Elgato, makers of the EyeTV line of accessories, has announced EyeTV Mobile for the iPad 2. Consisting of a dock connector dongle with a built-in TV antenna, the accessory will allow iPad 2 owners to watch live TV anywhere via a forthcoming EyeTV Mobile app on the App Store.
the accessory and app replicate a great deal of the functionality of the EyeTV lineup for the Mac, including the ability to pause/rewind/record live TV and receive certain kinds of radio transmissions. the best part is this setup will not consume any mobile data whatsoever; the TV signals come in directly through the antenna accessory, so you don’t even need to be connected to the internet to watch live TV on your iPad 2.
there are some caveats to the EyeTV Mobile rig. first is the price: €99.95 / ₤99.95 (US price unavailable) may be a bit steep for many people’s wallets. According to the product’s tech specs, it only supports standard definition channels, and its lack of support for Freeview HD suggests it will be of limited utility where I live. the product is also only compatible with the iPad 2; owners of the iPhone, iPod touch, and original iPad are out of luck.
That having been said, if you’ve been looking for a no-fuss way to watch TV on your iPad that doesn’t involve hooking up a bunch of different devices and streaming over Wi-Fi or 3G, EyeTV Mobile might work for you if your terrestrial TV channels broadcast a compatible signal. There’s no word on a release date yet (Engadget says late September), but when it’s released we’ll see if we can get hold of a review unit.
Share