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Miglia Mac mini look-alike TV tuner/video-capture box

by Bob Crabtree on 23 May 2006, 22:28

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qafs2

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Although the idea might be screamingly obvious, Miglia's newly-launched TVMax does appear to be the first available external TV tuner to match the looks and desktop footprint of an Apple Mac mini.

Miglia TVMax under Apple Mac mini

The tuner is only for analogue reception, boo!, but connects via USB 2.0, hurray!, and cost £169 (inc VAT) - ouch! That clearly seems a bit stiff when the least expensive of the Mac minis is only £449 but the TVMax is rather more than just a Mac-mini-alike tuner - it's also an analogue video-capture device. Input sockets for composite video, S-video and L/R audio enable it, Miglia says, to convert analogue tapes (VHS, Hi8, whatever) to DVD in a few easy steps (though we think that additional software, such as Roxio Toast, may be needed for the final burn) - increasing its appeal to owners of Macs other than the mini.

Miglia TVMax rear view

Encoding to DVD-compatible MPEG-2 is carried out in hardware within the box. That takes the strain off the Mac's CPU, ensures encoding happens in real-time and also makes the price for the TVMax look far more reasonable than if the Miglia were just an analogue tuner in a smart case. Oh, and naturally, an IR remote handset is included in the bundle.

Better still - says Eric Ferraz, director of product management - the TVMax can hardware-encode not just into DVD-compatible MPEG-2 but also into space-saving MPEG-4 and DivX formats. And, he adds, it's "ideal" for owners of video iPods since the bundled Elgato EyeTV 2 software includes a one-click iPod export function - and something very similar for owners of Sony PlayStation Portable.

EyeTV 2 is also said to let you watch, pause, rewind and skip forward "live" TV. It offers for scheduled recordings, gives access to online TV guides and can be used to edit commercials out of TV shows.

At a glance

System requirements (Mac-only)

• Mac OS X 10.4.x and higher
• Mac with USB 2.0 connectivity
• PowerPC G4/500 processor and higher
• 256MB RAM


Key features

• Watch, pause, rewind, skip forward Live TV
• Record and edit your favourite shows
• One-click iPod export
• Hardware compression to MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and DivX
• Convert VHS and Hi8 Tapes to DVD

Tech specs

• Host interface - USB 2.0
• TV tuner - analogue and cable-TV ready (up to 125 channels)
• Recording formats - MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX (using hardware compression)
• Power - external power supply
• Resolution - standard definition
• Supported broadcast systems - PAL & NTSC or PAL & SECAM (yes - two versions of TVMax are sold)

Sockets

• Standard RF connector for aerial or cable
• S-video in
• Composite video in (phono)
• L/R audio in (phono)
• Power in (DC)
• USB - type B

Size & weight
40(h)x165(w)x165(d)mm and 400g
Mac mini is 50(h)x165(w)x165(d)mm and 1310g

Warranty
One-year return to base

Availability and pricing
Miglia says that TVMax is available now from its distribution partners and own online store at a VAT-inclusive £169 (€249). US price is $249

Thoughts on Miglia's little coup? We'd delighted if you shared them. In the HEXUS.community, of course.

HEXUS links

Miglia - TVMax home page
Miglia - TVMax datasheet (PDF)
Miglia - online store
Elgato - EyeTV 2
Apple - Mac mini home page
HEXUS.community - TVMax forum thread

HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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Posted by nichomach - Wed 24 May 2006 15:07
Well, I guess it ticks all the right boxes but one - and lack of a digital tuner's a pretty big one these days :).
Posted by UltraMagnus - Wed 24 May 2006 21:58
so, 449 to be able to record 4 or maybe 5 channels max?

whoooooooptyyyyydooooooooo!

that, seems, quite underwhealming……..
Posted by noah - Wed 24 May 2006 22:30
it does seem somewhat daft not to put a digi tuner in there.

looks nice tho :)
Posted by TheAnimus - Wed 24 May 2006 22:33
Apple are waaaaaay behind on the media PC front, so they're going for size, and form, not function, or style of the software.
Posted by javalord - Wed 24 May 2006 23:03
TheAnimus
Apple are waaaaaay behind on the media PC front, so they're going for size, and form, not function, or style of the software.

Actually its brand + styling they're reliant on. Microsoft would kill to have Apple's brand impact right now. Its not about what you offer (functionally) these days, that only matters to the 2% geek field.

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