AirTunes Streaming from Apple TV

AppleTV Update 2.3 Adds:	Music can be streamed via AirTunes to Airport Express speakers or other Apple TVs in your house.
Third-party Remote Support	Apple TV can now learn other remote controls and use them in addition to the Apple Remote.
Playlists with Video	Playlists in iTunes that contain Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, and Music Videos can now be seen on Apple TV.
Music Volume Control	Support for volume control in Music

Tags: Apple Media Center

Of all the items below listed as new in the latest v.2.9 update of THETUBE, I find the Compatibility with Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid to be most interesting. I'm glad to see Equinux 'stepping on ElGato's toes' by having TheTube support their competitor's hardware - something ElGato has long done with its support of many 3rd party tuners.

Note the EyeTV and Hauppauge units are basically variations of the same OEM hardware using an EMPIA chipset. By and large only the exterior casing is different. So, broader support of Tuner hardware in more recent TheTube updates is a big plus: Many new Mac users are PC switchers - and software like this will help some Windows users continue to use their old TV tuners on their new Mac.

WHAT'S NEW: v2.9
TubeGuide US with detailed TV listings
IceTV integration
Extended Compatibility with TubeStick
Compatibility with Hauppauge Nova-TD
Compatibility with Hauppauge HVR-900
Compatibility with Elgato EyeTV Hybrid
Accelerated channel search by filtering encrypted channels
Better scanning performance
Intelligent matching of channel names
TV guides can now be configured in preferences
Support for logical channel numbers in UK and Australia
Hauppauge HVR-900H: Audio is no longer muted in France and US
AppleScript support for logical channel numbers
Added support for daylight savings time
TV Image is not blocked anymore when updating EPG
When scheduling manual recordings, channels won't be mixed up

Tags: TheTube , Equinux, Hauppauge, HVR-900

Finally... Equinux has announced a real solution to providing a Channel Guide in the USA for purchasers of it's TubeStick Hybrid+ and bundled TheTube v2.9 software. For those who buy a NEW Tube-Stick a FREE year's subscription will be bundled. But a $20 annual subscription renewal cost will eventually affect everyone. Earlier efforts by Equinux to support the XMLTV standard to access listings proved just TOO GEEKY for - well just about anyone who simply read what was involved. As such it was one step short to match features with ElGato's EyeTV - which includes the FREE Titan-TV channel guide simply as part of it's fabulous Eye TV software. But this new guide is a step in the right direction from Equinux - and ElGato needs a bit of competition to keep it on its toes...

Tags: Equinux, The Tube, TubeStick Hybrid, TitanTV Mac, Mac DVR Channel Guide

Finally, Pinnacle Micro’s ultra-compact all-digital TV for Mac HD Mini Stick has become available at Amazon.com - boasting the smallest form factor of any USB computer television tuner card to date, special signal-boosting technology, and bundled with the latest version of EyeTV Light v1.1 from ElGato. A new generation of OSX TV hardware - with the best DVR viewing and recording software out there. Looks like a winning combination!

Tags: pinnacle tv, computer tv, Macintosh tuner

What's new in EyeTV 3.0.4?
Improved & Redesigned Editor - Yaaay!

Improvements To Update Scan : the ability to add channels without removing existing channels.
New TV Tuner Hardware Support for North America- specifically the new ultra tiny USB Pinnacle TV for Mac HD Mini Stick - 80e

Bug Fixes
Auto tuning ATSC channels and updating the ATSC program guide with HDHomeRun has been resolved.
A problem where EyeTV Hybrid (US 2008) would display no signal on the AV inputs when timeshifting was deactivated has been resolved.
A problem where EyeTV 250 Plus (2008) could not receive a signal after putting the Mac to sleep using the Apple Remote has been fixed.
 
General
Improved EyeTV's stability and performance.
A crash when manually adding channels has been eliminated.
Fixed problems with Smart Guides
Fixed missed Smart Playlist issues
 
Playback & Exporting
Improvements in the playback of H.264 broadcasts.Recordings made with EyeTV 3.0.3 and the original EyeTV USB no longer display a speaker icon overlay.
Problems with exports to Apple TV that repeated multiple frames have been resolved.
 

Tags: El Gato, Eye TV, pinnacle micro, HD TV Tuner, USB TV

Well, Amazon.com is FINALLY on track with the Government’s $40 Analog to Digital coupon eligible TV converter box program. They’ve recently implemented an online coupon redemption process and stock a handful of worthy converter boxes ranging in price from $55 on up retail (before coupon credit). So there’s hope for those old Analog TV sets you may have - or an Analog-Only Mac TV tuner you may want to continue using on the cheap - before you pony up for a new Macintosh Digital TV tuner.

Tags: converter box, TV coupon, Converter Box Coupon, ATSC Converter

New enhaccements to the 2nd Generation iPod touch and a recent release of iTunes 8 are taking the digital TV to-go to the next level. The touch’s under the hood improvements to battery life, enhanced 2.1 iPod software update, the addition of a long overdue EXTERNAL volume control, a very tiny but much-welcomed internal speaker add up to an improved mobile TV watching experience. There have been some rumblings that the 2nd-generation iPod touch is using a slightly lower-quality LCD screen - for many only noticeable when placed side-by-side with 1st generation models. But with increased memory capactiy, a lower-price point and the above software and iTunes App Store enhancements unlocking even more VALUE in the touch’s functionaltiy - It outshines it’s predecessor.

Tags: ipod touch, video ipod, iTunes 8, new ipods

Amazon has it’s new movie & TV streaming service, AMAZON ON-DEMAND. Customers can now instantly watch movies and television shows commercial-free on Macs or PCs. With this new service, you can enjoy instant playback of hit Hollywood movies for $9.99 and the latest TV shows for about $1.99 an episode.

Tags: Streaming video

Pinnacle will ship in late September a new UTRA-SLIM & COMPACT USB ALL-DIGITAL TV tuner for Apple’s Mac OS X : The Pinnacle Micro ultra-compact all-digital TV for Mac HD Mini Stick model 80e - includes EyeTV Lite Personal Video Recorder (PVR) software from ElGato for Apple’s Macintosh OSX, a high-gain telescopic TV antenna, mini remote and travel bag. Pinnacle claims the device can pick up digital TV signals even where signals are weak thanks to integrated signal booster technology. Designed to receive over-the-air digital TV (ATSC) signals and unencrypted digital cable TV — ClearQAM for both Standard Definition (SD) and HDTV, with resolution support up to 1080. Remember kids: For these high resolutions - HD TV viewing and capture are demanding on a computer’s resources: And so Minimum Stated System requirements say: DUAL G5 processor minimum or Intel Core Dual CPU.

Tags: pinnacle micro, EyeTV Lite, QAM TV Tuner

Equinux followed up with another quick .1 update to TheTube Macintosh DVR software for the TubeStick USB hybrid TV tuner for Mac or PC/Windows. Now at version 2.8.1 - they did a few recording and audio issue fixes. Good to see Equinux really keeping up and trying -- slugging it out in the Apple tuner market with EyeTV is a tough arena to compete in, doncha know...

Tags: TubeStick, TheTube, Time-Shift, Mac DVR, Mac Software

High Definition television reception demands even stronger TV antenna signal strength as we make this transition from Analog to Digital. Those buying a new ATSC Digital tuner television set or hooking up a new TV converter box may be dismayed to find their current antenna just isn’t good enough for Digital - though it may have been for Analog reception. Digital breakup and blockiness on-screen is your first clue, and the dreaded ‘NO SIGNAL!’ makes it clear: YOU WILL NEED A BETTER ANTENNA FOR HD RECEPTION.

The laws of physics and electronics haven’t changed the parameters of television antenna construction much over the years - but more sophisticated test equipment is helping with developing more effective innovative antenna designs. Case in point: the WINEGARD HD-1080 HDTV HIGH BAND COMBO ANTENNA which looks somewhat like a grid and bow-tie Ch. 13-69 UHF antenna - but it’s uniquely designed back grid of up to 42” rabbit-ear dipole-like horizontal rods help pull in upper VHF channels 7-12.

For most, after the Feb 2009 switch-over MOST TV stations will broadcast digitally in the UHF range. But depending on where you live - and your final channel assignments -- a COMBO UHF/VHF antenna might be needed to insure you can get ALL the stations in your area. Wineguard now delivers a flat-style directional antenna more easily installed in attic spaces or against a wall to deliver high-gain performance comparable to much larger, wider outdoor UHF-VHF roof-top designs. For some this might be the best $50 investment you can make.

Tags: HDTV, TV Antennas, TV Reception, Strong TV Signal

What's new in this version:

TubeStick Hybrid Hardware Issues:
• Boosted the digital reception quality, a new channel search is required for digital signals
• A crash while switching channels on the same transponder has been fixed
• Problems while switching channels with OSX 10.4 have been resolved
• The on-screen display now shows the channel number correctly

Software Improvements In The Tube 2.8:
• The Tube is now available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish
• The Tube is fully compatible with MobileMe
• Shared data streams are detected and displayed much more reliably. This especially improves reception of local channels
• Added a confirmation dialog to prevent accidentially deleting channels
• New locations are now immediately active and selected
• Jumping in timeshift and recording with shift-left/right and option-shift-left/right cursor keys has been improved
• The EPG import performance and stability has been improved
• The XMLTV EPG importer now handles IceTV XMLTV feeds correctly
• Fixed an issue which caused EPG entries being displayed multiple times
• Assigning DVB-T EPG service to channels works more reliably now
• An issue where the EPG information in the channel list and the on-screen display was out of sync has been fixed
• The EPG header translations have been fixed for non-English languages
• The TV-Movie EPG works correctly on 10.4 again
• Assigning different EPG services now updates the channel list correctly
• The timeshift controller works much more reliably now
• An Aqua-style scroll bar has been replaced in the TubeTalk sign-in panel

Tags: The Tube, TubeStick, Hybrid TV Tuner

A Few Bug Fixes To EyeTV 2x Are In The Recent 2.5.3 Update

• Improved VHF reception for Australia EyeTV users.
• Resolved a problem where EyeTV would hang or crash when recording from the live buffer with the original EyeTV USB.
• Fixed an issue where the Manual Schedule calendar would disappear on systems running Leopard.
• Fixed a problem with the EyeTV 250 Plus that caused a "Device could no be initialized" error when using the AV Inputs.

Tags: Eye TV, Mac Software

EyeTV 3 Compatible Devices List
(Most Of Those Listed Are NTSC ATSC Tuners For North American Markets. This is only a partial list since this site doesn’t intend to address International markets nor TV standards/tuners for those markets)

ELGATO:
EyeTV USB EyeTV 200 EyeTV 250 EyeTV 250 Plus EyeTV 300/310 EyeTV 400/410 EyeTV 500 EyeTV 610 EyeTV Diversity EyeTV EZ EyeTV Wonder USB 2.0 EyeTV Hybrid HD HomeRun

HAUPPAUGE:
WinTV-HVR-900 WinTV-HVR-950

MIGLIA:
Evolution TV TVBook Pro TVDuo TVMax TVMicro TVMini TVMini HD

ATI:
ATI Wonder USB 2.0

PINNACLE: TV for Mac HD Stick (800e) TV for Mac Hybrid Stick (330e) PCTV Hybrid Pro Stick PCTV Hybrid Pro Stick (330e) PCTV USB Stick PCTV HD Pro Stick (800e)

PLEXTOR: PX-402U

SILICON DUST: HDHomeRun

Tags: EyeTV

Equinux, software writers of THE TUBE 2.0 TV-tuning software announced at MacWorld Expo they'd be shipping thier own Hybrid USB stick tuner - The TubeStick - for the US NTSC market. It’s compact, slimmed-down design is more friendly to crowded USB ports than many other bulkier stick-style tuners from ElGato and other 3rd parties. The Tube Stick is bundled with BOTH Mac software and Windows Media Center software drivers. TheTube software (now at version 2.7.4) is good, but not GREAT like EyeTV unfortunately. Still, Equinux has been keeping the updates coming, and offers unique and innovative program sharing features to give El Gato a good bit of competition.

Tags: Equinux, TubeStick, The Tube, Hybrid Tuner

WHAT'S NEW IN EYETV VERSION 3.0.3 UPDATE:
Additional Tuner support forEyeTV Diversity, EyeTV for DTT, EyeTV Hybrid (2008) DVB-T USB sticks overseas, and the new Hauppauge HVR-950Q with Clear QAM support in North America
FM Radio Support for EyeTV Hybrid (International 2008 Version) Note: It appears FM radio support is in the future as new devices are introduced, stay tuned..
On Screen Menu to Delete Recording After Playback
Mark Recordings as Watched/Unwatched
Deleting Channels
SiliconDust HDHomeRun Firmware Update

ADDITIONAL BUG FIXES:
Improved EyeTV's overall stability and performance
Resolved issue where the Mac would wake up at midnight GMT
Resolved issue with "Unplayed Recordings Badge" displayed incorrectly.
Improvements in the playback of H.264 broadcasts.
Export issues with AppleTV and iPod
EPG Program Guide Fixes

Tags: El Gato, Eye TV, Software Update

Here in this blog at www.mac-digital-tv-tuners.com we’ll track newly announced TV tuner product news for the Apple Macintosh, hardware and peripheral accessory annoucements, TV software program updates, video conversion applications, HTPC - Home Theater PC options, connecting TV and audio hardware to help you build a multimedia, computer-centric home entertainment system.

Tags: AppleTV, ElGato, EyeTV, Hauppauge, Miglia, ATI