EyeTV 500
Elgato Systems
Price: $349
Pros: Easy installation, better performance than dedicated PVRs, very flexible.
Cons: No Front Row integration by default, some remote button functions are unclear, no support for SD sources.
by Gerrit Dalman
Apple is doing a lot to redefine how we acquire, manage, and consume our media. But - always looking to the future - one connection they haven't made for us is the link back to TV as we know it.
Fortunately, third parties have long been providing that link. The EyeTV500 is typical of Elgato's robust line of products designed to help you watch TV on your Mac. It is a simple device that connects your Mac to a cable source and, when paired with the included EyeTV 2 software, provides the full gammit of personal video recorder (PVR) functions right on your desktop.
What sets it apart from it's similarly attractive kin is that it trades compatibility with standard definition (SD) sources like your basic cable box for support of unencrypted HDTV content. That means you can watch and record unencrypted HD cable or broadcast signals (ATSC and QAM) at resolutions as high as 1920x1080!
That means potentially higher picture quality than the rest of their line, but it also means no analog inputs. So if you want to connect a game console or cable box you'll have to try a sister product.
EyeTV succeeds in providing most of the functionality and ease-of-use you would expect from a dedicated PVR while minimizing the complications that can arise from using a computer in that capacity.
Setup is simpler than most DVD players and the software just needs to be copied off the CD. Registration can take a while, but it's important since the offered TitanTV account is what provides program guides. A setup assistant will then scan your inputs for active channels - this should only take about 2 minutes, but exhaustive scans can take up to half an hour.
The included software is great. The program guide is elegant and easily navigated, showing channel listings as well as recorded shows. You can watch live TV, recorded shows, and all sorts of media stored on your hard-drive all from within EyeTV. If the app isn't running when you have scheduled a recording, it will even start on it's own so you don't miss a thing. Using TitanTV you can even schedule recordings from afar so you don't miss that critical episode while you're traveling!
Best of all, if you meet the system requirements and aren't running too many other applications, everything is very fast.
Of course there's a down side to not using dedicated hardware. Unlike a specialized appliance system resoures when multi-tasking and storage space are likely to be issues unless you have a dedicated media Mac.
On the flip side, using a computer as a PVR - especially a Mac - presents all kinds of possibilities. For example, a single click converts shows to an iPod friendly format and loads them into iTunes, making them accessible on both iPods with video and Front Row.
Unfortunately the high-def originals cannot be played in Front Row without some work. For starters, the recordings aren't saved in the "Movies" folder by default. Even then, the video is packaged with other files and of the MPEG-2 variety, which can't be played by the system without purchasing an MPEG-2 addition.
But all kinds of sollutions are possible since EyeTV is scriptable. It even has a built-in editor so you can pick out your favorite clips or remove commercials to make the best use of your harddrive space.
Like the stand-alone competition, EyeTV even comes with a remote. It works as you would expect and can even navigate the program guide, though some of the buttons are not labeled for their functions.
Ultimately, if you like doing as much with your Mac as you can and don't mind investing a little time and money into your solution, the EyeTV500 or one of it's SD counterparts is a much more elegant and flexible PVR solution than the mainstream subscription-based boxes.
System Requirements:
* 500MHz G4 or better (dual G5 or better required for full framerate HDTV playback)
* Mac OS X 10.3 or later
* 256MB RAM
* 8GB/hr for recorded TV