Just plug it into a USB port and watch TV on your Mac.

Your Mac does so many things so well. Here's one more: It can play and record your favorite television shows. By inserting the EyeTV Hybrid into a USB 2.0 port, connecting an antenna or cable box, and installing the EyeTV 2 software, you can have instant TV on your Mac, including high-definition TV shows. Even better, you can record the shows directly to your Mac's hard drive.

The EyeTV's program-guide software resembles the onscreen guides for cable or satellite TV. To record a show, you locate it in the guide and click the red Record button. If you're used to TiVo's onscreen interface, you're probably going to rankle at the relative dumbness of the EyeTV software. For example, you can record Desperate Housewives every Sunday night, but the software can't avoid repeat episodes. And if the show's not on, it will record whatever is broadcast in its place at the same time. Also, you can't record two shows at once. To receive HD, you need a dual-processor G5 or Intel Core Duo Mac, and it can only handle digital content over the air, not through cable or satellite.

Still, the EyeTV Hybrid does offer you the option to waggle your tongue at the iTunes Store, since it lets you export shows to view on your video iPod or in a format you can work with in iMovie HD and Toast.

Exports took a while on our dual 2GHz Power Mac G5: about 90 minutes for a 30-minute, 1.5GB show. But the shows displayed beautifully on our 5G iPod. You can even use the software's rudimentary editing tools to hack out commercials. The freedom to watch any shows we want on our iPods - for free - is worth it.

Though you can pause and resume digital television, you can't do so while watching analog TV. You must record those shows and watch them later to gain navigation capabilities. We also ran into a few blips when multitasking. We tried watching a recorded show while checking email, for example, and while exporting and recording other programs. Occasionally, the audio disappeared or the signal would go out.

The bottom line. Despite some of the EyeTV Hybrid's quirks, it works instantly and easily - we just hope the software's shortcomings can be addressed in future versions.

COMPANY: Elgato Systems
CONTACT: www.elgato.com
PRICE: $149.95
REQUIREMENTS: G4 or Intel Core Solo or faster (dual G5 or Intel Core Duo or faster required for HD), Mac OS 10.4 or later, 256MB RAM, built-in USB 2.0 port, Internet connection
Enables you to watch and record over-the-air digital content. Exports to iPod.
Scheduling software lacks TiVo-esque features. Some quirky behavior.