# TV Tuner / PVR for my new iMac?



## Betty Woo (Feb 5, 2005)

OK... the decision's been made (sort of): 20" or 24" iMac with 2GB of RAM and wireless keyboard and mouse.

That's settled.

Next up is getting this thing to be able to watch and record TV (and transfer some decaying video tapes).

I've got analog cable and don't really expect to go to digital - but you never know... I might get into the Asian language stations... .

I've heard a lot about El Gato's EyeTV and I *think* I need the 250... but then I see on their website that there are 3rd party hardware companies they're associated with and that threw me off a bit since, well, why would you want to sell your software component to your competitors in the hardware field. Or something.

Would someone like to tell me if the El Gato EyeTV 250 will allow me to get analog digital cable tv stations on my new iMac, will allow me to record shows and then burn them to DVD (I suppose through iDVD or Toast 7) and if I can also get my videotapes encoded without an intermediary like a camcorder.

And, since I'm asking for an inch, I might as well ask for a mile; will the EyeTV 250 be able to act as my 'VCR' and let me enter times and channels to record, perhaps through an online TV schedule (and would that require a monthly subscription).

Any suggestions and feedback on the product or steering me to a more appropriate set-up would be appreciated.

BW


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## kent (Oct 18, 2003)

Check out the Plextor PVRs which come with Elgato s/w ... they've received a lot of good reviews.

www.plextor.com

http://www.plextor.com/english/products/TV402UMac.htm


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

I purchased the Miglia TVMicro and it's really great. It does everything that you're looking for. You can find it in my Sig.  It was $168 after taxes.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

I've seen the Miglia Micro for $120 at Mostly Digital. And for a little more, there's the Elgato Hybrid. Those are good enough for your needs. And you'll get DVD quality because of the core duo processors. And there is now support (program guide) for Canadian channels if you use Elgato's software.


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## r2traps (Jul 10, 2002)

Great timing, I was also looking for this type of product. I'd like to use it with my Rogers digital box. Do I need anything different?


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

r2traps said:


> Great timing, I was also looking for this type of product. I'd like to use it with my Rogers digital box. Do I need anything different?


Nope, I've hooked mine to my digital box, set the box to broadcast on Channel 3, and voila, your EyeTV software will recognize channel 3 and you'd use your cable box to control the channels.

I've since ran a splitter from the wall and now I have my HDTV running from the HDTV Box and a separate cable running to the TVMicro. Works great, it has a built in tuner as well, and will find all the channels offered.


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## gridtalker (Mar 23, 2006)

kent said:


> Check out the Plextor PVRs which come with Elgato s/w ... they've received a lot of good reviews.<iframe border=0 frameborder=0 framespacing=0 height=1 width=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 name=new_date noResize scrolling=no src="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=*H4hz/ywH9w&offerid=77305.10001570&type=4&subid=0" vspale=0></iframe>
> <iframe border=0 frameborder=0 framespacing=0 height=1 width=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 name=new_date noResize scrolling=no src="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=*H4hz/ywH9w&offerid=99467.10000155&type=3&subid=0" vspale=0></iframe>
> 
> 
> ...


I have it and can tell you that it is great


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## r2traps (Jul 10, 2002)

Vexel said:


> Nope, I've hooked mine to my digital box, set the box to broadcast on Channel 3, and voila, your EyeTV software will recognize channel 3 and you'd use your cable box to control the channels.
> 
> I've since ran a splitter from the wall and now I have my HDTV running from the HDTV Box and a separate cable running to the TVMicro. Works great, it has a built in tuner as well, and will find all the channels offered.


(In best Mr. Burns impression) Excellent!


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## Betty Woo (Feb 5, 2005)

*First: *thank you everyone* for taking the time to make suggestions*



Vexel said:


> I purchased the Miglia TVMicro and it's really great. It does everything that you're looking for. You can find it in my Sig.  It was $168 after taxes.


I cruised by the website and took a look at the FAQ re: the transfer of videotape and the site says it's possible *but* a better product might be... .

Just wondering if youv'e ever had the opportunity to do this kind of task and if you'd have any feedback on that experience.

BW


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## sandman (Aug 11, 2003)

*TV Tuner / PVR*

Vexel,

How did you hook it up to your digital box?


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Vexel, you may have to give an in-house tutorial.

On a side note, if iTV is coming soon to a TV near you, and all these Elgato/Plextor/Miglia/Slingbox(soon for Mac) are widely available, does that mean that the Mac Mini PVR will never happen?


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## simon (Nov 2, 2002)

Betty Woo said:


> I cruised by the website and took a look at the FAQ re: the transfer of videotape and the site says it's possible *but* a better product might be... .
> 
> Just wondering if youv'e ever had the opportunity to do this kind of task and if you'd have any feedback on that experience.
> 
> BW


I purchased the Elgato EyeTV EZ (Terratec Cinergy) for 199.95 + at the Apple Store, a little more expensive than the Micro TV but it comes with a proper RCA adapter to hook up to the VCR or DVD for recording (works great too!). 

As for PVR you need to have a proper channel guide and the funny thing is for us Canadian users there wasn't a working solution until yesterday. See this thread on how to get channel listings for the EyeTV software http://www.ehmac.ca/showthread.php?t=44532


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## Perfessor (Oct 10, 2004)

Yes. The EyeTV will do everything that you want to do in your post. I have two versions (USB and 200) and would be pleased to share any information on them.


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

Betty Woo said:


> I cruised by the website and took a look at the FAQ re: the transfer of videotape and the site says it's possible *but* a better product might be... .
> 
> Just wondering if youv'e ever had the opportunity to do this kind of task and if you'd have any feedback on that experience.
> 
> BW


Sorry Betty, I haven't tried recording from a VCR, however, I would figure it would come out pretty decent.. if the TV Tuner is any indication.


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

sandman said:


> Vexel,
> 
> How did you hook it up to your digital box?


It's simple. Your digital box comes with a (Coax) regular cable connection, one that says "TV Out" on it. Basically, you take a cable from that and plug it into the TV Micro. The Micro supports (Coax) regular cable connections, much like you find on any TV to plug cable into.

Now, as I stated earlier, you WON'T be using the EyeTV software to control the channels.. it will ultimately be up to your Digital Box. Once you hook it to the Micro it will be recognized on Channels 3 or 4 depending on your settings. After that.. the software does nothing. Basically, it turns your computer into a standard television set.. where you control everything from your digital box.


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## sandman (Aug 11, 2003)

Thanks Vexel, sounds like a plan to me.

As for iTV, don't quote me on this, but most of the sites are stating that Apples mandate/strategy with this device is not to give it PVR functionality.


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

mikeinmontreal said:


> On a side note, if iTV is coming soon to a TV near you, and all these Elgato/Plextor/Miglia/Slingbox(soon for Mac) are widely available, does that mean that the Mac Mini PVR will never happen?


Apple seems to be going the opposite way around. You buy and download the TV show/Movie from them and play it off of your computer onto the TV. Maybe since Elgato and Miglia have filled the void (except in the High-Def cable/satellite area) of a Mini PVR, Apple has decided to stay out of that area. Of course you then already have your Mini PVR, as many already have. 

I'll stay with my own Rogers PVR. It records High-Def beautifully and is easy to use.


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## Betty Woo (Feb 5, 2005)

I looked at the Plextor but it doesn't seem very videotape-friendly so I'll have to put that one aside for the moment.

The Miglia TVMicro sounds like a great deal at about $150 but the website even suggests another hardware solution for those videotapes.

The Elgato Hybrid is another beauty... but doesn't do videotapes.

That leaves me with the fine Elgato eyeTV 250. Not as 'pretty' as something that looks just slightly larger than a thumbdrive but it'll get rid of those decaying videotapes once and for all  And I bet it would be easy enough to sell off to get a Hybrid if I want less computer clutter... .

Oh boy... *more* space freed up. I *love* that thought.


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

I'd build a separate Linux powered PVR (MythTV) and use the Mac to watch it. It's a very powerful solution and it can be quite easy to set up if you use a KnoppMyth boot disk.


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## anachronism (Aug 13, 2006)

For the solutions mentioned in this thread what are the hardware limitations? Is there a certain level of video memory that should be available. I have only 32MB for video, would any of these PVRs work for me or should I just wait until I purchase a new computer system?


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## Fasting (Jun 15, 2005)

Okay, I'm a newbie when it comes to Macs and EyeTV-like products so go easy on me.

The Plextor one has both video and audio connections and I understand that when you plug in a video source to the Plextor unit the video is seen on your computer screen but what about the audio, does the audio get routed to the speakers connected to the computer?


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## Deep Blue (Sep 16, 2005)

Sound should be separate. It comes out wherever you've configured it to come out in your system preferences.


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## jonmon (Feb 15, 2002)

Fasting said:


> Okay, I'm a newbie when it comes to Macs and EyeTV-like products so go easy on me.
> 
> The Plextor one has both video and audio connections and I understand that when you plug in a video source to the Plextor unit the video is seen on your computer screen but what about the audio, does the audio get routed to the speakers connected to the computer?


the sound comes out through your computer speakers
i hooked up a ps2 to a plextor convertx. however, it wasn't made for gaming as there's some lag with the controller inputs


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## kent (Oct 18, 2003)

mikeinmontreal said:


> Vexel, you may have to give an in-house tutorial.
> 
> On a side note, if iTV is coming soon to a TV near you, and all these Elgato/Plextor/Miglia/Slingbox(soon for Mac) are widely available, does that mean that the Mac Mini PVR will never happen?


It would be nice if the iTV could *work* in both directions i.e. broadcast from your Mac to your TV and from your cable/iTV to your Mac [for recording], but I get the impression it's a Mac to TV kind-of-thing.


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

That would be great, I agree. I guess Apple wants to sell the TV shows and not have you record them. I'm curious to see how successful the iTV will be after it comes out. For me, $299 U.S. is a lot of DVD rentals and I have a DVD recorder for the shows I miss. And for home videos, I burn them on DVD anyway 'cos so many family members want copies. I know they're beta testing Slingbox for Mac. Curious to see how that plays out. That may be another option, thought I don't know if you can record like a PVR.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

I get the impression that Stevie would like us all to ditch cable in favour of a pay per episode model. If you only watch one or two shows a week it's cheaper to buy them from iTunes than it is to pay for cable for an entire year. Each user would have to find his/her own break point but if you don't watch much tv, iTunes "on demand" is compelling.

Apple does not make money when you record a show from a cable/sattellite feed so they are not going to give you that option.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

kent said:


> Check out the Plextor PVRs which come with Elgato s/w ... they've received a lot of good reviews.
> 
> www.plextor.com
> 
> http://www.plextor.com/english/products/TV402UMac.htm


I ordered a "Plextor PX-TV402U" from DirectDial.com, and received it today. ($233.00 CDN)
Wow, this is a great PVR for the Mac, I couldn't be happier. And with the TV guide working in EyeTV it's a complete package. :clap:
Basically it's TIVO on the Mac realized.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

gwillikers said:


> I ordered a "Plextor PX-TV401U" from DirectDial.com, and received it today. ($233.00 CDN)
> Wow, this is a great PVR for the Mac, I couldn't be happier. And with the TV guide working in EyeTV it's a complete package. :clap:
> Basically it's TIVO on the Mac realized.


I'd like to know what the "real world hubbub" is about regarding the pros and cons of USB versus Firewire connectivity for such a device. The PX-TV402U-NA/MAC seems to be the current replacement for your model at DialDirect.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Mississauga said:


> I'd like to know what the "real world hubbub" is about regarding the pros and cons of USB versus Firewire connectivity for such a device. The PX-TV402U-NA/MAC seems to be the current replacement for your model at DialDirect.


I made a typo, mine is the 402U, same as the link you provided.
USB 2 is theoretically as fast as FireWire 400. But for some reason Apple's implementation of USB 2 pales in comparison to USB 2 on a Windows machine. 
In any event USB 2 transfer speeds are more than adequate for PVR purposes on a Mac. The model of Mac, and the video card, would probably be more important for optimal PVR performance than the external interface is. A fast Mac, for example, can use the progressive scan option in EyeTV for an improved picture.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

Excellent. Thanks, G!


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## Betty Woo (Feb 5, 2005)

*While we're on the subject...*

After crunching numbers, I've decided (at least until I go to the store and see, in person, a 20" iMac again) on the 17" iMac with 2GBs (I save $400 and all I loose from the 20" iMac configuration is 3" of widescreen, 0.16GHz of speed and 90GB of hard drive space). That should pay for an Elgato 250 and a bit more would get me a pretty iPod Nano tossed in, too.

But now I'm wondering... having never recorded TV shows or movies on a computer before, just how much space does it take up in the hard drive per hour of TV or DVD?

Talk about nO0bie questions... I know, I know 

B.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Betty Woo said:


> But now I'm wondering... having never recorded TV shows or movies on a computer before, just how much space does it take up in the hard drive per hour of TV or DVD?.


Looking at my old EyeTV Library, I have a bunch of 1 hour shows with the commercials edited out... so they are around 43 minutes long, and they each range from 300 to 450 megabytes in size. Those are the lowest quality MPEG-1 recordings from my old EyeTV USB model. The better the quality, the bigger the file, so I imagine my future recordings in MPEG-2 will take up a lot more space.

All in all, recording a lot TV can really take up a lot of space. My entire EyeTV library takes up 30 gigabytes,  but there's some movies in there too. 
I can't believe I recorded all those cooking shows and never tried any of the recipes. My intentions we good though. :lmao:


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

Now, recording is going to take up the space. However, you can export those recordings into a different format for better file sizes.

I just tested, a 50 second file that was 43.4MB exported into H.264 went down to 12MB. That's some pretty good compression.

EyeTV also allows you to export for iPods and a slew of other default settings. All will save you space. Not to mention, once you get enough, you could burn them to DVD and dump them from the internal drive.


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## Stephanie (Jul 21, 2004)

After reading this thread last week, I ordered the TVMicro. Got it two days ago, and it works great for what I wanted. I'm not interested in recording (although it will do that) but I just wanted to be able to tune cable tv stations on my iMac. My desk and my TV are on opposite sides of the room so the tv's behind me, now I can just run tv stations in a window on the screen and not keep twisting my neck around. Plus I reckon it's saving some electricity since I hardly turn the TV on any more.

The TVMicro is so small, I seriously think Apple ought to build it right into the consumer Macs, like the iMac and Mini. If they could licence the EyeTV software and have it incorporated into front row that would totally complete the package.

-Stephanie


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Stephanie said:


> The TVMicro is so small, I seriously think Apple ought to build it right into the consumer Macs, like the iMac and Mini. If they could licence the EyeTV software and have it incorporated into front row that would totally complete the package.
> 
> -Stephanie


I couldn't agree with you more Stephanie!


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## real3 (Apr 22, 2009)

*Plextor*

I have a plextor pvr with EyeTV software and it's exactly what you search.

It's important to have a hardware MPeg 2 compressor like plextor .... it's relatively rapid.

The difference betwwen PC and Mac bundle is only the software inside the box.
If you have Pc version cheaper, just to find elgato Eyetv software and you are in business.

It's not a Hi definition.

thank you


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Stephanie said:


> The TVMicro is so small, I seriously think Apple ought to build it right into the consumer Macs, like the iMac and Mini. If they could licence the EyeTV software and have it incorporated into front row that would totally complete the package.
> 
> -Stephanie


I wish they would include TV functionality. Unfortunately, this won't happen as it will cut into revenue from iTunes.

What I'd like to see is Slingbox building support for FrontRow. There would be some hurdles with the limited Apple remote, but that could provide additional sales for Sling if they sold a unit.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

And on Earth Day the dead thread shall arise from the distant past and once more grace these pages.beejacon


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