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Hands-on with Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV app for iPhone
Elgato Systems has been in the business of turning Macs into TVs for quite a while now. The company's most powerful USB digital TV tuner, the EyeTV Hybrid (US$149.95), is an amazing little dongle that comes equipped with EyeTV 3 tuner / recorder software for Mac. The EyeTV Hybrid has gone through a few iterations, many of which we've previously reviewed on TUAW. I'm not much of a TV viewer; my tastes tend to run towards The Food Network and Fringe, so I don't spend hours sitting in my La-Z-Boy recliner flipping the remote. After using the EyeTV Hybrid and experimenting with the US$4.99 EyeTV app for iPhone, I was considering changing my mind. Most content available on TV is still dreck, but EyeTV made it incredibly simple to watch and record on my Mac, and to send that content to my iPhone when I'm not near the office. Read on for a hands-on review of the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and the EyeTV iPhone app (version 1.0.2) to see how they worked during my time with them. %Gallery-92990%
TUAW TV Live today at 5 PM EDT: all Apple, all the time
Today's episode of TUAW TV Live is a bit of a mixed salad: a little bit of Mac, with a dash of iPhone and some sauteed iPad on top. If you're not familiar with the show, it's a fun hour or so of talk with your host Steve Sande (and any guests he invites), demos of Mac software and iPhone or iPad apps, and discussion with the folks who have joined in. We're live at 5 PM EDT this afternoon (2 PM PDT), and all you need to do is to show up about five minutes before the start of the show. We'll have a special post up by that point that features a streaming video player and chat box, or you can use Ustream's apps or non-Flash URL to watch the show on your iPhone or iPad. What are the topics for today? Some more talk about the EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV iPhone app, a look at some fun videos of new or upcoming apps, and any topics that happen to pop up in the chat.
Elgato rolls out smaller, Windows 7-supporting EyeTV Hybrid
Elgato's original EyeTV Hybrid USB tuner wasn't exactly oversized, but the company has nonetheless managed shrink things down a bit for the device's latest revision, and it's added some Windows 7 support for good measure. Most of the size reduction comes from ditching the analog connector found on the previous model (you'll still get an adapter), and you'll also now get a sturdier aluminum enclosure that stays in line with the company's Mac-only roots. Otherwise, you'll get the same support for over-the-air HD broadcasts as before, along with Elgato's EyeTV 3 software, and an included remote control -- all for the same $150 that the original model cost.
Elgato refreshes its EyeTV Hybrid tuner
It's been almost a year since Elgato refreshed its EyeTV Hybrid tuner, and while the addition of better reception and a FM radio tuner aren't earth-shattering, it's awfully hard to complain about how much the company has crammed into the Cear-QAM 1080i-tuning USB stick aimed at Mac users. The $150 dongle includes a year-long subscription to TV Guide for your scheduling convenience, but you'll have to fork over $20 per year for the service after that. There will be a new 3.1 version of EyeTV available later this month, but you can pick up the fresh hardware right now.
Elgato updates EyeTV Hybrid / 250 Plus TV tuners: Clear-QAM now welcome
It seems that Elgato was most proud of its totally revamped EyeTV 3 software, but we couldn't help but notice two rather substantial hardware updates that it also chose to announce (albeit quietly) at Macworld 2008. Starting today, the firm's EyeTV Hybrid USB tuner and its EyeTV 250 Plus TV receiver / video converter (shown after the break) are both available with built-in support for unencrypted digital cable (Clear-QAM) channels. 'Course, they'll both still pull in NTSC / ATSC signals, but the addition of Clear-QAM support is a real boon for OTA addicts. Pricing for the extra versatile devices remains unchanged at $149.95 and $199.95, respectively, but unfortunately, existing owners will not be able to receive the newfound functionally with a simple firmware update.Read - Elgato EyeTV HybridRead - Elgato EveTV 250 Plus
Off the Grid: Out of country (part two)
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column normally about gaming away from the television screen or monitor. I got a lot of interesting comments in response to last week's piece on gaming while abroad. More people empathized with my situation than I had originally expected, and had their own unique solutions to the problem.Overwhelmingly, most expat gamers seem to rely on portables to keep playing games internationally. Some gamers took the full dive and purchased new consoles for their new region. Still others suggested using VGA cables and computer monitors, or reminded me that most modern televisions sold in Europe support NTSC signals, nullifying the problem entirely.But I'm not going to buy a television, because they're bulky and I don't feel like it. Instead, I invested in a tiny, tiny piece of hardware that lets me play my console games on my laptop. It's called the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and, irony of ironies, it's for Macs only.
Elgato offers European EyeTV and turbo.264 discounts until October 7
Until October 7th, you can buy European EyeTV Hybrid and turbo.264 units for €20 off the normal price: €110 for the EyeTV and €80 for the turbo.264. TUAW has reviewed the Hybrid and the turbo.264 and gave thumbs up to both products. Read more at the Elgato website.
Ask TUAW: iPhone (of course), reinstalling OS X, migrating iTunes and more
This week on Ask TUAW, our weekly Q&A column: an obligatory iPhone question, reinstalling OS X, watching TV on your Mac, transferring your iTunes library, and increasing hard drive capacity.Remember: everyone's welcome to post questions for Ask TUAW; we're happy to help! Just leave questions for next week in the comments. Now let's get to it.
Ask TUAW: Printing Finder window contents, CornerClick, a Finder hotkey, editing AVIs and more
This week's Ask TUAW takes us into questions about printing Finder window contents, assigning programs to the corner of your screen, bringing up the Finder with a HotKey, integrating Apple productivity programs, recording TV on your Mac and editing AVIs . Remember new Mac users and Switchers who are enjoying our Mac 101 series should feel very welcome to post questions for Ask TUAW; we're happy to take questions from all levels. As always, please submit your questions by commenting to this post or using our tip form.
El Gato's EyeTV Hybrid digital/analog tuner for Macs
You know you need it: that squishy soft gaze that comes with the kind of numb only a TV can deliver at the end of a hard day. El Gato knows this too, and delivers yet another fix to Mac owners in the form of the EyeTV Hybrid. As the name implies, this USB 2.0 stick delivers both hi-definition capable digital ATSC and traditional analog NTSC tuners to record (in MPEG-2 if your Mac has the muscle), edit, and pause live TV when combined with El Gato's bundled EyeTV 2 software. What's more, the kit works with the Apple Remote and includes a break-out cable for connecting composite and S-Video sources like your gaming rig -- for "zero latency" play on your Mac's display -- or that dusty VCR to convert the ol' VHS collection into digital media. Inputs that owners of Apple's stellar, but otherwise inflexible, 30-inch displays will certainly appreciate. Available now for $150 or €150 for our DVB-T signal lovin' brethren. [Thanks, Doug]
