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GOAL! EyeTV filters out the vuvuzelas at the World Cup

Just in time for the US to advance to the round of 16 in the World Cup (sorry, Algeria), Elgato offers a special edition of its EyeTV software that does what just about everybody (who's watching the World Cup) wants: filter out those horrible plastic horns while you're watching the games live through your EyeTV hardware.

[If you're one of the people who actually went and downloaded an iPhone app to simulate the dang noise -- you know who you are -- knock it off. –Ed.]

You can call me culturally insensitive, but it's a plain fact that the vuvuzelas create that constant, loud buzz behind the games, drowning out everything else like a massive swarm of angry bees. The EyeTV filter can be quickly switched off from a contextual menu in EyeTV.

The constant drone is at a pretty narrow frequency that you can "duck" (notch filter) easily, and I assume that's what this edition of EyeTV is doing. If you have your EyeTV setup running on a TV, you suddenly have an even more enviable setup, and should immediately let all of your friends know that the next game is at your house.

I've been trying to pull this off myself with some line filters ... now I know I should have had my Mac mini media center up and running before the tournament started.

The software is free to EyeTV users, but only available for a limited time (the length of the Cup). If you update your software right now, it will be there. It will be gone just as quickly with the next software update, but if you're an EyeTV user who'd like to be more annoyed with bad calls and disallowed goals than with the headache-inducing background noise, here's your answer. Catch a demo clip here.



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Just in time for the US to advance to the round of 16 in the World Cup (sorry, Algeria), Elgato offers a special edition of its EyeTV...
 

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Jeffbbs

Actually, I'm going outside to a local cafe and watching people who are unimportant to my life kick around a ball, and I'm doing it with people who are important to my life and other people who are shouting and having fun. It's very fulfilling. See, not everyone here is an american who watches everything along in a private dark room. In fact i would guess most of the world is watching in a manner similar to me as most of the world, like me, doesn't have a personal TV.

Incidentally, watching it in a loud cafe makes it almost impossible to hear the dreaded vuvus, so that kinda solves all problems mentioned here. Although, actually I think the vuvus are great and I'm getting pretty tired of westerners (of which I am one) whine about having to "endure" a culture different from their own. get over it.

June 23 2010 at 9:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pedro

Actually my IPTV provider has an option to switch the audio feed to a vuvuzela free one ;)

June 23 2010 at 4:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brett

@Ryan

You feel better about yourself by saying that? Like somehow you may have just proven you're cooler than someone else because you don't 'stoop' to attempted inspiration or familial bonding?

Grow up. When you do, you'll realize that being 'cool' just isn't that much fun.

June 23 2010 at 3:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tomas

That filter made the vuvuzela sound even more unbearable than before

June 23 2010 at 3:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Annoying

Pedant alert - you didn't get through to the last 16 at Algeria's expense, you got through at Slovenia's.

June 23 2010 at 2:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Annoying's comment
Brett Terpstra

Yes, the sentence was worded poorly. My condolences to Algeria were for the current game, which I'm still gloating over, not the overall advance. Thanks for clarifying :).

June 23 2010 at 2:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
B

"Ducking" isn't the correct term for what's going on here. Since the filter seems to eliminate a narrow frequency band (which consequently leaves some of the higher vuvuzela frequencies audible making the filter not particularly helpful), the correct term for this tool would be a notch filter.

June 23 2010 at 2:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to B's comment
Brett Terpstra

Ah, you are likely totally correct. Thanks :).

June 23 2010 at 2:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mtirv

Alternatively you can just mute the TV. It's not like the announcers have anything interesting to say.

June 23 2010 at 2:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ryan

You feel better about yourself by saying that? Like somehow you may have just inspired someone to go exersise and now the world is a better place because of you?

Grow up.

June 23 2010 at 2:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Clusen

I don't seem to have that option on my EyeTV. I tried right clicking during a match like shown in the demo clip - however the only thing missing is the "remove vuvuzela" thing. I tried updated but was told that I have the latest update.

June 23 2010 at 1:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tape

Amavuvuzela are awesome.

What I want to filter out is the stuffy nincompoops whining about the amavuvuzela.

June 23 2010 at 1:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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