EyeTV ... which one to get?

[PeterB]

So from my other post about Leopard on the QS, it seems people were pointing me toward the EyeTV hybrid...

Would I be better off with that or one of the standalone units ... and if so, the USB2 or Firewire versions. Any "gotchas" I need to be aware of?

[btfc]

Depends on what kind of signal you are connecting to. Some models use hardware encoding/decoding/acceleration which may be helpful on your older mac. STF for EyeTV, lots of good info.

also:

http://www.mac-digital-tv-tuners.com/

[PeterB]

Signal -- incoming OTA DTV via coax, also S-vid coming from a separate HDTV tuner, and composite from a VCR.

I've already briefly STF'd for EyeTV, and it did seem that some (BGnR, especially) were in favor of hardware-based encoding... so if I understood it right, I should be looking for a 2008-model EyeTV 250, with the v2 of the software if possible. I'm still not convinced that USB2 is going to be as good for this purpose as Firewire, which is why I was asking about that.

[btfc]

Other than the sleep issue, a USB2 card works well in my Dual 867 QS, firewire IS faster, but USB2 is more than adequate.

http://support.elgato.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1193&nav=0,1,33,29&languageid=1&group=englishdefault

"so if I understood it right, I should be looking for a 2008-model EyeTV 250, with the v2 of the software if possible"

That's what I would get.

[BigGuynRusty]

No more FireWire units.
:whine:

BGnR

[PeterB]

BGnR, yup, I knew that -- but could also always look for one on ebay, eh?

[BigGuynRusty]

PeterB wrote:
BGnR, yup, I knew that -- but could also always look for one on ebay, eh?

Not worth it.
Better stuff out there.
Too bad you need analog encoding, I would recommend then Silicon Dust HD HomeRun unit if you didn't.
Two OTA/QAM Tuners that sit on your network, really sweet!
http://www.silicondust.com/

BGnR

[MacMission]

You may want to consider the Slingbox. You can watch your TV wirelessly anywhere in the world even on your cell phone.

http://www.slingmedia.com/

[Panopticon]

You may want to consider the Slingbox.
Not the same as an EyeTV. I've got a Sling, completely different beast from my Plextor 402 or EyeTV Hybrid.

If you buy from ElGato, use code W1A6-TCNX-JA7 for 10% Off {Hardware only}!

fwiw, I have EyeTV 3 software but still prefer v2.5.2; ymmv.

[PeterB]

Hmmm, I see that our sponsor has about the lowest price on this: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ElGato/10020780R/

... other than it being a refurb, is this a good way to go?