I've been watching video on my EVA 8000 from NETGEAR for quite some time now, and I would say that I'm quite hooked.  It's very easy for me to drag media from my Mac Mini over to my ReadyNAS and watch it on my TV, and I can't imagine what my home entertainment experience would be like without it.

That being said, I only more recently got interested in watching TV, now that I have cable and am attempting to spend more time at home.  I'm an on-demand type, though, and have little interest in waiting around for my favorite show to come on.  I'm also getting a lot more frugal, and tacking on additional monthly expenses isn't what I'm looking for in a new gadget.

Enter the EyeTV from Elgato.  I've been enjoying this little beauty for months now and it's providing me with a steady stream of new TV content that I can enjoy on my EVA 8000.  In a nutshell, the EyeTV line of products is a TV tuner for your Macintosh computer, and will record television shows, storing them on your PC.  The software will also export this recorded media in a variety of formats, and makes it easy to schedule recordings of your favorite shows.  For a full review of the EyeTV 250, head over to TechLore.

Here's my top reasons why it's a great device, and makes the perfect complement to your NETGEAR setup:

1.  Will Export Media in EVA 8000-Friendly Formats

This is one of the best features of the EyeTV products, and probably the most helpful when using it with your EVA 8000.  When you record shows with the EyeTV, they're saved in a "lossless," proprietary format.  However, the software included with the device allows you to encode and save your recorded shows to a myriad of other formats... you can even tell it to do so automatically.

I tell the EyeTV software to automatically export shows in "iPod" format, which is 640X480 H.264 quality (.m4v format), and looks great on my 32" LCD TV streaming from the EVA. There are higher quality options available that should also work with your EVA 8000, such as DivX encoded QuickTime.

2.  Syncs Directly to iTunes

When you tell the EyeTV software to export to iPod, it automatically copies the files over to iTunes.  I like this because it makes it easy to find the shows I want and drag them over to my NAS for use with my EVA.  It also helps keep my recorded files organized.

3.  Steady Stream of Content For Your EVA 8000

Since the EyeTV will automatically record and export shows, you will have a "neverending" source of television content to use with your EVA

4.  A "Free" Solution

Probably my favorite reason to use this solution is the fact that it's free.  No monthly charges, no accounts to set up, nothing.  Perfect for these rough economic times... who doesn't mind saving a little cash over the long term?  (Of course, you still have to buy the unit(s)... but as of the time of this writing there is no ongoing monthly fee to use either the EVA 8000 or the EyeTV.)

5.  Control Over Your Recordings

With other television or DVR solutions, it can be hard to "do what you want" with the shows you have recorded.  The EyeTV solution not only allows you to stream the content with your EVA 8000, but you can also watch it on your computer, stream it to other devices or computers on your network, archive them, watch them on your iPod or other portable video player, and so on and so forth.

Conclusion

If you're a Mac user and have been waiting for a good integration between your computer, your television, and your EVA 8000, the EyeTV is a great choice.

If you don't currently own an EVA, and are thinking about getting one, this setup is a great reason to jump on board.  What you have is a no-strings-attached, seamless and efficient method to record and watch your television shows that integrates perfectly with your NETGEAR EVA 8000 setup!

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