EyeTV users - what hardware?

[kaidomac]

I think I'm going to pick up EyeTV for recording TV shows and for converting old tapes to DVD. I'll just be using standard cable television and a VCR, no high-def stuff. It looks like my two best options are the EyeTV 200 and the Plextor ConvertX. The EyeTV 200 is really nice looking, connects via Firewire, and can run off a powered Firewire port. The ConvertX has so-so looks (not as cool as the EyeTV), connects via USB 2.0, and needs an AC adapter. The AC adapter isn't such a big deal, nor the looks, but I'm a tad worried about the USB connection. I've had my share of "fun" experiences with high-throughput accessories in the past. However, the Plextor has excellent reviews everywhere I read, while the EyeTV 200 unit seems to have some heat issues and problems putting the computer to sleep. It seems like the Plextor unit is a better buy, even though I like the EyeTV 200's looks better and would prefer a Firewire connection. If any of you have played with this stuff before, please chime in. Thanks!

 

[dtravis7]

I just bought a Plextor ConvertX around 3 weeks ago. I love it so far. I used the PC version that a friend of mine has on my PC and liked it enough that I bought the Mac version with Eye TV. I find nothing wrong with the looks, but it's performance is better than my ATI Radeon All In Wonder on my AMD 64 ever was. I am told by friends the Eye TV unit might be a bit better yet but also the difference is not that much considering the price difference. I have done several movies from my VCR to DVD. I never had a problem at all and the USB 2.0 interface works fine and does not hold it back at all that I can see. I think it's a great deal for the price. New Egg has it for maybe $180.

I really love the EyeTV software by the way. Much better than what ships with the PC version of the ConvertX.

 

[kaidomac]

I just bought a Plextor ConvertX around 3 weeks ago. I love it so far. I used the PC version that a friend of mine has on my PC and liked it enough that I bought the Mac version with Eye TV. I find nothing wrong with the looks, but it's performance is better than my ATI Radeon All In Wonder on my AMD 64 ever was. I am told by friends the Eye TV unit might be a bit better yet but also the difference is not that much considering the price difference. I have done several movies from my VCR to DVD. I never had a problem at all and the USB 2.0 interface works fine and does not hold it back at all that I can see. I think it's a great deal for the price. New Egg has it for maybe $180.

I really love the EyeTV software by the way. Much better than what ships with the PC version of the ConvertX.

Excellent, thanks for the review! It seems like I'll be going the Plextor way. Any problems with EyeTV remember to record shows or anything? I read from a number of reviews that the software had this and a few other quirks, but I don't know if they were based on EyeTV 2 or an older version.

Any idea if EyeTV 2 works on Intel Macs? Edit: The website says it does

 

[dtravis7]

Not sure about EyeTV2 on the Intel Macs but it should work for now with Rosetta. I will do some checking and get back to you.

I have not tried using it as a VCR to record shows as yet, but only to capture video and that is does well. I tried the TV tuner part and it worked great. I will give that a try later.

 

[kaidomac]

Not sure about EyeTV2 on the Intel Macs but it should work for now with Rosetta. I will do some checking and get back to you.

I have not tried using it as a VCR to record shows as yet, but only to capture video and that is does well. I tried the TV tuner part and it worked great. I will give that a try later.

I'm glad to hear that it does a good job capturing VCR output. I found the Plextor on Newegg for under $190. It looks like if you purchased EyeTV after December 1st, 2005, you can get EyeTV 2 for free. Can someone else verify this? I'm not sure if I'm reading it right, but the Plextor model is listed on that page. I'm assuming that if you buy a unit that comes with EyeTV, you just have to put in your "code of purchase card" number to get the update. Seems like a pretty good deal, plus the savings from purchasing the ConnectX from Plextor's site or purchasing the EyeTV 200 would let you get Toast 7 Platinum for about the same price

 

[kaidomac]

Good news! I found two really useful applications. The first is iEyeCaptain, which lets you control cable boxes using an IR blaster:

http://www.vidcan.com/Software/iEyeCaptain.html

The second is CyTV, which lets you stream video content over a wired or wireless network to a client. It requires a Mac with an EyeTV unit (including the Plextor model) and a client running VLC (PC or Mac). You can watch live TV and recorded TV and also timeshift (pause live TV):

http://www.lucid-cake.net/cytv/index_en.html

This will be perfect for the set-top Mac Mini I'm planning on getting eventually! I will have the Plextor ConnectX running EyeTV 2 on my wife's iMac Core Duo and a Mac Mini on top of my TV to watch the shows. The iMac can handle burning TV show DVDs, backups, organization, recording functions, etc., while the Mac Mini will replace my DVD player and associated equipment. Yay!