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EyeTV Netstream DTT
Network Dual Tuner
(DTT DVB-T Freeview TNT TDT)
With so many PVR (personal video recorder)
options available for the consumer, the recording of live TV is
definitely a landmine for the uninitiated. You have standalone devices
like TiVO, USB TV adapters for your Mac/PC and even TV's that allow you
to connect a USB thumb drive and these are only a few of the different
technologies available. Throw in a variety of brands, a myriad of products that seem to
cross-over with each other and for some, the choice is not that easy as
to what will be your primary PVR option.
However if your an Apple fan (PC users can still apply), Elgato's EyeTV
Netstream DTT may be the perfect option for you as it allows you to
stream live TV onto your computer network that even includes the iPhone.
Best of all, this device connects to your wireless router which means
cables are now a thing of the past and you can enjoy free to air TV in
any room of your house. Add in FULL HD and you'll be watching and
recording your favourite TV shows from the comfort of your Mac/PC and
with a dual tuner, this allows for several options over your home
network such as one user recording and another one watching regular
Freeview TV.
Our first thoughts of the unit was that the design of the EyeTV Netstream DTT is quite sleek yet Spartan that
makes it the perfect device to be located anywhere in your house without
it being an eye sore. The box basically has a connection for a
terrestrial aerial and network cable with all the processing done by
your PC. It even comes with a small antenna that can bypass your wired
antenna connection, provided you have decent reception.
The installation process of Elgato EyeTV Netstream DTT was a
breeze and even those with a minimal amount of computer experience can
easily setup and configure their new PVR network. It should be noted
however that the installation on the Mac is far superior than the PC. We
did have a few hiccups with our Windows 7 machine not recognising the
unit but after a software update, everything seemed to work fine.
The only tricky aspect of the Netstream DTT
is that you need to have your router near your antenna connection (e.g.
in the same room). In a perfect world, it would be wireless to your
router and then wireless to your computer network. Also, in relation to
running this software on your PC, you do need a rather decent CPU behind
the processing, including a good network setup because it is rather CPU
intensive while using this on a PC. However on the Mac, it seemed to run
faster and less interference with the Operating System. With that said,
the system requirements
of this product can be found at the end of this review.
Once the EyeTV Netstream DTT was
installed, we were treated to a rather intuitive interface and as the
unit is an intelligent device, it has a centralised configuration point
via the web browser. By centralising the configuration, it means that
all settings will relay over the network without complicated
configurations on every computer over your network.
The software
included for this product include EyeTV 3 for the Mac and Terratec Home
Cinema (compatible with Windows Media Center), two easy to use software
packages. Although our favourite PVR software or more particular
hardware is TiVO but both these programs still do a good job at
accessing your favourite TV channels, recording, scheduling, electronic
program guide etc. Once it scanned for all the channels in Australia, we
were watching TV from the comfort of our desktop and laptop computers.
The video and audio
quality of the EyeTV Netstream DTT is exceptional. However this is
dependent on a few factors, the strength of your antenna signal, whether
you have access to HDTV via DVB-T and signal quality of your wireless
network. If you do, you can experience 720p and 180i HDTV (MPEG-@ &
H.264/AVC) video quality that looks quite impressive on our monitors and
laptops. With that said, the Elgato boast that the quality setting of
the EyeTV Netstream DTT is only Lossless. Add in Dolbyฎ Digital sound
and users can experience all the bells and whistles of FULL HD TV on
their computer network with no loss of quality.
In terms of the
software, the programs allows you to change channels and record Live TV.
There is also a 14-day electronic program that allows you to see
upcoming TV programs and you also have the ability to get a "season
pass" for your favourite series.
In terms of recording, the software
even allows you to archive a program onto a DVD or even export a show
onto your Apple TV, iPhone, iPod and even PlayStation Portal. The Apple
software flawlessly integrates with both Apple TV and iTunes quite
well, although the PC software is a little bit more clunky.
You
can even display two channels on your Mac/PC at once, however if one
person is already recording on their computer, this will limit the other
person to one channel. If you own an iPhone or iPad, you can purchase
the EyeTV software for $5.99 (AUD) which basically allows you to access
the EyeTV software and hardware via your smart device to watch TV,
recordings or access the program guides to record TV on your Mac/PC.
In the end, Elgato's
EyeTV Netstream DTT is a great option for both Mac and PC users who wish
for the convenience of recording live TV onto their computers and laptops.
With a dual tuner, and wireless connectivity, the installation and scope
of the product is quite impressive and the only drawback we could find
with the EyeTV Netstream DTT is that you do need a good computer to run
it and you need to have your router and antenna connection in the same
room.
Apart from this, the EyeTV
Netstream DTT is a great product!
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