Elgato knocks one out of the common with its new offer : the versatile EyeTV Hybrid , a USB stick idiot box wireless open of bringing to your Mac both digital over - the - air program ( include high-definition television ) and analog boob tube from cable or a traditional antenna . Supported by Elgato ’s fledged and ever - improving EyeTV 2 ( ) programming software , you really ca n’t go incorrect with this product .
The minimum requirements for the EyeTV Hybrid are a single G4 processor or great and OS X 10.4 . It ’s a good matter that every Mac trade today come with a dual processor , as the midget Hybrid leaves most of the heavy lifting up to the computing equipment . Decoding 720P or 1080i HDTV programming , for example , requires dual G5 or Intel processors . In addition , the Hybrid does n’t have a ironware MPEG encoder like Elgato ’s other PVR ( personal video fipple pipe ) offering , the EyeTV 250 , so your MPEG recording calibre is dependant on your processing power . Users with a single - processor G4 computer can encode VCD ( television CD ) quality MPEG-1 . For the best character MPEG-2 format , you will necessitate to have dual G5 central processing unit or good . Encoding at this quality used up 135 pct of my processing powerfulness on a MacBook Pro 1.83GHz Core Duo reckoner ( 100 % of one processor and 35 % of the 2d ) .
The Hybrid ’s radio receiver can receive both analog cable television service and destitute digital ATSC ( Advanced Television Systems Committee ) sign . ATSC over - the - air program can be both standard - definition and in high spirits - definition . ATSC differs from traditional over - the - air broadcasts in that there is no static in the photograph . If you have enough sign to invite a moving-picture show , it will be crystal cleared . If you do n’t have enough signal , you will see and get a line nothing . With ATSC , you’re able to look out digital TV , even HD , anywhere you’re able to get a signal : on the road , in a commons , and even at the beach . Since the Hybrid is so portable , taking it on the road is definitely appeal , although you will need to bring your own feeler , as Elgato does not let in one in the box . When you ’re at home , you’re able to easily impound a traditional cable length to the unit to view and disc parallel video recording ( digital cable needs to be viewed through the cable television service loge ) . However , the Hybrid only has one coaxial input , so you ca n’t tune parallel and ATSC at the same meter .
All recordings that the Hybrid get , no matter of whether they originated as analog or digital , can be edited from within the included EyeTV coating . This allows you to , for example , remove commercials . From the covering , you’re able to also burn program to DVD via Toast 7 ( not included with the Hybrid ) or export the telecasting to your video iPod with a mouse click of button ( other export options are useable ) .
Elgato also includes an adapter video cable that take into account you to cabbage up gaming console table or other video devices to your Mac . you may also pack together your home base movie for DVD from your camcorder quite easily . The Hybrid has zero latency ( slowdown time to describe for image processing ) , so plot playing on the Mac monitor is quite snappy and pleasurable .
After many years of growth , Elgato has a mature scheduling program with EyeTV 2 . The software work seamlessly withTitanTVto help users schedule their recording . In fact , you’re able to remotely schedule recordings when you are by from habitation via TitanTV ’s net user interface , so you ’ll never leave out an episode of your favorite show . The EyeTV software now offers a full - screen mode that let you sail , docket transcription , and play video with a supplied remote control or with Apple ’s mini remote control . It is similar in feel to the way Apple ’s Front Row works .
Macworld’s buying advice
The EyeTV Hybrid has many benefits and few drawbacks . It ’s a clear winner — specially if you want to take tv set viewing on the road . If you have a deadening , single - processor Mac , however , the EyeTV 250 may be a adept bet .
[ Anton Linecker is a writer and video technical adviser hold up in Los Angeles . ]
