Full FeedAppletell review - Elgato’s EyeTV Hybrid
Provides: Hardware and software interface for watching TV on your Mac
Developer: Elgato
Minimum Requirements: PowerPC G4/G5 or Intel processor, 512MB of RAM, USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later, and an internet connection for Program Guide data
Price: $149.95
Availability: Now
Version Reviewed: 3.0.4
Elgato’s EyeTV Hybrid is a TV tuner for a Mac. With it, you can watch and record live TV, making it the perfect gift for just about any Mac user. Better yet, the newest version of this amazing device has support for Clear QAM. Translation? You can watch some HDTV cable channels on your Mac without a cable box.
Installation is a breeze. Just open the box and insert the CD into your Mac. The installer will tell you when to plug in the EyeTV Hybrid and auto-tune the TV settings. Program guide data is also automatically downloaded for your area. This whole process is really quite painless.
The EyeTV software is very well designed. There are three main windows: the controller, the guide and the viewer itself.
The controller allows you to change channels, pause Live TV, start or stop recording etc. An Apple Remote can also control many things in EyeTV, and is extremely useful for pausing playback and skipping commercials in recorded programs.
The guide is something you’ll likely grow to love. You can search the guide for programming with a smorgasbord of options such as keywords, HDTV only, actors, years, episode number, repeat or not…suffice it to say that there are more options here than you’ll ever use.
But the guide’s true power lies in its ability to create what are called Smart Guides. These function just like Smart Playlists in iTunes, and are created by saving a search. This search is performed automatically, and it can be set to auto record the programs that fit the search. This is where having all of those options for searching really becomes useful, as just searching for a title might yield more than just the program you’re looking for.
After EyeTV is done recording, that video is placed into the Recordings section of the guide window. From here, you can watch videos, edit out commercials and export them to a format watchable on an AppleTV, iPod, iPhone, iTunes etc. Editing a video to remove commercials takes time, but it’s a great feature for videos you want to save, and is relatively easy to use. Exporting a video from EyeTV’s format (which is not watchable in any other program or device) takes even longer, which is to be expected. Export times will depend on your hardware, but even with a brand new unibody MacBook Pro exporting took a few hours for an over-an-hour long recording. I like to think of exporting as a set-it and forget-it feature. If you like, recordings can be automatically exported, though you’ll still have commercials.
Overall, the EyeTV Hybrid is nearly everything I could want in a TV Tuner, save more HD input options. The EyeTV 3 software is amazing, but is not flawless. I have experienced some signal issues. Every once and a while, EyeTV will claim that the signal coming in from my cable connection is not strong enough. I have the device connected on a powered USB hub, and I suspect this to be part of the reason why this sometimes happens. Solution? Unplug the EyeTV Hybrid and plug it back in. It sounds easy, until you either don’t notice that the signal has dropped or are away from the computer while a recording is scheduled (ie. most of the time). This will, of course, prevent EyeTV from recording. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen that often. If this concerns you more than it does me, you could plug the device directly into your Mac which may prevent this from happening completely.
Some users will also complain that the EyeTV Hybrid gets hot while recording. I don’t hold onto the device, and it really only gets mildly warm. We’re not talking fire hazard here. It’s a small device that does a lot of work, so I’m not surprised. I’m also not concerned.
The EyeTV Hybrid can be summed up it one word…amazing. It can be used in place of a TV or a DVR, making it perfect for small spaces like dorms and apartments. Its also great for those who want Tivo without monthly fees. EyeTV 3 is actually better than a Tivo, since recordings can be exported, watched elsewhere and backed-up. If you’ve never had a DVR before you’ll fall in love with this after a few short days and wonder how you ever lived without it.
I was going to give the EyeTV Hybrid a 4 out of 5 because of the signal issue, but it’s that time of year…
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Nice review of EyeTV 3 and the Hybrid tuner. A Mac TV tuner really changed the way I use my Mac - and unlike far too many computer gizmos I’ve bought in the past, I have ZERO regrets - I love my Eye TV!
It should be noted you really need and want a FAST Mac for any TV tuner. In my experience anything less than a 1.6ghz G5 can really struggle and hit 100% CPU utilization. So I think ElGato’s minimum System Requirements are waaaay understated.
on December 12, 2008 at 12:24 PM - LINKThanks for your recommendation on the Min System Requirements. I’ve used it on two notebooks, a white MacBook and a new MacBook Pro, both of which have 2+ Ghz, so I don’t have experience with that. On my MacBook Pro I leave it running in the background with a handful of other applications running, which just goes to show you how powerful the new MBPs really are. I can see this taking everything a slower Mac has to offer. Thanks again.
on December 12, 2008 at 12:31 PM - LINKI have been unimpressed with my EyeTV. The picture quality is noticeably lower quality than through my cable box.
Also, without HD (through Comcast - no Antenna possible), this is just a gimmick. I refuse to go non-HD, it’s just so much better!
on December 13, 2008 at 12:41 PM - LINK