Over $300 in raffle prizes at our April 7, 2010 meeting!
03/28/2010 11:24 AM
Hi everyone, We are thrilled to announce that we have two outstanding raffle prizes from Elgato for our April 7th main meeting. As a reminder, here are the logistics for the event: Elgato comes to Chicago! Wednesday, April 7, 2010 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Digital Bootcamp 25 West Hubbard, 2nd Floor Chicago, IL 60654 The two prizes we will be giving away that night are the new 2010 Elgato EyeTV Hybrid (which turns your Mac into a great television), and the Elgato Turbo.264 HD, which is great for compressing video without straining your Mac, to easily view the video on your iPod, iPhone, or other devices. It has a retail value of $149.95. The Elgato EyeTV Hybrid is a device about 3" x 1.5" that is inserted into a USB 2 slot on your Mac. The included software (called Eye TV 3) allows you to watch, record, edit, and save the programs on your Mac. It will even record shows when you are away. You can perform intelligent searches for programs, create clips, export out and much more. The software allows you to edit out parts of the show that you don't want to watch, save the video, and view it later. An optional app is available which allows you to stream video from your Mac to your iPhone, iPod or iPad. The device itself can be connected to a digital antenna to receive all the TV stations broadcast over the air and view many programs in high definition. It can also be connected to your cable to get all your cable TV stations. Note - if you get your internet service through a company that provides TV services, too, (such as Comcast or RCN), you might be able to view basic cable at no charge using the Eye TV Hybrid. This might include such channels as the History Channel, CNN, ESPN, Fox, MTV, Discovery, TNT, Disney, FX, Golf, Travel, Comedy Channel, VH1, CNBC, and more. Federal law (specifically 47CFR76.630) prohibits cable companies from scrambling their basic cable TV service, and it is possible to use an EyeTV Hybrid to view basic cable on your Mac at no charge under certain conditions, and without the use of a set top box. Unencrypted QAM (that's what it's called, you can do a search for the term, such as clicking here) is very rarely described or publicized by cable companies, but this will be a chance to learn more about it. You can also use the Elgato system to view regular subscription cable TV without any issues. Here is what it looks like: More info about the Elgato EyeTV Hubrid can be found here: http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/EyeTV-Hybrid-10/product1.en.html The Elgato Turbo.264 HD is a great device for converting the video into H.264 format. This works on its own, and does not strain your Macintosh's processors. If you have any video (such as from a Camcorder, or EyeTV) to convert for use on an iPhone or you need to crop, scale, trip or batch video, the turbo.264 HD is a great solution. It works well with everything from iMovie to Final Cut Pro. Here's what it looks like: and here is where you can learn more about it: http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Turbo264HD/product1.en.html The Elgato Turbo.264 HD has a retail value of $149.95. How to buy raffle tickets online. Current members of the Chicago Apple User Group receive one free raffle ticket, and can buy as many additional tickets as they want for $1.00 each. Tickets are available online now at: http://www.chicagoapple.org/raffletickets.html Non-members can also buy tickets, at a cost of $2.00 each. The page for non-member tickets is here: http://www.chicagoapple.org/raffletickets2.html You must be present at the meeting to win the prizes. The April 7 event is made possible by the dues paying members of the Chicago Apple User Group. If you are not a member and would like to join, click here. The event is open to the public, no reservations are required. You are welcome to bring friends and colleagues. Best wishes, Russ Conte President, Chicago Apple User Group http://www.chicagoapple.org