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Elgato's Cam Link turns your DSLR into a souped-up webcam
Most of the time, I buy cameras for specific purposes. My DSLR exists to capture vacation photos and product shots for Engadget reviews. When I go on hikes or long bike rides, I pull out a GoPro Hero4. For some reason, however, I just can't bring myself to buy a dedicated webcam for Twitch streaming or YouTube vlogs. I already have a handful of great consumer cameras -- shouldn't I be able to use one of those? In reality, that's easier said than done: Most cameras simply aren't designed to push a live feed out to a PC. It's a problem I've spent hours trying to solve, but never did. Then, I heard about the Elgato Cam Link, a USB capture device that can turn any camera with HDMI output into a functional webcam.
Elgato's control pad is a livestreaming sidekick
The rise of livestreaming has opened the floodgates of casual broadcasting, turning many computer desks into makeshift studios. Peripherals have started catering to this market, like 360-degree cameras. In this niche, Elgato has released the Stream Deck, a standalone mini-keyboard with 15 extra buttons for streamers to program in shortcuts to programs or features.
Elgato's Eve Thermo lets you control your radiators with Siri
Elgato is best known, in some circles at least, for its niche video products. In recent history, however, it's somewhat reinvented itself as a maker of smart home devices. The company's Eve range already includes smart plugs, door/window sensors and home/weather monitors, and today it's being joined by the Eve Thermo. This new device is easily installed on standard radiator valves, retrofitting them for remote, smartphone control. Like the rest of the Eve line-up, Thermo is compatible with Apple's HomeKit smart home platform, meaning you can politely ask Siri to kick the temperature up a notch when you're feeling a bit chilly.
The first products that support Apple's HomeKit have arrived
A year after Apple first announced it, you can finally buy products based on HomeKit. Lutron and Insteon have products available now, while others like Elgato, Ecobee and iHome are bringing accessories soon. That means you'll be be able to build a HomeKit system with programmable lights, plugs, energy and climate sensors, thermostats and more. Apple introduced HomeKit standard to allow such devices to play nicely together, and of course, let you control everything via your iPhone, iPad or Watch. The idea was to also bring voice control to home automation via Siri.
CES 2015: Elgato Eve line joins the parade of HomeKit-enabled connected devices
When Apple's HomeKit framework was announced back in June of 2014, many tech pundits speculated that the first product announcements would happen at CES 2015. Sure enough, we're hearing about a number of HomeKit-enabled devices, the latest being from Elgato. Elgato's Eve is more than just one product; it's designed to be a complete line of products and sensors to let you know what's going on in your home and provide control with a Siri voice command. The company says that two products will be available in the first quarter of 2015 - Eve Energy and Eve Door & Window Sensors. Eve Energy is a HomeKit-enabled switch that can also let you know how much energy an appliance is using, while Eve Door & Window Sensors let you know if doors or windows are shut. Controlled by the free Eve app, more devices will be available later in the quarter. Eve Room provides temperature, air quality, humidity and air pressure inside your home, while Eve Weather captures similar information from the outside. Eve Water connects to plumbing to monitor water consumption and temperature. Eve Smoke is a smoke detector that may be able to take on the buggy Nest Protect in the connected devices market. Not surprisingly, no pricing information has been released for the new Eve line. Expect to see more about Elgato's HomeKit offering on TUAW in the future.
Elgato announces $50 Avea smart lightbulb and Eve smart home sensors
Apparently, the world needs another smart lightbulb, and Elgato's going to sell it to you. Called Avea, the $50 bulb connects to your iDevice directly using Bluetooth (no external hub needed), and lets you set the mood in any room with an appropriate shade of light. Just one iPhone (4S and up), 5th gen iPod Touch or iPad (3rd gen or newer) can control a whole house full of lights and give users multiple lighting scenes to choose from. Plus, there's an alarm feature that wakes you with the gentle gleam of a 7W LED bulb pumping out 430 lumens (which is just a bit brighter than its competitor from Lumen, and is roughly equivalent to a 40W incandescent bulb).
Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+ SSD earns its 'plus' tag through USB 3.0 and brisk speeds
Elgato was on the vanguard of external storage when it launched its Thunderbolt SSD early last year, but flash drives have clearly evolved since then. To catch up, the company has just released its much improved Thunderbolt Drive+. What does that plus sign get you? USB 3.0 support, for a start -- you can now plug into just about any Mac or Windows PC, not just those with Thunderbolt ports. The Drive+ is also much faster than its ancestor, transferring data at up to 420 MB/s, and bakes in resistance to both dust and water. The new SSD isn't cheap when it starts at $500 for 256GB, but it may be just the ticket for those who want compatibility, speed and toughness in one box.
Hands-on with the Google Chromecast
The backordered TUAW Chromecast finally arrived yesterday evening from Google. We apologize for the delay in this write-up, but we simply didn't have a unit to test with. I felt, that for the sake of celebrating our native blog culture, I had to give it a proper unboxing. The Chromecast ships in a rather nice box, with the cast unit on top and the power cord and "bits" underneath. An internal flap offered getting started directions, while a firm plastic insert held the dongle itself. While not quite Apple-level of packaging (and despite a rather odd smell that pervades the box), the packaging was clean and professional. Getting the $35 unit working involved several quick and easy steps. First, I plugged the dongle into a HDMI port. Google provides a small HDMI extension cord -- and I mean small, perhaps 3" long -- in the box. Use this if you need to keep plugging and unplugging your dongle on a regular basis, so you can travel with it. The cord provides an easier access point, especially when reaching around the back of large television sets. Next, I plugged the unit into power. You must supply that power through a micro-USB port, the standard these days for many devices especially in Europe. Google provided an in-box wall plug for this, but I tested as well with a USB hub and with a portable battery pack. In fact, the reason I ended up using these workarounds is that in the heavily tech area of my office, I experienced major interference when using the plug. Switching to battery or hub cleared up the reception immediately. Testing on our family TV, which is where I performed the initial setup and exploration, offered no similar charger issues. It was only when I brought the unit down to explore iOS development that I encountered problems. I'm using a standard USB 3 hub to power the now office-based Chromecast. You must, of course, switch your TV input to the dongle's active HDMI port to begin setup. There you're greeted by a screen prompting you to connect to google.com/chromecast/setup. I did this on my Mountain Lion Mac, downloading both a standalone Chromecast configuration app and a Chrome browser specific plugin. I had to confirm a 4-character connection code, as you might with a Bluetooth connection, provide my SSID and password details, and was quickly ready to rock and roll. I honestly am not quite sure how the unit was able to announce itself and connect without using my Wi-Fi network, which is password protected. The Wi-Fi setup was the last part of the setup and my upstairs TV was well out of what I consider normal Bluetooth range when communication first began. It's a mystery that I'd love to unravel. [Update: Commenter SaintNicster unpacks this process for us. "The Chromecast, when first initialized, creates an ad-hoc WiFi network with the device you're using for setup. The setup process breaks the current WiFi session temporarily and then connects to the Chromecast. The setup then copies the previous WiFi information and sends that to the device. Once it has this information, the ad-hoc network is disabled and it reconnects to the normal WiFi." Thanks!] In all, the entire setup process took maybe a few minutes. It was really quick and very easy to get through to the "ready to cast" screen that greets you. As an OS X user, you'll want to work in the Chrome browser, for which I installed a Cast extension. After adding this, a Cast button appears at the top-right of every browser page. This button lets you select a Chromecast unit (yes, ours is called "Maisy"; my son picked the name), choose playback options and reach a help menu. The in-browser options are pretty simple. This is where you choose a projection quality and enable or disable fullscreen zoom and browser resizing. As you cast, your active Chrome browser tab mirrors to the Chromecast unit, appearing on the connected TV. You switch tabs or end casting using the browser pop-up. I found this feature to be occasionally buggy (yes, it's a beta). I found that when Chrome is experiencing too many yellow warnings for this pop-up, you can try quitting and restarting the browser and unplugging/replugging the dongle. When working properly, the Stop casting and Cast buttons apply instantly. At times, you do want to stop casting to reduce the load on your local Wi-Fi network. The Stop casting button enables you to do this. The Cast this tab button lets you switch between tabs without closing them. To test, I loaded up a variety of media including movies, music, and PDF documents into Chrome. They all played over quickly without issue and minimal delay. That said, if you cast over text, I recommend using the Extreme 720p high bitrate option. Without it, text looks unacceptably jaggy, especially when displayed on large screens. Movies worked far better. My son happily watched Hotel Transylvania over Chromecast until bedtime. Since I casted a browser, the audio file I opened and played appeared as an embed. Similarly, when I visited Spotify, I had to watch the static web page. I'm pretty sure this isn't an ideal experience for my TV's screen health, assuming if I had kept listening over time as I did chores or used the treadmill. As I mentioned earlier, one of my first tasks involved creating a custom iOS app to play to my Chromecast. I initially assumed I could use the Elgato EyeTV as I do with my Apple TV. EyeTV enables me to place the HDTV input side-by-side on my desktop with my dev work. For whatever reason, I could not get it to work with the Chromecast. EyeTV went into an infinite "adjusting to new mode" loop, attempting to display 1080p at 60fps, and never synced to or displayed the cast data. Although I tried down-streaming to 480p and up-streaming to 720p, I just couldn't get this to work. Instead, I ended up using my second monitor in normal TV mode. Although prettier than a squeezed and delayed EyeTV, this made it impossible to take direct screenshots of the device in action. The final piece of the OS X-based Chromecast puzzle is the standalone app that enables you to manage your devices from a single place. Here, you can set up Wi-Fi, name your Chromecast, set a time zone, force a reboot, and factory reset a Chromecast (for return to Google or resale). It's also where you find one-button access to download the Google Cast browser extension. To my surprise and delight, I discovered my iPhone was already cast-ready. The latest version of the YouTube app easily found and transmitted to my Chromecast. I was able to set up a not-for-distribution sample app using Xcode and the developer API and start sending data that way as well. After finding my unit's MAC address, I quickly discovered (courtesy of OS X command line port scanning) that it communicates on port 8008. That discovery led me to the Chromecast hacks community on Google plus. With several weeks head start, these (mostly Java) developers have been pushing the Chromecast's capabilities, mostly on Android. They've reversed the Remote Application Media Protocol (RAMP) used by the device to the point where they have custom apps running: Sample Java source code for general device access is now available on github. Hopefully this will be quickly ported to standard C, enabling Mac-based casting. I'm particularly excited about potential VLC extensions. On the iOS side of things, now that I have an actual device to work with, it will be interesting to explore (time permitting!) how to push development beyond the grab-and-send-a-URL point I"m currently at. From a consumer-only point of view, for just 35 dollars, I found the Chromecast to be a really nice receiver solution for our family. I plan to use it extensively with my Mac/EyeTV setup. Instead of having to watch my recordings on the Mac in my office, I can now transmit those through the Chrome browser up to our (much nicer) HDTV. I can also see this being used for travel, as I mentioned in an earlier post. The video transmission quality was excellent, except when eldest daughter decided to start watching Crunchyroll episodes simultaneously over the same Wi-Fi network. A bit of shouting and bribery helped us negotiate those waters. Unlike Apple TV, Chromecast does not offer an Ethernet port. While we could watch and transmit Amazon Prime videos from Chrome (we're not Netflix subscribers, which offers its own iOS app with built-in support) with their somewhat dubious transmission quality, we could not get iTunes rentals to play over without extreme hackery. (I will spare you the details of the hackery. Suffice it to say that it involved Apple TV, Eye TV, and a lot of time.) In the end, was it worth the $35? Yes. Will I keep using this device past the review period? Yes. Is it as good as Apple TV? It's not a real competitor, and it fills its own niche quite nicely. The Chromecast extends desktop media playback to an external HDTV and it does that well.
Learning to livestream: Configuring the software
Last week in this Learning to Livestream miniseries, we pulled apart my livestreaming computer, analyzed each part, and explained why I bought the pieces that I did. I loved the comments as well. Different players have differing opinions of which pieces are needed for which purpose. I appreciate the input; it makes us better streamers. The one key ingredient that I did not talk about last week was the software. Encoding and uploading software obviously play a key role in how well the stream works and the audience's enjoyment of your broadcast. Currently, the Stream Team uses XSplit for the majority of its broadcasts, so I will spend most of my space today explaining how to set that up. But there are alternatives. What do other pieces of software have to offer, and is there a setup that reduces the CPU lag for older systems? Continue on and we'll get into the nitty-gritty of livesteaming software.
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 EyeTV Mobile ships to the US, brings Dyle live TV tuning to data cap-dodging iOS users
We've only seen periodic attempts at melding live ATSC-Mobile TV with iOS devices; more often than not, internet-free broadcasting to American smartphones and tablets has been the domain of Android. Elgato is seeking some balance by shipping one of the few peripherals delivering over-the-air US TV to our iPhones and iPads. The new version of the EyeTV Mobile dongle gives iOS devices with 30-pin connectors (or an adapter) access to live TV stations under Dyle Mobile TV's service umbrella, including some local Fox and NBC channels. A free EyeTV Mobile app is part and parcel of the strategy with an option to pause live shows as well as a programming guide. The add-on is in US stores now for $100, although it could pay for itself in an era when carriers want to stifle unlimited data and make streaming TV an expensive proposition.
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 marks EyeTV 10th birthday with sale
Mac video and storage specialists Elgato are having a tenth anniversary sale on all products, so if you've been thinking about taking the plunge, you have until July 29th to do it at an attractive price. The company is offering 10% off on all video products, including the EyeTv HD video recorder, TV Tuner sticks for HDTV and analog TV, and hardware/software combos for video capture. Elgato also was among the first to offer Thunderbolt SSD drives, and during this sale, those storage products are 30% off. The original EyeTV was shown at Macworld in 2002. The company was founded in 1992 by Markus Fest, who also created the original Toast CD-burning software for Macintosh now offered by Roxio. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Hauppauge's HD PVR Gaming Edition works, but with some issues
Game capture is a bigger and bigger business lately -- with YouTube views earning money for partner channels, indie devs needing to capture video footage of their games, and lots of players just wanting to record their own gameplay for various purposes, there's a big call these days for full, HD video of gameplay captured from video game consoles. Hauppauge has been making the HD PVR for a little while now: It's a run-through set-top box that's designed to capture video footage, specifically from a satellite or cable box (so you can record an HD TV signal as it comes in). But just a few months ago, Hauppauge also introduced the HD PVR Gaming Edition, basically the same box, but designed to work directly with the top video game consoles: The PS3, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii. And with the help of an app called HDPVRCapture, Hauppauge's box works with your Mac computer. I've run the system through its paces, and I can say that despite some issues I had with setup (and a few missing features), the HD PVR Gaming Edition is an excellent way to capture high quality video game footage. Getting the unit plugged in was the hard part: All of my video game systems are well-ensconced in my entertainment center, so having to dive back into that tangle of wires was probably the hardest issue I had. For most of the capture, I used my PS3, so I had to pull the component cables out of my television, and then run the included cables with the HD PVR from the PS3 to the unit, and then a separate component cable from the PVR to the television. To go from the box to my Macbook, there was just a simple USB cable, so that part was super easy in comparison. The HD PVR itself has plenty of options: You can run through the component video hookups as I did (along with right and left audio), or run with Optical video out and in. On the front of the unit, there are also connections for SVideo, if you happen to be running that, or composite video from another console. The hookups on the box are solid, and the component video worked well. The HDPVRCapture software allows you to set a bitrate for recording the video, which mainly just affects hard drive usage (more video information obviously means more hard drive space used). To test, I first set the bitrate super low (at 1000 kbps), and as a result, the output video was grainy and hazy, albeit still usable. Running at a higher bitrate, however (I kicked it up to around 10000 kbps), creates really beautiful video -- full 1080i footage, perfect for playing on any HD television or projector (or, more likely, YouTube's HD settings). In fact, the video file that I created by running the device for about 30 minutes was so big and so HD that my little years-old Macbook actually had trouble running it, at least until I closed some other apps. Editing or even viewing video of that quality could be a problem if you have an old computer to work on. But most video editors will have computers much more powerful than my little laptop, so high quality video shouldn't be a problem. The HDPVRCapture software has plenty of options for recording and converting the video afterwards (the streams I recorded came out as .m2ts files, easily converted into .mp4 for playing on most video systems), and there are also controls for video light levels and sharpness, along with an option to hook up to iCal for a recording schedule (in case you do want to use this with a cable system to record TV shows). There's also a few network options, so you can hook up the software to automatically send recorded footage to a network drive, streaming it live or later on. I did have a few issues with Hauppauge's box, however. First and foremost is the lack of an HDMI connection -- the component video looked great, but I usually run my PS3 with an HDMI cable, so to set the box up, I had to actually switch the system's video back over to component to use it. Elgato makes a competing box that only runs on HDMI, and since Apple sells an adapter that will send your iPhone or iPad's video out to HDMI, that's a connection that's sorely missed here. Unfortunately, that might be a dealbreaker for a lot of people, including me. The other big issue I had was with the audio. If you want to just record straight gameplay video, the HDPVR will let you do so without a problem. But if you want to record commentary on that video, or bring in audio from another source while recording, the HDPVR capture software won't let you do that. I thought it'd be simple enough to hook into the Mac's internal mic while recording and mix it into the footage, but that's not an option. If you want to record commentary for YouTube, you'll need to record your own commentary separately, and mix the two later. Same deal for streaming: The app does have an option for streaming the captured video out to a third-party app like VLC, but there's no way to see the video directly on your Mac as it comes live off of the box. That means that if you want to stream the video online (through a service like Twitch.tv or Ustream), you'll need to cook up your own solution, by setting up VLC or getting the signal some other way. It'd be nice if this was all built into the HDPVRCapture software (especially since this is the Gaming Edition), but it's not. And finally, the HDPVRCapture app is a nice piece of software, but it doesn't come cheap. While Windows-based software comes with the Gaming Edition box, we Mac users need to buy our software separately, for an extra $29.95. I believe the developer of the app works for Hauppage directly, so it's unclear why we need to buy the app when Windows users don't. But the box is $199.99 already, so if you need to run with it on a Mac, the extra $30 is probably something you're willing to pay. Still, despite those issues, the HDPVR Gaming Edition does do what it says on the box. Especially if you are already using component video for whatever game console you want to record from, all you'll need to do is plug it in, install the app on your Mac (gritting your teeth through the $30 charge), and then hit record. If you would rather run on an HDMI connection, it's worth shopping around: The Elgato box runs natively on the Mac, so it's a good candidate, and there are a few other cheaper options with different features out there as well. Whether you just want to capture some of your awesome gameplay, or you're thinking about starting up your own Yogscast channel, this box will help you do it (and lest I forget to mention, there's also a pretty groovy green LED that lights up when you're recording!). But if it's not exactly perfect for your setup, it's definitely worth looking around at other options before you choose what to buy.
Elgato Game Capture HD hands-on
Elgato first announced its Game Capture HD device mere weeks ago, but since the thing went on sale earlier this month, we hadn't gotten a chance to see it in the flesh. Naturally, given E3's all-things-gaming nature, Elgato brought the device to E3 and we got a chance to get our hands on one. In case you forgot, the Game Capture HD's a lightweight, palm-sized device that plugs in between your Xbox or PS3 and your TV to capture footage of you pwning family and friends. It then converts the footage into Elgato's preferred H.264 format and dumps it on your PC or Mac so you can share your gaming exploits with the world. Still not ready to drop $200 on the thing? Perhaps our gallery of pics can persuade you.%Gallery-157246%
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.
Elgato announces Game Capture HD, shipping next week
When you're into gaming, there are some times that you wish that you could go back in time and replay a particularly astounding point in gameplay where you wiped out a deadly foe or racked up a huge score in a short amount of time. Elgato wants you to relive those moments, and with the new Game Capture HD (US$199.95) you can grab gameplay from your PlayStation or Xbox to view and share from your Mac. With the 3" x 1" x 4.3" Game Capture HD box, you essentially have a DVR for your gameplay. Since it's buffering your gameplay, you can decide to start recording at any point -- retroactively. Video is captured in 480ip, 576p, 720p or 1080i resolution, encoded in hardware using H.264 compression, and displayed via HDMI to your HDTV with no delay. Gamers control the device from their Mac using Elgato's free Game Capture HD software. The same app provides a way to share captured video through YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter, and the video can be sent to any video editing app as well. You'll be able to pre-order a Game Capture HD starting on Friday, May 25th for shipping beginning on May 30th. Additional info about Game Capture HD can be found on a special Facebook page.
Elgato announces Game Capture HD, shows off your deathmatch prowess in H.264
Elgato is releasing the Game Capture HD, a device that lets game-casters and YouTube walkthrough mavens shed low-resolution, over-the-shoulder smartphone footage once and for all. The sleek black box sits between console and display, enabling gamers to record their speed runs and kill records for the world to see. Xbox 360 users can daisy-chain the gear into their HDMI set-up, while PS3 users will have to use the bundled AV cable to circumvent Sony's stronger copy protection. The footage will then be compressed with the company's H.264 know-how and pushed to your PC or Mac for uploading. When it arrives at the start of June, it'll set you back $200 -- just giving you enough time to get practicing your soothing and confident narration voice.
