Elgato's EyeTV Mac Software Updated With Full iPad Support, Universal App Coming Soon
May 24, 2010
The big news coming out of Elgato today is that the company has released a brand new Mac-compatible HD DVR system called EyeTV HD. But even bigger news, at least for us iPad owners, is that the hardware's companion software, simply titled EyeTV, has been updated to fully support HD television playback and live streaming television on the iPad.
EyeTV v3.4 adds optimized support for playback on the iPad. This new version allows recordings to be automatically converted to an iPad-friendly format which are then added to iTunes to be synced. The iPad-friendly format is able to display cover art and program details, including series and episode descriptions, movie summaries and cast descriptions, and parental ratings when available.
EyeTV v3.4 also adds support for the upcoming update to the EyeTV app, which will allow live or recorded television to be streamed to the iPad over Wi-Fi or 3G. EyeTV v1.1 will be a universal app, so if you already own the iPhone version, iPad support will be added free of charge. If you don't already own the app, you can pick it up in the App Store for $4.99. The EyeTV v1.1 update should be available in the App Store in the next few days.
Of course, to utilize the EyeTV app or even the EyeTV Mac software, you will need a compatible piece of hardware. Elgato's line-up of TV tuners and recorders come bundled with EyeTV v3.0, including the newly released EyeTV HD, which can be upgraded to v3.4 for free, or you can purchase EyeTV v3.4 separately for $79.99 and pick up a compatible piece of hardware that suits your needs.