[SaunaMaster]

Hey,
I am thinking about getting this product. I am planning on recording shows and then burning them onto DVD. I want good quality. What have you guys heard about this product and if it is good which model should I get the $200 or $300
Thanks for your opinions

[TMLai]

I got the eyetv 200 for about a month. Recording quality is about as good as it can be. I connect it to a dedecated Macmini for 24/7 timer recording of my wife favour shows. It will crash about once a week. Not very reliable, but a big improvement from my old ati all in wonder (PC) setup. I use a lacie fw external harddrive for storage. Using MP4, it should last about a month without needing to delete old stuff.

Editing function work really well for edit out the commercial. It take me about 3 minutes to work on a two hours show.

My next buy will be the eyehome so that we can enjoy the recording on our big screen tv.

[vinster]

I have the EyeTV 200 and am happy with it. Doesn't do HDTV but I have a workaround to get 16:9 output.

TMLai, don't know why yours is crashing. I've never had a problem except having difficulty with it being recognized when hooked up to a older G4-upgraded Pismo. My Mini works flawlessly with the EyeTV.

[TMLai]

Hi Vinster,

I don't know why its crash. The only thing I upgrade on the Mini is the ram. Otherwise its stock. I also notice that after I install a Belkin UPS. It crash a less (was crashing once every 2 days). The only other thing I can think of is the tempurature of the eyetv itself. It reach about 46C at outside top of the case.

[vinster]

Originally Posted by TMLai

Hi Vinster,

I don't know why its crash. The only thing I upgrade on the Mini is the ram. Otherwise its stock. I also notice that after I install a Belkin UPS. It crash a less (was crashing once every 2 days). The only other thing I can think of is the tempurature of the eyetv itself. It reach about 46C at outside top of the case.

A couple of things I'd check.

- Make sure the RAM's good and other programs and the OS aren't crashing as well.

- Make sure the EyeTV's the only firewire device connected in the chain. If you have other firewire devices, connect them to a hub. The instructions say not to daisy chain the EyeTV to other devices.

[MikeD]

I'm not happy with the EyeHome - I just got both the other day... EyeTV 200 okay.. EyeHome going back. I have a ton of movies on my computer that are encoded with 3ivx mp4 and AAC audio and eyehome just can't handle the movies! Smaller stuff work okay but it seems like when I get to most of my movies, it just starts pausing and skipping starting at the 20 second mark. sigh... I think the eyehome just needs to be more powerful.

Mike

[SaunaMaster]

so from what I have read from you guys and other researching is that I should only get it if I want to watch tv at half size and that I shouldnt record onto dvd? due to lack of quality.

[vinster]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I'm not happy with the EyeHome - I just got both the other day... EyeTV 200 okay.. EyeHome going back. I have a ton of movies on my computer that are encoded with 3ivx mp4 and AAC audio and eyehome just can't handle the movies! Smaller stuff work okay but it seems like when I get to most of my movies, it just starts pausing and skipping starting at the 20 second mark. sigh... I think the eyehome just needs to be more powerful.

Mike

I think you're better off with a Mac Mini/HTPC setup for this kind of stuff.

[vinster]

Originally Posted by SaunaMaster

so from what I have read from you guys and other researching is that I should only get it if I want to watch tv at half size and that I shouldnt record onto dvd? due to lack of quality.

Um.. No.

The EyeTV 200 records MPEG-2 at 720x480 which is DVD quality, and plays back just fine at full screen resolution. But like I said earlier, it only does SDTV so you have to work around the 4:3 format limitations.

If you want native HDTV capabilities, you need the EyeTV 500 and a dual G5.

[MikeD]

Vinster is right... It's just like a TV but on your screen... it doesn't 'half' the resolution or anything. Oh yeah, it records now in mpeg-4 as well!! Or files ready to be burned onto a dvd... you can choose in the preferences.

Mike

[midwinter]

I've been a fan of the Eye TV for years now. I'm just waiting on my original USB to die so I can justify getting an Eye TV 200.

[zwiebel_]

I've been very satisfied with my eyeTV 500. I now get all of the local DTV and HDTV channels in. It looks great at full screen on my 23" Cinema.

[inkhead]

You know what blows about the eyetv? You can't use the video source in ANY OTHER applications. absolutely bogus.

I bought the EyeTV (ATI WONDER USB2) with plent of video in ports, that's great if all you want to do is save recording in. Why not let me use the video for ichat confernce? or for watching my live video camera? Or with mac video camera security software?

STUPID on their part.

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by midwinter

I've been a fan of the Eye TV for years now. I'm just waiting on my original USB to die so I can justify getting an Eye TV 200.

Same here, except I am looking to get the EyeTV Wonder. By the way, if I have both devices plugged in can I watch/record 2 shows at once?

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by inkhead

You know what blows about the eyetv? You can't use the video source in ANY OTHER applications. absolutely bogus.

I bought the EyeTV (ATI WONDER USB2) with plent of video in ports, that's great if all you want to do is save recording in. Why not let me use the video for ichat confernce? or for watching my live video camera? Or with mac video camera security software?

STUPID on their part.

Huh? I don't even understand what it is you want to do. At any rate, it has "TV" in the name for a reason and aside from el Gato not providing an IR blaster, it does a damned fine job.

[boardsurfer]

In an effort to defend the Eyehome, have you updated the firmware yet MikeD? I love my eyehome, it plays a lot of crud I throw at it including my dvd's I regularly rip at 1200-1500 kbps.

[as2]

I've got an EyeTV 410 for Free to Air Digital TV here in the UK, and it's amazing.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I'm not happy with the EyeHome - I just got both the other day... EyeTV 200 okay.. EyeHome going back. I have a ton of movies on my computer that are encoded with 3ivx mp4 and AAC audio and eyehome just can't handle the movies! Smaller stuff work okay but it seems like when I get to most of my movies, it just starts pausing and skipping starting at the 20 second mark. sigh... I think the eyehome just needs to be more powerful.

Mike

If you have it networked wirelessly, that may be the problem. Mine is wired and it plays everything I throw at it.

And I second the suggestion that you update the firmware.

[MikeD]

Sigh.. Firmware as up to date according to ElGato's EyeHome software and I tried hooking it up directly reather than wireless and it still stopped at the 20 second mark. ElGato says it's the resolution of some of my files (if it's not 720x480 (as in higher) forget about it...)

Mike

[inkhead]

Originally Posted by midwinter

Huh? I don't even understand what it is you want to do. At any rate, it has "TV" in the name for a reason and aside from el Gato not providing an IR blaster, it does a damned fine job.

The EyeHome software is slow, buggy, and you have to wait for it to discover all the channels, god forbid it loses track of the device.

Mac solutions are just so overpriced. For $150 I can get a HARDWARE BASED HDTV solution that uses firewire or usb2 on the pc side. Over on the mac side I have to have one that taxes my processor which of course with the slow processors currently in macs (even my dual g5) you get hiccups and beachballing all the time.

It's a REAL shame that these use up processor for recording. Seriously I spent $3900 on a powermac I don't really want to have the processor all used up recording some tv show....

I rate eyetv as a useless novelty. I've plugged my tv wonder in twice and left it in a drawer because it's just a waste of time, that and you have to have a cable box dedicated to it, on one channel with an IR extender if you plan to watch anything other than the crappy local channels. I love my mac but at least on the PC side of things there are cablecards that can actually decode cable signals, directtv and such. If i hav to get a separate cable box to watch tv on my computer (and record channels i want) i might as well just spend $100 more and slap a crappy tv in my office. Hell I can get a Tivo for $90 that does the same thing....

[inkhead]

http://www.miglia.com/products/video...dvr/index.html

That device is superior by 1000%, much better tuning and the picture can be used with any application ichat, security software, ect

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by inkhead

The EyeHome software is slow, buggy, and you have to wait for it to discover all the channels, god forbid it loses track of the device.

Never been slow or buggy for me. It could be better, but I don't really think it's buggy.

Mac solutions are just so overpriced. For $150 I can get a HARDWARE BASED HDTV solution that uses firewire or usb2 on the pc side. Over on the mac side I have to have one that taxes my processor which of course with the slow processors currently in macs (even my dual g5) you get hiccups and beachballing all the time.

This seems to be specific to your setup. I've been using Eye TV since the first one was announced and I've never had any of the problems you describe. Is it too expensive? Yeah. I'm with you there.

It's a REAL shame that these use up processor for recording. Seriously I spent $3900 on a powermac I don't really want to have the processor all used up recording some tv show....

The Eye TV does mpeg-1/2 encoding on the fly in the box, not on your processor. Unless you're exporting from one thing to another.

I rate eyetv as a useless novelty. I've plugged my tv wonder in twice and left it in a drawer because it's just a waste of time, that and you have to have a cable box dedicated to it, on one channel with an IR extender if you plan to watch anything other than the crappy local channels.

Is there a Mac solution that includes an IR blaster? There's not one that I'm aware of. You seem to be complaining that the Eye TV doesn't contain a digital cable decoder box/tuner. Does anything? On any platform? Hey, I might be wrong. If you know of a video capture device on any platform with a digital tuner in it, fire up a link. I'd be very interested in buying such a product.

I love my mac but at least on the PC side of things there are cablecards that can actually decode cable signals, directtv and such.

Again, please fire up a link. I'd be most interested in seeing this.

If i hav to get a separate cable box to watch tv on my computer (and record channels i want) i might as well just spend $100 more and slap a crappy tv in my office. Hell I can get a Tivo for $90 that does the same thing....

Um, if you have a Tivo, you need a digital cable box. And a TV isn't going to record things for you.

[inkhead]

for all your links, see google. type "cablecard windows" ;-)

your wrong on hardware encoding, EyeTV uses your mac to process all the recording. Give me 2 minutes with your computer and EyeTV and I can make it beachball for you...

Check out your CPU usage when recording...

and as far as Tivo of course you need a digital cable box, unless you have another DVR.. but look

Tivo + Cable Box = $100 (Complete solution with all channels, hardware based DUAL recording HDTV ready)

EyeTV + Cable Box = $250

[piot]

Anyone tried this yet ?
EYE TV for DDTV

It looks great, but is there a catch? It's tiny and only costs £ 99.00!

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by inkhead

for all your links, see google. type "cablecard windows" ;-)

Am I missing something? Everything says "no cablecard."

your wrong on hardware encoding, EyeTV uses your mac to process all the recording. Give me 2 minutes with your computer and EyeTV and I can make it beachball for you...

Considering your luck with a piece of hardware that's been working fine for me since it was released, I wouldn't let you within ten feet of my computer.

The Eye TV box encodes to MPEG-1/2 on the fly. That's what the box is for. If you think it's using your Mac's processor to do it, you've obviously never spent a few hours encoding an uncompressed signal into MPEG-1. If you're seeing a big jump in processor usage, it's likely because you're displaying video.

Check out your CPU usage when recording...

Done:

Usage when displaying video:



Usage without displaying video:



Eye TV uses less processor than Top when it's not displaying video.

and as far as Tivo of course you need a digital cable box, unless you have another DVR.

Huh? So you don't need to spend money unless you've already spent money?

Tivo + Cable Box = $100 (Complete solution with all channels, hardware based DUAL recording HDTV ready)

EyeTV + Cable Box = $250

OK. I get it. You're just making things up.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by piot

Anyone tried this yet ?
EYE TV for DDTV

It looks great, but is there a catch? It's tiny and only costs £ 99.00!

I would suggest you email el Gato if you have any questions. They've been pretty swift with me when I've had questions. I believe their tech support is in Germany, so you shouldn't have to worry about too much time zone lag from London.

Cheers

[ashtoash]

how did i make up the pricing? everything i listed off I currently own. Right now the system used in my house is a 280k theater setup in my presentation room. I bought the $300 eyetv and i still feel that it's a poor value. I returned it and bought the ati wonder usb2, which was worse. My needs were to place simple in the av room for previewing feeds before placing them on the projector... I guess I'm really annoyed because the hardware guys ended up convincing me to put a PC in the av/room when I couldn't prove to them my mac was nearly as effient as windows for this one use. Still bitter.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by ashtoash

how did i make up the pricing?

Because you're not factoring in costs for hardware and subscriptions (cable packages ain't free), nor are you factoring in how very expensive those digital cable set-top boxes are. Nor do you seem to recognize that money you've already spent is money you've already spent.

The difference, of course, between a Tivo and an el Gato product, and the reason you pay more for the el Gato product, is simply that they do two different things. You can't edit commercials out on the Tivo. You can't transfer from the Tivo to a DVD in one click. And on and on.

everything i listed off I currently own.

Um, great!

Right now the system used in my house is a 280k theater setup in my presentation room.

Something in me finds it difficult to believe that you've spent nearly $300,000 on a room and you're bitching about the quality of a $300 gadget. But that's just me.

I bought the $300 eyetv and i still feel that it's a poor value.

That's your prerogative. The $300 Eye TV records at the same quality as a DVD and allowed you to schedule and edit recordings from any source and to save those recordings anywhere. It's roughly the same price as all other mpeg-2 solutions.

My complaint about Eye TV is the same one most people have: no IR blaster to change channels on a cable box. They said they were working on one years ago and it has remained vaporware. The first company to provide one gets my money.

I returned it and bought the ati wonder usb2, which was worse.

Sorry to hear that.

My needs were to place simple in the av room for previewing feeds before placing them on the projector... I guess I'm really annoyed because the hardware guys ended up convincing me to put a PC in the av/room when I couldn't prove to them my mac was nearly as effient as windows for this one use. Still bitter.

If it works, why does it matter? Get the tool for the job. I have an Eye TV + Eye Home and a Tivo. They do different things.

Edit: to which I should add that this seems to clarify why the Eye TV isn't the gadget you need at all. Hell, one of those USB s-video dongles would've been better for your needs, since they'll send the video out to any source. $70.

[MikeD]

Let's all do as I did.. Get a logitech harmony remote!!! Best thing ever to grace my home theatre experience! As for the EyeHome, unfortunately it was returned. Hopefully version 2 will support streaming HD or something to match my resolutions. The EyeTV 200 is staying though!! I love it!! BTW, not only will it do MPG 1/2 it'll do MPG4 too!! But I do get better quality mpeg4's by converting mpeg2 elementary streams myself to mpeg 4

Mike