“Thunderbolt” is turning up in my inbox quite a bit, with pitches for Thunderbolt docks, drives, adapters and expansion devices. No doubt that is helped in part by the news that Thunderbolt will be coming to computers from select PC vendors, including Acer and Asus, arriving sometime in the second quarter of this year. But it also helps that nearly all of Apple’s line of computers, including its popular iMac desktop, have put Thunderbolt into the hands of a much broader potential market of peripheral shoppers.

Some of the products on tap include more-traditional external drives than we have seen to date, with SSD drives from usual-suspect Mac accessory makers like Elgato and OCZ. These drives still are not exactly aimed at the average computer user, since they will reportedly come in starting at $400 for storage sizes of 128 GB and up. But they should be a hit with pro video and audio editors, as well as the semi-pro or serious hobbyist crowd.

Much more interesting to mainstream Mac users are devices like the Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock, which should arrive in September and will boast three USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 800 connection, a Gigabit Ethernet port, one 3.5 mm audio jack and two Thunderbolt ports. Basically, it provides a lot of what the Apple Thunderbolt Display offers but without the screen and for a heavily reduced price of $299. For users who want a quick and easy docking solution for plug-and-play home theater connectivity, this is a good solution and cheaper than many receivers.

Another solution that average users might get some use from is the Thunderbolt eSATA hub shown off by LaCie at CES. It features connections for up to two eSATA-connected drives via one Thunderbolt port, along with a second Thunderbolt port for daisy-chaining. ESATA drives are loads cheaper than their native Thunderbolt equivalents, and with top speeds of 6 Gbps, eSATA is still plenty fast for most users. No word on pricing yet, but this one is coming soon: within the first quarter of 2012.

LaCie also unveiled a dual 3.5-inch drive enclosure called the 2Big that hooks up via Thunderbolt, with size offerings of up to 8 TB of total storage planned. I wouldn’t expect this one to be within the average consumer’s price range, but the more the tech is adopted at all levels, the better the potential of lower prices across the board.

Some of these items are still pro-focused and the others aren’t exactly cheap, but at least accessory makers finally seem to be embracing the possibilities that Thunderbolt offers. With cheaper third-party cables and maybe some USB 3.0 cross-compatibility, this should be the year we see the Thunderbolt port get used for more than just Mini DisplayPort connections.

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AirPlay support in EyeTV means that, so long as you have hardware capable of running EyeTV on your computer (like the Elgato EyeTV HD, for instance), you’ll be able to take your home cable or satellite subscription with you wherever you go and view it on the big screen if you also have an Apple TV and a decent internet connection. At a hotel, for instance, you could hook up your Apple TV to the provided in-room television, and using either a 3G connection (if you have a lot of bandwidth) or Wi-Fi, watch live TV from your cable box at home, including all your subscribed channels, complete with the ability to record shows and change channels as you watch.

It’s a great way to get access to TV everywhere without waiting for your cable company to wise up and provide it themselves. I’ve even known people who’ve used similar setups to share cable connections between households, and AirPlay support lowers the hardware requirements for entry (you no longer need an actual computer on the receiving end). Or if a friend you’re visiting doesn’t get the game you want to watch, you could bring along your Apple TV and use your iPhone to watch it live.

Ideally, we’d be able to pay for on-demand access to live and archived content from wherever we are whenever we want. Since that future’s a long way off (if we’ll ever get there), this update to EyeTV provides a very nice best-fit solution in the meantime. Let us know how EyeTV AirPlay performance is working out for you in the comments if you’ve got the app.

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Recently, Elgato released EyeTV for the iPhone (AppStore Link). At a cost of $4.99, its marketing blurb offers the following functionality:

With the EyeTV app, you can watch, record, and enjoy live and recorded TV on your iPhone or iPod touch. At last, you don‘t have to leave all your great TV shows at home; the EyeTV app puts the power of award-winning EyeTV in the palm of your hand.

The EyeTV app accesses EyeTV running on your Mac at home to deliver these great features to your iPhone:

• Watch live TV and change channels anywhere (Wi-Fi connection required)
• Watch your EyeTV recordings
• Browse the comprehensive Program Guide
• Start recordings back home on your Mac immediately or schedule them for later
• View and edit your recording schedules

How Does it Measure Up?

Now that we know the promises, how does the functionality work in practise and does it live up to the hype? To set the picture accurately; my set up is a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini with 2GB of RAM and two Elgato Digital USB Tuner sticks. This is hooked up to an Airport Express, which extends my existing wireless connection from another room. Between myself and my wife, we have an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 2nd Gen, so I will be testing EyeTV on all three looking for differences.

Setting Up and Preparing

After downloading the EyeTV app from iTunes and installing onto my three iDevices, I had to update EyeTV to version 3.2 on my Mac mini by simply checking for updates. Once updated, switching on iPhone streaming was a simple option in the preferences.

There is also functionality for using Elgato’s servers to allow connecting to your EyeTV device from outside your wireless network called “My EyeTV.” This works in a similar manner to Apple’s “Back To My Mac” functionality of MobileMe and requires UPnP support between your EyeTV host and your router. Because I have an AirPort Express extended network, UPnP didn’t work — but I was able to manually configure a port forwarding rule in my router on port 2170 to make the service work.

Advanced options allow you to require a passcode to connecting a device and the option to automatically convert recordings into a format suitable for streaming at a later time. While Live TV does not need to be prepared, recorded content does.

You can however, also prepare recordings manually, on a case-by-case basis.

After starting the iPhone app and entering my “My EyeTV” details, I get the option of connecting via Wi-Fi (on the bottom) and via “My EyeTV” (on top). When connected to my local wireless, the “My EyeTV” connection did not work (of course you wouldn’t want to do this, but the software doesn’t detect this in any way).

Selecting the local Wi-Fi option connects quickly and presents the app’s main menu.

Watching Live TV

Selecting LiveTV gives a list of channels and what is currently showing.

Clicking on the green icon on the right displays the upcoming programs on that channel.

I can then select the current show to get a summary and an option to “Watch Now.”

This process then takes about 20 seconds of processing and streaming before I get picture and sound, which is smooth and crisp and just as one would expect.

Tapping on the screen brings up the controls which allow pausing, rewinding 30 seconds (and jumping back to the live stream), a volume control and resizing between widescreen (just like in the iPod app).

Pressing the ‘gear’ icon displayed in the top right of the channel listing presents a bandwidth/quality settings screen to enable you to tweak the size of the stream. This worked well and allows you to find the right setting for your moment. The lowest setting is about equal to the early days of You Tube while the highest setting is flawless.

Watching Recordings

Pressing the recordings menu gives you a sub menu to narrow down searching for an existing recording.

Selecting an option (such as Library) gives a list of individual recordings.

While there is no way to search directly for a recording, you can sort the list by a number of means.

Unlike live TV, when watching a recording you get full track scrubbing navigation, not just ‘back 30 seconds.’

The quality of recordings is not configurable like LiveTV is, it depends on the quality options you selected for ‘preparing recordings’ on your Mac. Cellular quality is very low and like You Tube, but if you’re on wireless (or on a jailbroken phone with 3G Un-Restrictor) you get full quality.

Schedules

Schedules let you see what upcoming recordings you have scheduled.

All you can do here is browse and remove an item from the schedule.

Guide

The Guide gives you access to the full electronic TV guide available in your Mac’s EyeTV software, this is exactly the same as when browsing the guide for Live TV, except instead of an option to “Watch Now,” the button is “Record,” which will add the show to your recording schedule.

The Verdict

There is no noticeable speed differences with performance between the iPhone 3G, iPod touch 2nd Gen or the iPhone 3GS. The bottleneck here is available bandwidth and the speed of the host computer. Generally, the functionality works as advertised, however there are some limitations to be aware of, and some version 1.0 bugs that need to be squashed.

• Live streaming does not work on 3G, requires Wi-Fi — thanks AT&T, for affecting my functionality in Australia. However, on a jailbroken phone, I was able to successfully use 3G Unrestrictor to fool EyeTV into thinking it was on Wi-Fi, thus allowing it to work. This worked at a much higher quality than I expected and was also very smooth. Well worth the $2.99 it costs for 3G Unrestrictor.
• Streaming only supports one device at a time. Connecting with my iPhone and watching a live TV stream, then connecting with my iPod touch works, but when actually selecting a channel to view on the iPod touch, it drops the stream for the iPhone. This is probably fair enough as one stream is pretty CPU intensive as it is.
• When both recording a show and streaming live TV, I had two instances of the host application crash, requiring a full EyeTV restart to allow connections again.
• When testing across the Internet while on my work’s wireless, or on 3G, I found my iPhone’s EyeTV app constantly crashing whenever it tried to connect. This seemed to be an issue with the EyeConnect helper software on my Mac mini, which needed to be restarted by turning EyeTV sharing off and on again in my Mac mini.
• When stopping a live or recorded stream, the CPU usage on the host computer often stays high for 5-10 minutes. It looks like its continuing to stream data out and didn’t get the ‘stop’ message from the iPhone. This does seem to eventually time out and really isn’t a big problem unless the CPU usage causes you a problem.
• It would be a nice option to be able to ‘prepare’ a recording for the iPhone remotely.

Once Elgato gets a software update out for both ends of the solution (iPhone and OS X) to fix the crash bugs and bring stability to the software, this will be absolutely great. Until then, it’s a bit of hit and miss, it may work fine or it may need someone to be at your computer to restart software before it works, which defeats the purpose. Elgato is working hard on its forums to replicate user’s issues and make this stable, so its a bright future ahead.

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Like many of you, most recorded footage of my youth was on those archaic black plastic things called VHS tapes. As the rest of society moves into the digital age, I’m facing a battle of preserving my childhood memories on something a little more robust and modern than 800 feet of mylar tape. With many video capturing solutions on the market, I settled on a new product by Elgato, called Video Capture.

As new formats for recording video footage come to market, the quality of these mediums greatly improves. Since the VHS system is considered “analog” and is composed of interlaced video, converting to a digital solution requires some special equipment. These breakout boxes work by allowing you to connect your device via some type of connector (depending on the quality of the box) and to your Mac via USB or FireWire.

Since we’re using the breakout box as an intermediary and there are three devices in the chain, there is a potential for less than stellar quality due to any number of reasons: the breakout box in particular, the video tape you’re capturing from, or the VCR deck itself. Considering most of these devices are in the same price range, they are probably all comparable in quality. (Though as you will read on the Internet, everyone has a different opinion as to which one is the best.)

Elgato’s solution, retailing for $99, is a very simple dongle that attaches either via composite or S-video to your device and via USB to your Mac. The biggest concern many have about these types of devices is the flexibility they will have with capturing their video. Elgato includes their own video capture software with their device, though it is quite simple. For many, this is all you will need.

Getting Started

When you start the software, you are asked simple questions about how you have chosen to connect your media device and the aspect ratio of your footage. For folks converting from VHS like me, you’ll want to pick 4:3. The video will be captured at 640×480 resolution.

The biggest oddity about the way the software functions is that before recording, it asks the user to determine the overall length of the recorded project. There are several options to choose from, at varying intervals from 10 to 180 minutes, each giving you an estimate of the final output size. You can stop recording at any point before your pre-set time has elapsed. If you have footage recorded in “EP” or “LP” modes, your tapes could have more than 3 hours of footage on them, making it awkward for bulk captures.

Recording

Once you begin recording, it is pretty much hit or miss. When you hit stop recording, the application is done and saves your file. For some, this may not be a concern as they plan to further split up clips or edit their footage in something like iMovie. Others may find this problematic if they are looking for a bit more control. Some of these concerns can be assuaged as the application does allow users to trim the start and end points of their captured footage.

After you stop recording, you have options within the software to instantly play the file in QuickTime, add it to iTunes, edit with iMovie or upload directly to YouTube. The videos are output in either H.264 or MPEG-4.

Based on the footage I have captured thus far, I have been quite impressed with Elgato’s solution. Sometimes the quality may not be the best but again, in my case, this is VHS we’re talking about. How many times in your home movies are there other concerns to worry about, like somebody panning the camera too fast?

I’m rating Elgato’s solution four out of five stars. Its software is simple and easy to use, and they included all of the cables I would need to plug its device directly into my VCR. The only cons are the limited in-application editing options and the awkward “time restrictions.” The good news is that these could easily be corrected with a future software update.

For some, they may criticize the lack of higher definition inputs, such as component video or HDMI, but these types of capture devices exist and are much pricier. It really just depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Why go overboard for something simple? As a quick and simple way to preserve VHS tapes, this is a great solution and feels a bit stronger than some of the other slightly cheaper options.

If you’ve had an opportunity to use the Elgato video capture or one of the other competitor products, let me know in the comments below.

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Elgato is a company synonymous with television and video hardware products for the Mac. Today they announced the availability of Turbo.264 HD, a hardware conversion tool that offers a fast way to encode video between formats or move video off your HD camcorder.

Many different software tools exist for converting video on the Mac, ranging from QuickTime itself, to more advanced solutions such as HandBrake. Depending upon the Mac hardware you’re running, these software solutions may mean an extensive wait for converting video — particularly if you’re doing so at HD resolution. Hardware encoders such as the Turbo.264 HD can take the load off your Mac, and dramatically speed up the process.

Main Features

Convert between any and all formats

The main features and selling points of the new hardware encoder fall into four different categories:

1. HD Camcorder Support — Provides far quicker conversion to a viewable desktop video format. The example provided by Elgato is that where it used to take over an hour to make a 15-minute movie, it now takes less than 20 minutes.
2. Accelerate TV Export & Video Conversion — Either between video formats, or from the EyeTV recording software
3. Preview & Trim Video Files — You can directly edit video before commencing a conversion or import.
4. Suitable for all levels of knowledge — Default profiles allow converting for your iPhone, YouTube or HD. Alternatively, you can create custom video output profiles by adjusting size, aspect ratio, overscan, frame rate, data rate and more.

Software Interface

The software interface for Turbo.264 HD seems remarkably simple — important for a fairly technical process such as video encoding. It ensures that an average user won’t be confused when opening the application, while also offering a wealth of more advanced conversion options for power users.

After adding videos to convert, you can select a particular quality setting for each, ranging from “iPod Small,” all the way through to full 1080p HD. Obviously, the higher the quality chosen, the longer the encoding process will take.

Adding Video & Selecting Encoding

Once you’ve got the conversion going, a progress window shows how far along the current video is, along with how many other videos are still queued for processing. Also interesting is a reading which displays how many Frames Per Second are currently being converted:

Encoding Progress

Who Needs It?

It seems that there are two types of users who could benefit from purchasing a Turbo.264 HD. First are those who simply convert a lot of video, or regularly record live TV to move onto a portable device (or iTunes). If you regularly find yourself checking your watch while the fan whirrs away on your laptop, this could be a real time saver. It’s also particularly useful if you’re a big YouTube fan, as videos can be exported for uploading to the web (and even automatically uploaded to YouTube, if desired).

The other users are those who own a HD camcorder and would like a faster way to move their video off it to a usable desktop format. Doing this through an external device, such as the Turbo.264 HD, can make it a much more enjoyable process, rather than one which seems to take an eternity. It integrates in the background with iMovie or Final Cut Pro, so you can still benefit from all the great video editing features of those apps while enjoying improved exporting performance.

Pricing and Availability

The Turbo.264 HD is currently on sale for $149.95 and requires Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard. You can pick one pick one up directly from Elgato, and shipping starts on March 23.

If you don’t require HD functionality, the older model can still be picked up for $99 from the Apple Store.

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In recent years, the Mac has become a device capable of acting as a very powerful media center. iTunes, Front Row, and OS X in general, provide a plethora of features which justify the Mac as a living room device.

That said, one vital piece is missing as a standard: watching and recording live TV on your Mac. There is a wide variety of hardware and software which allow you to watch TV, and this post will cover some of the options available to you.

What’s available?

There are several different TV receivers available for the Mac. They all connect via USB, plug into an antenna socket (some include small, portable antennas), and are bundled with a piece of software. Many offer slightly different additional features which meet the specific needs of different users.

The most widely known company producing Mac tuners is Elgato. They develop a range of ‘EyeTV’ devices, and also the widely acclaimed EyeTV Software. The main competitors to Elgato consist of Pinnacle and Miglia. Interestingly, the majority of TV products are aimed at the non-U.S. international market. I’ll note which devices are international and which are U.S. compatible below.

Elgato

EyeTV Hybrid – A versatile DVB-T/DVB-C/Analogue TV tuner and FM radio receiver. EyeTV Hybrid also comes with a video cable for composite (RCA) and S-Video to connect a set-top box to your Mac for satellite or premium channels. This is a very versatile device, which supports most connections (even allowing the use of gaming consoles). It comes with the EyeTV software, a remote control, and is available in European and US versions.

EyeTV Diversity – A dual TV tuner stick that receives Digital Terrestrial Television (DVB-T, or DTT). In “Dual-Tuner mode”, you can watch two different TV shows on your Mac at the same time, or watch one show while you record another. A “Diversity” mode can also be used, which amplifies the received signal through combining both tuners. Quite a formidable concept, with some great functionality. It’s Europe only for the moment.

EyeTV DTT (+ Deluxe) – A compact DVB-T TV tuner with either a full size antenna plug, or a compact version (in the Deluxe edition). You can opt for the standard DTT to receive the basic tuner with no extras, or the Deluxe DTT which comes bundled with a small portable antenna, a remote control and is small enough to fit snugly in the MacBook Air. As with the Diversity, it’s Europe only.

Pinnacle

Pinnacle only offers one TV tuner product for the Mac, the HD Mini Stick. It’s a fairly basic device, with different versions for the US and Europe. It comes with a mini remote, a portable antenna and a carry-bag. Rather than being bundled with the full EyeTV 3 software, they come with a stripped down version called ‘EyeTV Lite’. This still offers most of the main functionality you’d need — basic features such as watching, scheduling and recording TV. It’s possible to upgrade to the full version at a later date. For the price, however, you’d be better off opting for one of Elgato’s devices in the first place.

Miglia

And so we come to the final offering — Miglia’s TV Mini devices. With one exception, these are all non-U.S. — only the TVMicro Express works in the USA. The product lineup from Miglia is as follows:

• TVMini+ – A portable tuner with support for digital & analogue TV, as well as connecting composite and S-Video.
• TVMini 2 – Featuring a compact design, perfect for thin Apple laptops.
• TVMini Express – The budget version, with a relatively compact size and no frills.
• TVBook Pro Express – An unnecessarily long name, but this tuner fits into the ExpressCard slot in the MacBook Pro. Clever!
• TVMicro Express – The international version of the TVMini Express, working worldwide.

Miglia have an extensive line up, and you’ll probably find that only a few of their devices are available where you are. They all come bundled with Miglia’s own TV software, which supports recording, scheduling, integrating with an online TV guide and exporting into iTunes/iPod/Apple TV etc.

Conclusion

It is clear to see that the different companies producing Mac TV products are differentiating their lineup in a similar way. You’ll need to decide whether you want: (a) a compact and budget device; (b) one which supports composite and S-Video inputs; (c) one which fits into an ExpressCard slot; or (d) one with multiple tuners for simultaneous recording/viewing.

Software is also a very important consideration. The definitive market leader is EyeTV 3, which undoubtedly provides a wide range of features. However, if you’re looking to save a few hard earned pennies and don’t require the latest and sleekest software, opting for a device offering EyeTV Lite or MigliaTV could be a cheaper option.

Regardless of which you opt for, I hope this article has opened your eyes to the range of options available and will allow you to make a better informed decision!

Note: There are also a number of TV tuner devices which support hardware encoding of TV shows to a H.264 format. I haven’t covered these in this review (to keep it to a readable size!) but may do so in a future post.

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