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Elgato Systems 10020974 EyeTV Hybrid TV Tuner Stick for Analog HDTV and FM Radio Reception

EyeTV Hybrid turns your Mac into the world’s most affordable flat-screen HDTV. It receives both analog and digital TV; EyeTV Hybrid is an ideal solution for the digital transition. EyeTV Hybrid does more than just TV. The included EyeTV 3 software features digital video recording (DVR) with a comprehensive Program Guide and editing capabilities. It’s a DVR that can put your television recordings on a Mac, iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV with one easy click of a button, and can export them for use in other Mac video applications. EyeTV Hybrid receives FM radio. Organize recordings in Smart Playlists Export recordings into iTunes in one easy step & sync automatically Frequency Range – 48-801 MHz (VHF and UHF) Access recordings via Wi-Fi on an iPod, iPhone, and selected Smartphones (existing Wi-Fi access is required) Store your recordings on an external drive, or burn to disc using Toast Basic (included) Enable family-friendly viewing with Parental Controls In the box – EyeTV 3 digital TV recorder software (CD-ROM) PDF product Manual (CD-ROM EyeTV Hybrid analog/digital Mac TV tuner stick (NTSC/ATSC) Break out cable for Composite, S-Video & Audio connections USB extension cable Infrared remote control with battery pack Quick Start Guide System Requirements – PowerPC G4/G5 or Intel Core processor 512 MB of RAM Built-in USB 2.0 port Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later Internet connection required to download Program Guide data Unit Dimensions – 3.22 x 1.26 x 0.5906 inches; Weight – 1.05 oz. Antenna not included 720p or 1080i HD features require an Intel Core 2 Duo processor

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great little tuner, almost 5 stars
I turned my Mac mini into a DVR without the monthly fees that the cable companies or Tivo charges. I also pick up some free HDTV channels through my basic cable connections with clear QAM which saves even more money. It’s easy to set up, easy to use (with the one exception mentioned below), easy to configure, picture quality is great, sound is good.

Why not 5 stars? The EyeTV will power on your Mac, or wake up your Mac to start recording, but if you want it to sleep, or power down when its done recording, you have to write scripts. Also, I’ve had a few shows on analog channels not record when they were scheduled. I read that if the station signal gets too low, the eyetv will not record. I would like an option to record no matter the signal strength. Lastly the editor is terrible, TERRIBLE. Not user friendly and crashed the few times I’ve tried to use it. Fix these few complaints and it would be perfect.

Overall a great option for recording TV shows. I love it!

3 Stars Conflicted
Part of me loves this product. A nice easy to use, clear, re sizable HD TV on your computer monitor. I bought the hybrid 3 years ago and have loved it ever since.

So the question is “If you love it, why only three stars.” The answer to this lies in the software. When I bought the this device I installed the software which came with it. About 2 months ago I got a message on my screen asking if I wanted to upgrade. I figured what the hell and clicked yes. Everything looked fine, it auto installed, wrote over my old software and when everything was ready it gave me the option of paying for the upgrade.

Yes, first it deletes/writes over your old software, then it tells you that now you have to pay $100 to activate the new upgrade. So now I am faced with the choice of paying 2/3 the price of the original hybird to be able to download tv to my iphone (which I don’t own) or not use the original device I paid for at all.

Hopefully I can find my old install CD. Either that or I intend to look into pirating it.

3 Stars Mixed Feelings: More Like a Rental
The hardware was great. It was nice having a tuner that could show live HD television streams in a window on my desktop while I worked. The software was spotty. I went through months with no program guides and have never had even half the faith in this that I have in my trusty (real) Tivo.

That would still have been four stars for me, and I used to recommend this unit to my friends.

But I stopped yesterday. I discovered, on the first Sunday of the NFL season, that Elgato had purposefully left me behind with the new Apple OS upgrade. Now, the Hybrid I bought from them in 2007 (which came with EyeTV 2) is dead as a doornail … and will remain that way unless I fork out $40 for an “upgrade” to add features I don’t want or need.

This is the second time that Elgato has left me behind with a software upgrade. Two points define a line, and it’s pretty clear this forced, paid upgrade for existing users is Elgato’s M.O.

If you’re buying this today, be aware that the vaunted EyeTV 3 software was actually released at the very beginning of 2008. It’s pretty likely there will be an EyeTV 4 released soon (there was a two-year gap last time), and that you’ll be asked to fork over $40 or even more if you want to continue to have up-to-date drivers and features.

The Hybrid worked great for me for two years. But, in the end, Elgato’s ridiculous “upgrade” prices for its existing users make the whole experience more like a rental.

5 Stars GREAT TV TUNER!!
I’ll keep it short:

- Instead of buying a TV, I bought the EyeTV Hybrid which is cheaper, provides great quality and has a lot of features!

- You can enjoy recording your shows/movies directly on your hard drive, which is cool, and you don’t have to worry much about the storage these days !

- Pause what you’re watching, even if it’s LIVE! All the channels have a certain buffer that will store a big amount of time so you’ll be able to navigate back and forth.

- You’re not forced to watch all these ads on TV, here’s what I do: Pick my channel, wait for a few minutes, then I start watching using my buffer and whenever there’s an ad, just skip it ! (this way you’ll always be behind the LIVE broadcasting, but at least you’ll enjoy the show!)

- I’m using it with the Cable, so I tried some HD channels: MAGNIFICENT!!

- The software that comes with it has so many features, you can even get it for the iPhone which enables you to watch TV on your iPhone (using WI-FI) and even schedule recordings from the iPhone right to your Mac.

- It’s built for the Mac, so the interface is nice!

I just recommend this item if you’re looking for a TV Tuner to use on your Mac.

Hope this helps!

4 Stars Great product, easy to install
I bought the EyeTV tuner for my Mac Mini that replaced my cable box (and $70 / month cable bill). Channel search took an eternity the first time, but once I was up and running, it’s been a breeze to use. The export to iPod / wifi streaming option is great – allowing me to watch recorded shows on my iPod or any other computer (or iPhone) on my network. Reception is great, the video and audio quality are great. The only issue I have is with the EyeTV software. It’s functional, but certainly not intuitive. It takes too many button clicks to get info on a show, scrolling through the guide causes your selection to move in time instead of staying on the current time, dealing with recording conflicts is somewhat confusing. It works fine for me, but my wife (who is not quite as technologically adept) has a bit of a hard time with it.

Still a pretty great product.

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Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter

EyeTV 250 Plus is a hybrid TV Tuner for the Mac with a powerful hardware encoder for higher quality recordings and smaller sized video files. EyeTV 250 Plus receives both free over-the-air HDTV as well as analog TV, and offers a complete solution for moving your video collection from VHS tape to DVD-Video. EyeTV 250 Plus is future-proof for the upcoming digital TV switch-over in 2009, and is ideal for those who want the flexibility of a digital and analog TV tuner together with a hardware encoder in one device. EyeTV 250 Plus delivers free over-the-air digital TV to your Mac in stunning 720p or 1080i HDTV (MPEG-2) and other digital television standards, as well as conventional analog TV via standard cable or antenna. EyeTV 250 Plus also comes with a break-out cable for composite video and S-Video, enabling you to connect a set-top box directly to your Mac. EyeTV 250 Plus’ powerful hardware encoder also records high quality video from analog sources, compressing audio and video signals to small size MPEG-2 files and freeing up your processor for other activities. MPEG-2 is a premium-quality video compression standard which is the basis for DVD and digital television. Use EyeTV 250 Plus to capture video and convert VHS tapes into high-quality digital files. EyeTV 250 Plus’ easy-to-use VHS Assistant will walk you through each step, from connecting your VCR or camcorder right through to burning a DVD or sending the recording to iTunes. Export clips and entire episodes to your video-capable iPod, Apple TV, and iPhone Store your collection on an external drive, or burn it to disc using Roxio Toast 8 Basic (included) Convert old videotapes to digital files using the VHS Assistant

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Signal Strength is horrible
I have a Hauppauge 950Q and just got this one for the hardware encryption. The 950Q worked a heck of a lot better at live video playing than this thing. The 950Q I have 50% quality and 75% strength. This one has 100% quality but 10% strength. What gives?

Don’t buy this device. There are stronger signal strengths than this one has. Granted I have poorer quality but I rather have both at a marginal or better than one being the worst.

5 Stars Making the iMac a DVR, and TV
Outstanding product that has turned our new 24″ iMac into a cool TV and DVR. Have only scratched the surface so far, but program recording and basic edits are easy.

2 Stars Good product, AWEFUL customer support
This product was working well for me and I WAS very happy. The software that is included performs well, makes it easy to record shows, and has an easy-to-use editing component with which to cut out commercials.

Having said this, the customer support is terrible. First, there is NO telephone support. The only way to contact anyone, even for tech support, is by email. In my experience it often took up to 2 days to get a reply. Second, when my unit went dead and was no longer able to connect to my computer at all, I received very delayed and generic responses. I had to send 4 or 5 emails requesting a replacement before I was finally offered one. At first, they tried to tell me that my warranty was up. I don’t know where they got that information, but it was incorrect. Now, they are offering to send me a replacement, but they are making me pay for the shipping costs!! What a bunch of BUNK! I have a feeling that it will be several weeks before I get my replacement.

It is a real shame that their customer service is so poor. I would love to give this product a great review, but this element of my experience has really tainted my perception of Elgato as a company. Next time I am in need of a TV tuner for my Mac I will be looking elsewhere.

5 Stars Great product, beware service provider limitations
The EyeTV works exactly as advertised. The setup was easy and I could receive cable from my Comcast line with no problems. The only issue (and what led to me returning it) is that Comcast encrypts most of its digital channels so I could only view a handful of analog stations (mediocre picture quality at best) and very few digital ones. The digital stations that did come through looked good but my service restrictions made this product not worth it for me.

5 Stars Great product
This is a great product for the Mac. I had a major concern with the installing of all the cables, but most of them come included in the package. The placement of the included cables was self explanatory and fairly easy. What they did not tell you is that you need TV cables to connect input (TV) wire to the converter and also a TV wire to go from the cable box router, if needed then also a splitter for these cables. They also included Toast Version 9 to help with the transfer of the downloaded video to DVD, the problem with that is the instruction manual that you downloaded says that

you should get Toast 10 Titanium, an upgrade. When you download the enclosed software,you get an online screen controller and you are able to choose between the type of channels you want (TV, Digital or HD) > You aslo get a subscription to TV Guise on line for 1 year. I have it hooked up to a cable outlet and the video is quite clear Also the downloaded manual to me is more suitable for a teckie that someone with average computer ability. The instructions seem to be scattered in different areas. Instead they should be in sections IE: 1. Viewing Videos 2.Editing videos 3.Downloading videos. ect. Otherwise the other major problem is that there is no, I repeat no Tech Support via phone. Their phone number is a classified secret and not available, you do get some semblence of tech support via a web based forum. I am happy with this product and will put it to good use if I can get thru the instruction manual

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