Feb 11 2006
Elgato’s EyeTV 200
EyeTV has to be the envy of the PC world. Its combination of elegant, easy-to-use software and powerful video crunching hardware is not unlike Apple’s position in personal computers. With hardware-encoded video options and new integration features in EyeTV 2.0, more than ever before EyeTV represents the slickest way to introduce television to your Mac.
The EyeTV 200 features some of Elgato’s best encoding options in an analog to Firewire conversion. The 200 supports hardware encoding of full resolution television to MPEG-1, 2 and 4. With your hardware doing the work, your processor can breathe – making the 200 even better for slower machines (the 200 only requires a 500 MHz G4/256 MB RAM), laptops and minis that are prone to heat up.
The unit also comes with a remote – handy to control the live-viewing features that include pause and replay. The remote also allows for other common tasks like power-on and channel changing. One thing I missed on the remote was a button to access previously recorded items. For this sadly you have to actually get off the couch [CORRECTION - thanks to a reader for pointing out that the yellow remote button brings up the list of recordings - thanks Malcolm].
The 200 is smaller than a cable box and slightly larger than a VHS tape (an ironic twist, as you won’t need than anymore). Now, once again a plus for older hardware, the 200 is the least expensive Firewire PVR you’ll find. To get full resolution recording over USB you’ll need USB 2.0 – found only on more recent Macs. There are other reasons for going Firewire even if you have USB 2.0: Firewire supports daisy-chaining and does not suffer from some of the sleep/power issues USB does. This means more open ports and less hassle with finding a powered USB port.
After using a USB-based PVR I do have to say that the Firewire did seem smoother, with less hiccups in live tv. From the hardware side, the 200 is feature complete and capable.
The software s where its at. It is important to note here that the new EyeTV 2.0 requires Tiger. It would be nice to have even a feature-limited version of 2.0 for Panther, but this is not the case. Now, the traditional EyeTV software is great stuff and performs the same basic functions as 2.0.
If you are running Tiger, you’ll enjoy better OS integration and a new iTunes-inspired interface in which you can create playlists and favorite channel lists. In fact, one of the perks of the new version is the ability to access the online programming guide directly within EyeTV (previous versions send you to your web browser). While an update to EyeTV 1 introduced iPod export settings, this new EyeTV has single-click export to send your recordings to your video iPod.
The EyeTV 200 is great. It has hardware appeal to users of older Macs in particular. It is not the least expensive route to go to turn your Mac into a PVR, but it is an elegant one. For Tiger users, EyeTV 2 has some great appeal, and I should mention that for users of other EyeTV compatible hardware you can upgrade to EyeTV 2. I have to say I enjoyed using the 200, and you will too. With the combination of Firewire, remote control and new EyeTV 2 software this product may be more than the best PVR choice for your Mac, it may be the only one.
