Elgato EyeConnect is no longer available as it was discontinued when Elgato sold its Eye TV line and related products Geniatech . This information remains on our website for archival purposes.
If you want to stream content from your Mac to HDTV, we recommend using the combination Airplay and devices Apple TV such as Apple TV3 or Apple TV4 .
The rest of the original review follows:
bottom line
Elgato’s EyeConnect is an easy-to-use streaming media server that lets you watch videos, listen to music, or view pictures on your HDTV. All you need is a Mac, a local network, and a UPnP AV multimedia device connected to your HDTV.
For testing, we used a Sony Blu-ray player, Samsung HDTV and Mac. we saved EyeTV streaming from Mac to HDTV in less than 10 minutes. Now everything is simple.
Pros
- Easy to set up.
- Requires no AV cables between Mac and HDTV.
- Works with any existing EyeTV recordings.
- Can stream video, music and photos.
- Can stream iTunes music library.
Cons
- A limited plugin is currently supported.
- It is not possible to directly stream iTunes video.
- Cumbersome access control.
Description
- OS X 10.4.11 or later.
- Supports wired or wireless Ethernet network .
- Requires a UPnP media device.
Elgato EyeConnect UPnP Streaming Media Server
Elgato EyeConnect is a UPnP (Universal Plug ‘n’ Play) streaming media server running on Mac capable of streaming video, audio and images to HDTV through any UPnP or DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) compliant device, such as a player Blu-ray which can stream internet content.
There are many ways connect your Mac to HDTV, but a direct connection has one major drawback: your Mac must be physically close to the HDTV. That might be fine for a Mac designed for home entertainment, but what about that big screen in your bedroom where there’s no Mac around?
EyeConnect solves this problem by providing an easy way to stream media content from Mac to any UPnP media player. This includes most new Blu-ray players, the Sony PS3 game console, and some HDTVs with built-in UPnP AV support.
Installation
Installation is easy, with an included installer to guide you through the process. EyeConnect installs the system settings panel, which is used to start or stop the EyeConnect media server, select the content that will be available for viewing or listening, and view general information about the status of the media server.
By using
EyeConnect streams your selected content over your local network. This can be wired Ethernet or 802.11a/b/g/n wireless like the Apple AirPort system. The only requirement is that the UPnP media player must be a member of your network.
Using the EyeConnect settings panel, you can select the type of content that EyeConnect will stream from your Mac. Currently, EyeConnect can stream any EyeTV recordings you make, MP4 videos, music in various formats, iTunes music library and images.
EyeConnect cannot stream iTunes videos, at least not directly from your iTunes library. If a video is DRM-free, it can be streamed by adding its folder to the list of locations that EyeConnect will check for content.