TV Tuner that I can play console games on

OK, to conserve space in my dorm I would like to use one device as my TV and my external monitor.

So I did my homework and found out that there is a 1-2 second lag when using a usb TV tuner, obviously unacceptable when gaming. Also, after reading stories of horribly blurry pictures when using a LCD TV as a computer monitor, I decided that using a monitor as a TV would be the better option.

Basically what I would like to know is if there is a usb TV tuner out there that is capable of playing video games.

I am also open to other suggestions to solve my problem of combining a TV and Monitor into one device, ideally something that is "plug-and-play".

One solution I found that I think may work is a computer monitor TV tuner, but I'm not quite sure if it is what I'm looking for (link provided below if you don't know what a computer monitor tv tuner is).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...2945-6199845?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=172282

and

http://www.viewsonic.com/products/a...mc=TechTips-_-JK-_-TVonComputer-_-s87-21Jul06

Thanks for any help!

 

I use an AVerTV CardBus PCMCIA TV Tuner, works just fine for playing my PS2 games (I quite happily play GTA on it) I've never gotten GREAT experience from using a USB/PCMCIA TV Tuner for watching TV, not sure if anyone else has ideas.

 

well back when i was thinking of getting a tv tuner to play console games on my desktop, someone recommended me the Vdigi vga box for playing console games.

http://www.vdigi.com/index.php?option=content&task=blogsection&id=4&Itemid=27

note that i do not own the product or have any experience with it at all. the screenshots they have on their site looks amazing and several members in a forum have recommended that to me. as far as i know, the vga box only support games with high definition support (or whatever its called, i'm a TV noob ). the company is a company in Asia, so their shipping is more expensive than usual.

 

Does the AVerTV CardBus PCMCIA TV Tuner come in an HD configuration for my Xbox 360?

 

get this monitor:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4688

This montior has a composite video input. So you can simply plug in your games console. And then use the separate audio output on the console to plug in some external speakers. As with TV, if you have a High Definition broadcast recieving box (such as a Comcast HD box) theb you can hook it up to the monitor via the DVI port.

However, I use a similar Dell monitor, and I have hooked it up to my PS2. The picture quality is blurry but just about acceptable, so don't expect great quality when you hook your games console up via the Composite Connection.

If you are prepared to spend more then you can go for this Dell 24" widescreen monitor which I have:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4335

If you have an XBOX 360 or are planning to get a next-gen console, then you will benefit from the Component Video input. These monitors are quite expensive but in my opinion, they really are the best on the market and are worth every dollar of their price.

If you have your PC and games console running at the same time, there is a picture in picture function too and you can effortlessly switch between various video inputs.

 

component cables are fairly expensive, and that was one of the reason i didn't get the vdigi VGA box at the end. the box would of cost me around $70 alone, and a official nintendo gamecube component cable is selling for $49+15 shipping on ebay. there are cheaper ones out on ebay, but i don't really trust those xbox-ps2-gamecube conponent cable for $5.

 

If you get the 360 and you want to play in HD on a monitor, buy the VGA cable and bypass the TV tuner, which would make the picture bad and induce lag. I use my on my 19" flat panel a lot, and it is 100% worth the money.

 

Normally I wouldn't recommend VGA boxes, because their image quality isn't nearly as good as a good TV tuner, and they cost more than a good TV tuner.

But in this case, I would recommend a VGA box. Or a good LCD screen with S-Video input.

If you had a desktop, the absolute best way to go would be a Leadtek WinFast TV2000 XP Expert with Dscaler and an S-Video cable. But since you're using a notebook, a VGA box would be better.

However, if you plan on getting an Xbox360 or PS3, directly connecting to the monitor would be your best choice.

The added benefit of the PS3 is that it will have HDMI. So you could get a nice LCD and an HDMI-DVI converter and hook your PS3 up without any quality loss or an analog (VGA cable) connection like the Xbox360. Theres a few HDCP compliant LCDs popping up for under $400 that are widescreen as well. So you'd be able to watch blu-ray movies at full resolution with the PS3. The PS3 will also be able to take old PSone and PS2 games and resample them to 720p. So an LCD is your best bet, really.

 

I strongly recommend a screen that is called a "monitor" rather than a "Television".

So called "LCD TVs" have terrible resolutions streteched out over a large display and are overpriced.

 

The Hauppauge WinTV PVR2 WILL NOT run console games, just a heads up in case anyone was looking at that one.

 

Bumping this old thread because I am looking for the same thing now.

 

ya get this

http://www.cyberestore.com/onair-mobile-hdtv-receiver-free-shipping-p-246.html

unless the expresscards from aver and hp are the same

 

Any expreience with that card? is there really no lag?

 

nope i used it on my old 1705 with ati and was playing xbox360 oblivion and it didnt lag;

i did buy a camcorder like component input thing and it worked it just looked bad;

but the gt version is what im getting for my next laptop.

a asus c90s; from circuitcity for only like the same price i paid for the 1705 but way better on the eyes; the only problem is its 15'4 not 17 like the dell was.

 

ok this is the one you should get; even though i made a mistake by getting the gt; its not as good: only software decoding of digital input and no time shifting of analog tv.

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/ONAIRUSB-HDTV.html

 

but after looking at the companies page and the ones i posted i dont really know the difference maybe if i was like really more into digital tv editing i would get it but it looks like it will function the same was as the older one i had that was better and more expensive.

 

http://www.factorydirect.ca/catalog/product_spec.php?pcode=AD1410

This is in canadian dollars. Dunno if they ship to the states (probably) but it works very well. It doesn't do HDTV though.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I may just end up with a new TV instead of a card. I can't seem to find one that does it all for under $200 anyways. And even then it's iffy

 

I'm in the same situation. I'm getting an Alienware m15x and am thinking about purchasing a AVerTV Hybrid NanoExpress tv tuner, but need to know if it can be used to play a 360 and wii without any lag... Thanks for the help.
Heres a link to the product page on aver's site: http://www.avermedia.com/avertv/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=442

 

bump! I am also interested in finding out how well the AverTV Hybrid Nano Express.

 

Hey what software are you using for this? I read Microsoft Media Center won't work with gaming consoles because of a delay and a lack of an ability to notice signal.

 

The Avermedia Volarmax USB tv tuner can play games without any lag. Comes with a video cable for hooking up consoles and also has a plug-in for Vista Media Center to play console games.

I would recommend NOT getting the Avermedia Hybrid Expresscard tv tuner. It is basically the same as the Volarmax; just uses the expresscard. However the RX coaxial cable on the expresscard can break easily. (I had another usb card that was similar and it broke off after a few days). Might as well keep the heat away from the notebook and it does come with a USB extender.

Don't get a Kworld PlusTV. It lags on console gaming and its analog tuner does not work through Vista Media Center.