We also wanted to be able to position the tablet anywhere we liked without being restricted by the location of the rooftop antenna's coaxial plug. Because the latter two had readily accesible coaxial connections to a rooftop antenna, we wanted to be able to plug the rooftop antenna into it so that we could get the best picture quality and avoid low signal strength problems.
Elgato eyetv android android#
We were recently looking for a gadget that would allow us to watch TV on our Tesco Hudl (a popular low-cost Android tablet) while we were on the move, and also at home and on a boat. You can move the computer (with dongle attached) around a bit in the hope of finding a slightly better signal, but even with a separate rod antenna on a bit of wire you're still pretty restricted to the area where it's convenient to position your computer. We had heard from reviews that a frequent problem with many of these TV dongles is that they can struggle in areas that have a less than strong TV signal.
Elgato eyetv android install#
The dongle usually comes with software to install on your computer that communicates with the dongle and displays the TV programmes on screen. Some of the more recent models also work on iPads, iPhones and Android phones and tablets. Depending on the model, the external antenna might be a rotatable telescopic type that is permanently fixed to it or it may have a socket that can be connected to a rod antenna on the end of a length of wire that allows you to move the antenna around a little to find the best signal or for the best signal it may even have a socket that can be connected via a coaxial cable to a rooftop antenna. Most of these are small “dongles” that plug into the computer's USB socket (or dock connector on a Mac) and have a built-in or external antenna/aerial to pick up terrestrial DTT/Freeview TV. Gadgets that let you watch terrestrial DTT/Freeview TV on your PC or Mac while you're on the move have been around for several years, and are available from several suppliers such as Hauppauge and Elgato.
Elgato eyetv android update#
Not much has changed, so we have added an update section near the end of the reviewĬovering the changes in the new version 2 app. UPDATE June 2014: Since the first part of this review was written, Elgato have released version 2 of theirĪndroid app. (We also gave it a quick try on the Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone - see the Conclusion for comments on the Z1.) This is an exhaustive review after more than 300 hours of use.
Here we tried it out on the “Tesco Hudl”, a popular inexpensive Android tablet in the UK. This is the most in-depth review of the “Elgato EyeTV W” that provides mobile TV over Wi-Fi on iPhone, iPad and Android tablets and phones. Review of the Elgato EyeTV W mobile TV unit on an Android Tablet