Comcast’s changes have forced Elgato to adapt – which it has done very nicely.ĭespite the Spanish-sounding name, Elgato is based in Munich, Germany, but has offices in San Francisco. These days, Elgato has been in a running technology battle with the likes of the cable giant Comcast, which is changing how its programs are fed to viewers. However, problems with the Elgato experience are, once again, not always Elgato’s fault. The use of Elgato gear is a decidedly geeky kind of TV timeshifting, and not for technophobes. Every so often, I will overlook some little setting or detail and a favorite program won’t be recorded.

Though Elgato products are now fantastic, using them can result in annoying moments. A detailed timeline of Elgato’s hardware and software products can be found on Wikipedia. Much of this was not Elgato’s fault – Macs (and computers in general) were not powerful and dependable enough to handle the necessary video processing properly, unlike a modern 27-inch iMac that makes a jaw-dropping television when Elgato-ed up. There was a time when they were awful – crude and unreliable, with video quality that was uniformly terrible. My love affair with Elgato’s EyeTV products has grown gradually as they have matured. Once recorded, the programs are normal video files that can be viewed in iTunes or other software, converted to formats that can play on iOS devices, or even fiddled with in video editing software. Users then record what they want, using EyeTV software on their Macs to change channels, set up automated recordings (via online TV Guide listings) and more. They detect analog (NTSC) and digital (ATSC) signals and display them on the Mac’s screen, which becomes a TV. For years, I have depended on my Apple computers and my EyeTV-tuning gadgetry to convert my programs into digital bits so I could watch them whenever and wherever I wanted.ĮyeTV devices plug into a Mac’s USB port and essentially turn the computer into a TiVo-style device. I am a longtime user of EyeTV-tuning gizmos, which are made by Elgato for use, primarily, with the Mac. All my favorite shows – from “60 Minutes” and “Frontline” to “Doctor Who,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” – are recorded and archived for future consumption.Īnd being a Mac nerd, I do this the Mac way. I can’t recall the last time I watched anything live on the tube. I don’t TiVo – if you’ll forgive my use of the word as a verb – but I do timeshift my TV watching. 1675: Apple “Wonderlust” event, OS security updates, Apple CSAM pullback, Mozilla car privacy report, iPhone weather apps, bike tour iPhone photos, do you use the iPhone 14 Pro Always-On display?.1676: OS dates, iPhone 15 lineup, Apple Watch Series 9 & Ultra 2, USB-C AirPods Pro, USB-C cable advice, more from Wonderlust.1677: iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15, OS security updates, new AirPods features, restore Slack sidebar, Orion HDMI display app, Apple carbon neutrality reactions.1678: macOS 14 Sonoma available, two portable laptop stands, iPhone Always-On display poll results, which Web browsers do you use?.#1679: iOS 17’s Check In, iOS 17.03 addresses overheating, Mac browser popularity, Arc adds AI features, do you use Finder tags?.

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