I can only speak specifically about U.S. television, but if you're just looking to have cable television as well as the ability to record it on your Mac, then you really need the elgato EyeTV 200. It connects to one of the FireWire ports on your Power Mac and needs no power adapter or antenna. You connect the TV cable either from your cable box or your cable wall outlet directly to the EyeTV box; the difference being that you cannot change channels directly from your Mac if the EyeTV is connected to a cable box.
The EyeTV 500 is for receiving high definition (HD) reception from free over-the-air (ATSC) channels like local TV which may broadcast in HD. However, you need to purchase an HD antenna to pickup possible receptions (check
this site for information on HD broadcasts near you). In addition, there a limited amount of over-the-air channels at this time. Although it may increase, the majority of and most popular HD channels are controlled by your local cable company or satellite dish provider thus requiring their box and making the purchase of an EyeTV 500 unnecessary.
Finally, there is the issue of the display. This is where "DVI" comes into play. DVI is simply the term used to describe a particular type of connection your monitor's cable uses; it's found on just about all modern monitors especially LCD displays. If you have an Apple Cinema Display or other
PC LCD monitor, you will not view you programs in full resolution (you can but they will be somewhat fuzzy and pixelated); these type of monitors are made for a higher definition desktop environment. If you use a TV-based LCD display, then your television programs, especially HD, will look great; however, you give up clarity and resolution when using it for computer-based tasks like Photoshop or Office. Either monitor will work fine for DVD movies.
Personally, I use a Cinema Display w/ my EyeTV 200 since 80% of the time I'm doing computer-based work, and I can live with the television resolution for the limited times I watch it on my computer. Hope this helps!
