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joe · Dec 23, 2005, 09:25 PM

Any G5 Tower owners care to comment on the latest software and Alchemy TV DVR hardware?
Thanx!

angelmb · Dec 25, 2005, 02:27 PM

Since no people with G5 have replied, I can say that it works fine with my 1.25 GHz MDD PowerMac G4

joe · Dec 25, 2005, 04:22 PM

Thanx angelmb. I like the idea of a PCI tuner vs external. But I'm hesitant because of previous bad experience with the Televio cards (same as the Alchemy G4-only card). One positive with recent Alchemy updates was support of the TitanTV web site. Does it work as well as the EyeTV scheduling? Also, did Miglia ever get sleep/wake working with the Alchemy G4/G5 cards?

angelmb · Dec 26, 2005, 02:47 AM

I can not give a reply about TitanTV versus EyeTV scheduling since being honest I don't use that feature. What is that sleep/wake issue are you talking about?, let me know so I can test it

The Alchemy PCI card inside my MDD is an 'old' model when they were called 'Televio', I also have the modern Alchemy TV DVR G4/G5 card but it is at a friend's home at this moment.

joe · Dec 26, 2005, 01:53 PM

The sleep/wake issue is listed in the Alchemy FAQ shown here about half way down the page:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Descriptio...tvdvr_faq.html

EyeTV will wake your Mac a few minutes before a scheduled recording. The Alchmey FAQ mentions this feature may be implemented in the future if possible.

Recording from the TitanTV web site requires just 1-click. You view the listings on the TitanTV web site via Safari as you would anywhere else (Yahoo listings, TVGuide channel, DirecTV, etc). When you see a show you'd like to record, you simply click on the red record button. The EyeTV software handles everything else (time, date, change channels, start/end times, etc). You can schedule up to 2 weeks in advance. Hopefully, the recent TitanTV support for Alchemy works the same? Have you tried this?

angelmb · Dec 27, 2005, 10:34 AM

Yes, they solved the slee/wake issue since the 2.4 version of the software. The Startup Plug-in will automatically start up (or wake from sleep) your Mac to launch the AlchemyTV DVR application when a scheduled recording is due to start. The Startup Plug-in can be configured to shutdown your Mac once the recording is completed.

I can't help with the TitanTV thing since it is not available in my country (Spain). There is another similar Plug-in available, 'tvtv' but it requires an account. you need to pay for.

ranga · Dec 27, 2005, 12:53 PM

I have a Alchemy TV PCI card in my G5 tower. It is the newer model w/o
the tv tuner. I haven't had any sleep related problems w/ the card or the
software.

I mainly use the card to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs. It works well for
this purpose. I haven't really used the DVR software to schedule recordings,
so I can't tell you if that software is any good. Recording manually works
like a charm.

--ranga

angelmb · Dec 27, 2005, 01:55 PM

Oh, I must add that I have used the software with the built-in 'Scheduled Recordings' feature. So far it worked fine. Please note this was with no help from 'TitanTV' or 'tvtv' services.

lkrupp · Dec 27, 2005, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by joe

Any G5 Tower owners care to comment on the latest software and Alchemy TV DVR hardware?
Thanx!

I have been using the Alchemy TV DVR card on my Dual 2.5 G5 (June 2004) tower for over eight months now and can report no major issues at all. It works as advertised. The 2.4 version of the software solved some niggling issues and seems to be very stable. I can recommend this card with one reservation. It is not HDTV capable and I suspect it never will be.

joe · Dec 30, 2005, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by lkrupp

I have been using the Alchemy TV DVR card on my Dual 2.5 G5 (June 2004) tower for over eight months now and can report no major issues at all. It works as advertised. The 2.4 version of the software solved some niggling issues and seems to be very stable. I can recommend this card with one reservation. It is not HDTV capable and I suspect it never will be.

Hi lkrupp!

I wonder if you've had a chance to use the TitanTV programming feature. If so, does it automatically wake/start your G5 for recordings, change to the proper channel, and set the recording start/end times correctly? Have you archived any captured TV shows to DVD (Toast, iMovie, etc)? Can you program a compression to use during recording - or does it record uncompressed?

Thanx for your comments

Sorry for all the Q's. I'm trying to compare features between my currrent EyeTV200 (excellent) and the Alchemy. I don't have any complaints about my EyeTV200 at all. It would be nice to use a PCI slot vs external tho.

angelmb · Jan 8, 2006, 08:02 AM

Hey joe, there is a review of the Miglia Evolution here:

http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/am...lia/evolution/

It uses the same software than the internal PCI Alchemy TV DVR card, maybe it is worth a look.

joe · Jan 8, 2006, 12:40 PM

Thx angelmb,
From that review it appears the TitanTV web recording works the same as with my EyeTV200. hmm. I wonder if we'll see an updated Alchemy with HD support at MWSF next week <fingers crossed>.