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Elgato's Thunderbolt SSD delivers fast portable storage at premium prices
Update: Added BareFeats performance testing information. If there's one word I'd pick to describe Elgato's newest Mac peripheral, the Thunderbolt SSD external drive, it would have to be "minimalist." With this product, the company has delivered storage so simple that it's almost featureless. The Germany-based accessory maker (best known for the EyeTV line of tuners and video capture gear) jumps into the slowly-growing Thunderbolt market with these two drive models, identical save for capacity: the 120GB unit retails for $429.95 and the 240GB unit for $699.95. Unboxed, the drive is a compact gray metal oblong -- no lights, not much adornment, and just the single Thunderbolt port dead center on the back. It feels quite solid and is about as heavy as a LaCie rugged compact FireWire drive. Plug it in, and it mounts on any Thunderbolt-equipped Mac; it's thoughtfully preformatted as HFS+, since precious few Windows users would have any use for it. Note that the drive also requires, but does not ship with, a Thunderbolt peripheral cable -- so add that $40 to your net pricing. In use, it's fanlessly silent, although it does grow warm over time. You gain all the benefits of SSD storage, including no-moving-parts reliability and full resistance to magnetic field interference. Given the premium price (not as steep as LaCie's TB external SSD, but that includes a passthrough Thunderbolt port that the Elgato drive lacks), what are you getting for the money? Standalone storage for your Mac that beats USB drives on speed; it also blazes past external FireWire 800 drives, for machines that have that interface option. Update: BareFeats also performed tests on the Elgato drive with several different performance tools (AJA System Test, QuickBench & others) and saw dramatically better sequential write performance than I did; however, when they tested with the BlackMagic utility, they saw the same performance I reported. It is possible that the BlackMagic utility is doing something with write testing that is not optimized. BareFeats also noted that the Elgato unit is using a 3G SSD internally; when they replaced it with a 6G SSD storage module they saw a corresponding bump in speed. Elgato cites an optimal data transfer rate of 270 MB/second for data reads in its testing. When I fired up Blackmagic's speed test utility, I didn't get quite that fast a show, but it was definitely respectable: 222 MB/s on reads, 112.7 MB/s on writes. Compare that to an external FW 800 1TB drive, which leveled off at about 80MB/s on both writes and reads. My MacBook Pro's internal SSD (an OWC Mercury Pro 6G), connected directly to the SATA bus, topped out at 281/163 read/write. Of course, none of these speeds measure up to the fastest rated SSDs out there. One can't expect to do too much data sharing with the Thunderbolt drive, at least not until most of your fellow travelers also have TB-enabled machines. If you're looking for additional storage for your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, it's fast and sleek; you're paying for speed and simplicity, but slower USB or FireWire storage can be had in much higher capacities for a fraction of the cost, which would be more appropriate for Time Machine backups or archival storage. For now, the Elgato drive is a premium option that's great if you have the cash -- but it might be overkill for most casual users.
Elgato, LaCie, and OCZ announce Thunderbolt storage options at CES 2012
As Richard said sharply a few weeks ago, there really hasn't been a rush to plenty when it comes to Thunderbolt storage options from third-party vendors. That's apparently about to change for the better, as a slew of top-tier manufacturers are announcing products at this week's CES extravaganza. The fine folks at LaCie (makers of the Thunderbolt Little Big Disk HD and SSD models) are planning some serious storage: a multi-drive unit that will support up to 8 TB, for one, and a standalone eSATA adapter for another. The cleverly named 2Big Thunderbolt drive and the eSATA unit will ship in the first quarter of 2012, or so it's said. When you think Elgato you probably don't think storage (more like TV capture or video compression), but the company has long experience with writing storage drivers for the Mac; their coders were behind the Mac support for the VST Firewire drive introduced in 1999. (Ah, the memories.) Now the German firm is adding Thunderbolt to the product line with the Elgato Thunderbolt SSD, a solid-state storage unit similar to the LaCie SSD Little Big Disk but $200 cheaper in the 240 GB capacity (USD$700 vs. $900, but as our commenter points out below, the LaCie unit is actually a RAID set of two SSDs for speed & includes another Thunderbolt port). Shipping in February, the Elgato drive will offer blazing fast external storage in both the high-capacity model and a 120 GB ($429.95) size. Moreover, the Elgato drive will be bus-powered, which means no additional power brick to manage. OCZ is also jumping into the Thunderbolt SSD fray with a full set of capacities from 128 GB up to a terabyte (!) model, with pricing and ship dates to be determined. OCZ's drives have a solid reputation for internal laptop use, so the external models should be worth a look. The vaporware beast of the bunch, the long-awaited Belkin Thunderbolt dock, now has a firmer ship date (September 2012) and a price of $299. That sounds steep, but the combination of USB ports, Firewire, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet and audio-out should be quite compelling for MacBook Air owners looking to get more flexible. The Belkin dock first appeared in prototype form at the Intel Developer Forum in September 2011. [hat tip 9to5Mac]
Elgato's Thunderbolt SSD brings no noise, brings the pain(less) operation
Elgato's decided to go back to its FireWire-roots with two new high capacity Thunderbolt-totin' SSDs. The 5.2 x 3.3-inch drives have a transfer speed of 270MB/s, drawing power from the port and promising silent operation for when you need to access data during those quiet winter nights. It's available next month: the 120GB edition costing you $420, the 240GB edition topping out at a pricier $700 and we've got a (thunder)bolt load of more information for you after the break.
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.
IRL: Sony NEX-C3, Garmin Forerunner 110 and the Elgato Turbo.264 HD
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's been a hectic week, what with Amazon trotting out a little something you may have been expecting (along with a few things you weren't). We won't lie: some of us now know what we're getting our friends and family for the holidays, but gadgets we may or may not be purchasing doesn't cut the mustard for IRL, now does it? Until we pull the trigger, we'll keep on talking up and dressing down the stuff we're already using. This week, Jose from Engadget Spanish takes his newly minted NEX-C3 on vacation, Dana outgrows her Forerunner 110 and Darren shows you just how your hands-on video sausages get made.
Elgato EyeTV Mobile eyes-on (video)
Elgato's been experimenting with live TV on the iPad for over a year now, but until now, that meant streaming programs that were already broadcast online anyway -- a mighty large limitation, wouldn't you say? This week, though, the company announced EyeTV Mobile, a TV tuner that plugs into the iPad 2's 30-pin connector, allowing it to pull in broadcast television. We just happened to stumble on Elgato's booth here at IFA and treated ourselves to a short TV break. The tuner, which fits easily in the palm of your hand when the antenna is collapsed, only allows you to draw in signals using the DVB-T standard, so make no mistake this is a product just for our European readers. (Although Elgato says it hopes to release something similar in Japan.) Even more than the hardware or the programming selection (fútbol, anyone?), we remain impressed by the free EyeTV iOS app, whose interface is pretty much the same as the HDHomeRun for iPad app, with the ability to swipe the screen to change channels and, in this case, save your location. It'll be available across the pond for €99.95 / £99.95 at the end of this month. Until then (or if you're just stuck in the states), check out our hands-on photos below and a video demo after the break. %Gallery-132551%
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.
Elgato EyeTV Mobile dongle brings live TV to the iPad 2
Sure, Elgato already has an app that lets you stream TV to your iPad -- but that's only if they're being broadcast online. To pull in live TV over the air you'd need a TV-tuner, something that has, until now, been unavailable for Apple's popular slate. By the end of September that lack of broadcast television will become just a distant memory with the release of EyeTV Mobile, a £100 (about $163) dongle that connects to the iPad's proprietary port. The tuner will be able to pull in MPEG 2 streams over DVB-T, but won't work with DVB-T2 broadcasts like Freeview HD. Check out the source for more details.
Elgato HDHomeRun iPad app brings (some) cable channels to the tablet
Whether or not your cable TV provider has decided to offer live TV streaming to your mobile devices, you can do it yourself with the new HDHomeRun iPad app from Elgato. Paired with one of SiliconDust's new HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuners, the $17.99 app can tune into cable channels that are sent without encyption or are marked copy freely (varies from provider to provider) and even allows users to record them right on the app. Restrictions include that it only works on the iPad 2, with standard definition MPEG-2 channels and (for now) only the most recent HDHomeRun hardware is supported. Check out the video demo for more information on exactly how it works or click the source link to get to iTunes and buy -- in a market suddenly flooded by CableCARD tuners maybe this extra functionality is just what's needed to tip the balance between one device or another. %Gallery-131171%
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: fun stuff!
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Since the weekend is finally upon us, we figured now's as good a time as any to sit back, relax, and have some fun. Play along with our fun stuff picks -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! It's Friday, and that can only mean one thing: two days of parties, sleeping in, and seeing your campus transform from a vehicle of intense education to a spring break-like haven of drunken delight. We've rounded up a few toys to help you relax before you head back to class -- a memory card reader that doubles as a pocket mirror, an Arduino-powered car that can stream video from the dorm hall, and an electric-powered sports car that can drive you and a friend far from campus for a pricey weekend getaway -- so kick off the shoes and prepare to embrace these 48 hours of freedom. And when it's time to get back to the books, we have the gear for that too -- and we're giving it away! Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details.
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.
TUAW holiday grab bag giveaway: Everything for the Apple fan
Can you imagine waking up on Christmas morning surrounded by a pile of accessories for the Apple devices in your life? Or even better, giving someone a pile of fun gifts? TUAW and the Max Borges Agency want to give two lucky readers the chance to win some holiday grab bags full of fun gear for the Apple fan. You'll have to enter by midnight tonight (ET) to be eligible, because the goodies will be express-shipped to your homes to arrive on Christmas Eve. To see what each of the grab bags contains and find out more about the giveaway, read on. Photo credit: Julia Freeman-Woolpert, sxc.hu
Elgato EyeTV HD: A review of the Mac DVR for cable and satellite HDTV
Elgato has been in the Mac video market for quite some time, developing and marketing such popular products as the Turbo.264 HD USB video compression device and various varieties of EyeTV, a tuner and digital video recorder for Mac. Eariler this year, TUAW reviewed the EyeTV Hybrid, a US$149.95 USB dongle that serves as a tuner and recorder for over-the-air digital TV. Since that time, Elgato has released the EyeTV HD ($199.95 and available for less through online outlets), which the company touts as "the ultimate DVR for HD cable and satellite TV." Both devices work with Elgato's EyeTV software for Mac, which features a program guide, smart guides for recording a season of any show to your Mac or an external disk automatically, easy export of video to iTunes for syncing to iDevices and even streaming to the EyeTV iOS app. The big difference? EyeTV HD works with the HD cable or satellite boxes that many people use to pump that high-quality digital signal to their HDTVs. Click the Read More link below for a full review of this unique video hardware.
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.
