EyeTV 2 Upgrade
Update: Elgato has responded to my concern. See their comment at the end of the post. Looks like they will work with me on this, kudos to them! I’ve also posted “EyeTV 2 Review if you would like to read my review of the software.
For Christmas I received an Elgato EyeTV 200. The device is very cool, it allows you to watch and record TV on your mac. The EyeTV also has Tivo-like functionality whereby you can pause and replay live TV. Recordings can be stored on your drive for later playback or burned to DVD. Very cool!
Since I’ve been quite busy lately I didn’t have much time to play with it until recently. However I did install version 1.8.4 of the software that runs the device and visit the Elgato website to register my product.
After recording for the first time I decided to export a show I recorded to Divx/AVI format to save space. However it seemed my version of Divx (6) was too new for the EyeTV software so I went to the Elgato website to see if a patch was availabe. I notice on the Elgato website the software has been upgraded to version 2. Nice, I probably qualify for a free upgrade. So I look at the qualifications.
Hmmm… I qualify since the device was purchased after 12/01/05, however the upgrade website is asking for a coupon code. No coupon in my box. So I click the link that offers what to do if you don’t have a coupon code. They request the following.
- a copy of the dated invoice
- UPC code from the box
- Name, email address, etc
Hmmm….. well the product was a Christmas present so I don’t have the dated invoice. The UPC code from the box might still be in the recycling bin, but probably not. So perhaps I’ll just pay for the upgrade.
$50! Yikes. And that is the “introductory offer” with a $30 savings. Seems steep since version 1.8.4 is available for free on the website.
So here I am. Technically I qualify for the free upgrade since my product was purchased after 12/01/2005. I was even a good boy and registered my product with them (including providing them with the date of purchase) when I started using it. However since my box didn’t contain the coupon and I recycled the box it came in, apparently I’m out of luck.
I noticed today on their website this note about DivX users:
This issue will be rectified with another update to the EyeTV software, which we will prepare as soon as possible.
And I bet that update won’t be for version 1.8.4 users. 
I also noticed they updated the list of items you need to qualify for the version 2 free upgrade. They removed the requirement of the UPC code on the box. Too bad, I found the original box still in my recycling bin. I guess I didn’t need to dig through the trash.
There is a process failure here. I qualify for the upgrade since the product was purchased after 12/1. I went to their website and registered the product with them, giving them the purchase date. I even dug through the trash to find the UPC code. But since the product was a Christmas gift and I don’t have the original receipt, I’m out of luck.
So why all of the fuss about an upgrade to EyeTV 2? Well, because the Elgato website tells me I should:
We will continue to support version 1.8.4, but to enjoy the full experience and potential of your EyeTV, you really do need to upgrade to EyeTV 2.
So Elgato is telling me in their own words that in order to enjoy the product I received 20 days ago I need to pay them $50…. And it becomes $80 if I don’t do it by the end of February. Sounds like a ransom! Well, almost.
In defense of Elgato, version 2 does look to be a substantial upgrade over 1.8.4. And while the software is nothing without the hardware, this software does far more than say a printer driver does for a printer. Charging is fair. The amount might be in dispute, but to charge is probably fair.
However their process to qualify people for an upgrade is flawed. Over the holidays you can expect many people would have received the product as a gift and not have the original receipt. The product was apparently shipped to the distributor before the upgrade coupons were being put in the boxes.
What I also wonder is why they ask for the purchase date on the product registration form? Since it isn’t used to qualify people for upgrades perhaps it is used to qualify people for the one year warranty? Which begs the question if the registration form serves to date warranty eligibility, why can it not be used to date upgrade eligibility?
I guess I won’t be “enjoy[ing] the full experience and potential of your my EyeTV.”
January 14th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
As long as you bought it within the window, 12-1-05 or later, then well be happy to get you the EyeTV 2 software. The receipt isn’t essential, nor the UPC, just some verification that you bought the product. Obviously you have. We don’t want excessive proof, just to get you the software. So, contact sales and we’ll help you get the new software, no charge, no problem.
As for DIVX 6, that’s coming as soon as possible. EyeTV is not the only affected application.
January 24th, 2006 at 12:19 am
I am in pretty much the same situation: I purchased my Elgato tuner after the start of December 2005, but the box did not contain a proof-of-purchase card.
It’s pretty frustrating to buy a product, and then, a couple of weeks later, be told that you should really get the upgrade, and that is simple: all you have to do is refer to a non-existent number on a non-existent piece of paper that you have been told you were sold, even though you weren’t…
I did snail-mail a copy of my invoice to the folks at Elgato, though I’m still waiting to get an email from them, a couple of weeks later.
The whole thing really does seem a bit shabby; I feel a bit like a second class citizen in the land of Elgato
January 24th, 2006 at 12:36 am
Jonathan,
You shouldn’t have any trouble getting the upgrade since you still have your invoice. You meet their qualifications and have the appropriate documentation.