EyeTV: Anyone have one?
I got an EyeTV for Christmas but am holding back on opening it just yet since:
1.) I'm not sure if I should spend 100 bucks more and get the firewire based Formac DVR/TV thing
2.) I'm not sure if El gato will release a firewire EyeTV at Macworld since they released europen models this fall.
So, anyone have an EyeTV, what's your experience been like? It looks really great from what I've seen although I'm still uncertain how well the scheduling works with Safari
1.) I'm not sure if I should spend 100 bucks more and get the firewire based Formac DVR/TV thing
2.) I'm not sure if El gato will release a firewire EyeTV at Macworld since they released europen models this fall.
So, anyone have an EyeTV, what's your experience been like? It looks really great from what I've seen although I'm still uncertain how well the scheduling works with Safari
Comments
The reason I don't use it now is that it acts as the cable box. In NYC Time Warner requires one of their boxes so you can't just use a cable tuner. Also, there is no IR blaster for it so I can't set it up like TiVo does to work with digital cable. You can set it up to work with the AV cables, but then you have to program the TV to change the channel when the show you want to come on is on. Kinda a pain is the ass if you ask me.
Last thing is that it encodes the video to MPEG 1 in hardware so changing it to a different format later is a pain too.
Luckily, I'll be using it in my dorm at Cal and there I have regular unscrambled analog/basic cable so it should work alright there from what I understand. Here at home I have DirecTV so I think i'd have to use the satellite box to get it to work.
Watson costs 29 bucks. Is it worth it?
My EyeTV came with a free Keyspan Digital media Remote so that's pretty cool. 49 dollars seperate.
Originally posted by applenut
thanks, that's the kind of stuff I was hoping to hear.
Luckily, I'll be using it in my dorm at Cal and there I have regular unscrambled analog/basic cable so it should work alright there from what I understand. Here at home I have DirecTV so I think i'd have to use the satellite box to get it to work.
Watson costs 29 bucks. Is it worth it?
My EyeTV came with a free Keyspan Digital media Remote so that's pretty cool. 49 dollars seperate.
Yeah, in your dorm you'll be fine, but at home you will need to use the RCA cables and set up the DirecTV box to automatically tune to the shows that you want it to. Not a really big deal, but one extra step.
Watson is absolutely worth it if not for the EyeTV aspect, but everything else it comes with. Dan is nice enough to let you use Watson cripple free for 30 days, so you can check it out yourself to see if it's worth the $29.
Very cool that you got the Keyspan remote. I use my cell phone, but seeing your aversion to candy bar phones
Originally posted by Aquatic
I don't get it, why don't they release a software update that lets you use MPEG4? MPEG1 quality is worse than VHS.
Because the encoding is done in the EyeTV box before it is sent to the computer. It was also designed to work hand in hand with Toast. After the show is recorded, two clicks gets you a VCD of your programs that will play in most DVD players. Unless you're watching on a 19"+ screen the resolution is not bad at all. There are MPEG2 boxes out there like the Formac. I should also mention there is an option for "Enhanced" recording. It's still MPEG1, but at a higher bit rate.
Originally posted by Aquatic
I don't get it, why don't they release a software update that lets you use MPEG4? MPEG1 quality is worse than VHS.
as said, the conversion is in hardware so, it's not possible.
MPEG 1 quality CAN be very very good. I have some MPEG 1 encoded concert videos that amaze me with their clarity. I haven't seen EyeTV footage yet so I can't judge that but, MPEG 1 can be great, but it also can be crap, and most seems to be crap unfortunately. I guess the encoder makes a big difference.
I guess I'll wait to open till Macworld starts in case a new EyeTV is announced.
I am going to have to take it down at some point tomorrow so get it while it's hot.
Originally posted by HOM
Ok, so I created a sample for applenut, but I realized that have enough room on my iDisk to host it. So if anyone is interested in seeing what the EyeTV looks like in action you can check it out here.
I am going to have to take it down at some point tomorrow so get it while it's hot.
$16 for a tossed salad? thats not too bad if your into that type of thing...
my eyeTV has been serving me well for over a year now... just wish i had a dvd burner to get some of the longer taped programs I have saved...
the editing program they have is a bit slow on my 400 MHz iMac with panther... so im sure it will be decent enough for your powerbook...
I remember looking at pictures of your dorm and I didn't see a TV there so this should work nicely... the fullscreen option works well enough for news and music videos... for movies I would stick with DVDs...
Right now, one or two outlets are taking orders, but they are waiting for stock. Their delivery dates have shown 12 Dec, then 24 Dec, now 31 Dec...
When I can, I'll take it with my 17" PB to a couple of other places, beginning with Scandinavia, and see what I can receive there.
What format for sound does MPEG1 use? The thing is these days with AAC and AAC+ you get CD quality sound, you can't even tell it's compressed. MPEG1 always seemed fuzzy to me, both sound and picture.
Overall, I am very happy it!!!
Recording programs is a breeze and you can even edit
out the commercials before transferring to a VCD/DVD.
My only gripe with Eye TV is the sluggishness when changing
channels. It takes a least 2 or 3 seconds to change from one
channel to the next.
This may not sound like a big deal, but believe me, it
gets very annoying when you want to channel surf.
I had contacted Elgato about this, hoping that this would be resolved with a future software update.
I was told that the problem is within the chip set inside the box itself and that it cannot be corrected with a software update.
Other than that, I am very pleased with it.
anyone own a Formac tuner? any comments on that? It's 100 dollars more but it does
1. DV stream recording
2. Video i/o converting
3. FM tuner
4. Video and audio out
5. Uses firewire.
One thing the eyetv cant be used for is hooking a game console up to the computer because there is too much of a lag in conversion. This kinda sucks. Would the formac also have that problem?
Originally posted by Aquatic
I would guess so. mm...Recording kicking ass in Smash Brothers...
because that would probably be the deciding factor. if the Formac didnt have the lag i think the extra money would be worth it. but if not, well, EyeTV seems to be pretty good and 100 less
Personally I love my eyetv. I use it at school as a tivo like device. I just record shows like south park and the daily show. and watch them when I have time. The quality is fine for this. I also use it to leave games on in a small window while I do other work. This way I can watch it with out having to turn around to see the tv. I'd say the eyetv is really for casual viewing and not so much a replacement for a real tv, at least in my opinion. Anyway, I love mine and highly recommend it.
I would shoot an email off to formac asking about lag with their product...
is it really only $300? I thought it was $400...
Originally posted by Paul
<anal>anyone know of a PC card solution... or a CF card one (haha I know... worth asking tho)</anal>
I would shoot an email off to formac asking about lag with their product...
is it really only $300? I thought it was $400...
I'd LOVE a PC card tuner. But one doesn't exist apparently
Formac cut the price by 100 a couple months ago
Originally posted by john441
My only gripe with Eye TV is the sluggishness when changing
channels. It takes a least 2 or 3 seconds to change from one
channel to the next.
This may not sound like a big deal, but believe me, it
gets very annoying when you want to channel surf.
I had contacted Elgato about this, hoping that this would be resolved with a future software update.
I was told that the problem is within the chip set inside the box itself and that it cannot be corrected with a software update.
Other than that, I am very pleased with it.
This isn't a "bug." The delay is because the Eye TV is compressing the video signal to MPEG-1 before it sends it to the computer. This is a small, small price to pay for not having to spend hours encoding video once it's been captured.
I've had my Eye TV for what seems like forever now, and my only complaint is that it doesn't work all that well with a digital cable box (as someone pointed out earlier). Nick, who seems to answer all of their tech support questions, told me a while back that they're looking into a Tivo-like IR solution for future models.
Cheers
Scott
Originally posted by midwinter
I've had my Eye TV for what seems like forever now, and my only complaint is that it doesn't work all that well with a digital cable box (as someone pointed out earlier). Nick, who seems to answer all of their tech support questions, told me a while back that they're looking into a Tivo-like IR solution for future models.
Cheers
Scott
If they come out with an IR blaster, I am so going to buy it. Thanks for the info.
Positives
- wakes up (starts up) automatically to record stuff
- works well with internet services to schedule stuff to record (free only for a short time for me in Europe)
- no power cord (USB-powered)
- has basic editing capabilities
- making VCDs with Toast a snap
- smaller file sizes than DV
So-so
- image quality nothing to write home about (especially full screen on my 20" monitor)
- re-encodes when recording to DVDs -> further decreases quality
This takes up quite a bit of space if you use it regularly. I don't think I'd be able to manage with DV streams. I'm not that disciplined to record everything to VCD/DVD on a regular basis to keep the HD clear.
I'm almost a couch-potato again with this. If only I could understand German better.