As you’ve gathered, I’ve been a fan of Elgato’s EyeTV for a while now. And recently I did a quick piece on their new EyeTV 2. It’s a great PVR for Mac owners, no doubt (I’m looking forward to when it gets even closer to something like SageTV).

Recently I had the opportunity to get a look at Elgato’s EyeTV EZ, and of course I had to have a look. Personally I’ve been using their old EyeTV USB, so seeing one of the newer devices is exciting.

eyetv ez

Click to see a larger version of the package contents

Out of the box I was very impressed. They EyeTV EZ is about the same size as my IPod. Same length, width, and about 2 times thicker. So, a very small package! Items included with the device were a set of batteries, remote control, an S-Video & Composite Video Input connector, and the USB 2.0 cable. The device itself is actually Terratec’s Cinergy model.

Connecting it to my Macintosh, the EyeTV was recognized immediately, and ready to go. A new experience for me was having my first PVR with a remote! Normally I have to control it from the computer keyboard, but not this time. The remote is a fantastic inclusion, and now that I’ve used a PVR with a remote control I don’t ever want to use one without it again. I know, getting off the couch in my trailer is important, but if I’m really comfortable….

Let’s talk a little more about the remote.  This thing has it all.  You can change channels from across your RV, just like any other remote.  You can also pull up the EPG (electronic programming guide) to see what’s coming on next.  If you want program information ont the screen, you can select that too.  Recording, scheduling, volume control, all from the remote!  Finally, you can toggle the screen size from the remote as well.  So similar to my Tivo at home!

The TV receiver device also has an input port for external video devices.  That means you can connect up another computer, DVD player, VCR, etc., and record on your Mac.  Want to convert those old home movies to digital?  You can with the EyeTV EZ!

There is one major drawback to the EZ.  Unlike other PVR devices, the EZ does not do the video encoding for you.  What does that mean?  That means your computer will have to work harder to display and record TV.  You need a fast processor to run this model.  What you gain in space savings (the device is so small), you loose some viewing & recording options.  Most other PVR models offer multiple encoding formats to compress video (storing more video in less space).  The EZ’s output is “raw video”.  So recordings are larger, and your computer has to work harder.

If you’ve got a G3 forget about using the EZ.  You need a G4 or G5 to handle it.  On my G4 laptop I cannot display on the highest resolution, period, end of story.  The software actually tells me I’d need a dual processor or G5.  So while the EZ is extremely portable, you are limited on lower end systems.

Other Elgato products do come with remotes, and video encoders built into the device.  Those systems are fine for lower end computers (consider the EyeTV 200).  However, if I were just looking to watch TV while on the road, and I wasn’t worried about recording and video storage, I’d pick the EZ just for the space savings it offers.  If instead I was more concerned about building a video library while on the road, and I wanted many options for recording I would look at Elgato’s other products, or other 3rd party hardware manufacturers that have partnered with Elgato.

Overall I’d give this system 3 out of 5 stars.  It works well, is super portable, and has a ton of features.  But because it doesn’t do it’s own video encoding, and limits users with lower end computers it isn’t perfect.  It sure is nice though!