These days, computers and particularly iPhones and iPads are playing better than ever with TV content. But, let's focus on the live TV function first. And it does more than that, too-the Mac-compatible EyeTV software can double as a programmable DVR (recording shows to the PC's hard drive), and stream video to an Elgato app available on the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. What it does, essentially, is allow you to watch and channel-surf live TV on that computer. It's compatible with over-the-air HDTV and unencrypted cable.

The Elgato EyeTV Hybrid ($149 list) is an example of the former: this USB stick isn't much bigger than a standard thumbdrive, but it's a full-on TV tuner, complete with a coaxial jack on one end. If you wanted to watch TV on your computer-say, an episode of your favorite sitcom, or a news report-you'd need a TV tuner or a video capture device. This is disappointing, but if I am in a worse position with SL because EyeTV doesn't work, it ain't an upgrade.Once upon a time-before Netflix, Hulu, and Slingbox-TVs and computers weren't great bedfellows. Then my Elgato hardware should work and I can keep my eye on the forums to see when the bugs are ironed out of SL before I redo a SL upgrade. I use Time Machine, and just before I installed SL, I backed up so my intention now is to revert back to Leopard by booting off the Leopard DVD and restoring Leopard from Time machine, hopefully bringing me back to 28 August just before SL. This is doubly annoying as Elgato says on its website that the EyeTV software is compatible with SL. The Elgato EyeTV worked initially, dropping out occasionally, but since a recent Apple upgrade for SL, the Elgato EyeTV works no more. Then I upgraded to Snow Leopard and it's all pear-shaped since then. A terrific set-up, like having your own TV channel. Pre Snow Leopard, everything was working fine - record two TV shows at once, zap the ads, export the video files to a Qnap NAS box, all networked to a PS3 operating as a media centre. I have a 24' iMac with an Elgato EyeTV Diversity (Dual channel Digital TV tuner) running 3.1.2 software.

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