Guide: Stream movies to iPhone via WLAN and Internet - New EyeTV 2.5 (Mac only)

Elgato offers a free update 2.5 to their software EyeTV (http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file...updates_eyetv2) that allows "streaming" (its kind of sharing to be precise) of recorded TV shows via local WLAN to your iPhone and iPod Touch. You can access your library on the iPhone or iPod Touch and watch recorded over the local WLAN. Access works through accessing the Mac via MobileSafari on the iPhone/iPod Touch. Playlists are displayed aswell. You select with a fingertip and watch the movies.
Already tried it - its a boomer!

Plus - even though not supportet by Elgato - you can stream your recorded shows via internet and watch TV on a remote hotspot!!!

Here is a how-to

You need a Mac with EyeTV 2.5 and TV tuner hardware, either from Elgato or other supportet hardware. You need to have the full version of EyeTV (comes with all Elgato products). Download EyeTV 2.5 from Elgatos website and install it on your Mac. You should run a local WLAN and have the iPhone/iPod Touch integrated - eg you can surf the web aso.

1. Start EyeTV and goto "EyeTV"->"Preferences"->"Wi-Fi access".

2. Hit "Start" in the dialog. EyeTV asks, if you want to prepare all recorded shows for Wi-Fi access. Do not do that for now: EyeTV has to copy the recorded show in H.264 to make it accessible from iPhone and iPod Touch cause the recorded formats are not supportet. This may take days if you have hundrets of movies recorded like me. So hit "Don't prepare"
3. In EyeTV's main windows you will see a new checkbox named "Wi-Fi access". If you check the box, EyeTV starts to prepare that movie. In that process EyeTV creates a copy of the movie in H.264 and puts it into the movie package in your EyeTV archive. On older Macs it takes looong. I do have Elgato's Turbo.264 (Hardware acellerator for encoding), speeds up the process enormous. You should first give a short recording a try. EyeTV shows a checked box after finishing.
4. If you do not use the personal Firewall on your Mac, start Safari on your iPhone/iPod Touch and type
http://192.168.1.200:2170/eyetv/
where 192.168.1.200 has to be replaced by the IP of your Mac! Enjoy the movies on the iPhone/iPod Touch. Explanation: EyeTV Wi-Fi access uses port 2170 for this sharing feature (its not streaming to be precise) so you need the ":2170" after the IP of your Mac.
5. If you are using the Mac firewall you first have to open that port. To do so open "System Preferences"->"Sharing"->"Firewall". Hit "New". In the dialog select "Other" in the pulldown-menu. In "TCP Port Number(s)" type 2170. In "UDP Port Number(s)" type 2170. In "Description" type anything you want eg "Wi-Fi Access" or "My movie theater" and then hit ok.
6. You are set, enjoy movies in any room of the house.
7. EyeTV 2.5 does not even have to run when using that feature, the Mac has to - of cause.
8. If Wi-Fi access is switched on, EyeTV automaticly prepares any movie you record from then.
9. If you are set, you may activate all the movies you wanna use from the iPhone/iPod Touch later on and let the Mac work. Again, Turbo.264 saves an enormous amount of time, but it works perfect without aswell.


Getting EyeTV set up the described way after a couple minutes and prepared a 15 minute news recording I wondered how to get this babe working over the Internet. tell you what: It works!!!

You need to prepare a couple things but it can be done in half an hour and you are set.

You need to have a good DSL- or cable-connection to the internet. The upload rate is the one that counts here. Mine is a flat internet access with 16 MBit/s down and 700 KBit/s up.
Internet-Providers usually dont give us fixed IP's. So every time you use the internet, you get a different one. For those having a flatrate and beeing online 24/7, the providers cut the line once a day, re-connect and give you a new IP. Cause that's not usable if you want to access from a remote hotspot, you have to use a free host- and domainname-service. (BTW same if you want your Webserver to be online and accessible via Internet).

Get a free account at dyndns.org or others (http://www.dyndns.org/). After getting the account you can choose a host- and domainname for your computer eg thenamexxxyyyzzyouchoosed.dyndns.org or so. You have the choice, they have many domains to choose from, hostname is free to be choosen then.
Dyndns matches the host- and domainname with the current IP of your Mac (or the router) you are using when choosing the hostname.
To let Dyndns know when your provider changes your IP you need a little piece of software, to be found at dyndns (support->client). The software, when installed on your Mac, informs dyndns whenever your IP is changed. So after installing, anyone in the world can access the services (including Wi-Fi access) you are allowing on your Mac via an URL like http://thenamexxxyyyzzyouchoosed.dyndns.org or others.

Some (WLAN-)routers provide Dyndns support. Check it and - if supported - type in your Dyndns setting in your router configuration (the one's you got when subscribing to the service together with the host- and domanname you selected). You don't need the mentioned software then.

If your router does not support Dyndns dirctly, install the software (see above) on your Mac and type in the dyndns data.

Assuming you got Wi-Fi access working in your local WLAN you now have to open the movie theater to the world - final step:
Your router should have a feature called "Port forwarding", look for it and activate. You have to forward port 2170 from your Mac to the router (same port).
After that the Wi-Fi access is a service the router provides to the world. The Internet can't "see" your private network or other services, just Wi-Fi access.

At a remote hotspot start iPhone or iPod Touch and type (replace with your dyndns-hostname of cause)
http://http://thenamexxxyyyzzyouchoo...rg:2170/eyetv/
and enjoy the new "streaming"-feature

Get yourself a nice vaccation place with a hotspot and enjoy your movie collection.

volkspost

Thanks for the tip! I had no idea that EyeTV would do anything like this. And you're right, software encoding takes forever... but once it's done, image quality is good for iPhone and overall it works as advertised!

Works wonderfully with DynDNS! So now I can watch "my" TV shows anywhere in the world right after I tape them at home - never thought I might want to, but the mere thought is soothing.. :-)

Thanks again for the insight! This seems to be rather revolutionizing for anyone how has to stay away from "his" TV for whatever reasons. Great!

Hey, hoping someone can help me.
I followed all the instructions, and got it 90% working.

The problem is, it isn't working from OUTSIDE my network, so I think I am not doing the port forwarding thing right.

If I enter http:// my new cool domain.isa-geek.net:2170/eyetv/

I see my shows as long as I am on one of my network computers, or my iPhone connected via MY home wi-fi.
If I use a neighbors wi-fi or Edge on the iPhone (the only way I can think to test if outside access is working), i get the Safari error page saying the server stopped responding.

So I am assuming that means I set up the dynadns thing right.

the Mac mini that is running the elgato is connected to our network via an Airport Base Station. It is assigned the address 10.0.1.6, and does not have the firewall turned on.

I set in Airport's Port Mapping tab "public port 2170, private IP 10.0.1.6, Private Port 2170".

When that didn't work after a reboot of the base station, I tried also doing the same for 10.0.1.0 (the base station itself).
not sure if that should do anything, but it didn't.

Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I want this to work DESPERATELY!!!

thanks!

Oh, I am also assuming that in setting up the dyndns account, I wanted to choose "Host with IP address" under Service type?

Like I said, I think I got that part working right, as when I log in to dyndns andd check my host, it correctl identifies the IP address as 10.0.1.6, so it must be seeing the Mac mini

Thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Torontogosh

Oh, I am also assuming that in setting up the dyndns account, I wanted to choose "Host with IP address" under Service type?

Like I said, I think I got that part working right, as when I log in to dyndns andd check my host, it correctl identifies the IP address as 10.0.1.6, so it must be seeing the Mac mini

Thanks!

---

I dont have an airport base station. my draytek router has an option for using dyndns. if airport basestation does not have, you have to install the software that is named on your mac (the one that runs eyetv) and type in there the dyndns data of your account.
10.0.1.6 is defenitely wrong cause its an ip of a (your) private network.
what the dyndns software or my draytek-router does is bsically telling dyndns nameservers the ip your aiport basestation got from you internet-provider.
cause you are port-forwarding the eyetv-service 2170 to the router, for the outside world the router on his outside ip (given from the provider) is serving the movie content.
cause that ip is distributed dynamically and changes at least once a day, the software i mentioned (or a router that supports dyndns) on the mac informs dyndns about that changes. they match then your "outside" ip with the host- and domainname you have been choosing at dyndns.

So, i guess you have to get the software, set it up and you can watch the movie from any location - inside and outside of your own wlan.

volkspost

Thanks for getting back to me.

Yes, I AM running the dyndns software, and it actually is the one broadcasting that 10.0.1.6 address.

when I reset my base station and rebooted the computer, it assigned the Mac mini a new address of 10.0.1.3, and i saw that elgato's wifi said that was the home network address, and the dyndns software saud that was the address.

when I logged into the dyndns site, it too had changed the ip to 10.0.1.3.

I just read here

http://forums.macosxhints.com/archiv...p/t-57554.html

that via the dyndns widget you can choose other options, so it sends your router's IP address out to dyn dns, and not the computer's.

Over the phone (since I'm at work) I had the wife try to fire up the widget and change it to EXTERNAL, as the site suggested, but it didn't work.

but apparently there are 5 or so other options, so I am going to try those when I get home.
I assume then for port mapping, I want to type in the airport's address 10.0.0.0 )? (I think?) and open port 2170 on THAT?

are you familiar with the dyn dns widget, and what I should set it to?

thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Torontogosh

Thanks for getting back to me.

Yes, I AM running the dyndns software, and it actually is the one broadcasting that 10.0.1.6 address.

when I reset my base station and rebooted the computer, it assigned the Mac mini a new address of 10.0.1.3, and i saw that elgato's wifi said that was the home network address, and the dyndns software saud that was the address.

when I logged into the dyndns site, it too had changed the ip to 10.0.1.3.

I just read here

http://forums.macosxhints.com/archiv...p/t-57554.html

that via the dyndns widget you can choose other options, so it sends your router's IP address out to dyn dns, and not the computer's.

Over the phone (since I'm at work) I had the wife try to fire up the widget and change it to EXTERNAL, as the site suggested, but it didn't work.

but apparently there are 5 or so other options, so I am going to try those when I get home.
I assume then for port mapping, I want to type in the airport's address 10.0.0.0 )? (I think?) and open port 2170 on THAT?

are you familiar with the dyn dns widget, and what I should set it to?

thanks!

---

i have never used the widget, sorry. on the base station you should look for port forwarding or port mapping. you have to type in there the ip of your mac and port 2170 from mac to base station to map. should work then

volkspost

Thanks again for writing back, Volkspost.

I have been able to get dyndns to use my router's IP, it now is 138.xx.xxx.xxx. I have the Airport port mapping set to forward port 2170 for the Mac mini, 10.0.1.3.

Unfortunately, it still doesn't work.

Just to confirm one last thing, my address I should be trying to access is

http://thenameichose.kicks-ass.net:2170/eyetv/

correct?
It would suck if that was what I was somehow doing wrong...


Is there anything else you can think might be causing it?

If anyone out there with an Airport gets this to work, please post back here and let me know. Thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Torontogosh

Thanks again for writing back, Volkspost.

I have been able to get dyndns to use my router's IP, it now is 138.xx.xxx.xxx. I have the Airport port mapping set to forward port 2170 for the Mac mini, 10.0.1.3.

Unfortunately, it still doesn't work.

Just to confirm one last thing, my address I should be trying to access is

http://thenameichose.kicks-ass.net:2170/eyetv/

correct?
It would suck if that was what I was somehow doing wrong...


Is there anything else you can think might be causing it?

If anyone out there with an Airport gets this to work, please post back here and let me know. Thanks!

---

sorry for getting back late, have been on a business trip. the url is correct and it should work. you should give it another try.
In Safari check into your account at dyndns and find out the actual IP address for the service (something like 138.xxx.ccc.yy - changes at least daily). on the iphone then use the url http://138.xxx.ccc.yy:2170/eyetv/ . This should give you access to the eyetv interface. If this works, you did a correct port forwarding.

To check the dns hostname thing at home then do the following: do another port forwarding, this time for port 80 (same mac, same airport basestation). then use system preferences to activate the mac's webserver (system preferences->sharing->personal websharing). on the same mac fire up then safari and hit the mac's IP (internal IP 10.0.1.3) as the url. You should see the apache welcome screen. then use the IP dyndns is displaying (138.yyy.ccc.xxx or so) Same page should show up. Then use the assigned host and domainname you have been choosing at dyndns.

You have to find out where the litte bug is sitting. sometimes the mac software that ist responsible the alert dyndns as soon as your assigned (provider) IP changes does not work properly. check the related forums then.

One last question. You have been reading the tutorial, especially the part with the mac firewall? If the firewall on your mac is running, you have to open 2170 for eyetv service! So, if you can access the apache webpage on you mac with the dyndns host and domainname but cant access eyetv, thats probably the reason. Mac OS X opens the firewall automaticly whenever you start the webserver but doesnt for custom services.

let me know if this helps

volkspost