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Quality of EyeTV Hybrid vs. EyeTV 250?

TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
Does anyone know if the picture quality would be higher on the EyeTV Hybrid vs. the Hardware Encoding limitations of the EyeTV 250? Like... I have a really fast computer, can I encode at top notch quality on the Hybrid, that way I get the maximum picture clarity? Basically what I'm asking is... is the computer encoding superior to the hardware encoding in some way?
 
TheSpaz said:
Does anyone know if the picture quality would be higher on the EyeTV Hybrid vs. the Hardware Encoding limitations of the EyeTV 250? Like... I have a really fast computer, can I encode at top notch quality on the Hybrid, that way I get the maximum picture clarity? Basically what I'm asking is... is the computer encoding superior to the hardware encoding in some way?
Click to expand...

I am pretty sure they would be equal. Picture quality is great with my Hybrid.

Here is a screen shot of Letterman show in HD recorded.

picture1fd2.png
 
wakerider017 said:
I am pretty sure they would be equal. Picture quality is great with my Hybrid.

Here is a screen shot of Letterman show in HD recorded.

*snipped the screenshot*
Click to expand...

Okay... I understand HD is going to be better than analog cable but, in my area, I can't get any free over-the-air HD channels (sad, I know) but, I was wondering if analog cable would look any better because of the power of my Mac Pro vs. the power of the EyeTV 250 built in processor.
 
No. They'll look the same - as far as I know, they use the same tuner component - and the 250 will use far fewer CPU resources. Yes, I know you have a Mac Pro. But the Hybrid is a bit of a CPU hog, even on fast systems, and the quality isn't any better, so, personally, I'd go for the 250 if you can't use the HD part of the Hybrid (I have the Hybrid and like it, but wouldn't recommend it over the 250 for SD recording).

Also note that SD is, well, SD, and the tuner is an analog tuner, so don't expect miracles from any of them. If you can connect a cable box via something other than coax (S-video, etc.), you might get slightly better results. But no computer is going to be able to make the signal look better (well, barring complex image processing), just encode it faster - and the 250 already encodes at the full transmission rate, so there's no plus to being able to do it faster.
 
jsw said:
No. They'll look the same - as far as I know, they use the same tuner component - and the 250 will use far fewer CPU resources. Yes, I know you have a Mac Pro. But the Hybrid is a bit of a CPU hog, even on fast systems, and the quality isn't any better, so, personally, I'd go for the 250 if you can't use the HD part of the Hybrid (I have the Hybrid and like it, but wouldn't recommend it over the 250 for SD recording).

Also note that SD is, well, SD, and the tuner is an analog tuner, so don't expect miracles from any of them. If you can connect a cable box via something other than coax (S-video, etc.), you might get slightly better results. But no computer is going to be able to make the signal look better (well, barring complex image processing), just encode it faster - and the 250 already encodes at the full transmission rate, so there's no plus to being able to do it faster.
Click to expand...

Check this out. I used to have the EyeTV 250 and it suddenly stopped working all together (couldn't even get the blue light to come on). So instead of getting another 250, I thought I'd try the Hybrid since who knows what the future brings... I'll have that extra feature if I ever need it.

Anyways... when I recorded TV with my 250 (at the highest DVD setting possible) then I would burn it to a DVD (with no re-encoding) the DVD would not look as sharp or as clear as our digital cable. Is digital cable higher resolution than analog? I thought it was still 640 x 480 but, I could be wrong.
 
Keep in mind that in the US analog TV is on it's way out.

I have heard it will be completely transitioned out in 2009.

Hybrid might be an investment for the future.
 
wakerider017 said:
Keep in mind that in the US analog TV is on it's way out.

I have heard it will be completely transitioned out in 2009.

Hybrid might be an investment for the future.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking as well. Maybe when HD OTA becomes more popular, it will come to my area a little more. Either that, or everyone will have these HD Receiver boxes and we'll need a whole new EyeTV product to interface with them. I don't know very much about HDTV.
 
TheSpaz said:
That's what I was thinking as well. Maybe when HD OTA becomes more popular, it will come to my area a little more. Either that, or everyone will have these HD Receiver boxes and we'll need a whole new EyeTV product to interface with them. I don't know very much about HDTV.
Click to expand...

The Hybrid is a digital receiver. It will pick up ATSC digital signal (High Definition Digital). ATSC is the future.

You will not need an additional box unless you are receiving encrypted digital signal (This is the digital cable you get from Time Warner, Comcast, etc. though their digital cable box.) I really HATE encrypted digital cable. I hope they do away with it.

Anyway it is likely the hybrid will be compatible for a VERY long time to come.

Even if you have to run it though a digital receiver first, it will still work
 
I really wish I could get HD OTA signals in my area *makes sad face*

"Nobody likes uuuuuuuus"... (Kids in the Hall impression)
 
wakerider017 said:
The Hybrid is a digital receiver. It will pick up ATSC digital signal (High Definition Digital). ATSC is the future.

You will not need an additional box unless you are receiving encrypted digital signal (This is the digital cable you get from Time Warner, Comcast, etc. though their digital cable box.) I really HATE encrypted digital cable. I hope they do away with it.

Anyway it is likely the hybrid will be compatible for a VERY long time to come.

Even if you have to run it though a digital receiver first, it will still work
Click to expand...

Is this to say that a cable connection is not necessary? If I have one anyway, will it make any difference in the quality of the signal?

I have Comcast cable, and for the most part, I want the Hybrid only for recording Heroes in HD. If I connect the Hybrid to my cable line, before it is connected to the digital box, will I receive a better signal than using an antenna? What about making the connection to the output of the cable box, what kind of difference, or extra channels?, can I expect by connecting it that way?
 
ronni3 said:
Is this to say that a cable connection is not necessary? If I have one anyway, will it make any difference in the quality of the signal?

I have Comcast cable, and for the most part, I want the Hybrid only for recording Heroes in HD. If I connect the Hybrid to my cable line, before it is connected to the digital box, will I receive a better signal than using an antenna? What about making the connection to the output of the cable box, what kind of difference, or extra channels?, can I expect by connecting it that way?
Click to expand...

You can't connect it before the digital Comcast cable box b/c the signal is encrypted. (If the signal was not encrypted you would be able to do this just fine. This is why I hate encrypted cable)

You can connect it after the box... But that is just analog signal.

Please keep in mind that Digital does not equal HD. Digital is a type of signal. HD is a resolution (I think HD is recognized at 1080i/p and 720P)


If you want to record Heros in all it's glory get an antenna and pick it up OTA. (I really like Heros too! It is my favorite show!)
 
wakerider017 said:
Do you plan on recording Digital TV anytime soon? Do you have a fast computer?
Click to expand...

I will show my ignorance in this post but...

The signal coming from my DirecTV box is digital, true? (unless its digital going into the box, and analog going out of the box into the tv/eyetv)
So yea? I think I will be recording digital tv. I plan on getting a 24'' iMac. DOes that count for a "fast computer"? :)
 
phillipjfry said:
I will show my ignorance in this post but...

The signal coming from my DirecTV box is digital, true? (unless its digital going into the box, and analog going out of the box into the tv/eyetv)
So yea? I think I will be recording digital tv. I plan on getting a 24'' iMac. DOes that count for a "fast computer"? :)
Click to expand...

It is a digital signal going into the box and analog coming out.

If it was digital coming out of the box then 99.9% of TV's out there would not be able to use the signal.

There are 2 main ways to get ACTUAL digital unscrambled signal. Over the air and some cable companies provide unscrambled local channels mixed in with the regular digital cable that can be picked up by the hybrid.

If I were you I would get the Elgato hybrid. No question. You have plenty of processing power and you leave your options open.

Hope this helps
 
DirecTV Box Output Is Analog

phillipjfry said:
I will show my ignorance in this post but...

The signal coming from my DirecTV box is digital, true? (unless its digital going into the box, and analog going out of the box into the tv/eyetv)
So yea? I think I will be recording digital tv. I plan on getting a 24'' iMac. DOes that count for a "fast computer"? :)
Click to expand...
The signal coming out of the DirecTV box is ANALOG so you will NOT be recording DIGITAL. 25" iMac is faster but barely fast enough to record ANALOG easily.

If you have a DirecTV box with HDMI Out then you could record DIGITAL with the use of an Intensity PCIe card from Blackmagic Design in a Quad Mac Pro MINIMUM. :eek: :)
wakerider017 said:
It is a digital signal going into the box and analog coming out.

If it was digital coming out of the box then 99.9% of TV's out there would not be able to use the signal.

There are 2 main ways to get ACTUAL digital unscrambled signal. Over the air and some cable companies provide unscrambled local channels mixed in with the regular digital cable that can be picked up by the hybrid.
Click to expand...
So are you saying the DIGITAL tuner in the Hybrid is Cable QAM compatible WakeRider? I can barely find a cable customer service person who even knows what a QAM tuner is.
 
Analog to Digital Requires Max Mac Horsepower While Digital Recordings Don't

phillipjfry said:
I guess I shouldn't be doing anything else with my 24'' while recording analog? My computer will perform that bad?
Click to expand...
It's not so much that your computer performs bad - it does not perform bad - it's more a case of the analog recordings requiring the CPU to convert the analog to digital on the fly. When you record digital, the processor is doing almost nothing as the Mac simply captures what's coming at it in its native format. You really should consider getting a Mac Pro or old Quad G5 if you are going to be doing a lot of analog recording for the long haul.
 
wakerider017 said:
You can't connect it before the digital Comcast cable box b/c the signal is encrypted. (If the signal was not encrypted you would be able to do this just fine. This is why I hate encrypted cable)

You can connect it after the box... But that is just analog signal.

Please keep in mind that Digital does not equal HD. Digital is a type of signal. HD is a resolution (I think HD is recognized at 1080i/p and 720P)


If you want to record Heros in all it's glory get an antenna and pick it up OTA. (I really like Heros too! It is my favorite show!)
Click to expand...

Is it possible to get a Digital signal to come out of the box and direct that to the Hybrid? Maybe using S-Video, DVI ?, HDMI, out from the box? I guess then the problem would be to get the cable converted to one the Hybrid can use.

Seems to me the best way to get a signal is using an antenna. Any recommendations?
 
If you have a DirecTV box with HDMI Out then you could record DIGITAL with the use of an Intensity PCIe card from Blackmagic Design in a Quad Mac Pro MINIMUM. :eek: :)So are you saying the DIGITAL tuner in the Hybrid is Cable QAM compatible WakeRider? I can barely find a cable customer service person who even knows what a QAM tuner is.
Click to expand...

Nope.

I am not sure of the signal cable companies put out.
My cable company does not provide any unencrypted channels.
 
Multimedia said:
It's not so much that your computer performs bad - it does not perform bad - it's more a case of the analog recordings requiring the CPU to convert the analog to digital on the fly. When you record digital, the processor is doing almost nothing as the Mac simply captures what's coming at it in its native format. You really should consider getting a Mac Pro or old Quad G5 if you are going to be doing a lot of analog recording for the long haul.
Click to expand...

Recording analog is a CPU hog... But your computer will still function.

You might not to be in photoshop, but you can use the internet, mail, ichat, etc just fine.
 
QAM or No QAM?

TheSpaz said:
What if I attached one of these to my cable and then plugged it into my future EyeTV Hybrid? http://www.cableboxfilters.com/

Could I then get digital cable without having a cable box?
Click to expand...
The digital cable to EyeTV Hybrid is a crapshoot. The cable operator customer service reps have never heard of QAM and although the long haul plan is to support it, most operators are not yet. There may be some operators passing the broadcast signal through. But I think it's had to say who where. No telling what filters will do what to your signals.:confused: :eek: :(
 
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