EvolutionTV FAQ

 

Q: What are the minimum system requirements for EvolutionTV?
A: You will need a Mac with a G4/1 GHz processor (or higher) equipped with a USB 2.0 port. We recommend using Mac OS X 10.4.x for best performance.

Q: Is EvolutionTV compatible with Mac OS X 10.4.x?
A: Yes

Q: Is EvolutionTV compatible with Intel Macs?
A: Intel Mac compatibility is available in the software version 2.7 and higher. This is a free download for all EvolutionTV owners.

Q: Are you planning to release a FireWire version of EvolutionTV?
A: No

Q: Is EvolutionTV compatible with USB 1.1?
A: EvolutionTV requires a USB 2.0 port. Some users have reported that EvolutionTV is able to run on a USB 1.1 port, but we definitely do not recommend this configuration (at least for now...)

Q: What kind of TV tuner does EvolutionTV feature?
A: EvolutionTV has an analog tuner with support for up to 125 TV channels. The European version of EvolutionTV supports PAL and SECAM signals, while the US version supports NTSC and PAL. Note that both versions support PAL/SECAM/NTSC video capture through the composite and S-Video connectors.

Q: Can I use EvolutionTV to receive digital TV broadcasts?
A: Yes, but only via a digital receiver box (terrestrial, cable or satellite). You simply need to connect the digital receiver via a composite or S-Video cable (plus audio) to EvolutionTV. Note that channels will have to be changed via the receiver box.

Q: Can I capture iPod Video compatible files with EvolutionTV?
A: Yes. EvolutionTV can capture in an iPod-friendly format.

Q: What kind of files does EvolutionTV generate?
A: Files recorded in MPEG-2 are ".mpg". These files can be read by VLC or QuickTime Player with the MPEG-2 component installed. The audio is encoded in .mp2

Files recorded in MPEG-4 are ".mp4" and fully ISO compliant. These files can be read by VLC or QuickTime Player without any additional software extension. The audio is encoded in AAC.

Files recorded in DivX are ".avi" and fully pass the official DivX checks. These files can be read by VLC or QuickTime Player with the addition of the DivX codec for Mac. The audio is encoded in MP3.

Q: Why does EvolutionTV requires such a fast (1 GHz) processor if it features hardware compression?
A: Although the video encoding is performed by the hardware, your Mac still has to decode the information to properly display it on your screen. This decoding process does require a fair amount of CPU horsepower.

Q: How does the iMovie integration with MPEG-4 files work?
A: First of all, you will need iMovie 5 in order to open MPEG-4 files. EvolutionTV has a special setting to encode in 640x480, the only size that iMovie 5 supports without conversion process. The process of capturing video to your drive will still have to be performed with the bundled application.

Q: What is the maximum resolution I can achieve with EvolutionTV?
A: EvolutionTV follows the PAL/SECAM (720x576) and NTSC (720x480) standards. The picture can of course be displayed in full screen on larger displays. However, as with all TV solutions, the base resolution follows established standards.