EyeTV Netstream DTT : TV Heaven

February 26, 2010 in General, Reviews by Angelina Roberts

With the exception of Apple’s heralded iPad there really hasn’t been many technological announcements that have excited the TotalApps team. Even the Apple iPad doesn’t fill me with the same “I have to have it” feeling the iPhone launch created.

Yesterday all that changed and the excitements were at their highest for 2010 when I managed to get my hands on Elgato’s new revolutionary EyeTV Netstream DTT.

I can’t hide my love for the Elgato range of TV devices they are a key influence in my switch from PC to Mac. Having literally fought with Windows Media Center devices over the years the refreshing ease of use brought by the EyeTV software was not only refreshing it had me well and truly hooked.

This time Elgato have certainly upped the ante moving from the traditional USB TV device to a network attached adaptor for multi-computer access…….. At this point you probably envisage a system that is going to be complicated to configure and even harder for all members of the family to actually use yet the reality is the EyeTV Netstream DTT couldn’t be easier to set up. I was literally up and running in ten minutes.

The concept:

As Apple recently acknowledged most of their customers are moving to laptop / mobile devices over the traditional desktop configuration. Part of the problem with traditional TV devices is you basically have to situate your computer near the wall interface of your home antenna, this can create a logistical barrier for many users.

The EyeTV Netstream DTT solves this problem. Connect the the device to power, your router and your TV antenna and every computer with access to your network can make use of two TV adaptors (i.e. two computers at any one time). In the UK most new homes have a TV adaptor and phone adaptor by their main TV for use by the likes of Sky systems and this is the perfect location for the Netstream DTT although it will work anywhere that has access to a network connection (wired) and your TV antenna.

Hardware

Opening the box reveals a sleek, solid silver adaptor that come supplied with the usual accessories, network cable, power, mini antenna and two copies of EyeTV 3, Elgatos amazing TV recording, watching and editing application. (Read our tutorials here)

Setup

Setting up the EyeTV Netstream DTT is simple, connect the power, TV antenna and network cable and the device is pretty much ready for use, the yellow LED on the front turns to green to indicate successful installation. Unlike other dual tuner devices the Netstream DTT only requires a single antenna connection which to be is a massive plus.

The EyeTV DTT is a remarkable looking device, it looks sleek beside any TV and it would be difficult for Elgato to have made it any smaller. The device can be set neatly beside your other home entertainment hardware and the case has also be designed for wall mounting if desired.

Although not essential one tip I would suggest is if you use DHCP to distribute IP addresses to devices on your network I would recommend setting a static IP address (see the Netstream web interface)or making a reservation for the Netstream. This just makes locating the device in your browser that bit easier.

Software

I decided to opt for a fresh install of EyeTV 3 and expected some complicated additional steps given I was setting up a network adaptor. I was wrong, no subnets, no IP address, no default gatewats EyeTV 3 instantly found the device and within 5 minutes of searching for channels I was happily watching BBC1. Did I mention it supports HD TV ?

In my mind running applications over a network never feels that reliable so I decided to do a few tests.

1. Firstly I tested watching and then recording TV over ethernet and obviously as this is the best connection my network has to offer and it worked perfectly.

2. I then tested copying an 800MB file from one computer to the other while watching TV and again this wasn’t an issue.

Moving to a wireless configuration I really expected the Netstream to struggle but I am particularly excited by the fact it didn’t.

3. Via wireless I was instantly able to watch any TV channel and it really felt like I had one of the standard USB devices attached.

4. I then recopied the 800MB file (also via wifi) while playing on Xbox live and while watching BBC 1. Despite numorous attempts to break the system or put the network under enough pressure for it to struggle I failed, this is genuinely a network TV solution that works.

The web interface

The Netstream hardware is also accessible from any web browser on your network although it doesn’t offer the ability to watch TV via the browser window. For most users there isn’t any real reason to access the device directly and if you are not network savvy the easiest way of accessing the device is by loading EyeTV 3, load the “preferences” and in “devices” click on “info”.

Once loaded you have direct access to the Netstream hardware. The web interface offers the ability to check the status of the device, update the network settings and additional setup information. You can protect this configuration page via a PIN number that can be easily changed.

Streaming via mu files.

It is also possible to view streaming TV by downloading the m3u file in the channels menu. Obviously it isn’t possible to pause live TV or record a programme but it is really quick way of accessing the full set of freeview channels via any computer in your home that has network access.

If you live a household of Mac and PC computers then fear not the EyeTV Netstream DTT is compatible with Windows 7 and works great with Windows Media Center. The included TerraTec Home Cinema software for Windows supports many of the same features that are offered by EyeTV 3 software.

Finally if you are thinking your router is no where near your TV antenna then fear not, the device works with earth networking adaptors (see the terrible iPhone photo below). I was able to set up the EyeTV Netstream DTT on the other side of my house and connect it to the router by the popular plug adaptors.

Conclusion

It is hard not to get over excited about this device. The EyeTV Netstream DTT is set to revolutionise television home entertainment, it seamlessly integrates the full compliment of digital channels (including HD) to every computer on your home network yet is one of the easiest TV devices I have ever set up. Within ten minutes of opening the box your whole family can enjoy TV literally anywhere they have local network access.

It is genuinely hard to fault this device and better still it has just freed up a desperately need USB connection on my Mac.

Links:

Elgato

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17 Comments

October 22, 2010 at 5:14 pm | Gwendolyn U. Burke

I’ve got trouble with viewing your page correctly via the latest version of Opera. Looks good in IE and Firefox however.Hope you have a great day.
June 4, 2010 at 5:09 am | Cam

@Dawesi and others – I haven’t been able to find details of integration between this unit and windows media center. (I have PCs and Macs in the house)

The concept sounds great, though I just want to make sure I don’t have to run a separate program when WMC works quite well.

Thanks,
Cam
May 29, 2010 at 2:05 pm | Lorenz

I got my Netstream today. And I am disappointed that I still need the mac to be able to stream it to the iPhone / iPad. I thought I could stream to my iPad without my mac beeing up and running.
May 28, 2010 at 3:56 am | Dawesi

Wow… I find it interesting you changed to mac because of a tv tuner..I too got excited about the ipod, and although I’ve got a HD HomeRun, the eyeTv is now my main tuner and it did excite me way too much for a device.

I do understand this back in the day. These days (2010) they are all as good as each other (OSX/Windows 7/etc) and this baby in Windows Media Center on Windows 7 is sweet as… (as well as on other laptops around the house) so it’s great that it has good software for both platforms (not that we have any Macs… maybe one day)

I’m in Australia and it’s a great product.
March 20, 2010 at 5:40 pm | Jean-Paul

If that transaction took place in the UK it would be illegal and the warranty period is irrelevant, but unfortunately not all European member states operate the same kind of protection. The point is, which I do get of-course, that good customer service shouldn’t have to rely on the ‘law’. Don’t know where technically the transaction takes place when buying from the International site.
March 20, 2010 at 1:34 pm | Ecopod

Jean-Paul, you are correct, and as I ordered directly from the Elgato international website then I was quite correctly asking them to deal with the issue, which they failed to do. In my opinion their customer service is extremely poor, this will not be everyones experience. I usually purchase based on feature set, but when something goes catastrophically wrong within warranty period I expect it to be corrected, it has not been. These are the facts.
March 20, 2010 at 1:26 pm | Angelina Roberts

I don’t think I have written a hardware review yet that someone hasn’t posted a personal experience or problem with customer service. For every manufacturer there will always be someone who has had a problem. From a personal point of view I bought my first EyeTV system 5 years ago and it still works, I had a problem 3 years ago and Elgato sorted it with in a day. If you feel there is something wrong with your hardware send it back to where you bought it. I buy hardware not on the basis of the quality of customer service but on how good the hardware or software is. I genuinely can’t fault Elgato for service, they have support forums and I find I receive replies within the day. As for this product, I have been using it for a a week and it does everything it advertises, it meets my personal needs perfectly.

I don’t want this to continue with a flame war.
March 20, 2010 at 12:53 pm | Jean-Paul

Don’t know where you live, but in the UK the contract is with the supplier not the manufacturer period.

Ofcourse it is not good when they are not responsive that is not what I said at all so don’t twist my words. And don’t be silly to think I am on the Elgato payroll either, didn’t I just criticise this product in this thread? I’m just telling you that you are barking up the wrong tree if you want a replacement…
March 20, 2010 at 12:36 pm | SteveP

Wow… So you defend horrible customer service, easily the worst in the industry in my experience or very close, by brushing it off on a technicality of who you should contact? The warranty for a defective product is, the last time I checked, the responsibility of the manufacturer, not the vendor you purchase it from, so I really am puzzled by your response. How much is Elgato paying to have you deflect complaints? I posted publicly about my issue and I had a lot of people email me privately asking how to get more resolution with them because it is certainly not an isolated instance.
March 20, 2010 at 9:46 am | Jean-Paul

To be honest when you purchase something your contract is with the supplier not the manufacturer, so if it doesn’t work at all you should go there and return it.
March 20, 2010 at 6:23 am | Ecopod

Yes there are two major omissions in this review. No DVB T2 compliance makes this a non starter for the UK and Elgato’s service is easily one of the worst I have ever encountered. My Hybrid is totally bricked and they are simply not interested, I’m on about the ninth exchange of e-mails and no further forward. I would urge caution, great if all going well and no desire for HD viewing in the future, offset by the fat if anything goes wrong then there is a chance you’ll be on your own with an expensive paperweight.
March 2, 2010 at 11:04 am | Jean-Paul

I’ll be keeping a look out for it…I really like some of the stuff Elgato makes…And once they support those tuners, I’ll buy one…Thanks for the review…
March 2, 2010 at 10:55 am | Angelina Roberts

Sorry to hear that, I haven’t had the same experience and generally have had a reply back within a few hours.
March 2, 2010 at 10:54 am | Angelina Roberts

Jean-Paul I contacted Elgato, here is the response – We’d love to support the new standard. However, while the software has been capable of decoding in H.264 for over a year, there’s no suitable DVB-T2 tuner hardware available yet (the tuners that are currently on the market are for set top boxes). Instead of building a custom board around a “can” tuner we’d rather wait for integrated solutions to come out. They’ll probably be here sooner than we could get a custom board done – and at a fraction of the price
February 27, 2010 at 8:57 am | Jean-Paul

Yes that is not good, not good at all.

I’ve actually had some good experiences with them. I complaint about the quality of certain files with the Turbo 264.HD…And they were so helpful, we exchanged files settings and then they gave me access to a beta version to try, and then another…And now it is working perfectly….
February 27, 2010 at 8:37 am | Jean-Paul

Unfortunately, and as you shown the example with UK television, you have missed a major negative point on this little box of tricks….I fully agree with the review it has to be said, and I was so ready to buy it until I discovered it is not DVB-T2 compliant…And that is where the UK is heading with the Digital Switchover. Crystal Palace is already transmitting (since 2/12/2009) in DVB-T2 for its HD programming…

So as long as everybody is aware that you will never be able to receive any of that since it would require different hardware which cannot be fixed with a software update. I think it is a shame that the UK has made a move that way since Australia and France do HD just fine over DVB-T but he…Buy this box and it is already obsolete. So close and yet not quite there in my opinion….
February 27, 2010 at 12:17 am | SteveP

Elgato has great products, but their customer support is among the worst in the industry that I’ve experienced. It took over a month to get a simple exchange done, with three to five days (or more!) for their tech support to respond to posts on the ticket. No phone number or phone support, only online, and a three to five day (at best) lag between responses. I’ll probably never buy another product from them because of that, so buyer beware.