These days it's not unusual to hear of people who have decided to cut off their cable or satellite service. Online access to free TV is easy with Hulu and Boxee and only a small monthly fee is needed to get Netflix, Hulu Plus, PlayOn and similar services. If you live within range of free over-the-air channels, you can also get old-fashioned conventional television via an antenna without ever needing to call a cable guy. Attach that antenna to a TV tuner card connected to your PC or Mac and with the right software you can even have a free PVR.
One such tuner card is Elgato's EyeTV One. The EyeTV One is a basic USB tuner card that allows you to watch free over-the-air high definition ATSC digital broadcasts on a computer. Elgato appears to be pitching its product primarily at Mac users because the package includes EyeTV 3 software that can only be installed on that platform. The EyeTV One can be used on a PC, though, in conjunction with third-party software.
The EyeTV One has a slightly different design from that of other USB tuner cards in that there is a cable between the USB plug and the main component that connects to an antenna. This is a good thing if the USB input that you will want to use is adjacent to another that you also require. The design of the EyeTV One means that it doesn't block access to the other input. The USB plug itself is coated in transparent plastic, while the cable and card component are a trendy silver color. This makes the EyeTV One look ever-so-slightly trendier than most USB tuner.
Because this card is only designed to pick up over-the-air broadcasts, the only connector provided at the opposite end from the USB is a coaxial socket like the one you'll find poking out of your walls at home. This is where you attach an antenna.
The joy of USB tuner cards like the EyeTV One is that the hardware is easy to set up. You screw one end into the coaxial connector that comes on the end of an antenna cable and the other into a USB port on your computer. You may then be prompted to insert the disc that comes with the device and follow the instructions to install the included software (or just the driver, in the case of Microsoft Windows).
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Article comments
1 - Boeke
I don't use a Mac, and on the PC I generally find that 'Kaffeine' works well with Ubuntu and USB sticks from Hauppage and Aver Media.
Does the ElGato work with Ubuntu?
2 - Mike
Hi Boeke. Thanks for the question. I'll look into it. Check back soon.
3 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Looks like if you want it to work with Linux then you're gonna have to compile your own driver code.
System Requirements:
-Macintosh: Intel Core processor, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
-PC: 2.0 GHz Intel/AMD CPU or Intel Atom CPU, Windows 7 Media Center
-1 GB RAM, built-in USB 2.0 port
4 - Jacos Uncle
I'd dislike keeping my Mac on for 10 days. Can these devices turn on or wake up a sleeping Mac to record a program like my old VCR did?
I guess I'm asking whether a Mac can be programmed to turn itself on.
TIA
5 - Michael Simpson
Hi Jacos,
Further to my article above, Elgato has notified me of a workaround for the issues related to Windows Media Centre seeming to be incompatible with the EyeTV One. Here is what they told me:
"We’ve discovered that WMC displays a hardware error message if you attempt to configure ATSC for use in Canada (this applies to HDHomeRun as well). This is unfortunately a quirk of WMC and not a hardware issue. Here is a link to the workaround recommended by Windows:
http://experts.windows.com/w/experts_wiki/enable-atsc-and-qam-in-canada-for-windows-7-media-center.aspx."
Regarding the other comments here, I was not able to get this device to work in Linux and couldn't test wake-up capability on a Mac because I'm running a clunky OS :).
Look out for my upcoming review of Elgato's HDHomeRun.
6 - Michael Simpson
Sorry Jacos. That previous comment was meant for anyone. I forgot to move your name down to the bit about waking up a sleeping Mac :)
7 - iman
Does anyone know if the Eye One version accepts clear QAM channels through a cable connection without any box in between? I have seen sites say ASTC/Clear QAM is what it works with?
8 - iman
That would Eye One in the USA that is.