Customer Reviews

Elgato EyeTV HD DVR for HD Cable and Satellite TV for Macintosh (10021040)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This review taken verbatim from my tech column... Overall, great product but requires some computing horsepower to really shine.

Last week, Elgato announced a new TV tuner/DVR solution for the Mac. It is called the EyeTV HD and pulls 720p HD cable content right from your cable box. The device was born out of the need to get television shows and movies out of the living room and on to the multitude of devices people are using to get their daily fix.

After one week of using the EyeTV HD, I have come to the conclusion that for Mac users, there is no better way to move content from cable box to computer. Initial setup time is less than 15 minutes and is very straightforward. As soon as the cables are connected and software installed, the little guy can be put to work recording content to your computer's hard drive. By using an IR blaster to control the cable box, cannels can be switched by the EyeTV software, thus enabling scheduled recording- just like a standard DVR. The programming guide is powered by TVGuide and matched up accurately with my FiOS on-screen listings. This service is subscription based ($19.99/year) but Elgato includes one free year with hardware purchases.

Programs can be recorded manually, or by adding them to the record schedule. The EyeTV HD works just like a stand-alone DVR, but only one program can be recorded at a time. Content is stored in a proprietary EyeTV format that weighs in at about 5GB per hour- small hard drives need not apply. To set up a recording, all it takes is a click on the record icon located beneath the show listing, the EyeTV software does the rest.

Once recorded, content is converted for playback on the iPhone, iPad, or both. In addition, recordings can be exported to all the popular formats, including DivX, Windows Media, and native H.264. The converted content is also automatically added into iTunes, complete with title, description, cast, rating, and more. This makes searching for specific shows or moves extremely easy and I found it to be a nice touch. Want to edit the recordings before sending them to you mobile device? That can be done within the EyeTV app as well. Users can trim out commercials and split up long recordings with a few clicks of the mouse. The process is very intuitive and also nondestructive, as original recordings are kept alongside the edited copies.

In addition to functioning as a DVR, the device can also stream both live and recorded programs to an iPhone using the optional EyeTV app ($4.99). My experience streaming over WiFi was flawless. Content streamed from a 2.66GHz MacBook Pro to an iPhone 3GS looked as if it were being played locally. Viewing over 3G also worked well, though video would frequently re-buffer, especially in congested areas. Current 3G speeds are not really designed to stream high quality video, but as the faster networks come into use, apps like this will really begin to shine.

Overall, the EyeTV HD works as advertised. The video quality is high, the conversion process works without a hitch, and the video editing is simple. One thing to keep in mind is the reality that you will need to have the HD set-top box near your computer for this all to work. Component video cables can easily be found in 10-foot lengths, but beyond that, the risk for signal quality loss comes into play. Bottom line, Mac users serious about their television will not be disappointed with Elgato's latest offering.

The good:
- TV lovers' dream come true, only limited by the size of your hard drive
- Setup instructions are clear, takes less than 15 minutes
- Captures high quality 720p HD
- Quickly converts video to iPhone and iPad friendly formats, about 5 minutes per half-hour of video
- Editing is very easy
- Can also record from S-video and composite video with included adapter
- Ability to stream to iPhone over Wi-Fi and 3G (see below video for demo)

The bad:
- Core 2 Duo Mac required, very processor intensive to run
- Cable/Satellite box needs to be located near the EyeTV HD and computer
- Annual subscription to TVGuide required after first year, $19.99
- Decreased productivity levels resulting from 500 channels of television on computer and in pocket

Have this hooked up to an intel Mac Mini that meets the minumum cpu speed specification. I'm learning more about this product and have updated this review three times. Overall very happy with the product, this should not be considered a negative review, although I talk about the areas I am having problems.

The product provides an excellent picture up to 1080i and de-interlaces the output realtime. I used a higher quality component cable than the one that came with the unit, and was able to improve the DVR picture slightly but perceptibly. Could not find my cable box (Mediacom in California, Pace DC700X HD) listed, but was able to snoop around and found settings designed for another set top that worked without too much effort. TVGuide had a couple of the HD channels mis-scheduled or mislabeled for my cable provider. El Gato contacted TVGuide for me and had the schedule repaired. TVGuide was slow (took over a month) but El Gato was very responsive with keeping me updated and letting me know when the guide was fixed. Meanwhile the EyeTV software had the scheduling flexibility to work around the inconvenient annoying problems with the schedule guide once I understood them.

The remote that comes with the unit initially had a serious problem but el gato fixed it with a SW update. The supplied remote still seems to be a bit weak and highly directionally sensitive at about 18 ft. I prefer my apple remotes that came with my computers as they work better and control the EyeTV software adequately. These are $20 from Apple. Some important common functions however on Apple's remote require you to hold down a button, and if you forget you will get sent into FrontRow, Apple's bundled multimedia player software.

Overall the product is not idiot-proof, as other family members might get lost at times using the product. I found the pause, rewind and FF in live HD TV to be very smooth and useable. Programming the software to record favorite shows or movies is very easy. Watching Live streaming TV on the IPad in the house over WiFi worked well as long as the software was not trying to perform other tasks at the same time. I found the streaming HD video to the ipad a bit soft and not completely up the the capabilities of the ipad display. I actually transcode all my video to H264 and then stream it the the "Air Video" app on my ipad ($2.99 from inMethod avail on iTunes). Also found that the EyeTV software is multitasking, but does not use good judgement when scheduling tasks. The software would start tasks in the background (like exporting video for iTunes/iPod) when I was watching or streaming Live/Recorded TV, and the live/recorded video would become too jerky to watch (remember I have the slowest computer supported). One time when away for a week the system recorded a string of movies. At a specific point something went wrong and the video/audio began skipping and the sound was not synchronized - don't know what caused it. This would have gotten fixed if I had been home checking on things, but once it occurred it did not self correct and destroyed about 10 scheduled recordings. So the system needs to be monitored a bit. Some families use DVRs exclusively when watching live TV. I will do that comfortably with this product, but other family members will prefer direct interaction with my cable box, foregoing the benefits of DVR. This is a bit of a problem, because they will end up changing the channel in the middle of a recording. Ideally if I were really serious, I would get another cable box exclusively for DVR.

Been eyeing a mac DVR purchase for years, and El Gato has now produced a product that I will buy. I have the ability to record all 200 channels coming out of my cable box including premium HD content. I am using the product to record 1080i video, then edit the endpoints of the recording, and export to 720p for TV and iPad. It produces a 5Mbps 720p that works on both the iPad and the TV. I move these recordings to iTunes. This process requires quite a bit of interaction with the software and I wish it was a bit more automated. Tried a FW800 drive and EyeTV Turbo H264 to offload some I/O / Processing related to exports. Transcodes video faster but does not release CPU for streaming video. Still exploring the capabilities, querks and limitations of the product, but overall very happy.

Wish List: EyeTV software should provide option to manually pause exports as well as automatically pause all exports / edits while recording / watching / or streaming video. Exports should also pause when the EyeTV software is quit, and resume then the software is restarted. This will add the fifth star.

The EyeTV HD is an outstanding little product.

I purchased the EyeTV HD after waiting patiently for several years for DirecTV to offer their DirecTV2PC service to Mac users. After using EyeTV, I realized that I wouldn't want DirecTV2PC even if it were available. EyeTV's DVR software is far better than TiVo or DirecTV DVR, granted that's mainly because it can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, but also because of additional features like custom channel lists and advanced searching.

I originally thought I wouldn't be able to use the EyeTV HD as my computer was slightly slower than the product's minimum system requirements (2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, I have a 2.16GHz). I contacted Elgato asking if it would still work, and received a prompt response explaining that I may not be able to use progressive deinterlacing, which is indeed the case (unless I have absolutely nothing else running). The motion-adaptive deinterlacing works just fine, though.

My only complaint is that the only audio in is stereo RCA, and does not support digital audio. I'd also like to see a dual tuner model, although I'd need a new competur before then.

I was skeptical of using component video (HDMI is not possible because of copy protection). I use a Samsung P2770HD display, so I can switch between EyeTV and my DirecTV reciever (HDMI direct to display), and EyeTV actually looks better.

This product does everything I need it to and more. Bottom line: EyeTV HD is a great product and value.

I've wanted to buy a TV tuner for my Mac for a long time, but because I subscribe to a bunch of extra HD channels from Comcast, I have to use their stupid cable box if I want to see them in HD. This means I couldn't use one of the older EyeTV tuner sticks that works with unscrambled cable. I thought I was stuck, until I read about the HD.

It hooks right up to the cable box and lets me record all my channels, in high definition. It comes with a little gizmo that you stick on the front of the cable box so it can change the channels too. I had no trouble setting it up (it includes all the right cables), and watching TV on my 27-inch iMac is amazing. I made schedules that find movies with actors I like and it records them automatically.

But the best part for me is the way it can put the stuff I record right into iTunes so I can take them with me on my iPad.

I finally feel like I'll be able to get my money's worth from my cable subscription.

This product does what it says. The software is very easy to use and the recording quality is high. I used this with my MacBook Pro early 2010 model while recording onto an external USB drive and it was no problem and the computer did not overheat, although you should keep it ventilated. Setup was simple with the included wires and diagram. I had difficulty getting a signal from my cable box at first and tried to troubleshoot with the Elgato website. As it turns out, the problem was with my cable box and not the EYE TV. I have a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD from Time Warner Cable which as I understand is a very common DVR model. The problem that I had was that my box was plugged into my TV via HDMI at the same time as I was trying to connect it to the EYE TV and the box will only push the signal through one of two outputs (HDMI or component) at a time. This was easy to fix, I just had to unplug the HDMI from the cable box and reset the cable box with the EYE TV plugged in, and then it pushed the signal no problem.

The IR blaster works as well, although I still haven't figured out how to get the remote to work.

All in all, I'm very happy with the EyeTV HD. I use it with a DISHNetwork HD DVR and a 24" iMac.

My particular installation might be of interest to others. I was able to run 56 feet of USB 2 cable from the EyeTV HD to my iMac. This is longer than recommended for a USB run, but I have had no issues with it. I used a powered USB hub on each end of the run. There are three 15 foot cables between the hubs and shorter cables on each end. The signal is very good, true 720P quality. It looks outstanding on my iMac, although it is not Blu-ray (1080P).

The one issue I do have is that when trying to change channels with the EyeTV HD from my iMac, my DISH DVR will sometimes change to a PayTV channel and I can't change to another channel. This could be something that that DISHNetwork has done with the component outputs of their DVR to discourage copying of programs. Still, it is inconvenient to have to go to another room and change channels with the DISH remote.

The EyeTV HD is a quality unit and the included software is top-notch, other than the above-mentioned problem.

I've been using EyeTV products for several years and this is by far their best product yet.

Easy setup, nice compact size, sharp picture from a variety of sources (Dish HDDVR, Roku XDS, etc).

I have had a glitch with the EyeTV buffer occasionally freezing with Dish despite plenty of free hard disk space. Elgato sent me a new unit and it now happens less than before. I'm thinking it may be caused by a problem with my (complex) computer and video setup. Too many variables to know for sure.

Recordings work fine so I decided not to dink the rating unless I can prove the occasional buffer problem is indeed caused by the unit. After one month of use, everything else about it has been great.

This lets me watch TV in the corner of my Mac screen while still doing other things. Allows me to record to iPhone or AppleTV and it dumps the video into iTunes. Got with the USB Zephir so it automagically programs the cable box to the right channel. Must have!

Finally I can get stuff off my DVR and preserve the HD quality. Used it with my Macbook Pro, older 2.4ghz and transferred video to seagate usb powered hard drive. worked great. I like being able to edit out sections also.

While I'm totally happy and pleased with this product, I'm not saying it's perfect and doesn't have any flaws.

Let me first say that setup was completely simple and easy and done in under 5 mins! Granted i had a Hybrid usb stick installed on this MacBook and had EyeTV software already installed. Once i got it connected and running.. I did several tests and transfers. I mainly got this to get recordings off my Uverse dvr box and cut out commercials.

One thing that i found unclear is the fact they said this products records in dual format. Yes and No. While this is true, it doesn't have an individual file you can use and make a copy of or import into iTunes. It just means that it will make exporting quicker. Everything is kept in the .eyetv package until you export. This still takes a long time even with the help of Turbo.264HD connected but it does help make it go a bit quicker. Remember: we're talking HD here and not SD.

I'm still playing with the setting to see what combination makes the best quality setting with the smallest file size. I'm mainly concerned with iPad format rather than iPhone at this point but it is nice knowing i have the option of a small iPhone formatted option if i want. But I'm noticing that the size and resolution for both the ipad and iphone are the same... I'll have to keep looking and playing around. (if anyone has any suggestions for me please let me know)

Just keep in mind that anything in HD takes lots of drive space and time to edit/save, so the faster your Mac the better. Also if you plan on any type of streaming, you WILL have to have a fast Mac and/or play with settings.

The build quality is on the cheap side. mainly plastic and very light (compared to solid feel to the 250+) The unit is very small and compact and can fit pretty much anywhere. But like everyone said, it's gotta be close to your dvr box/tv. It comes with all the necessary cables and software for you to hook it up.

So, bottom line, I love this product so far and wish I had it earlier to get all my recordings done in HD!! I'll post/edit if i come across more as I get to play with the unit more and more. If you are sitting on the fence and haven't decided, I'd say go and get this, you won't regret it.


Avid EyeTV user