apple's wireless streaming technology to play nicely with your ATV2 or third-party AirPlay device. Remember, the app costs $4.99, but wouldn't you rather watch Seinfeld reruns on the living room 74-incher? Yeah, us too.
EyeTV for iOS 1.2.3 released, introduces AirPlay support
Today, Elgato released version 1.2.3 of its iOS EyeTV software. Now available for download from iTunes, the US$4.99 EyeTV app finally adds the highly-requested AirPlay support so many customers have been looking for. EyeTV's iOS app works with your home computer, allowing you to view programs recorded by hardware connected to your Macintosh. TUAW has extensively covered EyeTV's hardware/software tuner solutions. The new AirPlay feature allows you to transmit both live and recorded TV from your iPhone or iPad and route that video to Apple TV (or to third-party receiver applications that support the AirPlay protocol). Now you can enjoy your TV recordings on the road, not only on your relatively small iPhone or iPad screen but also on any Apple TV/AirPlay receiver, with their large monitor and HDTV support.
iPad 2 mirroring: Capturing video in higher definition
Co-blogger Steve Sande and I have been collaborating on our attempts to find a solid solution that allows iPad 2 owners to use the screen mirroring feature in tandem with a computer video capture tool; this would simplify screencasting, training, recording and scores of other things. Steve was looking for a way to integrate his iPad's screen into his TUAW TV Live shows. I need to create videos for demonstrations, reviews and tutorials. While this would be relatively straightforward if Apple's mirroring support included the older Composite AV and Component AV adapters for the iPad, sadly it does not. Only the HDMI-sporting Digital AV adapter and the VGA adapter are permitted to work with the mirroring option, which helps close the analog hole for purchased/rented digital video, but it doesn't make the job of DIY iPad recording any easier. Steve recently blogged about our first solution, a quick and dirty approach that offered a "barely enough" 480p standard-definition video feed. As Steve pointed out, this basic setup is not a high resolution answer to our video capture needs. Text is barely readable, screens fuzzy -- not ideal for either product demonstrations or how-to-videos. We were determined to nudge quality up. To do that, I turned to Elgato, who graciously provided an EyeTV HD unit (normally retails for $199), which allows Macintoshes to capture HD video from component sources. (Our original solution was built around composite video.) Sewell Direct, manufacturers of the $40 PC to TV converter Steve bought, provided a SW-4280 unit (retails for $79.95) that offers plug-and-play VGA-to-Component conversion at 720p (60fps) and 720i (30fps) as well as 480p.
Elgato and OWC hawk upgraded Mac Mini HTPC bundles: Blu-ray burner, 12TB, TV tuner
Simmer down, son -- neither Elgato nor Other World Computing are actually shoving 12TB of hard drive space within a 2010 Mac Mini, but if you order one of their new bundles, you'll definitely end up with as much. OWC is now selling pre-pimped Mac Mini machines, complete with bolstered storage options, an internal Blu-ray burner, Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid tuner (or HD DVR), more RAM than usual and an Apple Remote. The company plans to offer both the 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo systems, and it swears up and down that the machine will arrive preconfigured and ready to rock your home theater. The addition of a Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 4-bay storage solution enables you to keep even a vast library of digital content nearby, but there's no telling how much the outfit will charge for such a luxury. Hit the source link if you're scrounging for details, but don't expect pricing or an order button just yet. Update: So, it seems that OWC isn't actually selling new Mac Minis itself, but will upgrade your own if you send it in. We'd like to take this opportunity to now recommend that OWC actually sell upgraded Mac Minis itself.
TV on your iPad: A roundup of useful apps
The iTunes Store is a great place to find episodes of TV shows that you might have missed, or even catch up on past seasons, but it's only one of several options available. Netflix offers a free iPad app to watch movies and TV shows for those who have signed up for their $8/month streaming service (or higher). An iPhone/iPod touch app is also available. Netflix still has more shows available via DVD than instant streaming, but there's still plenty there. Hulu has a free Hulu Plus app for iPad or iPhone/iPod touch for those who use their $8/month service. Unfortunately some shows which are available at Hulu.com are not available to Hulu Plus users, but there is still a lot of content available. My biggest complaint with Hulu is that their content contains ads and their catalog changes, so something that is available today might not be viewable tomorrow.
Elgato EyeTV Netstream Sat brings satellite TV streaming to your iPad
Folks on this side of the pond will unfortunately miss out on this one, but our friends in the UK will soon be able to get their hands on Elgato's new EyeTV Netstream Sat box and make everyone else a bit envious. It will not only let you stream Freesat satellite TV to any computer on your home network, but straight to your iPad as well with Elgato's EyeTV app (though not your iPhone or iPod touch, it seems). That sort of streaming has been possible before but, as Pocket-lint notes, you previously had to keep your computer on to stream satellite video to your iOS device. Look for the device to start shipping on November 22nd for £189.95 (or about $300), while the EyeTV app will set you back an extra £2.99.
Elgato debuts Turbo.264 HD Software Edition, cuts price of hardware edition
Here at Engadget HQ, there's hardly a more overused piece of equipment than Elgato's (Mac only) Turbo.264 HD -- in our experience, it chews through bloated video files at a breakneck pace, leaving us with shrunken versions of CES hands-on and the like without any noticeable degradation in quality. Now, that same functionality is being introduced sans an easy-to-forget USB dongle as the Turbo.264 HD Software Edition. For all intents and purposes, the SE version does the exact same thing as the original, albeit at a presumably slower pace. 'Course, it'll still convert videos for use on portable devices (or just shrink the files sizes for easier archiving) far quicker than whatever method you're using now, and the $49.95 price tag is certainly a bit easier to swallow. Oh, and speaking of MSRPs -- Elgato just hacked $50 from the price of the hardware-accelerated version, leaving it at a delectable $99.95. Mmm, files. Delicious.
GOAL! EyeTV filters out the vuvuzelas at the World Cup
Just in time for the US to advance to the round of 16 in the World Cup (sorry, Algeria), Elgato offers a special edition of its EyeTV software that does what just about everybody (who's watching the World Cup) wants: filter out those horrible plastic horns while you're watching the games live through your EyeTV hardware. [If you're one of the people who actually went and downloaded an iPhone app to simulate the dang noise -- you know who you are -- knock it off. –Ed.] You can call me culturally insensitive, but it's a plain fact that the vuvuzelas create that constant, loud buzz behind the games, drowning out everything else like a massive swarm of angry bees. The EyeTV filter can be quickly switched off from a contextual menu in EyeTV. The constant drone is at a pretty narrow frequency that you can "duck" (notch filter) easily, and I assume that's what this edition of EyeTV is doing. If you have your EyeTV setup running on a TV, you suddenly have an even more enviable setup, and should immediately let all of your friends know that the next game is at your house. I've been trying to pull this off myself with some line filters ... now I know I should have had my Mac mini media center up and running before the tournament started. The software is free to EyeTV users, but only available for a limited time (the length of the Cup). If you update your software right now, it will be there. It will be gone just as quickly with the next software update, but if you're an EyeTV user who'd like to be more annoyed with bad calls and disallowed goals than with the headache-inducing background noise, here's your answer. Catch a demo clip here.
My new EyeTV set-up, and why Comcast's digital transition is a pain
On Monday, Colorado cable customers transitioned into a new digital world. Comcast switched off analog access to all but its most basic channels, i.e. the ones that they are still required to carry by law, and killed the clear-QAM signal that has made it possible for my EyeTV tuner to schedule and record TV for the last few years. Instead, Comcast has introduced digital transport adapters, and this small box has wrecked my TV-watching, time-shifting, Mac-recording happiness. The problem is this. The new Comcast box will transmit video over a coax cable on channel 3 or 4. You set this via a toggle switch on the back of the box. All channel switching must be done via the box. That means if you bought a fancy new TV with a built-in clear-QAM tuner (without CableCARD) or are using a computer-based tuner like the EyeTV that doesn't have an IR blaster to change cable channels, you're in a bind. You need to send channel requests somehow to the box rather than allowing your equipment to function the way it always has. Unfortunately, EyeTV can't work that way. Elgato suggested that it isn't possible to use the channel 3-4 type connection when controlling a set top box. Argh! For EyeTV users, you can either pay to upgrade both to a new Comcast HD tuner and an Elgato EyeTV HD system, which TUAW is going to review soon, or you can try to cobble together your own solution, a la the discussion at this online Elgato forum thread. I did the latter. In the end, it cost about a hundred dollars in parts and degraded my video quality to "barely watchable", plus it took up several ports (both on my computer and on the EyeTV unit) that I normal use for work. But I can now automatically record TV shows, so it's going to keep me going for the moment, however badly. Read on to learn how I put my solution together, and why you'll probably want to consider opting for a net-enabled TiVo instead. Update: Working with Elgato over e-mail this afternoon to try to bypass the "need a VCR to transform coax signal into composite signal", will update when I have made some progress. The rest of the exercise, from the IR blaster, to the missed channel signals, and so forth stands. Do consider going for Elgato's premium EyeTV HD product rather than trying to back-engineer with older equipment and a DTA. Update 2: Managed to get the solution sans VCR to work. Via Elgato: 1) Make sure you have Analog - Antenna channel 3 2) Make sure you can see the video from the cable box on channel 3 3) Configure ZephIR - give your downloaded IR set a name like "ComcastDCX50" 4) Make sure ZephIR can control EyeTV 5) Use Configure Set Top Box in EyeTV. Name you setup "ComcastDCX50" (or whatever, at long as it matches your ZephIR setup name) 6) Choose Built-In Tuner, and Channel 3. Do not select "use built-in tuner for analog channels". 7) Make sure to delete any previous channels (a la Step 7 in the the main part of this write-up) or you will experience the errors, I first encountered. After, the image quality is pretty poor, but it works and does not require the VCR step. This improved audio but experienced similar channel switching problems with one fewer device needed. Still a hack -- and I still recommend avoiding this approach.
