General Questions:

Q: What are the minimum system requirements for TVMini 2?
A: A Mac with a G4/1.5GHz (and higher), G5 or Intel Processor, built-in USB 2.0 connectivity, Mac OS X 10.4.x or 10.5.x.
Please note that the software will not run on 10.3.9.


Q: Can I run TVMini 2 on a USB 1.1 bus?
A: No, the bandwidth provided by USB 1.1 is not sufficient to run TVMini 2 satisfactorily

Receiving TV:

Q: What type of TV signals can I receive with TVMini 2?
A: TVMini 2 supports DVB-T, also known as DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television), Freeview (in the UK) or TNT (in France).


Q: What equipment do I need to receive digital TV?
A: It depends where you live. In most countries, the provided portable antenna will be sufficient to receive a signal if digital TV coverage is good. In the UK and some parts of France, be prepared to use a roof-top antenna if you want to receive all (or sometimes any) channels.


Q: Can I receive analogue TV with TVMini 2?
A: No, TVMini 2 supports only Digital Terrestrial signals.


Q: Can I connect TVMini 2 to a digital satellite or cable receiver?
A: No, TVMini 2 supports only Digital Terrestrial signals. The output from digital set top boxes is analogue (except if you use an HDMI connection, but there is no such input on TVMini 2. For set top boxes, TVMax+, TVMini+ or TVMicro Express are recommended.


Q: In what countries will TVMini 2 work?
A: For Digital: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom.
The DVB website has up to date information on the progress of DVB-T implementation in most countries: http://dvb.org/about_dvb/dvb_worldwide/index.xml


Q: Can I use TVMini 2 in the USA or Canada?
A: Digital TV signals in the USA are completely different to those used in the rest of the world and are not compatible with TVMini 2. Check out TVMini HD Express for digital TV in the USA.

Recording TV and watching it

Q: What video format is used when recording?
A: The MPEG-2 stream is simply written to disk without any modification to the picture quality whatsoever. What you get is what is broadcast. Recordings are stored in the .ttrec format proprietary to The Tube, but can be exported to iPod, iPhone, AppleTV (h.264 for all) or iMovie (DV)


Q: Can I play back my recordings with QuickTime Player or FrontRow
A: Yes, but you will have to export the recordings first. Otherwise, just play them back in The Tube.

Video Capture:

Q: Can I convert VHS tapes to DVD with TVMini 2?
A: No, as this would require support for analogue video and some additional video inputs. TVMini+ or TVMax+ are perfectly suited for that purpose.


Q: What kind of video inputs does TVMini 2 have?
A: It has a coaxial connector, suitable for antenna reception.


Exporting TV recordings to iPod, iPhone, AppleTV
Q: Can I export my recordings to iPod, iPhone, AppleTV?
A: Yes, The Tube features a built-in export mechanism that lets you convert your TV recordings to iPod/iPhone/AppleTV.


General software features
Q: Can I pause/rewind live TV?
A:Yes. With the included The Tube software, you get the most advanced implementation of Timeshift on the Mac. This Timeshift function lets you rewind live TV and record from the buffer, eg. when you press the record button, the recording does not jump to the live TV feed.


Q: Can I schedule recordings?
A: Yes, of course.


Q: Can I use an EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) service?
A: Yes. TVMini 2 lets you access the free EPG service broadcast by TV stations. No subscription fee is required.It will also let you schedule a recording with a single click using the EPG listings.
You can also use the XMLTV import feature if you want to get EPG data from other sources - this is usually reserved to advanced users.


Q: Can I set the TV window to be always on top of other applications?
A: Yes.


Q: Does TVMini 2 Support 16:9 broadcasts?
A: Yes.


Q: Does TVMini 2 Support encrypted broadcasts?
A: No.