EyeTV Hybrid – Mac TV tuner stick that receives free over-the-air (OTA) HDTV, Clear QAM & analog TV (10020630)

Love it – The quality is AWESOME.
I got this to use in my office in New York City. The office building is surrounded by other buildings, which to me means that a signal for HDTV should be impossible. I connected this to my MAC, installed the included software, plugged in a TERK indoor HD antenna, and I was up and running in less then 10 minutes with the NY local networks in HD.

I WAS SHOCKED.

I had perfect signal strength and now a DVR on my mac. I was watching HD TV and able to pause, rewind, record, schedule, etc….

Pros:
MAC compatible.
USB – which makes it portable between home and the office.
Software is top notch.
It works out of the box…no setup issues.

NO CONS I can think of.

I love the software interface and the picture quality.

Enjoy!

Fantastic Product
I purchased this back in September (directly from Amazon) and wanted to come back and write a positive review for the the EyeTV Hybrid. Note: I can vouch for the Amazon.com product and the manufacturer (Elgato – they have a web site) but I don’t know about any other online sellers that sell through Amazon.

I was able to give my Mac the powers of television with EyeTV (I also was able to de-clutter my room by getting rid of my old TV). I use EyeTV Hybrid currently with my analog cable and it works great. Just hook up the cable to the EyeTV Hybrid tuner stick and then the tuner stick to a USB port on your computer. (It also works if you have a cable box or satellite box). The instructions on the CD software were pretty straightforward and I had it up and running within an hour (it takes a while for EyeTV to download your tv channels and listings for the first time).

I have a new 24″ iMac and I keep EyeTV running/open all the time (this helps if you have scheduled recordings). The resolution is great in normal screen mode (a small window floating on your screen while you work in other applications). Even in full screen mode (which I use every day) the resolution for an analog cable signal is good. It looks better if you’re sitting at least 2 feet away from your screen if you have analog cable (It’s not EyeTV’s fault, it’s the same quality as if you are watching analog on the new HDTVs). The digital channels look brilliant.

There are tons of features, but the one I use most is the Program Guide. It works like TiVo (using your computer’s hard drive to store the recorded programs). Just as advertised, you can record, pause, and rewind live TV. And, if you have Toast 9, you can burn your recorded shows onto DVD. Best of all, the Program Guide is FREE (no monthly fees). The only weird thing is that one of my PBS stations doesn’t show up on the channel list and I can’t seem to fix the problem. That’s only one of two problem I have encountered. The other is not being able to edit recorded programs (Example: deleting commercials to get the file size smaller for later burning onto DVD). The instructions are located in the Help menu, and it just might be me not being able to figure them out. My brother has owned the product for his Mac for two years and is still happy with it.

Another reviewer mentioned that he didn’t like the remote, but I think it’s just fine. EyeTV also works with an Apple remote, but I use the one that came with EyeTV. It looks just like an average remote, but figuring out what some of the buttons do requires taking a look a the user guide (in the Help menu). It is true that if the tuner stick is hidden behind your computer, you may have to aim at an indirect angle. But it’s not that bad. That reviewer also mentioned that the tuner stick was “clunky.” For hanging off of a PowerBook, probably. But for my iMac, it sits unobtrusively in the back with all the other cables.

The company’s web site says this version is set up to work with the new digital transition, so I think there are no worries in that regard. (It already works with digital channels and set-top boxes, so I don’t see any issues that would come up later). I hope this review helps.

Eton FR400 Self-Powered Water-Resistant AM/FM Radio with NOAA and TV-VHF (Defender)

A “”Must Pack “Radio
This is radio that is for your “Must Pack” list whenever you travel. Quality is excellent with solid sound reception for AM, FM and Weather. No need to worry about power if you end up in the wilderness. Just turn the crank and you’re back in touch with the world. Just ordered one as Christmas gift for my outdoor-obsessed son in law. It’ll be a fixture on his boat and in his golf bag, I am certain. He has to stay in touch with what’s happening and this this will make that happen for him.

Can’t pick up stations
It has wonderful features, but I was unable to pick up my two local NPR stations! We tried and tried, and though we are not more than five miles from one of our local stations, there was absolutely no reception. Perhaps it was just a lemon, because I haven’t read this criticism anywhere else. I may try another one, because other than that I thought it was great. Eton FR400 Hand Crank Radio and Power Generator (Red)

Coby TFTV1022 10.2-Inch LCD TV

Wonderful small screen TV
This Coby 10 inch screen is perfect for my kitchen counter. Takes up so little foot print. True it takes a few seconds before the picture is displayed. The tuner is super – when I select channel 4 (NBC), one channel at a time is shone. There are 4 different channel 4’s – all belonging to NBC. Now I am getting the signal from the air.

Hoped for better
I have been very disappointed in this little TV. I purchased it to replace an analogue TV that I have used in the kitchen for many years. Unfortunately, I inadvertently purchased an outdoor antenna, rather than indoor. Even so, I attached it to the TV and it did make a difference, but I still don’t get even the number of channels I was receiving on the analogue set (the latter with NO antenna).

The picture is bright but I have never been able to adjust the color properly; it looks a little faded and washed out. (I have a large-screen LCD TV in another room and it has a gorgeous picture – but it is hooked up to cable.)

The closed captioning is so small that you have to be within a couple of feet of the set in order to read it.

The sound on mine is definitely tinny and it gets worse as volume increases, making for a very ‘fine line’ between hearing and annoyance!

I hope the channel pick-up will improve when the changeover is made to digital.

If you buy it (and I realize that many people have been happy with it) be sure to get an appropriate antenna if you aren’t hooking up to cable. I’m going to get an indoor antenna and try again, but my expectations are not high.

VideoSecu Adjustable Tilt Wall Mount Plasma TV LCD Flat Panel Screen black Bracket MP50B 1GR

Wonderful Product
I tried to find an inexpensive mount and all I could find in the store is very expensive ones. When I found this one I thought I would give it a try because of the price. I think it is great! Very well built and comes with everything you need. I would not hesitate to buy another one if I ever need it.

Awesome!
I bought this unit for my 42″ LCD TV. It is easy to install and very realiable. I would recommend this product strongly. Thank you

Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box

Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box Customer Review: comparison with dtvpal plus
I purchased the two major timer event schedulable/programmable converter boxes available as of this date: the Zinwell and the DTVPal Plus (enhanced version of the DTVPal or TR-40 CRA). These are some of the major problems and advantages of each.

The biggest problem I have with the Zinwell is that the remote control is the flimsiest and cheapest control I have ever seen with any product. The down arrow button is already having problems responding to pressing after only a few days. It usually takes several years before buttons on a remote control begin to go bad, and I am concerned that this one will not even be working a year from now.

The biggest problem with the DTVPal Plus is the reception. The Plus is supposed to have enhanced reception over the prior models which were famous for bad reception (and you pay $20 more for the ‘enhancement’), but in my area it gets a couple less UHF channels than the Zinwell and often has some breakup on the local ABC affiliate.

Both devices get the clock time automatically from the digital signal but both devices keep erratic time occasionally, and the Zinwell is especially bad. After a few days, the Zinwell became stuck at 62 minutes behind the correct time and the DTVPal Plus became stuck at 53 minutes ahead. If you are buying this to schedule timed events, this is obviously going to be a problem. Attempts to remedy do not help, but after a couple of days the devices go back to the correct time for awhile. The Zinwell has no daylight savings on/off (which is not the problem in my case anyway), while the DTVPal Plus does allow you to control daylight savings. The Zinwell has the advantage that you can manually set the time, while the DTVPal Plus does not allow you to. Even after manually setting the time in the Zinwell, I found it loses 1-2 minutes per week and also loses the clock time completely if power goes out even for a second (most devices will hold the time for 2-3 minutes in a power outage). I have mine on a UPS (backup battery) to keep it from losing time in a brief power outage. At least the Zinwell allows you to control the time.

I have had a problem with the Zinwell mysteriously changing the number of channels (ch. 5 suddenly became 31) with no way of changing the numbers back-even re-recognizing does not help. This is a huge annoyance that makes browsing channels and scheduling events difficult. The Zinwell has a quirk at the end of the timer scheduling process that makes it easy to cancel your timer event, so watch out.

The analog pass-thru of the DTVPal Plus provides a strong signal but shuts off digital operation if you go into analog pass-thru mode. The Zinwell puts a little interference on the analog signal, but if you connect all cables (both RF/coax and RCA/composite) it keeps digital operation alive while in pass-thru mode so it is easy to switch back and forth between digital and analog channels. If you turn off the DTVPal Plus, it will automatically go into pass-thru mode, but if you turn off the Zinwell pass-thru is not available-the Zinwell must be powered on in order to use analog pass-thru.

If you like on-screen program guides, the DTVPal Plus has a better one than the Zinwell, and you can even schedule timer events direct from the program guide with the DTVPal Plus. If you get a Zinwell, do not throw out the manual. Zinwell has unfortunately set a password on some of the channel functions, so you will need to look up the default password in the manual if you try to access these functions.

Do not expect much support. Both companies took several days to respond to an inquiry and gave canned answers that did not address my question. After supplying follow-up information, neither company got back to me. There are several other issues and quirks with both devices.
Customer Review: It works
Unpack it, hook it up, and use it. No problem.

cph