Mac Picture-In-Picture HDTV
Among the colossal missteps El Gato has made in recent releases sits a gift…version 2.3.2 introduces a surprisingly robust Picture-In-Picture feature.
DISCLAIMER: For some reason or another, there a lot of folks who think adding PIP means they just gained an additional tuner. They didn’t. You must have TWO EyeTV units to use PIP with two different live TV feeds. You can use it with one tuner, but the other window will be recorded material.
So, assuming you have two tuners, I think you’ll find the PIP to be a very deluxe feature. Not only can it be moved to the four corners of your screen, but El Gato also created two new position/sizing options. I created a small video of the switch between them to illustrate the possiblities.
I was really excited after taking this feature for an initial spin…especially about how dynamic the window position is. But after a few minutes, I realized that PIP has become an outdated feature. Tivo eliminated the need to juggle two live shows by allowing users to record them, making PIP just a very crude, analog form of timeshifting…with no control over the content’s position.To be fair, there are some things I’d like to watch live…in particular, the occassional sporting event. But most of my EyeTV viewing is “regular” programming that isn’t time-sensitive (beyond a vulnerability to spoilers). I’m not a huge sports fan and that’s the only place I see folks really gaining regular functionality out of PIP.
That said, EyeTV adding PIP is more than what it appears on the surface. I’ve written a number of articles about using dual EyeTV tuners and until PIP, El Gato had not officially recognized the feature. But PIP is their first step in making dual tuners a REAL, officially-supported feature. And that is a HUGE move forward for Mac users fiending for Tivo-functionality.
And the implimentation and feature set are thick for a first introduction. As you can from the below screenshots, there are more than a couple of way to enjoy this new feature.
Overall, my contempt for 2.3.2 (and 2.3.1) cancels out the shallow enjoyment PIP offers. Instead of adding new functionality, El Gato needs to get back to the basic application framework and listen to it’s customer’s real needs. Period.
I agree this is a bright spot in an otherwise dismal update. Is there an actual forum for Elgato users? Or is feedback limited to sites like this and direct comments submitted to them?
“Is there an actual forum for Elgato users? Or is feedback limited to sites like this and direct comments submitted to them?”
Unfortunately, Elgato does not to offer any sort of support forum to their customers. The closest thing I’ve found to an EyeTV community is the AVS Mac HTPC Forum.
Beyond that, Nick @ Elgato Support is relatively well-known for being responsive to email support requests.