[mr breaker]

Anyone have any experience with this? I know it's new:

http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file..._eyetvhybridna


I'm wondering how it will be for recording. It looks like the video is not compressed, so how much space do you think 30 minutes of video will take up?

[surfratt]

I ordered it and should have it in a few days and will give you a report.

[druber]

30 minutes of HD? With my EyeTV 500, that's around 3GB.

[porieux]

...

[mr breaker]

Originally Posted by porieux

...won't look good on an HDTV.

Why would you be using this with a TV?

[nagromme]

EyeTV hybrid is cheap (no antenna or remote included, and relies on CPU instead of its own encoder hardware). It's tiny. It needs no external power. It comes will all the adapters and extenders you might need. It works with the Apple Remote.

It displays and records analog TV, free HDTV, AND inputs from consoles and VCRs, with no lag.

It sounds perfect for a 24" iMac. Please post your reviews

[iREZ]

i live in apartments...and there is no reg antanae on the roof. to get decent viewing on our tv, i pay for a regular analog cable line to go directly into our two tvs via coaxel so that we get decent picture quality for the regular networks.

will the hybrid work with my macbook pro + dell 20" lcd...or am i better off getting a vcr and hooking that up to my dell monitor and another set of speakers for tv. id pay a premium to record the occasional shows that i watch but it isnt very necessary.

[porieux]

...

[nagromme]

It has inputs, not outputs.

[druber]

iREZ, if you're interested in OTA HD, look up your location at AntennaWeb.org to see where your local signal towers are and estimate what your reception will be like. OTA looks great where I am--indoor (but rather large UHF) antenna--though I'm only about 6 miles away from the towers.

Recording HD to your hard drive, hooking your Mac to a high definition display--that's why you hook this up to a TV. Why composite/S-video? To give you more standard definition options if you want to, say, play your PS2 using your Mac's screen. (FWIW, all of this video comes compressed, from HD MPEG-2 to standard definition. The Hybrid dumps the full HD stream onto your hard drive (only as good as your signal), and compresses SD on the fly.

[surfratt]

Doh, UPS came while I was at work Now I have to wait till Monday.

[onlyone-jc]

Originally Posted by surfratt

Doh, UPS came while I was at work Now I have to wait till Monday.

Has your Hybrid arrived yet? If so, how are you finding it?

Besides the picture quality, I'm intrigued to know how well the Game Mode works.

Thanks,
onlyone-jc.

[nagromme]

I expect that games might SEEM to look bad at first: console games' analog signals are very low res AND blurry. On a TV you expect that. But put that same low-res image full-screen on a Mac, where you are used to games with total sharpness, and you'll really notice the blur at first.

[spice003]

Originally Posted by surfratt

Doh, UPS came while I was at work Now I have to wait till Monday.

at least they didn't leave it on your porch like they to all of my **** without even knocking on the door . they once deliverd it a different address and a lady had to bring my stuff to me.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Did you get it yet, surfratt?

I want one of these, but the only other hands-on report I've seen said it overheated (speculation) after 10 minutes and stopped working. I'm really hoping that's a fluke.

[Gamoe]

I'm also interested in a good report on one of these. I'm considering this for recording video with my Mac, but I'm wondering if a Core Duo Mac has enough muscle to pull that off without fault, or if I would be better off with a hardware encoder instead.

[nagromme]

I'm thinking a Core Duo is fine: that's a lot of processing power, times two. But hands-on reviews would be welcomed!

One review said that all such compact TV tuners get hot. Not enough to stop working, though! Maybe the heat really wasn't the cause of the failure.

I know I won't be leaving mine on carpet, or under a pile of cables. I will give it air flow.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Ok well I went and got one too. I've had it for a few hours now, and the 10 minute thing hasn't shown up. I have 2 other oddities so far: it doesn't work on my 3rd party USB 2 PCI card (about half the macroblocks are noise and the rest are in the wrong spots), and it doesn't seem to be buffering live TV. But it records OK (on the built-in USB2 port on my G5). I really hope I can fix that second problem; the first one I can live with.

Did you get yours, surfratt? And what mac do you use it on?

If anyone else wants me to check something out for them I'll give it a go.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

it doesn't work on my 3rd party USB 2 PCI card (about half the macroblocks are noise and the rest are in the wrong spots), and it doesn't seem to be buffering live TV.

Odd that it doesn't work with a PCI card. What do you mean about buffering? I thought the point was that it gives you the signal straight and uncompressed. Still, you say it records fine, though. How fast is your Mac, may I ask?

[porieux]

...

[druber]

Gabriel, it's pretty standard for USB devices to require a native USB port/controller. I don't know why, but I sure see it frequently. If you use the Hybrid to watch live TV, it should buffer the stream so that if you decide that you want to record the show, it'll be able to start the recording when you first went to that channel. Not a must-have in my experience, but there are times it could save your butt.

porieux, iEye Captain does have IR blaster support, though I haven't tried it myself. Not sure I'd trust it over a direct solution. From what I hear, there aren't all that many boxes that come with Firewire, and there's no guarantee that future boxes will support it. They probably don't offer it because they can't be sure there will be a market for it, but if you want to know for certain, ask them directly. They know the actual answer--I'm just speculating.

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

it doesn't seem to be buffering live TV. But it records OK (on the built-in USB2 port on my G5). I really hope I can fix that second problem; the first one I can live with.

EyeTV hybrid does not buffer analog live TV, you can't pause/rewind/etc live TV. You can only watch or record.


Does EyeTV Hybrid have a Live TV Buffer?


EyeTV Hybrid does not have a Live TV Buffer for analog input. It does have a Live TV Buffer for digital input.


That means if you are just watching analog TV, you cannot pause or rewind.

This is because EyeTV Hybrid uses uncompressed, YUV video. That’s almost 200Mbps, compared to MPEG-2 at 6Mbps. Even HDTV maxes out at 20Mbps. As you can see, the files would be much too large to record, even temporarily, and so they are not captured as is.

If you press record, then the MPEG file that is created can be treated like a Live TV Buffer. Once you start recording, you can watch, pause and rewind the Live TV signal. You are actually viewing the recording, as it is being created.

This limitation is only for products that use uncompressed video (EyeTV EZ, EyeTV Hybrid, etc).

When you are watching digital TV, then the video is pre-compressed by the broadcaster, so EyeTV can buffer the incoming stream with no difficulty. Thus, if you want to use a Live TV Buffer, switch EyeTV Hybrid to digital.

[nagromme]

I don't really mind having to hit Record before I can pause/rewind live analog.

[Uncle Skeleton]

I guess it clears that up. Thanks guys. I'll look into getting an HDTV antenna later this weekend to see if that works at all.

Gabriel, I have a 2x2.5 GHz G5, 1.5 GB RAM and as of last week a 400 GB hard drive (in addition to the 200 that came with it)

[porieux]

...

[Gamoe]

Okay, so no buffering means no pausing, rewinding, etc. I take it the EyeTV 250, on the other hand, does support this, since it compresses the video.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

I guess it clears that up. Thanks guys. I'll look into getting an HDTV antenna later this weekend to see if that works at all.

That will be interesting. Let us know.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

Gabriel, I have a 2x2.5 GHz G5, 1.5 GB RAM and as of last week a 400 GB hard drive (in addition to the 200 that came with it)

Woah. I don't even know how that stacks up to my new Core Duo 1.66 GHz. Mac mini, but I don't really want to take the chance. I think I might just go with the EyeTV 250 instead.

What do you guys think about the (EyeTV) elgato products in comparison to Migila or Formac, for instance, as far as TV products go?

[Uncle Skeleton]

I think it can do the pausing and what not, I just have to tell it to start a recording and play from that. It encodes in software though, not hardware.

I expect our machines are on par for encoding speed, but mine would smoke yours in things like hard drive bandwidth and bus speeds (won't be an issue in this arena I think). AFAICT EyeTV's software is a universal binary, so Apple's 5x faster claim about Intels might actually pan out to something.

I've heard nothing but bad reports about Formac (the hardware and the customer support), and I haven't heard any mention of them in several years (perhaps because they have bad service so people stopped buying them). Miglia is now owned by EyeTV I think, so I would be wary of buying one of them since the hardware is likely to be discontinued; on the other hand, they seem to be supporting it well enough in software at this point, so that might be a moot point. But when I was comparing the features between Miglia and EyeTV I decided Miglia's were overpriced (I don't blame EyeTV for doing so). I was even biased towards Miglia from the start, since I loved my Televio card in my G4 (Televio was bought and rebranded by Miglia).

[Weezer]

I got this over the 250:

ConvertX (PX-TV402U MAC)

I'm pretty happy with it, I like the variety of encoding options it has over the 250.

You can find it cheaper through resellers.

[dgold105]

I have one of these and am very impressed with it. I am using it with a Macbook Pro and using both analogue and digital inputs. I cannot get any signal with the aerial included but use it plugged in to the antennae on my roof. Works very well. It does have a live TV buffer. You would want a fast Mac though as the encoding for analogue inputs is done on your computer rather than in the unit. If you have a G4 you are limited in the quality of the recording to VCD quality. With an Intel based Mac or a G5 you can record at full quality. Either way you can watch in full quality. Also - with digital TV it doesn't matter what computer you have as this signal is already encoded in MPEG2 so there is no encoding to be done.

[Gamoe]

Originally Posted by dgold105

I have one of these and am very impressed with it.

I'm sorry, which one, dgold105-- the EyeTV Hybrid or the ConvertX Weezer has?

[dgold105]

Sorry should have been clear - the EyeTV Hybrid.

[djhamilton872]

i recently got one of the eyetv hybrids. i have an iMac intel core 2 duo 20". the eyetv is OK, but I would like to see a better picture from it. I have it connected to analog cable. the picture is far from crystal clear. I can connect a tv to the same cable as the eyetv is connected to and the picture is great. through the eyetv, the picture is fuzzy and appears like on OTA station that is almost out of reach.
I like the idea it is so portable as I plan to purchase a macbook pro in the near future, but I am disappointed in the quality of the image it produces. I also like the fact that it can receive both analog and digital signals.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by dgold105

I cannot get any signal with the aerial included but...

Your's came with an aerial? What does it look like?

It does have a live TV buffer.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't, with analog at least. Do you have to turn it on somewhere, or are you talking about hitting record when you start watching?



Also I should mention, twice last night (of extensive testing), the video signal died. After that happened, the app became unresponsive, and although I could kill the process called "EyeTV," the icon would not leave my Dock, the app could not be restarted, and I had to reboot the computer. I'll be calling El Gato about it in a few hours.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by djhamilton872

the eyetv is OK, but I would like to see a better picture from it.... through the eyetv, the picture is fuzzy and appears like on OTA station that is almost out of reach.

Can you post a picture? Maybe from a few different channels? It sounds like it could be just the difference between the inherent properties of TV screens vs computer screens, or it could be a bad connection. Have you tried tightening and/or loosening your cables, or swichting between using or not using a USB cable between the unit and your mac?

[powerbooks]

I would like to post my initial impression. For the sake of comparison, I ordered both EyeTV Hybrid and Miglia TVMicro. From other online reviews, TVMicro was called "ugly". However, I would say the Hybrid is much "uglier" than the TVMicro. Both look like a USB flash card, but the Hybrid is significantly fatter, and while the color seems match my PBG4 (the last Al HD version before Intel), the TVMicro's white finish is more fit to my iMAC Intel 20 inch.

Both tuners are made in Taiwan; both come with USB extension cable for easy arrangement. I skipped both EyeTV CDs and download the latest version directly from Elgato. But I do need two serial numbers to activate the software.

The TVMicro comes with two cable adapters, one for US, the other for Europe style. For regular US NTSC analog cable, the connections for both tuners are the same, and the signals are nearly identical. That's normal, I guess, based on the same cable source and same software. The Hybrid claims to have HDTV and digital capabilities, but I don't have an antenna to test it (in a remote area). It comes with USB based audio/S-video adapter, which can input your analog video source, but I have not tried it yet. The TVMicro is an analog TV only device, not able to input other video sources. The big draw back for TVMicro is the mono only audio output. The Hybrid audio output is unclear to me. They don’t even have a manual for it yet (just a quick start guide without technical specification): very immature product in my opinion. Another noticeable difference: on my PBG4, the TVMicro seems more process hungry, meaning whenever I click and browse the web, the TV signal sometimes suffers a little glitch. On the Intel iMAC, it seems better. So maybe it’s a hardware issue. The hybrid is fine on both Macs. Other than that, I don't see why the Hybrid should cost almost twice as much as the TVMicro.

Both don't have the real TV buffer ability, even though the software has the functions. You can’t pause, skip or rewind a live TV. EyeTV software is not very user friendly, especially in the opinion of a laptop user like me: I like more short cuts instead of mouse pointing. TVMicro also comes a regular remote: while big and not eye-catching, I do prefer it to the Apple simple remote: at least you can directly input channels! Hybrid does not have a remote and you have to use it with Apple's. (Unfortunately, my PBG4 is not supported.) They are really only very simple TV tuners. Don't expect too much form such a small USB device. The analog-in function is also not very useful for me since I also have a “high quality” firewire box (the famous Director’s Cut D-10 from Power R from last century) to deal this kind of job much effectively.

For now, the TVMicro is connected to iMAC Intel, mainly due to it's convenient remote and smooth signal on Intel chip. The Hybrid is with my PBG4. They are actually interchangeable: meaning you don't have to reset the software to switch devices, and they are both recognized as long as you set up one of them on your Mac.

So for analog cable, the TVMicro is a better deal for me. I hope someone can report his success with HDTV (digital) signal on the Hybrid.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Hi guys. I picked up an HD antenna from Radio Shack today for $30, and after 10 minutes of testing with the Hybrid it seems to work exactly as advertised. I get 8 HD channels and 5 SD channels OTA (in the middle of Seattle). They look exactly the same as the HD channels comcast was giving me (I cancelled my comcast HD service yesterday). I can record them fine, and the live TV buffer is now being used by the software. The big problem I see so far is that if I want to set up weekly recordings of both cable channels and HD content on the broadcast networks, I have to manually swap the cable input to the hybrid between them. Given that, and the fact that I'm only interested in a few HD shows, I'm going to return this antenna and look for a cheaper one (or perhaps not have one at all).

Contrary to the above poster, I think EyeTV's software is their biggest asset. My first capture device way back when was a USB unit (the Belkin USB VideoBus I), and it was terrible, in both video quality and software support. The only thing that's changed since then, besides higher bandwidth with USB 2, is that the software is now designed towards consumer TV watching instead of studio-style digitizing for editing. Anyway, aside from the freezing problem I mentioned before (which I'm starting to think was due to me using the included USB cable), the software has been everything I can hope for. I haven't investigated the applescript capability, but then I prefer mouse actions because I have a wireless mouse in my livingroom for a remote.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by powerbooks

The big draw back for TVMicro is the mono only audio output.

I thought it had mono input as well. That was one of the big reasons I didn't consider buying it.

The Hybrid audio output is unclear to me.

I don't think the Hybrid has any outputs for video or audio. Why would you need one?

They don’t even have a manual for it yet (just a quick start guide without technical specification): very immature product in my opinion.

I'll agree to that, but it's not too far from being mature. On its technical merits I would recommend it. But you're right that the docs seem unfinished.

[powerbooks]

When I said audio output, I mean the sound coming out form your Mac speakers. I can't tell if they are stereo or not in Hybrid. They have not publish the specification yet for this product. The analog input set up is stereo though. But the Hybrid is overpriced for sure. (Maybe the HDTV ability worths that much for some people.)

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

I thought it had mono input as well. That was one of the big reasons I didn't consider buying it.



I don't think the Hybrid has any outputs for video or audio. Why would you need one?



I'll agree to that, but it's not too far from being mature. On its technical merits I would recommend it. But you're right that the docs seem unfinished.

[Uncle Skeleton]

The Hybrid records in stereo.

[bommai]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

Ok well I went and got one too. I've had it for a few hours now, and the 10 minute thing hasn't shown up. I have 2 other oddities so far: it doesn't work on my 3rd party USB 2 PCI card (about half the macroblocks are noise and the rest are in the wrong spots), and it doesn't seem to be buffering live TV. But it records OK (on the built-in USB2 port on my G5). I really hope I can fix that second problem; the first one I can live with.

Did you get yours, surfratt? And what mac do you use it on?

If anyone else wants me to check something out for them I'll give it a go.

Doh!! I just ordered this for my PowerMac G4 with a thirdparty USB 2.0 card. The USB 2.0 card works fine for my external hard drive, flash card reader, etc. I would be very very disappointed if this does not work with my USB 2.0 card. Yikes!!

[bommai]

Originally Posted by powerbooks

When I said audio output, I mean the sound coming out form your Mac speakers. I can't tell if they are stereo or not in Hybrid. They have not publish the specification yet for this product. The analog input set up is stereo though. But the Hybrid is overpriced for sure. (Maybe the HDTV ability worths that much for some people.)

How can you say that the Hybrid is overpriced when the product it replaces (eyeTV 500) cost $350. I could not bring myself to spend $350 on the eyeTV 500 and I have just ordered an eyeTV hybrid. I got it for $128 total from Buy.com. It has shipped but hasn't reached me yet.

I think that people that use eyeTV hybrid only for analog sources will be disappointed since it does not have a hardware encoder to convert the analog signal into a digital file. However, I am mainly interested in OTA HD. HD signals are already MPEG2 transport streams and eyeTV software does not do anything with them other than saving it to the hard drive. My brother got one to go with his new iMac 24" and he is extremely impressed. I hope mine works too but I am a little pessimistic since I have to make it work with a third party USB 2.0 card on my PowerMac G4 (dual 1.25 GHz).

[Drulian]

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I have to thank those who have so graciously posted their experiences with the hybrid. I have been lurking around this topic for a while, and I had to create an account to say thanks. So, THANKS!

I am considering buying one of these for my intel iMac, primarily to hook up to a video game console. Before I buy it, I want to know if the S-Video connection is quality. I fear that the S-video breakout cable will simply accept the S-Video connection, but will downgrade the image. Can anyone confirm this with a video game/dvd player?

Also, can the eyeTV handle Progressive Scan/480p images? Again, this can be tested with a progressive scan-enabled game console or dvd player.

Thanks guys!
~Drulian

[powerbooks]

When I can buy the TVMicro for abour $70ish, the Hybrid is overpricing at $140 range. Isn't it?

Originally Posted by bommai

How can you say that the Hybrid is overpriced when the product it replaces (eyeTV 500) cost $350. I could not bring myself to spend $350 on the eyeTV 500 and I have just ordered an eyeTV hybrid. I got it for $128 total from Buy.com. It has shipped but hasn't reached me yet.

[Uncle Skeleton]

The Hybrid can do a lot more, and where do you get a TVMicro for $70 anyway?

[powerbooks]

Which besides on-air HDTV (five or six stations maybe? in your city?), those a lot more may turn out to be lousy job or redundent anyway. Who is still using analog video input, on a Mac with Firwwire?

The TVmicro can be bought from online academic store, with no restriction, meaning anyone get the same price, not just student. Dig hard you will find it. I forget the exact address on top of me.

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

The Hybrid can do a lot more, and where do you get a TVMicro for $70 anyway?

[bommai]

Originally Posted by powerbooks

Which besides on-air HDTV (five or six stations maybe? in your city?), those a lot more may turn out to be lousy job or redundent anyway. Who is still using analog video input, on a Mac with Firwwire?

The TVmicro can be bought from online academic store, with no restriction, meaning anyone get the same price, not just student. Dig hard you will find it. I forget the exact address on top of me.

Over the past two years I have stopped watching analong/SD TV and have migrated to almost 90% HDTV. I can't even bear to watch anything in SD anymore. So all the shows that I am hooked to now are in HD.

Prison Break
24 (Coming in January)
House
CSI
Without a Trace
CSI Miami
CSI New York
Heroes

I don't have cable and will not pay for it. If the eyeTV Hybrid works well for me and if Apple's iTV can stream eyeTV stuff to my TV downstairs, I will be all set. :-)

[mr breaker]

I just picked up a hybrid yesterday...for some reason I was under the impression it came with a little external antenna...but mine did not.

So I tried out the analog tuner...it worked as expected. I'll have to go out and pick up an external antenna to try and get the HDTV stations.

Does anyone have any indoor antenna suggestions? I live in NYC two miles south of the empire state building.

[powerbooks]

Then my suggestion is to wait for iTV from Apple? Hybrid is really a strange beast: a hybrid as its name. All analog TV/video input, and on-the-aire only HDTV signal: no digital cable or HD suport (read their FAQ). I guess if you live in big city with strong aerial HDTV signals, you will be fine. Otherwise, the TV/video signal may disappoint you. For me, a simple analog TV on my computer is enough.

Originally Posted by bommai

Over the past two years I have stopped watching analong/SD TV and have migrated to almost 90% HDTV. I can't even bear to watch anything in SD anymore. So all the shows that I am hooked to now are in HD.

Prison Break
24 (Coming in January)
House
CSI
Without a Trace
CSI Miami
CSI New York
Heroes

I don't have cable and will not pay for it. If the eyeTV Hybrid works well for me and if Apple's iTV can stream eyeTV stuff to my TV downstairs, I will be all set. :-)

[the_glassman]

Originally Posted by powerbooks

Which besides on-air HDTV (five or six stations maybe? in your city?), those a lot more may turn out to be lousy job or redundent anyway. Who is still using analog video input, on a Mac with Firwwire?

The TVmicro can be bought from online academic store, with no restriction, meaning anyone get the same price, not just student. Dig hard you will find it. I forget the exact address on top of me.

Can you use the Micro with video game consoles?
I'd like a simple device that would let me hook up an xbox 360 and get OTA HD at full resolutions and use them on iMac. The hybrid says it supports the required HD resolutions, but I wonder how an xbox will look on an iMac.

[hyperb0le]

Originally Posted by powerbooks

Then my suggestion is to wait for iTV from Apple? Hybrid is really a strange beast: a hybrid as its name. All analog TV/video input, and on-the-aire only HDTV signal: no digital cable or HD suport (read their FAQ). I guess if you live in big city with strong aerial HDTV signals, you will be fine. Otherwise, the TV/video signal may disappoint you. For me, a simple analog TV on my computer is enough.

There's been no indication that iTV will have any kind of tuner. All indications point to it only being able to stream content from a computer elsewhere on the network. So, iTV would really only be useful for watching EyeTV's recordings on a TV.