Advice for Mac Mini with EyeTV

[hutchtoo]

I'm looking to set up a low cost media center PC with an entry level Mini 1.5G solo.
My setup has analog cable, and a non-HDTV Sony TV. I haven't owned a Mac in 12 years and this seems a great way to re-enter.

Would appreciate some perspective from EyeTV/Mini users...

Is the EyeTV EZ and the Mini sufficient? Or should I pay the extra ~$200 for the EyeTV 200/500?

Thanks.

[turbulentfurball]

I have a G4 Mini and EyeTV for DTT, and that's an excellent solution. You won't be interested in that since you have cable, but I think what you suggest will be fine. Will you be be recording much? If so, go for the largest HD you can afford.

[Franz Josef]

Agreed - first rate

[hutchtoo]

I have a G4 Mini and EyeTV for DTT, and that's an excellent solution. You won't be interested in that since you have cable, but I think what you suggest will be fine. Will you be be recording much? If so, go for the largest HD you can afford.

Thanks for the advice.

Excellent point about recording. Instead of paying $50 for an extra 20GB (from 60->80), I had been considering adding the DVR superdrive instead as a way to manage the growing media collection.

[torifile]

edit: What the hell? I thought I posted in this very same thread over in 3rd party products but it's missing now. :confused:

[hutchtoo]

edit: What the hell? I thought I posted in this very same thread over in 3rd party products but it's missing now. :confused:

Tori: on your suggestion, I moved this post to the proper forum, and the original was deleted.

[Reid]

In your case, the EyeTV 500 doesn't make sense. It only records digital cable and HDTV, which you don't have. And even if you did, the Core Solo Mini will stutter and drop frames while playing video at 1080p resolution.

Has anyone actually used an EyeTV EZ for recording? Elgato's web page recommends it for live viewing only, as all the encoding would have to be handled by your computer. To get hardware encoding you have to move to the next step up in their product line, the EyeTV 200, which costs twice as much.

[torifile]

Tori: on your suggestion, I moved this post to the proper forum, and the original was deleted.
Phew! I thought I was going crazy! ;) Thanks for reposting it in the right place. :) As I said in that other, now non-existant, thread, I'm really interested in hearing about this too.

[hutchtoo]

In your case, the EyeTV 500 doesn't make sense. It only records digital cable and HDTV, which you don't have. And even if you did, the Core Solo Mini will stutter and drop frames while playing video at 1080p resolution.

Has anyone actually used an EyeTV EZ for recording? Elgato's web page recommends it for live viewing only, as all the encoding would have to be handled by your computer. To get hardware encoding you have to move to the next step up in their product line, the EyeTV 200, which costs twice as much.

Yes, that is the concern isn't it. I had (incorrectly?) hoped the 500 would allow you to set a lower output rate.

My confusion with the EyeTV product line is what led me to post the question, due to the feature/price dilemma:
1) EZ has performance issues with recording, relies on the Mac proc
2) The 200 model ~ 2x the cost of the EZ :|
3) The 500 is only $30 more than the 200 :confused:

I might be willing to buy upstream a little bit, just in case we swing for a new HDTV set if HDTV prices drop further this year... It's hard to view these buying decisions holistically with so many moving targets.

[*Joe*]

I have the EyeTV for DTT, and the quality is great, and handles recording a dream! That's what I would personally recommend, after using various TV Tuners this is the only thing that is an acceptable substitute for an actual TV

[turbulentfurball]

Yeah, it is great, but he has cable TV so it's not exactly what he's looking for I think.