Elgato EyeTV Hybrid + Wii + iMac

[Darkroom]

Incase anyone was curious about Wii on iMac using Elgato EyeTV Hybrid, i've started this thread.

Elgato EyeTV Hybrid is capable of receiving free over-air HD signals from television channels, but it does not have a component chipset built-in. Therefore, your wii (or any other device) can only be connected to your iMac via S-Video or Composite. The breakout cable is included with the EyeTV Hybrid. What that means is that you will be able to play Wii with the 480i video setting (composite), and not 480p (component).

One last thing i should mention: Earlier white iMacs have the built-in mic beside the iSight cam in the front, but the new alu iMacs have their built-in mics on the top near the front edge. So if you plan on placing your Wii Sensor Bar on top of the iMac, make sure not to cover up the iMac's built-in mic (only if you plan on using the built-in mic, of course).

also... sorry for the dust, it's hard to see the built in mic because of the dust, but it's there... my that flash sure picks up everything doesn't it!

 

[skythefly13]

Is there any lag at all playing the wii? And you have to get an antenna to receive hd channels, correct?

 

[Darkroom]

Is there any lag at all playing the wii? And you have to get an antenna to receive hd channels, correct?

i haven't notice any lag while using EyeTV, and the only game i've been playing now for a month has been Mario Kart Wii (online). maybe there is a bit of a lag, but it's visually undetectable.

i can pick up 3 HD channels here in Montreal: CBC Television, Radio-Canada, and TQS. i connected my cable into the EyeTV to get CBC Television HD, but oddly, Radio-Canada and TQS come in strong and clear without an antenna. apparently free over-air HD for CTV Television is only available in Vancouver and Toronto.

 

[sfroom]

There should be no lag. I've gamed on an iMac with the Elgato 250 Plus, it has a "gaming" mode with no pre-processing.

I can't say that composite looks great on the 24" monitor though

Do you have any pictures, Darkroom? I tried playing Halo with an Xbox connected via Eyetv...and it was pretty fuzzy.

I ended up buying a Component -> VGA cable for my wii, and have plugged it into my external monitor.

 

[Darkroom]

There should be no lag. I've gamed on an iMac with the Elgato 250 Plus, it has a "gaming" mode with no pre-processing.

I can't say that composite looks great on the 24" monitor though

Do you have any pictures, Darkroom? I tried playing Halo with an Xbox connected via Eyetv...and it was pretty fuzzy.

I ended up buying a Component -> VGA cable for my wii, and have plugged it into my external monitor.

it is unfortunate that none of Elgato's devices have component inputs. and at first i was kinda disappointed that i couldn't get 480p from my Wii on the iMac, but to be honest i got use to it fast. it's the exact same quality as if i had connected it to a large $150 CRT television screen, and i'd rather not have to have one of those taking up space on my desk so i still think the device is great. hopefully in the future Elgato (or someone) will built component input compatible devices for the mac.

 

[harry454]

I'm getting mine Monday , I'll let you know how it goes, plus I'm going to hook my wii and maybe 360 up to it

 

[DMoose]

I'm getting mine Monday , I'll let you know how it goes, plus I'm going to hook my wii and maybe 360 up to it

well?! Did you try it out? I'm intrigued..

 

[harry454]

O yah my fault yes I did, its amazing, been recording tv shows for past 2 days now crystal clear quality, soo worth the money, I also bought a antenna that has atsc and analog tuner it in it, so it picks up both signals and still works with my eyetv, and switches by itself automatically! BUY IT

 

[DMoose]

O yah my fault yes I did, its amazing, been recording tv shows for past 2 days now crystal clear quality, soo worth the money, I also bought a antenna that has atsc and analog tuner it in it, so it picks up both signals and still works with my eyetv, and switches by itself automatically! BUY IT

No, sorry.. intrigued to know how it went using the wii on elgato. I'm considering trying it myself.

 

[harry454]

The wii is the same as you would play it on a tv, simple as that , its teh exact same thing with the wii

 

[Darkroom]

Do you have any pictures, Darkroom? I tried playing Halo with an Xbox connected via Eyetv...and it was pretty fuzzy.

i think if i had a 360 of PS3 connected to my EyeTV Hybrid i would be less impressed because both of those systems have HD graphics. the Wii only pumps out 480i/p though, and 480p for sure looks nicer than 480i but it still looks great on a 24" iMac using the Hybrid.

 

[harry454]

Darkroom why are you using the extension cable from the eyetv, if you have applecare, ask them to send you the actual white apple extension cable, its free too, I got order mine, it helps alot

 

[Darkroom]

Darkroom why are you using the extension cable from the eyetv, if you have applecare, ask them to send you the actual white apple extension cable, its free too, I got order mine, it helps alot

hah, you've got a good eye! yes i use the extension cable for my keyboard... are you serious? apple will send me a free keyboard extension cable if i have apple care? can i sign up for one online or do i have to call them?

 

[harry454]

yeah you gotta call them, and they will send it out, you can make applecare request online can you?

 

[Darkroom]

yeah you gotta call them, and they will send it out, you can make applecare request online can you?

oh i don't know. i can schedule an appointment to see apple technicians at the local apple store online, so i assumed i could make some apple care general requests online also. but whatever, i'll call them tomorrow. sweet! i was actually going to go buy an extension cable soon... thanks for the info.

 

[AustinD]

Is there not a way to simply hook up the video cables from an xbox(to an adapter) to the mac?

EDIT: I havent a clue what im talking about, so be gentle. However, i want to hook up a 360 to my imac sometime soon, so be thorough.

 

[AustinD]

Is it possible to go from (xbox 360) HDMI-DVI then from DVI-miniDVI into the imac?

 

[sfroom]

Is it possible to go from (xbox 360) HDMI-DVI then from DVI-miniDVI into the imac?

Unfortunately the only way to get video into the iMac is via USB or Firewire. Most solutions (read: every one I've seen) use USB.

Great pic Darkroom! I haven't picked up Mario Kart yet...still slogging through Galaxies. My girlfriend is adamant that I have to get Wii Fit next though, .

 

[Darkroom]

Unfortunately the only way to get video into the iMac is via USB or Firewire. Most solutions (read: every one I've seen) use USB.

Great pic Darkroom! I haven't picked up Mario Kart yet...still slogging through Galaxies. My girlfriend is adamant that I have to get Wii Fit next though, .

mario kart wii owns... and it's highly addictive - you have been warned

 

[Darkroom]

Darkroom why are you using the extension cable from the eyetv, if you have applecare, ask them to send you the actual white apple extension cable, its free too, I got order mine, it helps alot

hey, i called apple care and asked if they would send me a keyboard usb extension but they said they would not... they could send me a polish cloths though

i assume that since the iMac doesn't come with a usb keyboard extension it's not on the parts list when they pull up my info. i would be able to get one if i had a mac pro though, because they come with usb keyboard extensions.

 

[harry454]

thats odd, well I had my keyboard replaced and I request to the rep if he could also send the extension cable, so make up some bs your keyboard is bent and you want it replaced and then ask for extension cable, cause the rep said if its free I'll send it to you, and it was free, and the keyboard and cable came in separate packages, so just ask again.

 

[NiroNavro]

I didn't know you could hook your gaming system up to an iMac. That is one more reason right there for me to consider an iMac over a Mac Mini.

 

[sfroom]

I didn't know you could hook your gaming system up to an iMac. That is one more reason right there for me to consider an iMac over a Mac Mini.

Using the Elgato EyeTV, you can connect a gaming system up to your mini too

 

[Shotgun OS]

Glad to see Im not the only one with one of these set ups. I have a 20" G5 iMac that I use...wish I had gotten a 24" iMac. :[

It still works great, though. Picture on the TV is near-crystal clear It stutters from time to time, but only because I have a 60% signal strength coming from my HD antenna. I can't see to be able to record HD TV, however. Every time I try, it reverts to stnadard and the quality is complete crap. Oh well, I don't really need to record anything anyways.

The Wii picture is alright; definitely playable. It's fuzzy, though; I can notice it very often, especially in games with more detail than that of Mario-type games. Resident Evil 4 is an example. It hurts my eyes after playing for a while, too. Nonetheless, it's still a great hookup. Maybe I should sit a little bit farther back from my desk when playing.

I have pictures of my setup, including the tangleweb of wires.

 

[happy1004]

please help!!!

hi everyone,
i'm pretty new to macs (and this forum too!)... i bought an 24" iMac because i wanted to use it part TV/part computer... so i did some research and even bought the elgato eyetv hybrid so i can hook my wii up.
the setup was simple, or so i thought... i keep getting a blue screen that tells me to run the channel assistant from the help menu and it won't detect my wii! i've emailed elgato about it, but they've not responded...
can someone please help me with how to get my eyetv to work?

ps: i didn't connect an antanna to my eyetv because 1) i don't have one and 2) i don't intend on watching tv on it. do you think this has to do with my problem?

thanks for all your help!!!