TVMax+ User Guide Revision 1.
Table of contents Introduction and Overview of TVMax+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Introduction and System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Overview of TVMax+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Hardware and Software installation . .
Introduction and Overview of TVMax+ TVMax+™ User Guide Page 1
Introduction Thank you for choosing TVMax+™ from Miglia Technology. TVMax+™ allows you to watch and record TV and video on your Mac. You can record to MPEG-4 in real-time, thus delivering immediate compatibility with Apple’s iPod Video and Apple TV. System requirements: • Mac with USB 2.0 connectivity • G4/1.25 GHz or higher processor • 512 MB of RAM • Mac OS X 10.4.x • QuickTime 7 Package contents • TVMax+™ • Infrared Remote Control • CD-ROM with software and installation guide • Power Supply • USB 2.
Overview of TVMax+™ Video inputs TVMax+™ features several video inputs: • TV input • Composite input • S-Video input • RCA Stereo audio input TV Composite S-Video Audio USB 2.0 Power • TV/Antenna connection: This is the TV Tuner connection. Connect a cable from your TV antenna or cable wall outlet. An adapter for ‘threaded’ connections is provided in the package. • Composite input: Composite is a widely used standard for connecting video equipment.
Hardware and Software Installation TVMax+™ User Guide Page 4
I. Hardware Installation 1. Connect the power supply to the “Power” socket located at the back of TVMax+. Verify the green LED on the front panel of the unit is lit. 2. Connect the USB 2.0 cable provided from a USB 2.0 port of your computer to TVMax+. Note: We strongly recommend using the USB 2.0 cable provided with TVMax+. Do not use low quality cables or very long cables as this will affect the performance of the unit. II. Connecting your video source 1.
2. Composite Connection Digital TV subscribers (Terrestrial, Cable, Satellite) will interface their digital receiver set top box with TVMax+. You can either make a connection via S-Video or Composite. If you wish to capture video footage from a Camcorder, VCR or DVD-Player, a connection with Composite or SVideo is recommended. The diagram below shows a connection via Composite. 3.
III. Software Installation 1. Insert the Installation CD that shipped with TVMax+™ card into your CD/DVD drive. 2. Before installing the version available on the CD, check for any available updates on the Miglia site. Doubleclick on the icon named ‘Check for software updates now!’ to access the website page. 3. Open the folder TVMax+ and double-click on the ‘’Install TVMax+™” icon to launch the installer. Select the startup drive of your choice and click on ‘Install’.
Setting up TVMax+ for viewing and recording TVMax+™ User Guide Page 8
Introduction This chapter will guide you through the initial setup of TVMax+. Before proceeding, make sure you have connected TVMax+ to a USB 2.0 port of your Mac. Also ensure the power supply is connected at all times. Connect your TV antenna via a coaxial cable or your video source (digital TV receiver for example) via Composite/S-Video. I. Serial Number and Registration 1. Launch TVMax+ located in your Applications folder 2.
2. The Setup Assistant will ask you to choose the type of connection you are using. If you connect your card directly to an antenna or a cable TV outlet, choose the ‘TV Tuner’option. If you are subscribing to a premium or digital cable service or to digital satellite, use the S-Video connection, as this will ensure the best picture quality possible. Channels will have to be switchedwith the remote control of your cable or satellite receiver.
USA residents only If you have selected TV Tuner as the input connection, the Setup Assistant will ask you to enter your ZIP code to download the relevant channel naming templates from TVGuide.com. This will name the channel automatically. 4. TV Tuner Connection: Press the ‘Start Scan’ button to start the automatic channel search. You will be given three options during the channel scan: Get all Channels: The software will scan and store all channels without interruption until the process is complete.
Using the TVMax+ Menus TVMax+™ User Guide Page 12
I. TVMax+ Menus Various functions are accessible via the menu bar: 1. The TVMax+ Menu lets you access: About box: Displays about box with version number Preferences... Opens the Preferences menu for the TVMax+ application Setup Assistant: Launches the Setup Assistant TitanTV Listings or tvtv Schedule: Opens your web browser to access the tvtv or TitanTV online guide page. Software Update: Checks online if a new version is available.
2. 3. The File menu contains the following options: New Recording: Enables you to create a new scheduled recording.
4. The View Menu contains the video related commands. Quarter Size: Displays the TV window in Quarter size Half Size: Displays the TV window in half size Actual Size: Sets the TV window to the original aspect ratio of the broadcast, eg. this is the picture as it is transmitted. Double Size: Displays the TV window in double size Full Screen: Displays the TV window in Full Screen mode, covering the entire screen Picture Optimization: There are four levels of picture optimisation.
5. The Controller menu contains the commands found on the onscreen remote control This menu lets you control the timeshift (pausing live TV) feature as well as the TV channel selection. Play: If the live TV window is in Pause mode, use this command to return to play mode Pause: Lets you pause the live TV window Jump Forward: Lets you jump forward by 10 seconds. This option will only work if you have previously paused the live TV window. Replay: Lets you jump back by 10 seconds.
Channel up/ down: Changes TV channel Switch back: Switches back to the channel you were previously watching Use Channel Name as index: Aligns the channel number with the TV station number. Video Input: Lets you select the video input to be used by TVMax+ to receive the video stream. Toggle Video Input: Cycles through the video inputs (TV Tuner, Composite, S-Video) Volume Up/Down: Increases or decreases the audio volume. This option affects only the live TV, not a recording 6.
Using the TVMax+ Onscreen Remote TVMax+™ User Guide Page 18
The TVMax+ Onscreen Remote 1) Channel List 2) Channel up 3) Instant Replay - Jump Backwards 10 seconds through a video and then continue playing foward.
Using the TVMax+ Preferences TVMax+™ User Guide Page 20
I. TVMax+ preferences overview 1. Select TVMax+ > Preferences 1. The preferences are divided in three categories: General: This category allows you to set the general storage preferences Video Input: This menu allows you to set all video and audio preferences. Plugins: TVMax+ supports a Plugins architecture for a smooth integration with other applications or devices. This menu lets you set options for various built-in and third party plug-ins.
I. The General Sub-menu 1. The Filename Template allows you to enter pre-defined values for the name of the file that will be stored onto your hard drive when recording.
II. The Video Input Menu The Video Input menu contains the most important controls you have over the video you will view or record to your hard drive. A. Adjusting the video settings 1. The image sub-menu allows you to control the brightness, lighting, saturation and hue of the video. Adjustments can be made by moving the sliders or entering a value on the right hand side.
2. Video Compression will adjust the video codec and quality settings for the video you will record to your hard drive. TVMax+ features a built-in hardware encoding chip with support for several formats: Full Size: Records a file in MPEG-4. The Video Size is 720x576 (PAL) and 720x480 (NTSC). iPod Good: This option will generate a 320x240 MPEG-4 file directly readable by an iPod Video. iPod Best: This option will generate a 640x480 MPEG-4 file directly readable by an iPod Video.
DivX Home Theater: DivX is similar to MPEG-4 and delivers great picture quality combined with small file sizes. The video size is 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC) DivX Portable: TVMax+ lets you create video files compatible with the DivX Portable profile (352x288). The Device list let’s you select the desired input device, eg. TVMax+, the built-in audio or any other compatible USB or FireWire device. If you are capturing via the TV tuner, TVMax+ and TV Tuner are the correct settings.
8. The TV Tuner Sub-menu The TV tuner sub-menu allows you to create and select channel layouts. It also enables you to scan and fine-tune channels manually, without the help of the Setup Assistant. It is possible to create a new channel setup without using the Setup Assistant. To Do so, select ‘Create from Template’ in the drop-down menu. The selected pre-defined channel list can then be scanned and fine tuned. Note: This will not be required if you already have setup TVMax+ with the Setup Assistant.
III. The Plugins Menu TVMax+ supports a Plugins architecture allowing a smooth integration with third-party applications and devices. You may want to check this menu with every update of the application, as new plug-ins are added continuously.
Scheduling a recording with TVMax+ TVMax+™ User Guide Page 28
I. Schedule a recording with TVMax+ 1. Click on View > Show scheduled recordings. 2. In the ‘Scheduled Recordings’ window, click ‘New Recording’ to create a new recording.
3. First, enter the date/time information. Select the start and end times by either entering them with the keyboard or the calendar button. You can enter several types of repetitions for the recording, which is useful if you are recording several shows broadcasted at the same time every day/week/month. 4. Then, enter the channel in the Video Source panel. You can also schedule a recording over the Composite and S-Video inputs if you are using a digital receiver.
4. Your new recording will be added to the ‘Scheduled Recordings’ list (see 2.). Program name Channel name Scheduled start 5. Scheduled length Scheduled recordings window list items.Displays the status of the recording via icons. The recording is scheduled Recording is active and will be performed.
Scheduling a recording with TitanTV TVMax+™ User Guide Page 32
Introduction TVMax+ supports Decisionmark’s TitanTV EPG (Electronic Program Guide) to browse, search and schedule recordings. Note that TitanTV is only functional in the United States. I. Registering with TitanTV In order to access the TitanTV program listings, you will first have to register online. Open your web browser and enter the address http://www.titantv.com Click on the “Sign up” button and follow the onscreen instructions to create an account. II.
III. Scheduling a recording with TitanTV 1. Select ‘TitanTV TV Listings’ from the TVMax+ menu. This will launch your browser and redirect you to the TitanTV login page 2. Enter your username and password you created during TitanTV’s sign up process. 3. You can now browse or search the local TV listings. 4. Each individual TV program has a detail window accessible through a hyperlink. 5.
Scheduling a recording with tvtv TVMax+™ User Guide Page 35
Introduction TVMax+ supports the online TV guide service “tvtv”, available in several European countries. The tvtv service provides an overview of daily and weekly TV programmes and helps you to easily schedule recordings. A free 30 day trial account is available for TVMax+ owners. I. Initial tvtv setup If you are living in a country covered by tvtv, the Setup Assistant will automatically give you the option to register with tvtv.
Check automatically: Selects the frequency with which the software should check your joblist on tvtv. Account valid until: Shows the date when the tvtv account will expire Get tvtv messages: Shows the latest messages sent by the tvtv service. III. Using the tvtv service 3.1. Accessing tvtv Once you have created your tvtv account, you can access the programme guide and schedule recordings for TVMax+. When the tvtv plug-in is active and setup, the TVMax+ menu (menu bar) displays two options.
Click on Joblist located in the bottom left corner of the tvtv page. Your joblist will now show the recordings you have scheduled. Click on “Process now” to confirm the recordings. Note: You need to click on process now, otherwise the recordings will not be confirmed and will not be available to TVMax+. TVMax+ will automatically check the joblist at defined intervals. You can also manually check the joblist by using the “Check tvtv job list” option in the TVMax+ menu.
TVMax+ Plug-ins TVMax+™ User Guide Page 39
I. Using the plug-ins 1.1 Plug-in Settings Plug-ins settings are available in Preferences > Video Input > Plug-ins > Show settings Note that some plug-ins do not have any settings. 1.2 Using the plug-ins To access a plug-in, highlight a finished recording and select Post-Process Movie. A drop down menu will give you access to the installed plug-ins. Note: the recording must have been completed before you can use a plug-in.
II. Current Plug-ins 2.1 Built-in Plug-ins Post-Processing Plug-ins : TVMax+ Reveal in Finder: Shows a recorded file in the Finder. TVMax+ Movie Player: Enables you to play a recorded movie from within TVMax+ TVMax+ Movie Opener: Lets you launch a movie file via the Finder. This will most likely open QuickTime Player MovieGate: Lets you burn DVD’s from within the application. Add to iTunes: Lets you add a recording to your iTunes Playlist.
Playing back files created by TVMax+ TVMax+™ User Guide Page 42
Introduction TVMax+ supports various capture formats, which can be played back by most if not all software video applications. However, you may need to install additional video codecs in order to play back some formats. A Video codec is an extenstion, which enables a software video player (like QuickTime Player) to read a video file. I. Software Video Players Miglia currently recommends two software video players: • QuickTime Player: QT Player is part of a standard Mac OS X installation.
Warranty Agreement Hardware Products: Miglia Technology warrants your hardware product against any defect in material and workmanship, under normal use, for the designated warranty period. The warranty becomes effective from the date of purchase by the end user. If the product is found to be defective within the warranty period, Miglia Technology Ltd will, at its sole option, repair or replace the defective product.
