Elgato, which makes TV tuners and the EyeTV app for the iPad has now released its EyeTV Mobile dongle for the iPad 2. It connects to the dock connector and allows users to view digital Freeview TV signals thanks to its telescoping antenna. It also supports any radio and MPEG-2 streams that are sent out over DVB-T.
Elgato put out a recursive but requested update to its EyeTV for iOS app ($5, App Store) to add AirPlay support. iPads and iPhones can now stream either live or pre-recorded video from an EyeTV-equipped Mac on the local network. The change lets cord-cutters and others bring live TV either back to the TV or to one that isn't hooked up to a conventional set-top box.
Other World Computing has launched a home theater package centering on Apple's Mac Mini, the OWC Media Center Solution for the 2010 Mac mini. The new service, which was previewed at the Macworld Expo, will preconfigure a 2010 Mac mini with Plex's digital media front-end app, add 4GB of RAM to the machine and bundle a portable Blu-ray burner and an OWC Mercury Pro Qx2 RAID 5 external drive, with either four, eight or 12TB of storage space. Combined with either an Elgato EyeTV Hybrid or HD DVR, the package can record and store Live TV, seek out streaming video via Plex apps, like Netflix, Joost, Hulu, Vimeo and YouTube, and back up DVD and Blu-ray movies for later streaming.
Elgato today brought out its first satellite TV option that doesn't require a computer to view. The EyeTV Netstream Sat pipes any freely viewable European satellite TV through to a local network and can play it back to an iPad or iPhone through the EyeTV app (free, App Store) as well as Macs and Windows PCs. It works over both Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi and can rely on USB to feed DVB-S2 terrestrial video.
Elgato on Tuesday rolled out a redesigned version of the EyeTV Hybrid. The USB tuner is now considerably smaller than the old model and uses an aluminum shell that looks more appropriate plugged into the unibody MacBook Pro. It can still catch over-the-air ATSC broadcasts in HD and can take any unprotected analog or digital cable signals. An RCA input adapter is bundled and accepts input from old analog sources like VCRs.
Elgato on Wednesday announced its latest TV tuner, the EyeTV Netstream DTT, which will stream DVB-T and Freeview digital free-to-air programming to all Macs or PCs on a home network. The dual tuner will let users watch, record or perform a combination of each to two different programs at the same time. It carries built-in support for the Mac's Bonjour as well as UPnP networks.
Elgato on Tuesday released its EyeTV One TV tuner. The receiver lets Mac or PC users watch and record North American over-the-air TV programs for free. The device has an extended USB connection on one side that connects to a computer's USB port and a full-size coaxial plug on the other that can be connected to an indoor or outdoor antenna.
Elgato has introduced EyeTV Live3G, a new web app designed to stream live TV from a Mac to an iPhone over a 3G connection. The app is a part of EyeTV's 3.3 update, and utilizes HTTP Live Streaming technology, combined with H.264 video and AAC audio. The latter allows hardware acceleration, for better video and battery performance.
Elgato has announced the release of its EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner Stick for North America, along with updated software, EyeTV version 3.1, which allows users to watch and record TV. The new software brings with it an electronic TV Guide and a feature called Smart Series Guides that allows the recording of a series of episodes of a user's favorite show. Users can also search the guide by genre and lock out certain programs or channels via the integrated parental controls. Maximum video resolution support is limited to 1080i.
Elgato has released EyeTV 2.5.3, with improved VHF reception for Australian users and fixes for live buffer recording crashes and manual schedule problems under Leopard. The new version also fixes a "Device could not be initialized error" when using AV inputs.
Elgato on Tuesday catered to its European audience through the EyeTV DTT Deluxe. The USB tuner gives viewers access to over-the-air digital broadcasts on DVB-T (Freeview in the UK) in as unintrusive a way as possible, according to the company: the thin stick shape can fit into the USB port of even a MacBook Air without crowding out other devices. A detachable antenna gives strong enough reception for a good signal in less than ideal areas.
El Gato's EyeTV 3 software vastly improves the company's hardware analogue video converters, adding remote programmability, as well as many other advanced features. The software can be configured through a local or wide area network connection, allowing users to record television content without requiring direct access. The upgrade to EyeTV 3 costs $40, and is included with all new products. New licenses are priced at $80. [corrected]
