I have the EyeTV Wonder USB. It supposedly records 720x480 MPEG-2 on my DP G5, but who knows what the incoming NTSC analog signal is. Anyway, all I've ever recorded with it was then watched in a small window. Nothing big looks sharp at all. Converting to MPEG-4 would hardly seem worth the effort.
Which EyeTV do you have? My EyeTV 200 has the option to save recordings directly to MPEG-4 but the quality was worse than the already not-so-hot MPEG-2 when I did some testing awhile ago. Plus MPEG-2 obviously makes DVD-Video burning more convenient.
I just checked EyeTV products listed under Preferences > Devices in the software (v2.3.2) and only the 200 has MPEG-4 as a Quality option. They dropped that (and switched from FW to USB) on the newer 250. Neither support DivX, like Plextor and some Miglia products. I've never done much with DivX because my standalone DVD player doesn't support it (and progressive scan, for that matter).
Me neither since quality would be similarly poor to Maximum Size and Full Screen playback on my iMac. Wireless streaming to my SDTV via EyeHome (before it failed) and DVD-Video playback with my Pioneer DVD changer (post-EyeHome) are the limits of acceptable quality, which is slightly worse than the original analog cable signal.
Right now I don't have any way to play ITunes Store video downloads on my TV to check the quality, but any 640x480 content is probably be better than EyeTV recordings. I'd thought ATV would (and it still might) be my first HDTV-capable component, being a bridge to eventually migrate from SDTV in multiple steps. I haven't had reason to switch to digital cable, especially since it would be more hassle to record with EyeTV 200. The idea of eventually dropping cable TV altogether would be more tempting with ATV in the picture.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm not that close when I watch my 65" screen. we all sit much closer to our monitors than we do to out Tv's. At least, that's true for most people.
The biggest problem with a hi def image is not how sharp it is, but rather, how much of that detail we miss, because we're sitting too far away to resolve it. You have to sit closer than most people realize.
Because of that, I don't find most lower rez content to look bad, not great, but not bad. If I move much closer, then I can see problems. I sit about 15 feet away from the screen, mostly. That is much too far away for 1080p, 1080i, and even 720p is barely realized. That's from the normal multiple seating position. If I move a chair to about 10 feet, which is about the recommended distance for 1080p, the difference is considerable.
This site is highly recommended. It has saved me from quite a few arguments since he published it. When you click on the links, the charts can be clicked upon again for full size.
You forgot to include the cost of high-speed Internet... cha-CHING!
And the fact that Itunes/AppleTV can't get you live events. I'd rather record the Cubs game than buy highlights of it for $1.99 a day or two after the fact.
My living room is small. I sit seven feet from the TV.
Of course, for live TV, you need basic cable or at least an antenna for picking up broadcast TV. Wouldn't want to miss President Bush's speeches you know.
Comments
Which EyeTV do you have?
I have the EyeTV Wonder USB. It supposedly records 720x480 MPEG-2 on my DP G5, but who knows what the incoming NTSC analog signal is. Anyway, all I've ever recorded with it was then watched in a small window. Nothing big looks sharp at all. Converting to MPEG-4 would hardly seem worth the effort.
Which EyeTV do you have? My EyeTV 200 has the option to save recordings directly to MPEG-4 but the quality was worse than the already not-so-hot MPEG-2 when I did some testing awhile ago. Plus MPEG-2 obviously makes DVD-Video burning more convenient.
I just checked EyeTV products listed under Preferences > Devices in the software (v2.3.2) and only the 200 has MPEG-4 as a Quality option. They dropped that (and switched from FW to USB) on the newer 250. Neither support DivX, like Plextor and some Miglia products. I've never done much with DivX because my standalone DVD player doesn't support it (and progressive scan, for that matter).
Me neither since quality would be similarly poor to Maximum Size and Full Screen playback on my iMac. Wireless streaming to my SDTV via EyeHome (before it failed) and DVD-Video playback with my Pioneer DVD changer (post-EyeHome) are the limits of acceptable quality, which is slightly worse than the original analog cable signal.
Right now I don't have any way to play ITunes Store video downloads on my TV to check the quality, but any 640x480 content is probably be better than EyeTV recordings. I'd thought ATV would (and it still might) be my first HDTV-capable component, being a bridge to eventually migrate from SDTV in multiple steps. I haven't had reason to switch to digital cable, especially since it would be more hassle to record with EyeTV 200. The idea of eventually dropping cable TV altogether would be more tempting with ATV in the picture.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm not that close when I watch my 65" screen. we all sit much closer to our monitors than we do to out Tv's. At least, that's true for most people.
The biggest problem with a hi def image is not how sharp it is, but rather, how much of that detail we miss, because we're sitting too far away to resolve it. You have to sit closer than most people realize.
Because of that, I don't find most lower rez content to look bad, not great, but not bad. If I move much closer, then I can see problems. I sit about 15 feet away from the screen, mostly. That is much too far away for 1080p, 1080i, and even 720p is barely realized. That's from the normal multiple seating position. If I move a chair to about 10 feet, which is about the recommended distance for 1080p, the difference is considerable.
This site is highly recommended. It has saved me from quite a few arguments since he published it. When you click on the links, the charts can be clicked upon again for full size.
http://www.carltonbale.com/
You forgot to include the cost of high-speed Internet... cha-CHING!
And the fact that Itunes/AppleTV can't get you live events. I'd rather record the Cubs game than buy highlights of it for $1.99 a day or two after the fact.
Of course, for live TV, you need basic cable or at least an antenna for picking up broadcast TV. Wouldn't want to miss President Bush's speeches you know.