

I'd say that a *second* Mac (like a mini, as HTPC) is still a pretty good option at this time.
#Eyeconnect el gato mac tv#
So between AVC/Virtual DVHS, EyeTV on-screen playback, UPnP devices & possible future EyeTV support, and the remarkable number of different ways that Macs can be connected to a TV monitor. This might help pave the way towards sharing multiple EyeTV video archives.
#Eyeconnect el gato mac software#
It would also only make sense if the EyeTV software were able to act as a UPnP client as well, in a future version. The current crop of these devices may not be quite 'there' yet but I expect we'll see something fairly soon. The EyeConnect software is ElGato's move to replace the EyeHome with UPnP devices, especially important because the EyeHome does not support HD content. (And again, that screen could be a TV with the appropriate inputs.) But I'm not holding my breath. the more folks who let ElGato know that they'd like the feature, the more likely they are to incorporate i.Link playback/recording support in EyeTV.Įventually, the hope is that Apple will open up hardware-based MPEG decoding, at which point machines with even lower CPU speeds could handle HD content on-screen. If you have a TV with i.Link, then the EyeTV 500 recordings can easily be played back via Virtual DVHS, using a Mac mini or even an old G3 with firewire. The Mac mini also has a composite/SVideo adapter available, but at the quality of that kind of connection. If your TV only has component inputs, then there have been some success stories ( ) along those lines as well. If your TV supports a VGA, DVI or HDMI input with a decent resolution, then the TV can be the computer's screen.

It's hard to see how EyeTV 500 could take off until that's available.įolks with Mac minis are reporting successful playback of HD content, some with dropped frames and some without. We need a reliable TS playback box to get this HD revolution going. People want to be able to use their new 72 inch plasma to watch HD content, not a 17, 22 or 30 inch computer monitor. People want a way to watch HD video on their TELEVISION SETS! Sure, using a dual G5 to playback on a computer monitor is ok for some but that's hardly a mainstream solution. Acoustic Research (RCA) recently announced its Digital MediaBridge, but even less is known about that one than the Buffalo Media Player. Then there's the new Buffalo PC-P3LWG/DVD High-Definition Wireless Media Player with Progressive Scan DVD, but nobody seems to have one yet and the product info doesn't mention transport streams. Sure, there's the ill-fated Roku PhotoBridge, but judging from all the negative commentary in AVS and Roku forums that device appears to be a long way from workable. Probably the one issue holding back the EyeTV 500 more than the FCC is a lack of good transport stream playback options.
