Elgato EyeTV HD turns your Mac into a DVR, streams to iPhone

EyeTV HD can convert cable content for a wide variety of devices

Last week, Elgato announced a new TV tuner/DVR solution for the Mac. It is called the EyeTV HD and pulls 720p HD cable content right from your cable box. The device was born out of the need to get television shows and movies out of the living room and on to the multitude of devices people are using to get their daily fix.

After one week of using the EyeTV HD, I have come to the conclusion that for Mac users, there is no better way to move content from cable box to computer. Initial setup time is less than 15 minutes and is very straightforward. As soon as the cables are connected and software installed, the little guy can be put to work recording content to your computer’s hard drive. By using an IR blaster to control the cable box, cannels can be switched by the EyeTV software, thus enabling scheduled recording- just like a standard DVR. The programming guide is powered by TVGuide and matched up accurately with my FiOS on-screen listings. This service is subscription based ($19.99/year) but Elgato includes one free year with hardware purchases.

Programs can be recorded manually, or by adding them to the record schedule. The EyeTV HD works just like a stand-alone DVR, but only one program can be recorded at a time. Content is stored in a proprietary EyeTV format that weighs in at about 5GB per hour- small hard drives need not apply. To set up a recording, all it takes is a click on the record icon located beneath the show listing, the EyeTV software does the rest.

Once recorded, content is converted for playback on the iPhone, iPad, or both. In addition, recordings can be exported to all the popular formats, including DivX, Windows Media, and native H.264. The converted content is also automatically added into iTunes, complete with title, description, cast, rating, and more. This makes searching for specific shows or moves extremely easy and I found it to be a nice touch. Want to edit the recordings before sending them to you mobile device? That can be done within the EyeTV app as well. Users can trim out commercials and split up long recordings with a few clicks of the mouse. The process is very intuitive and also nondestructive, as original recordings are kept alongside the edited copies.

In addition to functioning as a DVR, the device can also stream both live and recorded programs to an iPhone using the optional EyeTV app ($4.99). My experience streaming over WiFi was flawless. Content streamed from a 2.66GHz MacBook Pro to an iPhone 3GS looked as if it were being played locally. Viewing over 3G also worked well, though video would frequently re-buffer, especially in congested areas. Current 3G speeds are not really designed to stream high quality video, but as the faster networks come into use, apps like this will really begin to shine.

Overall, the EyeTV HD works as advertised. The video quality is high, the conversion process works without a hitch, and the video editing is simple. One thing to keep in mind is the reality that you will need to have the HD set-top box near your computer for this all to work. Component video cables can easily be found in 10-foot lengths, but beyond that, the risk for signal quality loss comes into play. Bottom line, Mac users serious about their television will not be disappointed with Elgato’s latest offering. 

The good:
- TV lovers’ dream come true, only limited by the size of your hard drive
- Setup instructions are clear, takes less than 15 minutes
- Captures high quality 720p HD
- Quickly converts video to iPhone and iPad friendly formats, about 5 minutes per half-hour of video
- Editing is very easy
- Can also record from S-video and composite video with included adapter
- Ability to stream to iPhone over Wi-Fi and 3G (see below video for demo)

The bad:
- Core 2 Duo Mac required, very processor intensive to run
- Cable/Satellite box needs to be located near the EyeTV HD and computer
- Annual subscription to TVGuide required after first year, $19.99
- Decreased productivity levels resulting from 500 channels of television on computer and in pocket

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Streaming video from the MyTV HD to iPhone 3GS over 3G

See slideshow for setup screenshots and more