[andytlr]

Review: The AV LABS Digital TV Tuner For Mac and PC (AVL683)

If you've never used a PVR or a TV tuner on a computer before, it changes the way you watch TV. Easy recording, an electronic program guide (EPG) and my favorite, time shifting. At our house no important bits of a show are missed because someone was talking over them. Barely any ads are watched and shows aren't missed. You watch what you want, when you want. We pause the TV on the channel we're going to watch while we make dinner so we have a big buffer to skip over the ads or sport at the end of the news. It really is brilliant.



The AV LABS Digital TV Tuner (AVL683) is black, the shape of most thumb drives and just a little bit bigger. It comes with a remote, which I pointed at every conceivable part of the tuner and couldn't get to work. But, I imagine it's just the one that came with mine. That's about all there is to it. From here on in, this review isn't really about the hardware. It's a digital TV tuner and thankfully, it tunes digital TV.

e·quinux's The Tube is the software is comes with. I started using EyeTV (a competitor) back in 2004 and it is excellent software, so The Tube has a lot to live up to. But The Tube is very, very nice.



As expected, the little included aerial only picked up SBS, thankfully the Helvetica documentary was on. Dance Theatre Of Harlem came on next, so it was time to plug in the roof aerial. Because I'd scanned for channels with the included aerial I had to rescan. It took me quite a while to work this out. I couldn't find any rescan button anywhere. I finally worked out that you can setup different locations, one for home and one for that seedy motel work always gets you to stay at. So, I added a location and I was able to scan for channels again. Uhhh, the ABC is playing VLF football.

At this point I noticed that two applications had been installed, The Tube and Media Central. So I opened the latter. Initially it looks like a media center, but it crashed. This happened every time I tried opening it, so lets just forget I ever found that and go back to The Tube.



The app supports the excellent IceTV EPG or the inferior EPG that comes in over the magical wires. It's layed out vertically and by hour. If you've used IceTV before, it looks similar. There's a search function and setting a program to record is as simple as clicking a little circle. The details of the selected show are always visible, which is nice.



There's a library for all your recordings and EPG info is stored with each one. Exporting is as simple as right clicking. There's very simple options for exporting that are all focused on Mac users. iPod, iPhone, Apple TV and iMovie. The first three will export optimised for your specific device, and they can automatically add the recording to iTunes. The iMovie option exported as a .dv file, which is perfect for not only iMovie but also Toast if you want to put your recordings onto a DVD, how quaint.



My partner was away last Thursday when Q&A was on. This show, more than any other, has me yelling at the TV and debating with anyone in the room. Alas, I was alone and didn't have anyone to complain and bitch to. I ended up letting it out on Twitter but, with The Tube that wouldn't have been necessary because of 'Talk'. Talk puts you in a chat room with other people watching the same show as you. This is a really cool idea and I imagine it would be great when popular show was on.



That's about it. It's a TV Tuner that tunes Digital TV and an application that is incredibly simple to use and looks great. The only real downside was that the remote doesn't work, but as I said, that is probably just the one I got. If you're on the road a lot and want digital TV on your laptop, or if you're setting up a HTPC, it's worth a look.

Originally Posted by andytlr

The tuner is a tuner, if the remote worked it'd be 100%. The software is really good. I think I still personally prefer EyeTV. They're much of a muchness, EyeTV does a couple of things better but doesn't have the chat thing. Also, I think EyeTV's more expensive.

Have a look at the websites for both apps and see which you prefer.

[Tragedies]

How much does it cost? Looks interesting.

[andytlr]

It's $150, here's a link: Welcome to Audion Australia Website - AVLabs Digital TV Tuner for Mac & PC

[Sebastianmonty]

Good review. So it's worth it definitely then? That's your verdict?

[andytlr]

Originally Posted by Sebastianmonty

Good review. So it's worth it definitely then? That's your verdict?

The tuner is a tuner, if the remote worked it'd be 100%. The software is really good. I think I still personally prefer EyeTV. They're much of a muchness, EyeTV does a couple of things better but doesn't have the chat thing. Also, I think EyeTV's more expensive.

Have a look at the websites for both apps and see which you prefer.

[DJY]

Originally Posted by andytlr

The tuner is a tuner, if the remote worked it'd be 100%. The software is really good. I think I still personally prefer EyeTV. They're much of a muchness, EyeTV does a couple of things better but doesn't have the chat thing. Also, I think EyeTV's more expensive.

Have a look at the websites for both apps and see which you prefer.

good review - but you needed to include these comments in it!

Would be great to have some comparisons with EyeTV, and at the end of the day which product you recommend and why!

[andytlr]

Originally Posted by DJY

good review - but you needed to include these comments in it!

Included.

[funwithstuff]

EyeTV is more expensive, but the more flexible live-recording-to-RAM-all-the-time feature, plus much better editing and export options win it for me. I've also had some tuning issues with The Tube. EyeTV finds more channels on the same hardware, with the same aerial. No idea why; I'll try it again sometime.

The Tube does have an app for the iPhone if you want to watch live TV over a wifi network, but EyeTV can automatically convert everything you *record* for local iPhone wifi access. Try both if you can, but buying the EyeTV software separate from the hardware is pricey.

[310]

quick one.

i am thinking of this style of tuner to use as a 2nd tele/bedroom television but need to use a supplied aerial.

can you get a better portable aerial? (not rabbit ears)

[mitty]

remember, the Twinhan Alpha Mac is still available at Harris Technology for $59, and you can get an update to the latest version of EyeTV. I've got two of them and they work beautifully (so watch one show whilst recording another).

Tuner sticks for Windows are a dime a dozen, why can't the same be had for Mac?

[Rant]

Excellent review, thanks. EyeTV appears to be more Mac-like. Any comments either way on this?

[andytlr]

Originally Posted by 310

quick one.

i am thinking of this style of tuner to use as a 2nd tele/bedroom television but need to use a supplied aerial.

can you get a better portable aerial? (not rabbit ears)

The little aerials they come with never work very well. But, it isn't really possible to have a small aerial that is good. They just include them so you can pick 'something' up if you've got a really strong signal. For example I could get SBS but nothing else.

Digital TV Tuners can pick up a picture 'easier' than analogue TV. The aerial on our roof is absolutely horrible but with digital TV we get perfect reception except when it rains, then Channel 9 drops out a bit. But who cares about Channel 9...

So, bunny ears or the like might work quite well, but don't spend too much on them because it entirely depends on your area.

I received an email from Mark at equinux. He pointed out that the Media Central crashing problem was an issue with Safari 4 Beta. He said that they've released a patch.

Also, he pointed out their iPhone companion apps. Live TV, which allows you to stream live TV from the The Tube to your iPhone or iPod touch over a local WiFi network. And TubeToGo which gives you remote access to any The Tube recordings that you have uploaded to an FTP server (or MobileMe), it also allows you to remotely schedule recordings on The Tube, and to share your recodrings with your friends.

Remote scheduling sounds great if you're not already doing it with IceTV. The idea of being able to watch live TV on your iPhone also sounds really cool. I personally can't really see it getting into day to day use though. Unless you just can't miss Rage, but don't want to get out of bed.

I'll have to give the companion apps a go. One thing I'd point out to AV LABS and equinux is the lack of on box/in box info on The Tube and associated apps like Media Central, Live TV and TubeToGo. A little flyer or two in the box would have been handy to find out about the not included apps. Also, the only indication that The Tube and Media Central come with the TV Tuner is a little bit of writing on the back of the box.

[Rant]

Originally Posted by 310

quick one.

i am thinking of this style of tuner to use as a 2nd tele/bedroom television but need to use a supplied aerial.

can you get a better portable aerial? (not rabbit ears)

I went through every small aerial and signal booster at my local 'electronics giant' store and had no luck.

Eventually I found a 10m aerial cable at Tandy. It runs down the hallway, but I get roof antenna signal, now.

[funwithstuff]

Originally Posted by mitty

remember, the Twinhan Alpha Mac is still available at Harris Technology for $59, and you can get an update to the latest version of EyeTV. I've got two of them and they work beautifully (so watch one show whilst recording another).

Tuner sticks for Windows are a dime a dozen, why can't the same be had for Mac?

That Twinhan stick sounds like the cheapest possible way to get EyeTV. (Bizarrely, buying the software *alone* from Elgato costs more than buying one of their sticks with the software included, and that's still much more than $59.)

[Rant]

Originally Posted by funwithstuff

That Twinhan stick sounds like the cheapest possible way to get EyeTV. (Bizarrely, buying the software *alone* from Elgato costs more than buying one of their sticks with the software included, and that's still much more than $59.)

Is that the Lite version of Eye TV or the expensive one? Pinnacle used to come with the Lite version (whatever that means).

[funwithstuff]

Originally Posted by Rant

Is that the Lite version of Eye TV or the expensive one? Pinnacle used to come with the Lite version (whatever that means).

No idea and no way to find out, I'm afraid. If you find out, please let us know.

[jalyst]

from what I've vaguely recall reading somewhere, it's not light but older version e.g 2.xx