[DesiLinguist]

I recently purchased a Core Duo Mac Mini with 80 GB HDD and 2 GB RAM. One of the reasons I wanted a dual-core processor was because I wanted to watch and record television on my mac. I also purchased a 160GB Lacie Mini Firewire HD with the same thought. So, I have been doing some research, and the following are the only devices I could find that would provide a relatively painless TV-watching experience on the Mac:

(1) Miglia TVMicro ($99) - Only Analog, No Digital, Software encoding
(2) Miglia TVMini HD ($249) - Only Digital (ATSC/ClearQAM), No Analog, No encoding (either software or hardware) - records unmodified signal
(3) EyeTV Hybrid ($149) - Digital (ATSC) and Analog, No encoding - signal is recorded as is, Provides 3 quality presets.
(4) EyeTV 250 ($199) - Only Analog, No Digital, Hardware encoding. Provides 7 quality presets.

The only channels I am interested in watching are the regular OTA local channels here in the US. So, here are my questions:

(1) My regular Radio Shack analog provides very poor quality analog channels so I am assuming that if i want to watch local channels in good quality, my only option is to watch them in HD ?

(2) Am I correct to infer from the above data that there is no device that can receive such HD broadcasts but do the encoding/compression in hardware instead of taxing my mac's CPUs ?

(3) What kind of CPU loads are we talking about here ? I imagine my most frequent use of such a device being the TV running in a small window on my 20" LCD while I work. Is that easily handled by the Core Duo Mac Mini ?

(4) What are the file sizes like for these devices ? How much space would a 1-hour HD show take ? Since I would mostly be recording just to watch them and then delete them, I would imagine that the lowest quality would suffice for my purposes ?

If you have one or many of these devices, please weigh in with your experiences. Or if you have found a way to watch TV on the mac with a different setup, please feel free to enlighten me in that case as well.

Thanks.
PS: I have posted this question in other forums but have not received any replies so I am trying my luck here.

[vinster]

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

I recently purchased a Core Duo Mac Mini with 80 GB HDD and 2 GB RAM. One of the reasons I wanted a dual-core processor was because I wanted to watch and record television on my mac. I also purchased a 160GB Lacie Mini Firewire HD with the same thought. So, I have been doing some research, and the following are the only devices I could find that would provide a relatively painless TV-watching experience on the Mac:

<...snip...>

(1) My regular Radio Shack analog provides very poor quality analog channels so I am assuming that if i want to watch local channels in good quality, my only option is to watch them in HD ?

You might try a signal amplifier or better outdoor antenna for the analog channels.

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

(2) Am I correct to infer from the above data that there is no device that can receive such HD broadcasts but do the encoding/compression in hardware instead of taxing my mac's CPUs ?

If you're talking strictly about ATSC (digital terrestrial/OTA) broadcasts, receiving's not the issue. Playback is what taxes the CPU.

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

(3) What kind of CPU loads are we talking about here ? I imagine my most frequent use of such a device being the TV running in a small window on my 20" LCD while I work. Is that easily handled by the Core Duo Mac Mini ?

If you're mostly watching in a small window, you should be fine. I'd be a bit cautious about watching full screen HDTV for long periods of time.

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

(4) What are the file sizes like for these devices ? How much space would a 1-hour HD show take ? Since I would mostly be recording just to watch them and then delete them, I would imagine that the lowest quality would suffice for my purposes ?

A one-hour 1080i stream is something like 8-10GB in size. In terms of quality, you can't control what's coming in as the devices just pass-through the broadcast stream. You can always re-encode your recordings once they've been captured, though.

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

If you have one or many of these devices, please weigh in with your experiences. Or if you have found a way to watch TV on the mac with a different setup, please feel free to enlighten me in that case as well.

I have an older EyeTV 200 (non-HD) and it works well with my setup (everything comes in via my DirecTV receiver). I even figured out a work around to record 16:9/HD material and keep the aspect ratio.

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

Thanks.

Sure.

[popstand]

You probably know already, but in case you didn't, all of those tuners use the same software. If you are only interested in OTA get the miglia HD. It also works on clear QAM cable signals, which means if you have even basic cable access, it can decode all the local HD and unencrypted digital cable stations. I use mine for OTA only, and it does a great job with the included antenna, even here in Denver, where reception is very poor. However, the ideal product would be the Elgato Hybrid, if it could only decode clear QAM stations. Hopefully it will someday with a firmware update.

[nmadnani]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I am actually leaning towards just watching analog channels since I really want to be able to do a lot of multitasking while I am watching TV. So, my question is, do you have any recommendations for good amplified indoor tv antennas that can receive the analog channes in good quality ?

Thanks.

[nagromme]

I just got something cheap from Radio Shack It's black, has a powered amplifier (which helps only occasionally) and has a "tuning knob" that OFTEN helps.