Product Installation:

Q: What are the minimum system requirements to run AlchemyTV?
A: You will need a PowerMac G4/400 or higher, Mac OS X 10.2.4 or higher and QuickTime 6.5 or higher. AlchemyTV is compatible with Mac OS X 10.2.8, 10.3.x and 10.4.x

Q: Where is the serial number for the software located?
A: You will find the serial number for the software on the CD sleeve. The serial number on the registration card is the hardware serial number and cannot be used to activate the software.

Q: How can I see if the PCI card is correctly installed?
A: Open 'Apple System Profiler' and check under the AGP/PCI tab if 'AlchemyTV' appears. Make sure you have installed the software before installing the card.

Q: When I open AlchemyTV all the menus are greyed out.
A: Click on 'Register' located in the AlchemyTV menu and enter your serial number. Press Accept, not cancel. If this does not help, delete AlchemyTV.plist located in /Library/Preferences.

Q: When I launch AlchemyTV, I get an error message saying that no Supported card was found.
A: Make sure the PCI card is properly inserted in the PCI slot. Check that your card appears in Apple System Profiler in the AGP/PCI tab. Moving the PCI card or resetting your motherboard (button usually located near the PCI slots) may help.

General Problems:

Q: The software is crashing or recordings are impossible.
A: If AlchemyTV produces errors or fails to record properly, delete the preference files and folder "de.meilenstein.alchemytv.plist". These files are located in Username/Library/Preferences
If the problem persists, please contact Miglia Technical Support and include the crash logs in your e-mail.

Antenna/Cable connection and channel scan

Q: I use digital cable. How should the connection be made to AlchemyTV?
A: If you are using digital cable or have subscribed to premium content channels, you will need to connect AlchemyTV via the cable set top box. If you use a coaxial cable, perform a channel scan or run the Setup assistant (for US customers only) and AlchemyTV will find the channel on which your cable set top box broadcasts.

Q: I am a cable user and the TV picture quality is quite poor
A: If you are using a Cable modem, avoid using the same cable for AlchemyTV and make sure that you are using good quality cables.

Q: Can the channels be reorganised to suit my personal preferences?
A: Yes. Open the Tuner preferences and drag the channels up/down.

Q: How do I get audio from my VCR / DVD Player into AlchemyTV DVR.
A: You need a cable which has "Audio L-R" (Red - White) on one end (this plugs into the Output of your VCR), and a standard 3,5 mm jack on the other (this end plugs into the Audio-In jack of the AlchemyTV). This cable is available from any Hi-Fi store.

Q: Can I force the software to use a given channel, even if the auto-tune function does not identify a channel?
A: Yes, simply follow the instructions located here.

Q: I have run the channel assistant and some channels are missing.
A: Verify that these missing channels are not premium content or digital channels (use your cable set top box in this case). If this is not the case, please contact Miglia Technical Support indicating your ZIP code.

Q: The channel numbers are not lined up properly.
A: This issue will be addressed in AlchemyTV 2.1 to be released in early April.

Q: My country is not listed in the Tuner Preferences
A: delete the preference files and folder "de.meilenstein.alchemytv.plist". These files are located in Username/Library/Preferences

Codecs, Recording sizes

Q: What codecs are recommended
A: We recommend using MJPEG or MPEG-4 for live recordings. MJPEG requires less processing power and can achieve a higher picture quality than MPEG-4, but at the expense of required drive space. MPEG-4 requires more processor power than MJPEG and should only be used with a G4/1GHz and faster.

Q: What sound compression codec should I use?
A: Sound compression should be set to 'none'.

Q: AlchemyTV seems to be dropping frames when recording
A: This is usually due to a lack of processing power. Closing all other applications, using MJPEG instead of MPEG-4, reducing the screen size, and making sure that no sound compression is set are the first steps to try.

Q: What codec should I use if I wish to burn to CD or DVD?
A: AlchemyTV does not yet encode directly in MPEG-1 or 2, as no QuickTime component is available. It is best to record in MJPEG and then import the footage in iDVD or Toast Titanium.

iChat AV patch

Q: When I try to use my iSight or FireWire camera in iChat I get an error message saying 'the video device is already in use'.
A: Check that you have installed the Application Enhancer and the iChat patch from the CD. These files are available for download as well. If you have installed these and are still getting an error message, first start AlchemyTV and only then iChat. We are currently investigating an issue where it is necessary to start AlchemyTV before starting iChat. This problem has only affected a very limited number of users so far, but should this happen please contact Miglia Technical Support

Q: I have upgraded to Mac OS X 10.3 and my FireWire camera is no longer recognised in iChat. I have re-installed the patch on the CD, of course.
A: Make sure you update the application enhancer to version 1.4.1. It is available here.

Using AlchemyTV with other applications:

Q: What applications have been tested with AlchemyTV?
A: The following application have been tested:

- BTV and BTV Pro
- Security Spy
- Arkaos VJ
- QuickTime Broadcaster
- Audio IN 1.0.3
- NiceCast.