HDTV - Knowledgebase Articles

Can I receive digital antenna signals with EyeTV after June 12, 2009?

Digital TV Transition In The United States

On June 12, 2009, a FCC mandated change for antenna signals will take place. The older analog antenna system will be transitioning to a new digital system.

In many situations, the same kind of antenna can be used before and after the transition. However, not all TVs, or TV tuners like EyeTV, will be ready to take advantage of this new system.

See this page for more detailed information:

Elgato TV Tuners And The Transition To Digital Television

Here is the detailed FCC page on the transition:

http://www.dtv.gov/

EyeTV products sold in the United States over the past few years are ready for this transition. Specifically, products like EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus have digital TV tuners built in. All you need to do is connect an antenna, and then Auto Tune for "Digital - Antenna (ATSC)" channels:

1) Open the EyeTV Programs window
2) Visit the Channels section
3) For Service, choose Digital - Antenna (ATSC), and then press Auto Tune

After a few minutes, the scan for channels will be complete.

Other EyeTV-compatible hardware is also ready for this transition - look for ATSC in the specifications. Any product sold in the US that has Hybrid in its name should support ATSC.

If you need help with reception, or choosing the best antenna for your location, then visit http://www.antennaweb.org

All Digital Antenna Users Should Auto Tune Again

Due to the digital TV switch in the United States on June 12, 2009, some digital channels that EyeTV users have been watching for the past few years may suddenly change frequencies.

This means that EyeTV won't be able to find them, unless you Auto Tune again.

Therefore, it's recommended that all EyeTV users receiving digital TV over antenna, should Auto Tune again on or after June 13, 2009.

Many stations are transitioning at midnight, and may be off until early Saturday morning. Due to this, you may want to Auto Tune again sometime Saturday afternoon.

A benefit of this is that you may find more channels than before, since new channels may start broadcasting, and many channels may increase the strength of their signal.

New Features Of Digital TV Over Antenna

• New Channel Numbers

These digital antenna channels, in the ATSC format, will have multipart channel numbers. For example, what was channel 5 will now be called 5-1, and there may be a 5-2 or 5-3 as well. This means that channel 5 is actually broadcasting at multiple channels, and each sub-channel may have different content going on at the same time.

• Open Multiple Channels From Same Frequency

EyeTV has an advantage over a TV, in the sense that you can open up multiple sub-channels at the same time. See this article for instructions:

How do I open several multiplex channels?

• HD Content

These new digital channels often are in high definition (HD), either in the 720p or 1080i format. If you want to find out the resolution of a digital channel in EyeTV:

1) Open Live TV Window for that channel, from the File menu.
2) Choose Show Stream Info from the File menu

A transparent overlay will appear on top of the video, telling you all about that channel.

On average, a HD 720p channel may take 6GB per hour of recording, and a HD 1080i channel may take 8GB. In the US, HD over antenna is in the MPEG-2 format.

• Dolby Digital Audio

You may also notice that Dolby Digital audio may be present. If the channel supports multi-channel audio, then it will say Dolby Digital 5.1. Check your Audio menu in EyeTV for the available audio tracks for that channel.

Does EyeTV work with Verizon FiOS?

Verizon is offering a new video service in some areas of the United States, called FiOS.

Instead of offering video via antenna, cable, or satellite, Verizon is using fiber optic cables to get the video signals to homes. These signals are in the Internet Protocol (IP) format.

Verizon gives a special receiver to FiOS users, and only this device can receive the full range of FiOS signals. The FiOS receiver has a number of outputs, including standard analog ouputs that EyeTV can receive, and high-end digital outputs that only some EyTV products can use.

Using FiOS with EyeTV HD

EyeTV HD is recommended for all FiOS users, since is offers the possibility to receive HD signals (720p or 1080i) from the FiOS box.

A typical FiOS user can attach their receiver to EyeTV HD, using Component cables for video, and red and white cables for audio.

You can select Component video input from the Controls menu in EyeTV, and then the video from the FiOS receiver will appear in EyeTV.

EyeTV HD can also control the FiOS box using an included Infrared Channel Changer (IR Blaster).

See this article for more information about how to setup the Infrared Channel Changer:

How do I setup EyeTV HD to control my cable box or satellite receiver?

Using FiOS with EyeTV 250 Plus or EyeTV Hybrid

EyeTV 250 Plus and EyeTV Hybrid can also work with a FiOS box, but they cannot receive HD signals from the FiOS box. They can receive SDTV signals (up to 480i) from FiOS.

A typical FiOS user can attach their receiver to a product like EyeTV 250 Plus or EyeTV Hybrid, using a S-Video or Composite cable for video, and red and white cables for audio.

You can select S-Video or Composite video input from the Controls menu in EyeTV, and then the video from the FiOS receiver will appear in EyeTV.

To change channels, you can use the FiOS remote - aim it at the FiOS receiver. Out of the box, EyeTV is not able to tell the FiOS receiver to change channels.

They can also control the FiOS box using an Infrared Channel Changer (IR Blaster), which is sold separately.

See this article for more information about IR Blaster usage:

What IR Blasters can work with EyeTV for Set Top Box control? (US Only)

Does EyeTV work with AT&T U-verse?

AT&T is offering a new video service in some areas of the United States, called U-verse.

Instead of offering video via antenna, cable, or satellite, AT&T is using fiber optic cables to get the video signals to homes. These signals are in the Internet Protocol (IP) format.

AT&T gives a special receiver to U-verse users, and only this device can receive the full range of U-verse signals. The U-verse receiver has a number of outputs, including standard analog ouputs that EyeTV can receive, and high-end digital outputs that only some EyeTV devices can use.

Using U-verse with EyeTV HD

EyeTV HD is recommended for all U-verse users, since is offers the possibility to receive HD signals (720p or 1080i) from the U-verse box.

A typical U-verse user can attach their receiver to EyeTV HD, using Component cables for video, and red and white cables for audio.

You can select Component video input from the Controls menu in EyeTV, and then the video from the U-verse receiver will appear in EyeTV.

EyeTV HD can also control the U-verse box using an included Infrared Channel Changer (IR Blaster).

See this article for more information about how to setup the Infrared Channel Changer:

How do I setup EyeTV HD to control my cable box or satellite receiver?

Using U-verse with EyeTV 250 Plus or EyeTV Hybrid

EyeTV 250 Plus and EyeTV Hybrid can also work with a U-verse box, but they cannot receive HD signals from the U-verse box. They can receive SDTV signals (up to 480i) from U-verse.

A typical U-verse user can attach their receiver to a product like EyeTV 250 Plus or EyeTV Hybrid, using a S-Video or Composite cable for video, and red and white cables for audio.

You can select S-Video or Composite video input from the Controls menu in EyeTV, and then the video from the U-verse receiver will appear in EyeTV.

To change channels, you can use the U-verse remote - aim it at the U-verse receiver. Out of the box, EyeTV 250 Plus and EyeTV Hybrid are not able to tell the U-verse receiver to change channels.

They can also control the U-verse box using an Infrared Channel Changer (IR Blaster), which is sold separately.

See this article for more information about IR Blaster usage:

What IR Blasters can work with EyeTV for Set Top Box control? (US Only)

Elgato TV Tuners and the Transition to Digital Televison

On February 17, 2009 the United States will shut down all traditional analog television broadcasts. In its place, local television will be broadcast over-the-air in a digital format. After this date, you will require a digital (ATSC) television tuner and antenna in order to receive these television broadcasts.

The following Elgato TV tuners are NOT affected by the transition:

EyeTV Hybrid (2008 Edition)
EyeTV Hybrid (2007 Edition)
EyeTV 250 Plus (2008 Edition)
EyeTV 250 Plus (2007 Edition)
EyeTV 500
HD HomeRun

All of these Elgato TV tuners receive free over-the-air digital television with an antenna.

What's more, EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus have analog inputs and come with break-out cables for composite video and S-Video. You can continue to use them to connect a set-top box to your Mac for encrypted digital cable and satellite services after the transition.

The 2008 Editions of EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus are also capable of receiving Clear QAM unencrypted digital cable.

The following Elgato TV tuners ARE affected by the transition:
EyeTV 250
EyeTV EZ
EyeTV 200
EyeTV Wonder
EyeTV USB

These Elgato products are older models and receive analog television only. In order to use them to receive over-the-air TV broadcasts with an antenna after 2/17/09, you will require a converter device with a digital tuner. Since the EyeTV products come with analog inputs, you can continue to use them to connect a converter device to your Mac after the transition.

For more information about converter devices with digital tuners, go to https://dtv2009.gov/.

Which product do I own?

Click here for product pictures

More information:

DTV Facts
dtvfacts.com/faq

Federal Communications Commission
www.dtv.gov
1-888-225-5322
TTY: 1-888-835-5322

H.264 Playback in EyeTV has additional requirements for best performance

EyeTV 3.0.2 has added a new playback engine for H.264 video. H.264 is a very efficient codec, that can create high quality images with a low file size and bit rate. H.264 is increasingly used for DVB broadcasts, and EyeTV’s new engine can play SDTV and HDTV resolutions in that format.

Decoding the incoming H.264 stream for playback in EyeTV takes more CPU power than earlier formats, like MPEG-2. This means a modern dual processor G5 or dual core Mac is the minimum needed for the best performance.

EyeTV offers the option to further improve the image via the Display Preferences, and the Deinterlacing settings. These settings, especially Progressive Scan, will further increase the CPU power needed for good playback.

If the H.264 video signal has any drop-outs or distortions, then the resulting EyeTV playback may have missing frames. This is due to the exacting nature of H.264 broadcasts - a minimal data loss can have a large effect.

When using EyeTV to capture and display H.264 streams, please be aware of how your Mac’s CPU strength, along with your EyeTV Preferences and overall signal strength and quality, can adversely affect playback.

Our engineers are exploring ways to optimize the H.264 playback, so that a wider variety of Macs can play such content. Such optimizations should be available in future updates to EyeTV.

Can I play H.264 HDTV content with EyeTV?

In many countries, particularly those in Europe, H.264 is starting to be used via DVB for HDTV content.

EyeTV 3 improves H.264 HDTV playback performance, and such content can be watched and recorded.

H.264 HDTV playback remains quite CPU intensive and requires at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Can I Use Turbo.264 with HDTV content?

Turbo.264 can be used to convert a variety of file formats, including HD resolution recordings. However, the Turbo.264 hardware has a resolution limit of 800 x 600.

Use the AppleTV export preset to get the highest resolution, up to 800 x 600.

That 800 x 600 file may be automatically stretched anamorphically to 960 by 540, to preserve the aspect ratio. That will only happen for Apple TV exports.

The Turbo component will preserve the aspect ratio and resolution of the source recording, if it's 800 x 600 or less. For example, a 480p resolution recording (720 x 480) will still be 720 x 480 after the AppleTV export.

A high resolution 16:9 recording (like 720p or 1080i) will scale down to a maximum resolution of 960 by 540, when using the Apple TV export.

An export using the Apple TV export does not have to be used with Apple TV. It can be used with any application or device that can play H.264 at that resolution. Use the Turbo.264 preferences to select a particular export destination.

How much space does it take to store an hour of widescreen HDTV?

HDTV is approximately 8GB per hour.

The EyeTV 500 product requires a “G4 500 MHz or better” processor. Why is that?

Decoding MPEG-2 video is a very CPU-intensive task. EyeTV will not be able to decode MPEG-2 content in real-time on a slower processor. It takes a dual processor G5 to display full size, full frame rate HDTV.

What is the range of bitrates of the HDTV MPEG-2 transport streams?

HDTV can go up to 19.2 MBit/sec of MPEG-2. HDTV broadcasters encode the video before broadcasting, and EyeTV displays whatever is sent.

Can I use HDTV over cable or satellite with EyeTV 500?

You can receive unencrypted HDTV programs over antenna or cable with EyeTV 500, but not satellite TV. You cannot use a cable box.

What are the inputs on EyeTV 500?

EyeTV 500 is an HDTV ATSC / Clear QAM product and only contains terrestrial antenna and unencrypted digital cable inputs (both coaxial). It has no video encoding capabilities to capture from analog devices. That means it does not have S-Video nor composite inputs, and cannot change analog video into digital.

Which EyeTV products support HDTV?

There are several HDTV formats that EyeTV products can support:

HDTV over Antenna (ATSC) in North America

EyeTV 250 Plus
EyeTV Hybrid
EyeTV One
EyeTV 500
TVMini HD
HDHomeRun
Any ATSC product that supports EyeTV

HDTV over Antenna (DTT/Freeview/DVB-T) for International Users

EyeTV 250 Plus INT
EyeTV Hybrid INT
EyeTV Hybrid INT (2008 model)
EyeTV Diversity
EyeTV for DTT
EyeTV DTT Deluxe
EyeTV 410
FireDTV T/CI
Any DVB-T product that supports EyeTV

HDTV over unencrypted digital cable (Clear QAM) in North America

EyeTV 250 Plus (2008 model)
EyeTV 500
EyeTV Hybrid (2008 model)
EyeTV Hybrid (2009 model)
HDHomeRun
TVMini HD
Any Clear QAM product that supports EyeTV

HDTV over unencrypted digital cable (DVB-C) for International Users

EyeTV Hybrid INT (2008 model)
EyeTV 610
FireDTV C/CI
Any DVB-C product that supports EyeTV

HDTV over satellite (DVB-S/S2) for International Users

EyeTV Sat
EyeTV 310
FireDTV S2
Any DVB-S/2S product that supports EyeTV

HDTV over Component

EyeTV HD
Hauppauge HD PVR

The International standard used to broadcast HDTV in MPEG-4 AVC and H.264 is supported as of EyeTV 2.5.

Please note that Clear QAM represents only a few, random channels out of hundreds of digital cable channels. There is no guarantee that you will receive any one channel, or even any channels, when using a Clear QAM tuner with your particular cable service. Clear QAM support does work, but it will not replicate your full cable lineup.

ATSC and Clear QAM are formats primarily used in North America, and not in Europe or Australia.

Two EyeTV compatible products can receive HDTV from an external receiver, like a cable box or satellite receiver. One is the Hauppauge HD PVR - with EyeTV 3.1 or higher, it can work and receive HDTV from component cables. The EyeTV HD, used with EyeTV 3.4 or higher software, also receives HDTV from a cable box or satellite receiver via component cables.

EyeTV products with analog inputs can receive standard and premium channels from a cable box or satellite receiver, in SDTV format.

To play full resolution HDTV, you need any Core Duo Mac, a Core 2 Duo Mac, or a Dual G5. A slower Mac will play the recording, but scaled down from HDTV resolution to 1/4 resolution (similar to DVD quality).