Streaming the World Cup to an iPhone or iPad is all well and good, but if you’re already carrying a laptop you have everything you need to receive high quality TV on the go. Read on, and we’ll spell out exactly how to turn that large-screened workhorse into a portable World Cup theatre!
Tackle Freeview with a USB tuner
The first thing you’ll need is an Elgato EyeTV tuner. For laptops, we recommend the EyeTV DTT Deluxe. It’s a tiny USB device, small enough to fit in any laptop’s socket, no matter how cramped, and ready to grab Freeview signals from thin air.
Plug the EyeTV DTT Deluxe in, attach the included travel aerial and extend it for maximum reception. Install the EyeTV software for Macs, fire up Windows Media Center on your PC, or if you don’t have Windows Media Center, use the included TerraTec Home Cinema software, and you’ll be watching live broadcasts after a quick scan of the airwaves.
Mac or Windows integration
Elgato EyeTV products don’t just work as stand-alone TV tuners, they integrate with Windows or Mac OS X.
Install the EyeTV software on a Mac and you’ll see there’s options to record programmes. Once recorded, you’re able to select programmes, and with a simple tap of the iPod or iPad buttons in the menu bar export them directly to iTunes to watch on the move.
Windows 7 plays happily with Elgato’s EyeTV DTT Deluxe too. Hook it up, hit the Start menu and load Windows Media Centre. It’ll automatically detect the TV tuner, begin scanning for broadcasts and let you tune in to live TV and record shows too.
Once your EyeTV DTT Deluxe is set up within Windows Media Centre, you can even add Media Extenders to stream its signal or recorded shows around the house, to Xbox 360 and other set-top boxes.
Upgrade your aerial
The Elgato EyeTV DTT Deluxe includes two aerials. The first is a telescopic travel aerial, designed for maximum portability. It’ll give you a good signal in areas where Freeview coverage is strong enough for portable TVs.
There’s also a beefier rod antenna included, for use in areas with a weaker signal. It includes a magnetic base and removable suction cup, so you can easily place it for the best reception.
If you need an even better aerial, the Elgato EyeTV DTT Deluxe also includes an IEC-MCX adapter, letting you hook up the TV tuner to a standard rooftop aerial. No matter where you find yourself, you’ll be able to make the most of the signal available.
Control the football, remotely
Even though you’re watching the World Cup on a laptop, there’s no reason not to sit back and relax. The Elgato EyeTV DTT Deluxe comes bundled with an infra red remote which communicates with the EyeTV tuner itself, rather than your computer.
That means you can sit back and change channels just as you would with a regular TV, regardless of whether your computer already has an infra red receiver, or even a remote control of its own.
Whether you’re away on business, sat in a motorway service station, or watching the World Cup in secret in the garden shed, the Elgato EyeTV DTT Deluxe turns your laptop into a true media centre, meaning you’ll see every game.
