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Elgato EyeTV Hybrid + Wii + iMac

so a dumb question, though I'm a believer in there's no such thing as a dumb question but here goes:

I'm thinking about getting the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid for myself next year. I want something to watch TV while I'm in my apartment at college.

Question 1) is this a good fit for my needs?
Question 2) will I still need to have some sort of cable in the house via Time Warner Cable?
Question 3) Will the February clean up of over-the-air broadcast television cancel out the Elgato's powers?

thanks, it looks like such a nice, fancy talking point for my new, smashing iMac.... like I need anything else to get friends jealous.
 
One alternative if you want just TV shows are sites like ipdirecttv.com (I used that ALL THE TIME when I was a security guard for a corporate building).

I'm not sure if it runs on macs, but it does support VLC media player and that services is actually the best I've ever found. On demand TV shows, no commercials, make your own playlist - Plus it has pretty much every show you could want.
 
Jon.Stewart87 said:
so a dumb question, though I'm a believer in there's no such thing as a dumb question but here goes:

I'm thinking about getting the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid for myself next year. I want something to watch TV while I'm in my apartment at college.

Question 1) is this a good fit for my needs?
Question 2) will I still need to have some sort of cable in the house via Time Warner Cable?
Question 3) Will the February clean up of over-the-air broadcast television cancel out the Elgato's powers?

thanks, it looks like such a nice, fancy talking point for my new, smashing iMac.... like I need anything else to get friends jealous.
Click to expand...

With regards to question 1) it's difficult to answer without knowing your viewing habits. Depending on your budget, I recommend the EyeTV 250 Plus product, because it has a built in decoding chip, which means it doesn't use any of your macs system resources (which means, among other things, that you should be able to continue using your computer regularly while watching TV, or leave it recording a show in the background).

2) You will not need to have cable to use the EyeTV...in fact, I'd say the primary use of the EyeTV is for people who don't have cable. The EyeTV has both digital and analog tuners in it which make it great for picking up over-the-air broadcasts. You can easily flip through both analog and digital channels with your apple remote. EyeTV, in its current form, is completely compatible with analog cable, but can only be used to view UNencryped (QAM) digital cable channels. This means that the EyeTV WON'T work with your cable box.

3)I think the February digital over-the-air date will make the EyeTV an even more appealing device. Digital over-the-air broadcast has much better picture quality, and is most often in HD! Within the next 18 months I expect the number and quality of channels you recieve would only go up.

So what it comes down to is whether you live in an area where you can receive digital over-the-air broadcast, or whether you use an encrypted digital cable service.
 
thanks a bunch!! you've really helped.

I think i'll still go with the Hybrid - its $50 cheaper and I'm not too worried about 'multi tasking' while 'watching'.

I might get it soon too as I expect demand to rise according to your post-Feb. comments.
 
To tell you the truth I have the hybrid and the I see no downfall in computer performance while recording and what not, it runs flawless
 
problems with wii remote with eyetv

has anyone had this problem? when i turn on my wii and eye tv, the image/sound comes on, but my wii remote has a terrible lag and it's reversed. I've switched it back and forth from my tv to my macbook and on the macbook the reverse ir is unusable.

I'm running on the newest version of Eyetv software 3.03.

I bought this specifically to use my wii on my macbook and have yet to do so. thanks for the help.
 
harry454 said:
To tell you the truth I have the hybrid and the I see no downfall in computer performance while recording and what not, it runs flawless
Click to expand...

same here.

MacDuff said:
has anyone had this problem? when i turn on my wii and eye tv, the image/sound comes on, but my wii remote has a terrible lag and it's reversed. I've switched it back and forth from my tv to my macbook and on the macbook the reverse ir is unusable.

I'm running on the newest version of Eyetv software 3.03.

I bought this specifically to use my wii on my macbook and have yet to do so. thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

i've never seen that happen before...

i do know that if you're too close (or too far) from the sensor bar it will act crazy... maybe you're too close while using your macbook?
 
Does anyone know which EyeTV would be right for me if I want to be able to watch digital TV (in the UK) and plug my xBox 360 into the iMac?
 
MacDuff said:
has anyone had this problem? when i turn on my wii and eye tv, the image/sound comes on, but my wii remote has a terrible lag and it's reversed. I've switched it back and forth from my tv to my macbook and on the macbook the reverse ir is unusable.

I'm running on the newest version of Eyetv software 3.03.

I bought this specifically to use my wii on my macbook and have yet to do so. thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Maybe you have the sensor bar upside down :D
 
great thread!!!!

im guessing that a ps2 could be used doing this way aswell??? i have the eyetv plugged into my MBP + external screen to watch TV (i have good signal on it), may aswell bring the PS2 into the equation so i can play it!!.
 
HELP EYETV + Wii and imac video not showing

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knew of a solution for my problem. I have the eyetv connected to my iMac 10.4.11 and the Eyetv 3.0.4 and its connected via the composite cables that were provided in the Eyetv box (red, yellow, white)......well i plug in my wii and the sound comes on but the video is erratic and off screen and not showing most times!!!!!!....please does anyone know of any solutions!

Cheers,

Liz
 
No image from the S-Video Input

hi,
i am having a similar problem, but with my Xbox 360. I connected it up properly, all the cables in the correct order (red, yellow, white) but I can get sound but no picture. Please help me with this as I only bought the EyeTV Hybrid for use with my Xbox 360.

Im using the latest version of EyeTV (3.0.4) and can get picture from my areal but not from the S-Video Input. I have started a thread but have had no responce.
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=6826891&posted=1#post6826891

Please Help ME!!!!
 
Even if you do get your sound and video working, you will not be able to use the eyetv hybrid with an xbox 360. I found this out the hard way a few days ago. Most 360 games run at 60hz only. The eyetv only supports 50hz.
 
Would this also be true for the PS3?

I would like to get a console, but I don't want to have another TV / monitor for that as well as an iMac.
 
Good Thread

I am about to set up a MBP with 24' LED monitor and Wii with Elgato eye hybrid. Will see if the LED does a good job.
 
help

Shotgun OS said:
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. :p

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

Shotgun can you tell me what settings you're running your eyetv on (display wise)?
 
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