TV Tuners?

[Jive18]

Heh, yet another topic regarding me looking to buy something.

Anyway, I've been looking into methods that allow me to connect my game consoles to my monitor, and so far I've discovered two primary ways - tv tuners for pc's, and transcoders (they appear to be quite similar to rf modulators used for tv's).

Tv tuners seem pretty nice, and investing in one would give me the advantage of not having to worry about bringing a tv to my dorm next year. The main issue I've seen is that most, if not all, tuners have seconds of lag that would make playing games a nightmare. People say there are ways to easily remedy this, but I'd really like this to be something that doesn't require extra hassle.

Here's an example of the 2nd method - http://www.x2vga.com/product. This device seems to be perfect for gaming on a monitor (it even improves resolutions), but I don't have the option of tv on my pc.

I guess there is a 3rd option as well; buy a new monitor. This is much more expensive of course and I'd rather avoid it.

Any suggestions? This wouldn't be a tough decision if tuners didn't lag as badly as they apparently do. I'll be playing games like Guitar Hero/DDR on my monitor, so I need it to be absolutely lag-free. Any/all help is appreciated, thanks.

[DurakkenX]

i forget what it's called but there is a switchbox out there that attaches to PC moniters that allows you to hook up and play multiple game consoles to a PC monitor as well as a PC itself. I don't remember what it was called or anything like that, but it was selling for like $100 about a year ago and was advertised in EGM, PC Gaming, another Ziff Davis game mag... I imagine that it's pretty good though.

[Jive18]

Hmm...well, that does sound really similar to this VGA2 transcoder. Iirc, it allows for 2 consoles to be simultaneously connected to the monitor. I'll search for that other thing though. Thanks Durakken.

[VioletSkye]

Adaptec GameBridge AVC-1400 (http://www.adaptec.com/NR/exeres/55F03F67-0B91-4F9C-B9DC-9B6246541B0E.htm)

It's no longer in production but you can easily find it for sale online.

If you want tv also, you will need to get a tuner. Hauppauge makes some decent tuners.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2007-04-26 17:57 ]</font>

[Kaydin]

On 2007-04-26 17:54, VioletSkye wrote:
Adaptec GameBridge AVC-1400 (http://www.adaptec.com/NR/exeres/55F03F67-0B91-4F9C-B9DC-9B6246541B0E.htm)

It's no longer in production but you can easily find it for sale online.

Newegg ftw (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812193020)

[Midicronica]

On 2007-04-26 17:56, Kaydin wrote:

On 2007-04-26 17:54, VioletSkye wrote:
Adaptec GameBridge AVC-1400 (http://www.adaptec.com/NR/exeres/55F03F67-0B91-4F9C-B9DC-9B6246541B0E.htm)

It's no longer in production but you can easily find it for sale online.

Newegg ftw (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812193020)



I'm going to buying one of those as soon as I get some cash. I'll finally be able to take screenshots on my X360. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_yes.gif

[Blitzkommando]

I never had problems with lag with my old and moldy TV Wonder Pro (when I used DScaler that is). The only problem that many have now is that they are not supported under Windows Vista yet.

Another option is that a growing number of monitors also have video-in lines. I know the Gateway widescreen monitors 22" and up have component inputs for instance. I'm looking at getting a 24" monitor later in the year for that purpose so I don't have to have a television to play console games or television. Plus the fact I would get 1080i/p at such a small screen size is just a bonus.

[Sinue_v2]

I use the ViewSonic NextVision N6 (http://www.viewsonic.com/support/accessories/tvvideoprocessors/nextvisionn6/) and I'm fairly happy with it. Color and contrast are great, as is sharpness and picture detail. It upscales to 1280x1024 (a life saver on PS2 PSU) and has absolutely no noticable lag what-so-ever. It has Component, Composite, S-Video, and Coaxial inputs, as well as TV Tuner functionality. It includes PiP and PoP, but sadly is restricted to only 2-channel stereo sound. It also has a host of other features which you can read up on the website I posted. It's also fairly cheap at only $200, and can be purchased for much less. (I got mine for $150 including shipping)

My only warning to you is that if you want to use a HD switcher, you might actually want to switch the unit off before hitting the button. Mine has a slight problem with "fuzz" or static in dark areas now because of the constant switching, and I think it has something to do with the 16:9 to 4:3 conversion mechanism - because standard 480 format doesn't seem to be affected.. though all of the higher resolutions are generally widescreen.

Though honestly, if I were you, I would simply buy a VGA cables for the 360 and/or PS3 - then use a standard VGA switcher. You're going to lose image quality in any sort of a conversion, and honestly I still see a big difference between Compnent video and VGA.

The other model I have is a KD-CTCA3 by Key Digital, which (while being much more high quality, but with less features) does not upscale images - and since most PC moniters are incapable of lowering their refresh rate to a compatable level - 480i outputs are useless. Not really that much of a problem for the 360 and PS3 - but the PS2, Xbox, NGC, and Wii are mostly useless on it. It's also about $300-350, and features no TV-In options (unless you have a Hi Def cable box w/ Component Out set up for higher resolutions).

I'd stay as far away from units like the X2VGA as I possibly could.

[Jive18]

Buying VGA cables for the 360/PS3 isn't an option unfortunately; I have to have something universal for all my consoles.

The ViewSonic N6 looks quite good, but I suppose it's still a bit more costly than what I'd like it to be. If I'm going to buy something in the triple-digits I may as well get a new monitor with inputs, similar to what Norvekh suggested.

Thanks for the warning on the X2VGA, I was almost sure I was going to order it.

[DurakkenX]

you could just get a whole bunch of screens >.> I have an SDTV, EDTV, and a PC moniter and I can play everything on all 3 or something different on each. It's a great set up http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[Sinue_v2]

The ViewSonic N6 looks quite good, but I suppose it's still a bit more costly than what I'd like it to be. If I'm going to buy something in the triple-digits I may as well get a new monitor with inputs, similar to what Norvekh suggested.

The moniters that Norvekh suggested are substancially more expensive than what the N6 is (A good 20" CRT w/out Component In costs roughly the same). On the up side, since you're not converting or modifying the signal at all - you will get superior picture quality.

All in all, if you want a good picture, you're going to have to pay a bit of money. Those cheap VGA adapters are good if you're not worried about image quality and just want the convienience of having a TV/Moniter combo, or need to save space (like in a dorm). Personally though, I need to have the better picture, and the N6 is a good middleground between preformance and affordablility.

Either way, good luck with your decision.

[Jive18]

Yeah, I've seen a lot of monitos with inputs that look very nice (such as a 22" widescreen ViewSonic), but they all happen to be in the $300-400 range. Having a dual-monitor setup wouldn't be a bad thing though http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif.

Thanks much Sinue, you've been quite helpful.