maybe an imac, maybe not

hi. i was thinking of buying a desktop and had a few questions about the imac. i currently have an ibook and love it. i was looking at the imac and a few windows pc's becasue i want a computer that can record TV, so i was looking at media center pc's ive found a few for around 1600 and thats witha huge monitor,. plenty of ram, a big harddrive, and a choice of a few video cards. i was really wondering if the imac could record live tv becasue i want an apple but like i said, i want to be able to record tv. im definitely willing to pay a little more for an apple, but some of the windows pc's ar made for it and come with media center. any advice appreciated. thanks.

shimanok2 said:

hi. i was thinking of buying a desktop and had a few questions about the imac. i currently have an ibook and love it. i was looking at the imac and a few windows pc's becasue i want a computer that can record TV, so i was looking at media center pc's ive found a few for around 1600 and thats witha huge monitor,. plenty of ram, a big harddrive, and a choice of a few video cards. i was really wondering if the imac could record live tv becasue i want an apple but like i said, i want to be able to record tv. im definitely willing to pay a little more for an apple, but some of the windows pc's ar made for it and come with media center. any advice appreciated. thanks.

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You're looking for EyeTV - it’s the most popular, and honestly the only TV Tuner/DVR solution for Mac. They aren't cheap though; a decent EyeTV device itself costs upwards of $320. All in all, a Media Center PC is the more advanced, affordable solution as it is entirely designed to cater to the needs of consumers like yourself.

There is an interesting workaround that I've been using for years now that allows you to turn your Mac (including your iBook) into your own personal DVR without any additional peripherals. The only thing it requires is a HD box from your cable provider (which still works with standard resolution televisions) with IEEE1394 DV out (most HD boxes have them)... you can now use Automater (before Tiger is was a bit more complicated) to automatically record TV shows using iMovie. You just have to configure your box to automatically switch to a scheduled TV show at the right time and you've got a very cool, sophisticated portable DVR. I've been doing it this way with my Powerbook forever. This of course doesn't offer the ability to rewind, pause, and playback live television, but it's definitely a neat way to record your favorite programs while your out - at no additional cost.

almost got eye tv myself. (my parents say its a distraction to have tv in my room) u can get a refurbished eye tv 200 for around $200. Dont get the cheap usb one because u need a dual processor for it. get the eye tv 200...it has a built in processor so it doesnt hog ur comps speed.

i really want a 20 inch imac. i mean i could get an hp media center pc(or a bunch of other brands) with a 19 inch monitor for the same amount of money. i would be losing everything i love about mac though. and if i get the imac, ill have to fork out more $ to get video recording. i guess i can't win either way.

The prices on DVD players with hard drives is dropping every day. And there is some stuff coming up that could effect the media center pc.
Broadcast flag I want the same as you, I have a pc hooked up to the tv with a usb tv tuner. The pvr software include no longer works. I can record but not schedule. My new option will be a dvd with hard drive (and hopefully networked) then I am free to pursue a imac or mini depending on my future needs.

(I have an ibook, my first mac, and now I want to make full switch)

bone

One warning about the Media Centers...they record TV to their own format that can't be converted to anything else, and can't be played in a DVD player. At least thats how it was when I got one last December. I'd bet a third party has figured out how to convert it, but it would be a pain in the butt...

My media centre pc records the TV proggies in mpeg format so it is easily converted - but I have it set up to do that. Have you checked your settings?


If you own an iBook, then investing in a Media PC would not really mean that you loose all things Mac because you will still have your iBook for everything else

On another note, have you considered getting an LCD TV (that can also act as computer monitor for when you get another monitorless mac LOL) and a standalone DVD recorder? Much cheaper solution and the standalone recorders work great for recording TV programs.

Also, you would not have to mess with any software, Windows XP/conversion etc, and would have an extra monitor should you need it. By standalone DVD recorder, I mean something like http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00064AQQI/qid=1128304822/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/202-4529687-3911022 and if you are in the USA you could probably get this cheaper too! Both should cost you around £500 dollars (if that).

They are very easy to use, just like VHS really, just scart it up to the TV and tune in channels (takes 2 minutes) and then insert DVd and press record! It is as simple as that and already burned to DVD for you. You can also make one DVD disk stretch for 6 hours (if you wish) at the expense of a little loss of quality, but probably better quality than you would get via Media PC

UncSki1218 said:

Dont get the cheap usb one because u need a dual processor for it. get the eye tv 200...it has a built in processor so it doesnt hog ur comps speed.

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Not true. Requirements to watch live TV are not high at all. They say that to record at 90 minute DVD quality you need a dual G5, I have a single G5 and have no problems recording at the highest quality, and even at 120 minute DVD quality it is excellent quality.

The Wonder USB 2.0 is perfect for me because I also use it for my Xbox and it has a low enough latency that there are no problems doing that

Kyomii said:

My media centre pc records the TV proggies in mpeg format so it is easily converted - but I have it set up to do that. Have you checked your settings?

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lol, trust me, I've looked very well. When I got my media center (HP, forget what model number, Windows Media 2005), it only recorded in DVR-MS (I think thats what they called it), format. That is a Microsoft proprietary format, and was not convertible (at the time). If it can now record to MPEGS...that's very good news. Although, I rarely use my PC unless I have to.