which Mac TV tuner to choose?

[phuong]

hello,
first of all, i don't want to get the fanciest gear.
my purpose: i want to record a certain tv program (from cable source) along with the caption so that i can watch them later, in order to learn the language
for that reason, i will probably delete these programs after i've watched them, so i only need watchable quality. i will not watch these programs on ipod or iphone, so iTunes integration is also not needed. the most important thing to me is the caption.

my knowledge in this area is zero. i don't know what software is required, what equipment or equipments are needed, let alone ones that record caption... etc.

and finally, price should be as minimum as possible. i'm only planing to use this for about a few months to 1 year, depending on how much my language skill will improve.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[dalvin200]

the elgato eyeTV hybrid would be able to connect to your video source..

i'm waiting for one of these myself..

it's cheaper than the elgato "eyeTV 250 plus" (which does hardware encoding.. so if you have a slow man, then this is probably better option for you)

there's probably cheaper on the market. but i'm not sure
1. what they are and
2. if they are as good as the eyeTV range

hope this helps...

 

[kolax]

+1 for EyeTV.

 

[jtbell]

Is the source analog cable or digital cable?

If it is analog cable (NTSC), your Mac's CPU has to do the work of converting the analog signal to a digital recording. This shouldn't be a problem unless perhaps you have a very old Mac.

If it is digital cable (QAM), the current EyeTV tuners (as well as all other tuners as far as I know) can receive only unencrypted channels. On most cable systems, this means mainly the local broadcast stations that are also available over the air (e.g. NBC, CBS, ABC). You will almost certainly not be able to receive (digital) CNN, ESPN, Weather Channel, etc.

 

[yoppie]

Another vote for EyeTV. Great tuner.

 

[phuong]

there is a cable line in my apartment. my tv can view 5 channels. i only want to record 1 of them. i dont have any cable subscription, so i guess these channels are free.

i use a mbp c2d 2.16Ghz. is this enough? i'm upgrading it soon though.

so many of you guys are suggesting eyetv. i guess thats what i'll get.
1 question though, i dont see them mention anything about recording caption on their website... can somebody who currently owns this device confirm that this feature is included? is it hardware or software dependent?
i see OWC offer this one for 67$ here, while on eyetv website it is offered for 130$ here. are they the same thing? if so, why the big difference in price?

 

[cheapa55]

The OWC version is a refurb and is the 2007 model. (elgato price for same one refurb is $89.95)

 

[TheReef]

Another for the EyeTV.

Your Macbook will handle it perfectly fine. (My old eMac handles it fine).

As for captions: (I would assume it's channel / program dependent)

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

And another for EyeTV. great tuner imho.

 

[phuong]

hello guys
just want to let you know that my order came in today. took me only 5 minutes to setup.
Also, they give me EyeTV3 instead of EyeTV2 as advertised, which is great.

one thing that bothers me though, although not much, is that the captions are shown on top of the screen instead of on the bottom.
so i'm wondering if there is any way to move them to the bottom?

 

[cheapa55]

where did you order yours and for how much?