I've had several HDD digital TV set-top boxes in past years but I've found an EyeTV-equipped Mac connected to a big screen to be far superior even for simple recording schedules, let alone all the other features (Note that AppleTV won't do any off-air TV recording so none of this is possible with that box). Here's just a few reasons:
- SmartGuides in EyeTV for example are far superior to time and date scheduling as you just type in a keyword like "David Attenborough" or "science fiction" or "sbs news" and it will automatically record every documentary or movie that has that name in either the title or the paragraph description or type that accompanies every show in the Electronic Program Guide. Priceless, particularly when broadcasters move shows around or cancel or start them back up with little notice. I must have 30 or more smart guides for all sorts of shows and categories on my TV iMac. Smart Guides also allow you to enter complex criteria to weed out duplicates on HD channels etc if you want to get fancy. Smartguides can also be set to only keep a set number of a particular show, so we always have the last two days worth of the Ten, ABC, SBS and Nine evening news sitting on our Mac ready to watch if we so wish. - Exporting to iPod format means I have been able to build up a large library of movies, docos, Playschool (yes we have a toddler) and other recordings on a separate hard drive array that take up far less room than the huge MPEG-2 files that come down straight from the broadcaster and which fill the HDDs of set top boxes far too quickly. Of course, these can also easily be synched with your iPhone etc since they are already on the Mac - no disc burning or complex file transfers needed. - MUCH friendlier user interface - Using the built-in scheduling interfaces of most set-top boxes in my experience can be a very frustrating, cramped, limiting experience trying to enter data from a stupidly complex remote control. Instead being able to use a wireless mouse and Apple's excellent Bluetooth keyboard is SO much easier, there is no comparison. - If you need to record more than just one or two channels simultaneously, adding extra EyeTV receivers is an exercise in simplicity - plug it in a spare USB port, connect the antenna and voila! an extra TV channel. I've had 4 or more EyeTV units running on our lounge room iMac in the past allowing me to view and/or record up to that many channels simultaneously, all appearing in separate windows on the 50" Plasma. Picture-in-Picture eat your heart out. :-) - Cost. If you already have a useable Mac, an EyTV DTT USB receiver can be as cheap as $120. Maybe add a nice big external hard disk for your Mac and it is still cheaper than a decent set-top box. If you do need to buy a Mac Mini, the extra expense is usually worth it considering all of the computer-based things you can then also do on the big Plasma screen. Having such a large library of up-to-the minute pre-recorded shows means we never watch live TV so we don't sit there wasting our time with ads or shows we aren't really interested in. As a result we actually watch less TV than we ever did before because we only watch exactly what is interesting, we are not slaves to the TV schedule, we skip all the ads and when a recording finishes, we have to make the conscious decision to double-click another recording rather than sitting there in a vegetative state watching one bit of TV flotsam flow into another. IMHO of course. :-) -Mart ------------------------------------ Martin Hill mailto:mart_h...@mac.com homepages: http://web.mac.com/mart_hill Mb: 0401-103-194 hm: (08)9314-5242 On 11/08/2010, at 8:16 AM, John Thompson wrote: > > Hi Pat, > If all you want to do is record and replay tv programs, then why not > consider a single or double hard drive DV recorder. These units vary in cost > from around $600 to less than $200 but work exceptionally well. It would > replace your existing set top box which could be utilised in some other > location. > I have gone this way and think it is a far better solution than using a > computer Elgato device (Both of which I possess but only use for tv when > caravanning. > > Regards > > John Thompson > On 10/08/2010, at 11:33 AM, Pat wrote: > >> >> Hi, Daniel, >> >> I'm trying to work out a solution to the failing health of our old, dying, >> VCR. There aren't many around these days, so I was hoping to jump to a >> saving-to-disk solution. >> >> We have a large CRT tv (3 years old) plus a set top box to receive digital. >> I have been considering getting an Elgato Video Capture Cable but we will >> still need either a Mac Mini or a laptop (or a keyboard) plus other bits as >> an interface. We are not quite ready to buy a digital tv, and we only want >> to record and replay tv programs. >> >> My main question to you is, do you have a used laptop with the right specs >> for sale? >> Intel Core Duo processor >> 512MB of RAM >> Built-in USB 2.0 port >> Mac OS X v10.5.6 Leopard or later >> QuickTime v7.6 or later >> iTunes v8.1 or later >> >> Any info or advice will be gratefully received. >> Pat Scott (WAMUG member 980) >> >> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- >> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> >> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> >> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> >> > > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> > ------------------------------------ Martin Hill mailto:mart_h...@me.com homepages: http://web.mac.com/mart_hill Mb: 0401-103-194 hm: (08)9314-5242 -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au>
