Elgato (http://www.elgato.com) has debuted the world’s only DVR solution that provides full access to premium cable or satellite TV content on a Mac — EyeTV HD (US$199.95). Customers can now watch record, edit and enjoy cable and satellite in high-definition, including all their premium channels.
What’s more, EyeTV HD includes a dual-format capture mode that records in iPad and iPhone formats at the same time, allowing users to stream live and recorded TV to an iPhone or iPad using the optional EyeTV app.
To use you simply connect EyeTV HD to the outputs of the cable or satellite receiver with the included component cables, and to the computer via USB. Then position the included infrared channel changer cable nearby. The EyeTV software setup assistant takes you through a configuration process.
EyeTV HD records in the H.264 format for a high-definition digital picture. The H.264 format sports a compression ratio that produces a smaller file size when compared to MPEG-2 recordings. H.264 can match the best possible MPEG-2 quality at up to half the data rate, according to the folks at Elgato.
Additionally, EyeTV HD can capture video from analog and digital sources such as a VCR or a camcorder. EyeTV HD includes component inputs for HD sources, as well as S-Video and composite inputs for standard definition sources. You connect the video source to your computer using the included breakout cable, then watch and even record the picture on your computer as an EyeTV recording.
EyeTV HD also comes with Toast Basic disc-burning software so you can archive your favorite movies and TV shows and save space on your hard drive. EyeTV 3 includes one year of free data from TV Guide, with optional renewal for US$19.95 per year. An optional EyeTV app is available to stream live or recorded TV to an iPhone or iPad. Smart Series Guide functionality requires a TV Guide subscription.
EyeTV HD requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher and a Mac running a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better.