Cluttered

My Current EyeTV4 Issues

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Had no problems in regards to uninstalling / reinstalling. Just used my EyeTV 4 serial number and it just worked. In the meantime I was able to downgrade to 8524 and 8526, without experience crashes after the program search. Two days ago they published 8527 instead of the perviously version 8528. But now I'm fighting with a new problem: The EPG data is not streamed to the EyeTV app (iPhone) anymore. Once more I have to invest time in order to get this problem solved too. Without program data on the iPhone I'm not able to use it for remote recording and programme selection without content data available becomes very uncomfortable too.

I'm still in exchange with the coding team in China. However, IMO the whole project «EyeTV 4 for Mac» would need a complete restart from the scratch. New project managemnet, other, more competent coders. I don't expect the actual team would be able to bring this software up to the quality (features and performance) of the previous EyeTV 3. I already expressed my total lack of understanding and recommended them to sell this business to someone who knows how to manage a software project like this.

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It was uninstalling from the real mac and installing into a vm, it sees it as different hardware and thinks you’re trying to pirate it.

I had to revert to 8524 too, the guide windows had the right headings but the record button was at the end of the program name (didn’t screenshot it unfortunately), so instead of all the record buttons being aligned on the far right they were jagged down roughly the centre of the screen. No way to change the size and no program descriptions shown. Useless.

I am yet to hear from support!

Why buy a product if you have no interest in supporting or developing it!

The answer of course is that there is no real competition and so it’s a license to print money. No trial so anyone that gets it has to pay the obscene price. EyeTV3 worked great and so people either think that that is what they are buying or assume it will be just as good. How wrong can you be.

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In the meantime I got the version 8524 working again on my Mac mini M1 2020. Had to try several times as either it crashed after installing or video was not streamed to the EyeTV app (iPhone) anymore. For time being everything is working, including video, audio, EPG. This software is rather bizarre as it acts different after each installing. Up to now I was unable to find a clear traceable behaviour. The 8527 did not stream the video at all to the EyeTV app.

Geniatech China gave me this contact address: suggestion@geniatech.com   

Maybe it's better to send complaints directly to the Chinese headquarter. The more noise we make the better. If nothing happens there are more ways to increase the necessary pressure...

Edited by Roland B.

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I sent an email to them before when you suggested it, copied in the long list of problems and a link here.

Probably shut down for Christmas/December/2021-2022/ever.

Wondering if the windows version is any better, could install that in my Win10 vm but there is no way I am spending more money on a license for this rubbish. I would suppose my mac license won’t work and I don’t think there is a demo.

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On 12/17/2021 at 9:47 PM, Cluttered said:

When I open a new window it’s a toss up if there will be any sound. If there isn’t then I need to keep opening/closing until it eventually gives in and turns sound on.
It isn’t the volume level, it isn’t muted, it’s just broken. 

I am amazed you have so many problem. I have experienced very few of these. I get different ones. 😂

For the sound issue, I find the quickest fix is to switch sound output and then back (or not back if the first switch fixes it).

For skip jumping to the end of the recording, I find shift-jump works but not practical. Haven't figured out the pattern to why it affects only some recordings.

Currently my issue is with macOS 12.1 where full screen either causes the app to crash or the video to go invisible and no menus work any more. I've given up submitting reports after the first dozen times.

I still like the app, and try to imagine how great it could be again once Geniatech invest some time into bringing it up to expected standards. As Dilbert once said "when it's 95% done, you're about half way there."

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On 12/25/2021 at 7:04 PM, Cluttered said:

I sent an email to them before when you suggested it, copied in the long list of problems and a link here.

Probably shut down for Christmas/December/2021-2022/ever.

Wondering if the windows version is any better, could install that in my Win10 vm but there is no way I am spending more money on a license for this rubbish. I would suppose my mac license won’t work and I don’t think there is a demo.

Hi Cluttered, there were a lot of users (including me) reporting that the export to mov, mp4, mpeg and others does not work. In the meantime I came to the conclusion that it works more or less well in the background, while the red progress circle hangs at around 20 percent and never finishes. There is not even a pop up message at the end of the export. However, in fact the export takes place in the background within a reasonable time. Simply, it's just an indication bug (hanging red progress circle).

Can you please check and confirm this? Txs.

I already forwarded the problem with the export progress indication to Geniatech Shenzen but according to them fixing this has no priority. To me it looks like they have nor a coding team available nor something like a project manager. Even worse: Apple knowledge and quality control barely existent. Most probably they are already happy if we can watch live TV with all the USB sticks in the market. Sending them long bug lists doesn't make any sense as they refuse to act. Even their advertising for EyeTV version 4 is totally outdated. Promised to fix functions until February 2020 that are still non existent. And export for applications like iMovie® HD, iDVD®, or DVD Studio Pro® is rather strange, as these apps reached the end of live a long time ago or got new names. And they are still using the term iTunes while Apple replaced iTunes by different new apps. Conclusion: Geniatech is neither willing nor able to bring EyeTV 4 to a real success. They rather try to keep it running, a way of at least. Maybe, simply it's no business anymore?

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99% of the time when I try to export, it creates a zero byte file then that is it. No red circle, no further access, the file never grows (and I left it for ages).

Sometimes it does actually create a decent sized file and show the indicator - tried one this morning actually and amazingly it ran, that was some hours ago, it created a 1.1GB file, the red circle is still there at about 75%, there is no indication from the program that it has actually finished, quite the opposite if you believe the icon!

I STILL have had zero responses from Geniatech, either from the online support requests which I have been making for over a year, or from the direct sales email you suggested. I very much get the impression that the only priority Geniatech have is taking money for a virtually unusable program. They certainly have no interest in fixing any of it’s problems or even of providing basic support for it.
They should revert it to a beta and pay existing users to use it.

A7773662-9AD2-4F9B-BEDB-95BDEFF5567A.jpeg

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Indeed it seems to be a very strange company. Most probably they totally underestimated the problems when they bought the whole stuff from Elgator a couple of years ago. Contacting the managing director of their European branch did not bring any success. Therefore I decided to contact the headquarter in Shenzen. However, after exchanging a couple of mails, I come to the conclusion that there is not too much to expect. Most probably the wrong people and no money available. It is a shame as it is obvious that talented Apple coders could bring this piece of software to a full success in no time.

In my opinion Geniatech cannot be seen as a serious company. The point is: As long as we, the users, are willing to accept to be cheated like this, nothing will happen. Maybe a lawyer could find a way to open a legal case as they advertised functions that have never been implemented...

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Just found another one.

Select to edit a recording, the edit bar is nearly always offscreen so you have to reposition the window, not really worth mentioning. 
But, if you select edit and then go to full screen, the edit bar is completely inaccessible.

*sigh*

Edited by Cluttered
Typi

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Well, plenty of bugs, as known. As I already explained: I contacted the managing director of Geniatech Europe, followed by mail exchanges with the management in Shenzen. Most probably they just replied because I'm in journalism. However, they are not really open for the necessary steps. And in my opinion any further involvement is wasting time. What kind of action do you propose?

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I don’t see that there is anything I can do.

I tried the proper steps, raising support issues directly, they ignore them.

I tried emailing further up, they ignore them.

I tried social media, they ignore them.

Now I am just posting all my issues here, so there is a record, maybe one day someone will sort the product out - I doubt that. Maybe a 3rd party will buy it out and fix it, that would be nice. Maybe a competing product will emerge at which point people will jump to it in droves. 

I think personally that it will just be left as it is now, slowly dying until it just evaporates and becomes totally unusable and thus abandonware. 

This is becoming more widespread, buying up software rather than developing it themselves, then just raking in as much cash as they can get with little development and less support. The same happens with patents I believe. Buy the rights to someone else’s work, milk it for all you can get and sue everyone in sight if they try to compete. They don’t care about anything other than money so it is the end users/customers that suffer while they are laughing all the way to the bank.

But then the large tech companies do the same I suppose. I have to jump through hoops to use iTunes or the large number of 32-bit apps I have bought over the years. I often find software on my iPad has now been quietly removed from the store and will no longer receive updates, then when the next iOS is forced on me they no longer work. Or worse the money grabbing software companies decide that I should really be paying them every month just to use something that I actually bought outright.

Ah well, the old argument that you can’t switch from iOS, Apple, Windows etc because you have so much investment in software is starting to become moot. If the software won’t run, and keeps getting taken off you, then you might as well take the hit and switch to a different platform. It’s just finding one that is worth switching to that is the problem!

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Well, in this case it's only € 29,95, at least. And the USB receiver stick(s), of course. However, according to them they have a user community of a «two times seven-digit number» (maybe Win and Mac). If only a fraction of these users is going to buy the software, the sum below the line is not so bad. Just playing around with numbers: seven-digit numbers range from 1 million to just below 10 millions. Let's assume 3 millions have been forced to buy the 64bit Mac version. This would result in a revenue of (3'000'000 multiplied by € 29.95) 89.85 million Euros. And this covers the software part only.

Should be plenty of money available for running this kind of business, including employing a nice team of talented coders.

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Hi Cluttered / Roland,

Have read this post and your exchanges a couple of times with much interest - lots of nodding going on here as I read familiar points you're both making! EyeTV4 is very frustrating software. If it wasn't for the fact that Geniatech charged us so much to "upgrade" to the 64 bit version (over $40 in Australia), I probably would've abandoned it ages ago. As it is, my son is trying other means to get me to move on. Basically, the hardware (I use a diversity tuner) is fine and works with other software (eg Plex) but the result is something that takes much getting used to. I too would be happy with a 64 bit version of EyeTV 3 - it wasn't perfect but it worked.

Quick question - I'm using Diversity on an intel Mac mini with OS 12.1. EyeTV version is 4 (8526). Is it worth updating to 8527? I'm hesitant after reading all you folks have been saying.

Many thanks for all you're writing on here!

 

Edited by Oz Mac User

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Hi,

I am still on 8526, I tried 8528 when it was available (has it been removed?), it didn't fix ANY of my issues and introduced a new one so I downgraded(?). If you don't need to update then I wouldn't bother. 8526 has many,many, many problems as do all v4 versions, 8528 is no better, I haven't tried 8527 but I would bet it doesn't fix anything.

Not sure why they bother. If they fixed problems and released an update then that would be awesome, but they don't, at best it is no worse, but usually it adds a new issue or two. They ignore all my support requests so they are not even trying to address them.

I use the diversity too, I have three, v3 was super, v4 is an absolute car crash.

If GeniaTech actually made some pretence of looking at the issues and trying to fix them then that would be something, they don't.

I wish there was a decent alternative.

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On 1/13/2022 at 10:38 PM, Cluttered said:

I am still on 8526, I tried 8528 when it was available (has it been removed?), it didn't fix ANY of my issues and introduced a new one so I downgraded(?). If you don't need to update then I wouldn't bother. 8526 has many, many, many problems as do all v4 versions, 8528 is no better, I haven't tried 8527 but I would bet it doesn't fix anything.

Hi - 8528 no longer online. Only 8527 available and I'll take your advice and stay on 8526 (I can't recall solving any issues with updating for at least the last 2 years). The real problems would be solved with a major release (not incremental like these)....a frustrating shame

 

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On 1/13/2022 at 12:29 PM, Oz Mac User said:

EyeTV version is 4 (8526). Is it worth updating to 8527?

For what it's worth, I downloaded EyeTV4.0.0_8527.dmg from here.
After mounting the dmg Image and right-clicking to "Get Info" on the contained app, it shows "Version: 4.0.0 (8526)".
Same after installation in the EyeTV -> About EyeTV menu.
The apps has a slightly different file size than the one in the EyeTV4.0.0_8526.dmg image - but I guess the differences are likely very small.

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Three more:

* Go to a favourite channel list. Scroll forward to a week today to add new schedules. The display is likely blank so update the DVB guide. It’s still blank, go to the normal guide then back without doing anything else, scroll forward again, all the data appears. It only seems to update the favourite channels display when you first enter it, not when you do an update.

* Recording thumbnail is sometimes upside down.

* Search only seems to look at the title.

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You cannot use the time at at the top of a live window to go backwards.
Watching the news, it says there is 5 hours in the buffer, I cannot move the slider to go back.
I can use the arrow keys but that takes forever and it keeps jumping back to the live view?

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For me the most annoying bug is that after watching a recorded track and switching over to the still recording live TV, the recording live TV plays without audio (OS X 10.15.7 Catalina). This bug exists since quite a while the support never answers when reporting it. Wishing back to the 3.x version and the Elgato support...

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No one at Geniatech bothers to respond to me, been trying for years now and they ignore everything.

Audio usually restarts if you reselect it in the menu, you can just choose the same destination so audio, audio output, system sound output. For example.

Absolute junk. v3 was much better, but then v3 was written by Elgato rather thean Geniatech. Elgato presumably hired professional programmers while Geniatech did not.

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1 hour ago, Cluttered said:

No one at Geniatech bothers to respond to me, been trying for years now and they ignore everything.

Audio usually restarts if you reselect it in the menu, you can just choose the same destination so audio, audio output, system sound output. For example.

Absolute junk. v3 was much better, but then v3 was written by Elgato rather thean Geniatech. Elgato presumably hired professional programmers while Geniatech did not.

Thank you Cluttered, that is a great workaround with re choosing the audio output! And yes, Geniatech really sucks! I am using EyeTV since version 2.x and went a long way with Elgato.

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