New EyeTV software supports SA

[BobJones]

I've just installed the latest EyeTV 2 software release and see that SA is now supported in the setup list for both analogue and digital (DVB-T) bands.

Looks like 2010 is going to be digital HD after all.

All we need now is a free EPG for download!

 

[LandyMan]

Not to sound like an idiot (again), but how do you get the TV/video/sat feed into the Mac to use EyeTV?

 

[BobJones]

OK, here goes...
The EyeTV is a tv tuner. It comes in a number of flavours, from set-top boxes, to firewire and USB sticks, for both analogue and digital signals and some tune both.
It is complemented by the EyeTV software, which controls the tuner and also gives PVR functions.

So you load the EyeTV software onto your mac and connect the tuner to your mac. Now you have a couple of choices. You can connect the supplied aerial to the tuner, or you can connect your rooftop aerial, or you can connect the aerial output from your VCR, or from your satellite/cable box.

The software will control the tuner to pick up any of the signals it can detect and play them in a window or full screen or thru front row on your mac... cool huh
And since its on the mac you can use the software to pause and rewind live tv, schedule redordings and even burn those recordings to DVD or export them to iTunes and your video ipod... all with one click.

Even better the EyeTV software is able to pull down the EPG either from the digital broadcast signal itself (if it has been encoded by the broadcaster), or from a internet source. Naturally you can use the EPG to schedule recordings weeks in advance (if the info is there).

Now the interesting thing is that until 2 days ago the EyeTV software only carried signal tuning setup info for a couple of countries, mostly different areas of the UK and US. There was even fewer options for EPG sites.

This latest release has loads of countries configured. Even SA is there, and it has the normal analogue PAL channels, but also the DVB-T digital channels.

Soooo it seems that we are definitely going to see the change over to digital TV. Think pretty much DVD quality tv programs, at least.... F1 in 1080p on SABC1.... World Cup Rugby from France in widescreen HD, Sunday movies in surround sound.... and 2010 from a front row seat in the stadium, while your mac records you in the stands with a HUGE SA flag.

 

[LandyMan]

So basically it uses an external tuner (as opposed to the internal one I have in my desktop PC). Any idea on pricing for say a USB/Firewire tuner?

 

[BobJones]

So basically it uses an external tuner (as opposed to the internal one I have in my desktop PC). Any idea on pricing for say a USB/Firewire tuner?

The best one to get for SA IMHO is the new Elgato Hybrid USB stick... which goes for EUR150, AUD300.

Remember not to buy from the 'states as those are NTSC tuners + ASC digital, as opposed to PAL and DVB digital.

I picked up this tuner and its schweet bru . It'll look cool attached to your 17" MBP, playing thru front row onto the plasma in the bedroom.

You are gonna keep the MBP right?

BTW... Elgato only develops for the mac... the eyetv tuners and software don't have PC versions... I think you have to go with miglia for that.

 

[LandyMan]

I picked up this tuner and its schweet bru . It'll look cool attached to your 17" MBP, playing thru front row onto the plasma in the bedroom.

You are gonna keep the MBP right?

Where did you get a unit?
It will work nice, if I can get the damn MBP to play through the LCD
And yeah, it would seem that I am keeping the MBP (even if it will only be staying at home most of the time)

 

[BobJones]

I bought it here. There is quite a lot of choice for online shopping in Oz.
Go to the Whirlpool apple forum, its a good place to start.

So far the unit works great, only niggle is that the integration to front row is not as tight as it could be.
I thought it would be an option in the front row "round about", but it a full screen menu of its own.

 

[icyrus]

Sorry to drag up an old thread but I was considering getting a mac mini and external tv tuner to replace my media pc that just died.

Could anyone with experience with these answer some of the following:

1. The EPG: what format does it have to be in? Would it be possible to use the xmltv files like mythtv does?
2. Does the software do automatic commercial detection and skipping?
3. If you have experience with mythtv how would you compare the 2?

Any info would be much appreciated.

 

[BobJones]

I haven't looked at the EPG in any sort of detail, but I suspect that it xml based. I haven't looked to see if you load an EPG from a file. There is a "now & next" programme info facility in the digital broadcast stream.
No. You can remove commercials using the EyeTV software after a program has been recorded.
I haven't used MythTV, but EyeTV is dead simple to use, installation is a breeze and there is a setup that runs on first launch, after the setup you'll be able to watch and record.

 

[werner]

dvb-t does not necessarily mean hd.
it is just digital, and digital does not imply hd..in fact, most digital dvb-t transmissions in europe are normal sd.

 

[BobJones]

Quite right... the current digital broadcast is the same definition as the analogue broadcast.

 

[RichardP]

DVB-T has been running in the JHB area since 1999. ICASA have no idea how to charge for the spectrum as all the SABC channels will use 1 frequency - hence the delay as ICASA dont wanna loose revenue.

 

[alma-tadema]

OK, here goes...
The EyeTV is a tv tuner. It comes in a number of flavours, from set-top boxes, to firewire and USB sticks, for both analogue and digital signals and some tune both.
It is complemented by the EyeTV software, which controls the tuner and also gives PVR functions.

So you load the EyeTV software onto your mac and connect the tuner to your mac. Now you have a couple of choices. You can connect the supplied aerial to the tuner, or you can connect your rooftop aerial, or you can connect the aerial output from your VCR, or from your satellite/cable box.

The software will control the tuner to pick up any of the signals it can detect and play them in a window or full screen or thru front row on your mac... cool huh
And since its on the mac you can use the software to pause and rewind live tv, schedule redordings and even burn those recordings to DVD or export them to iTunes and your video ipod... all with one click.

Even better the EyeTV software is able to pull down the EPG either from the digital broadcast signal itself (if it has been encoded by the broadcaster), or from a internet source. Naturally you can use the EPG to schedule recordings weeks in advance (if the info is there).

Now the interesting thing is that until 2 days ago the EyeTV software only carried signal tuning setup info for a couple of countries, mostly different areas of the UK and US. There was even fewer options for EPG sites.

This latest release has loads of countries configured. Even SA is there, and it has the normal analogue PAL channels, but also the DVB-T digital channels.

Soooo it seems that we are definitely going to see the change over to digital TV. Think pretty much DVD quality tv programs, at least.... F1 in 1080p on SABC1.... World Cup Rugby from France in widescreen HD, Sunday movies in surround sound.... and 2010 from a front row seat in the stadium, while your mac records you in the stands with a HUGE SA flag.

You sound like a fanboi... so when is a small(but sucessfull) Mac appliance company, indication of reality... they just looked at the roadmap(which is already years behind) and standards. Very nice though, makes it very (far) future proof product.

 

[parks11]

Any one know where to get an EyeTV in SA? Cause buying a new iMac soon and would love one to get all my content onto the Mac.

 

[GreGorGy]

EPIC Bump!

I got mine a few years ago at C3 (applecart.co.za) but I have also seen them in iStore Clearwater.

 

[Socrates]

Wondering if anyone knows which, if any, of the Elgato TV tuners can be used to receive DSTV in South Africa?

Have seen a lot of reports about reliability problems with the Hybrid model mentioned above. But in any case our standard TV reception is terrible. And who knows how good our digital signal will be. Or when it will arrive! Hence my desire to investigate the DSTV option. And of course to use the Mac as a PVR with the EyeTV software.

Interesting thread, but not much recent activity. Hopefully someone knowledgeable is still' tuned in'...