Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter (10020780)
by Elgato
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: ElgatoFormat: CD
Platform: Mac
Model: 10020780
Product features:
- Watch, pause, and rewind free over-the-air HDTV, Clear QAM or analog television on your Mac.
- Record TV shows and export videos to your iPod, Apple TV, or iPhone.
- iPod Assistant to convert analog video to iPod/iPhone/Apple TV formats
- Records high quality video and frees up your processor for other activities.
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter (10020780)
Customer Review: An Excellent Video Device Plus Excellent Customer Support
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my third EyeTV device from Elgato. It's very much an improvement over the EyeTV 250, which was Elgato's USB replacement of its EyeTV 200 Firewire model.
Product description: The Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus is an analog/digital TV Receiver and Video converter for Macintosh computer systems only. The Macintosh system requirements include a Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G4, G5, or Intel processor; 512 MB of physical RAM; a built-in USB 2.0 port; Mac OS X v 10.4 or later. Also, to download program guide data an Internet connection is required. For the 720p or 1080i HD features a Dual PowerPC G5 or an Intel Core Duo processor is required.
When my (bought in late 2006) EyeTV 250 device malfunctioned this past July, I went to the Elgato web site and reviewed the support information and knowledge base, but was not able to get the device to work. I submitted a support ticket, according to the instructions for doing so at the site. Within a few hours I received a reply with many helpful suggestions for me to try out, but to no avail. The support person suggested that I try to use a different USB cable to see if the original one was the culprit. I didn't have another one that fit into the device's USB port, and asked if Elgato would send me one free of charge. The support person asked me to provide a shipping address so they could send me one. I also attached a copy of my Mac's System Profiler, which I was asked to provide so Elgato could analyze my Mac's configuration. The replacement cable didn't help. Downloading the latest EyeTV software version and doing a clean install didn't help. The back-and-forth with the support person was very thorough, and it included my downloading special attempted fixes. Yet nothing would help. Apparently the tuner device had stopped functioning.
It's probably a very good idea to register products: Even though my malfunctioning device's warranty had long since lapsed, the support person said that Elgato would send me a replacement tuner device (and I wouldn't need to return the old device).
As it was, I intended to purchase the newer EyeTV 250 Plus for its upgraded and improved features, which I did, and which I am reviewing here now. Elgato also sent me an EyeTV 250 Plus device; that is, it wasn't a 'replacement' - it was an upgrade to the newer model! All at Elgato's expense, including S & H.
The review. The EyeTV v. 3.2 (v 3.3 is available) software is elegant and full without having any bloat anywhere.
Follow the onscreen directions (which I found easier to comprehend and follow than Apple's with its software and devices - and Apple's onscreen directions are easy anyway). Then watch a TV picture on your Mac that's a perfect picture. Click a 'button' on the onscreen 'controller' (it's made to look like a remote device) to record. Or to stop. Or pause. Or rewind. All the stuff you do for watching and recording digital TV. You know if you know TiVo, or use a DVR set-top box.
Included is a breakout patch cable with an S-Video connector and RCA video and audio connectors for recording (or playing) 'analog' VCR tapes and converting them to digital programs. There's also a bare-bones version of Roxio's Toast 9 Basic, which lets you burn a digital recording to DVD.
I have only basic cable (no HD tuner box) via the coaxial cable that comes out of my wall's cable outlet (from Time-Warner). Basic cable here transmits the HD versions of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and several PBS affiliates. They are lovely to look at on my 13" Macbook Pro. I recorded a movie off TCM (color and stereo) and burned it to DVD. It's a Standard Definition DVD, like the DVD's before Blue-Ray, and it looks 'store bought' (i.e., gorgeous, on my 720p 32" TV.)
Elgato's product description reads: "Capture video from VCRs, DVD players and camcorders, and convert VHS and camcorder tapes to digital files". (Also "One-click export to iPod, iPhone, and AppleTV." Note: the iPad hadn't been released when that was written on the package.)
Yes, Virginia, it will convert your high-quality Beta format tapes, even though the Elgato people mention only the VHS format in all their product descriptions, including those at their web site.
What Elgato says nothing about, but I've already succeeded in doing, is that the device and software will convert vinyl LP's (or EP's or 45's and 78's) and cassette tapes (or reel-to-reel tapes) to digital files. Here's a description of my very minor hack: I connected my turntable to the preamplifier's phono inputs; connected the preamplifier's rec(ord) out to the audio R/L inputs on the EyeTV 250 Plus breakout composite cable; connected the video output from my VCR to the EyeTV 250 Plus breakout composite video input (ignoring the VCR audio outputs as if they don't exist). In effect, the EyeTV 250 Plus records the video only from the VCR and the audio from the phonograph. You can export the recorded audio portion with a single click (as MP3, Apple Lossless, etc.), which you can save anywhere while a copy goes into your iTunes. And the digital version sounds excellent!
I also converted a cassette tape with the same process, except I went directly from the cassette deck's output into the EyeTV 250 Plus breakout composite audio connectors, while keeping the video connection from the VCR the same as I did for the vinyl LP conversion. (A phonograph's electrical signal output is too low to input directly into a recording device. It requires a preamplifier stage to boost its signal.)
Unless you know what you're doing with a phonograph, preamplifier, and cassette deck (a stand-alone deck without a power amplifier), you should not attempt that unauthorized digital conversion.
(I've assumed without attempting otherwise that the video connection is necessary even though only the audio will be saved and used later. I figure the software needs the complete signal or it won't function. Also, I like editing sound sources with 'real' visuals - like pictures or movies - more than with audio input signals, such as graphic equalizer displays.)
The EyeTV editing software is easy to use - very easy, and very elegant - allowing you to save segments as clips, and you can clip on an instant that's WYSIWYG.
The software will play your Quicktime movie files even if they weren't made with the EyeTV device or software.
I apologize for only scratching the surface of what this extraordinary product can do. The Elgato website goes deep. (Netflix/U-verse/Blue-Ray/etc.)
The EyeTV 250 Plus is a wonderful and very versatile product from a very superior company.
More Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter (10020780) reviews:
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Description of Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter (10020780)
EyeTV 250 Plus is a TV tuner and a powerful video converter in one device. Watch and pause live TV on your Mac. Record, subscribe to TV series, and create Smart Playlists. Edit out unwanted content and send your favorites to iTunes to sync automatically. Enjoy sharing EyeTV recordings over a local network with other Macs and accessing them on an iPod or iPhone via Wi-Fi. Store your collection on your Mac or external disc. EyeTV 250 Plus receives free over-the-air (OTA) HDTV, Clear QAM, and traditional analog TV, and comes with a composite video and S-Video break-out cable to connect a set-top box. EyeTV 250 Plus captures high quality video from analog sources such as a VCR or camcorder, comes with a VHS Assistant and iPod Assistant to guide you through the setup. EyeTV 250 Plus' built-in hardware encoder rapidly converts analog video to high quality digital video without using your Mac's processor.Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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