Adaptec Gamebridge 1400 (play console games on your PC!) - Now $10 at Fry's - review!

It's only with Dscaler. I want to get Dsscaler to work though, as I have a widescreen monitor and I don't know of any other TV caputre program that does widescreen.

Like I said, it's only after walking through doors in the game. It's a 50/50 chance that ghosting starts. Then, I could walk back through the door a few times, and the ghosting stops. It's insane. I tried almost every deinterlacer too, and no help. It still does the exact same thing. And it's with all games too! I tried Dragon Warrior 8 AND Final FantasyXII, same results. I load the save, it'll either ghost or not. THen I'll walk out of the room with the save, and ghosting stops.

It's honestly the strangest thing I've seen happen, and it prevents me from playing Final Fantasy XII which REALLY pisses me off. I get a headache after about 5 minutes of sitting there trying to play with it.

Any suggestions, guys? I've scoured the Dscaler forums with no luck.
 
TOTALLY bizarre :(

Do those games actually support widescreen though? My understanding is you're using it because it will do widescreen, and some PS2 games are widescreen, whereas the included software won't?
 
Does anyone know if this works with Media Center Edition 2005, or something besides InterVideo like BeyondTV? Thanks, I just bought one and I really don't like the InterVideo Home software.
 
zea, use Dscaler. That's what I'm having problems with, but most people love it.

Puppy, yeah. FFXII and DQ8 both support 16:9 Widescreen.

I'm so lost, and the Dscaler forums still won't let me sign in...so I can't ask for help there.
 
[quote name='bassec']Puppy, yeah. FFXII and DQ8 both support 16:9 Widescreen. [/QUOTE]

That's fantastic! I had no idea. Super handy because I just bought a Sony HD TV last week, I own Dragon Quest 8, and I'm buying Final Fantasy 12 tonight...but I had no idea either supported widescreen!

I'm a bit paranoid about the black bars on the sides of the TV burning in from all the 4:3 content I run :D

Now I just need my component cables to get here already. I ordered them last Saturday from Amazon using free shipping, and the USPS didn't bother picking them up until today.
 
Ok, after experimenting a bit, I found something that may or may not be helpful. This ghosting does not appear on recordings made with Dscaler. I just reviewed them and everything looks fine. Does that help any?
 
ugh...I must have a defective adapter...
After several reinstallations, one of which ended up corrupting my cd-rom drivers after uninstall, and trying to install it on a fresh installation of XP, I'm still get the same problem.
Every time I install, the installation goes smoothly, the adapter light turns green, and the device quickly warms up, just like how I believe it should be. However, both dscaler and intervideo home theater cannot detect a video input from it (dscaler states the device is not connected, and intervideo has the "video standard" and "input source" options shaded out on the configuration manual.
Documentation is really crappy on this product, and there does not appear to be any drivers for this other than the ones included on the CD, so am I pretty much out of luck?
 
Remember to have the composite or S-Video cables plugged in. otherwise, it won't see a source and you can't use it. For those who don't like the quality of the included software, try S-Video. I got one and it greatly improved quality. It was only $15 Canadian for a Mad Catz S-Video cable that works for GCN, PS2, XBX, 360, N64, and PSX.


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Ok the problem is definetly Dscaler. Anyone else have a free alternative to it that uses Widescreen and pickups an audio signal? Most TV capture programs I've tried dont pick up the audio signal.
 
*says how much more useful this was since his wireless connection to the 360 went down and now has to connect it to the LAN and view the games thru laptop*
 
What game is that Firestorm?

And thanks for the pictures! That should really help people see how much S-Video helps (it seems even more dramatic in person, but those are still really obvious!)
 
[quote name='Puppy']What game is that Firestorm?

And thanks for the pictures! That should really help people see how much S-Video helps (it seems even more dramatic in person, but those are still really obvious!)[/quote]

It's Tales of the Abyss (PS2) =) Great game, I'd recommend it for sure. Same goes for Tales of Symphonia (GCN)!
 
Bought mine (1410) with overnight shipping. Looks like ass on my new 22" Widescreen Dell LCD, but I don't really care. It's either that or watch American Idol with the girlfriend. Gawd.
 
[quote name='Firestorm']If it's the 360 you're playing, you're better off just buying a VGA cable for it and plugging it straight into the monitor.[/QUOTE]

No. Playstation 2. Again, it's really a non-issue for me.
 
[quote name='XskylineX']You think if I pay $10 more to get the 1410 it will be worth it?[/QUOTE]

ahhh....
None of us here can read your mind (yeah. I know it is shocking that we don't have physic powers)
Are we suppose to stalk you?
If so, you need to post your name and address along with a picture.

If you want to watch tv on your monitor, then get the 1410.
Otherwise, save $10 and get the 1400.
 
[quote name='C_A']No. Playstation 2. Again, it's really a non-issue for me.[/quote]

Well, if you're using composite and not S-Video, I'd recommend picking up some S-Video cables. They're not too pricey (got mine for $15 Canadian). I posted comparisons of Composites to S-Video here:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2333708&postcount=355

You can instantly tell that the text and stuff gets less blurry and the black actually look black instead of grey.
 
Hey, I was reading through to get some help setting up Dscaler, since it does really make the games look very nice, but regardless of the settings, I couldn't get it to run without lagging. I'm fairly sure it isnt my computer since it's not coming anywhere near 100% CPU usage, I have 2gigs of ram, and a heavily OC'd 7900GS GPU.

Anywho, I'm posting for the benefit of anyone here who can't get Dscaler to work like me, but still doesn't like the limited capability of the packaged software. I've had the gamebridge for about 2 months, and have been using Windows Media Player Classic, and it works like a charm for getting this thing to work.

DL it here:

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_players/media_player_classic.cfm

Hope this was of some use to someone.
 
What does Media Player Classic do for you over the included player? I've had no issues with the included software (and like that it just works).
 
Just thought I'd put my 2 cents in regarding this:

I bought this like 6 months ago and I am liking it. I use it to watch TV on my laptop, though the included software is mediocre at best. You can setup recordings like TiVo but you can't time-shift. Recording quality is pretty good for both games and TV (720 X 480).

One thing you should remember is that you cannot play games in widescreen using the included software. BUT, using DScaler or VLC Media player you can! Here are the steps to playing games in widescreen for a Wii/Xbox/360/PS3 (not sure about a PS2 since I don't own one):

1) Set Wii/Xbox to output in widescreen.
2) Capture the stream from the Gamebridge using DScaler or VLC.
3) You will notice that the picture is vertically stretched. To make it widescreen, just change the aspect ratio to 16:9, and you are done! Zelda looks great in widescreen.

I don't use it for all games because it can only handle a max. framerate of 30fps, so it's great for Zelda but not games like Wii Sports, which run at 60fps.

Hope that helps.
 
[quote name='Firestorm']Remember to have the composite or S-Video cables plugged in. otherwise, it won't see a source and you can't use it. For those who don't like the quality of the included software, try S-Video. I got one and it greatly improved quality. It was only $15 Canadian for a Mad Catz S-Video cable that works for GCN, PS2, XBX, 360, N64, and PSX.[/quote]

Are you guys saying that this Gamebridge 1400 can be used to display on "anything" that has a S-video input??

I have a mac powerbook so I pretty much gave up on getting this thing seeing how the software only support PCs. If there is a way to play PS2 through my mac screen, that would be awesome...

Can anyone tell me if this is true?

Thanks!
 
[quote name='Asgardian']Are you guys saying that this Gamebridge 1400 can be used to display on "anything" that has a S-video input??

I have a mac powerbook so I pretty much gave up on getting this thing seeing how the software only support PCs. If there is a way to play PS2 through my mac screen, that would be awesome...

Can anyone tell me if this is true?

Thanks![/quote]

Anything that has a S-video "output" will connect to the Gamebridge. The Gamebridge connects to your PC through a USB connection. And I don't think it works with Macs.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']What does Media Player Classic do for you over the included player? I've had no issues with the included software (and like that it just works).[/quote]

It allows me to play games in widescreen, and sound doens't get distorted for me like it does in the Intervideo software. It also seems to run better for me.
 
I haven't had any sound distortion at all through my 1400. You can also just run the sound directly into your computer's sound card though to take care of that.

For me widescreen wouldn't help anything, since my monitor's 4:3 (well, 5:4 technically). Handy to know if you've got a widescreen monitor though! I've been surprised how many Playstation 2 games support widescreen.

Has anyone tried it on a Mac with video capture software for the heck of it?
 
I have a problem installing my 1410. I'm using Windows Vista 32bit, and it just won't install. It actually installed fine the first time I plugged it in, but when I plugged it in again, it either doesn't do anything or it asks me to install it again, which fails to install.

Also, my autorun doesn't come up when I click on it anymore. I've tried putting the cd in different drives and it still doesn't work. I tried using the the exe files in the folders and it still says that it failed to install. Anyone have an idea of how I can fix this?
 
[quote name='red_devil3']Anything that has a S-video "output" will connect to the Gamebridge. The Gamebridge connects to your PC through a USB connection. And I don't think it works with Macs.[/quote]

Thanks for clearing it up...

[quote name='Wolfpup']Has anyone tried it on a Mac with video capture software for the heck of it?[/quote]
I'd be very interested in this too, I have only a mac, but with a 32 inch widescreen LCD... I so want to play PS2/Xbox on it man... :drool:
 
[quote name='Mysteriouskk']I have a problem installing my 1410. I'm using Windows Vista 32bit, and it just won't install. It actually installed fine the first time I plugged it in, but when I plugged it in again, it either doesn't do anything or it asks me to install it again, which fails to install.

Also, my autorun doesn't come up when I click on it anymore. I've tried putting the cd in different drives and it still doesn't work. I tried using the the exe files in the folders and it still says that it failed to install. Anyone have an idea of how I can fix this?[/QUOTE]
Has anyone tried using it on a Vista machine?
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']I haven't had any sound distortion at all through my 1400. You can also just run the sound directly into your computer's sound card though to take care of that.

For me widescreen wouldn't help anything, since my monitor's 4:3 (well, 5:4 technically). Handy to know if you've got a widescreen monitor though! I've been surprised how many Playstation 2 games support widescreen.

Has anyone tried it on a Mac with video capture software for the heck of it?[/quote]

I'm guessing you have a 1280 X 1024 monitor? You can still play games in widescreen, they just won't fit the entire screen (which is a bad idea in the first place anyway...you don't want to blow up the image to such a high resolution.
 
[quote name='Mysteriouskk']Has anyone tried using it on a Vista machine?[/quote]

/shudder
gotta love new MS OS's, everything you used to have bombs
might be one reason the price on this got really cheap? :b
 
Stupid question but, if you hook your PS2 to the S-video. What do you do about sound? Are there inputs for sound on this thing?
 
[quote name='Asgardian']Thanks for clearing it up...


I'd be very interested in this too, I have only a mac, but with a 32 inch widescreen LCD... I so want to play PS2/Xbox on it man... :drool:[/quote]

A better but more expensive option for you would be to get a component-to-VGA converter/adapter. That will allow you to connect your PS2/Xbox component cables to your widescreen LCD and play games on it. Here's one for example:

http://xbox.about.com/od/xboxaccessories/fr/vdz3rev.htm

"The VD-Z3 adapter is a little device that allows you to hook your Xbox, GameCube, PS2, or progressive scan DVD player into your computer monitor."

There are probably some cheapers ones out there...you just have to look for them.
 
[quote name='nakedsushi']Stupid question but, if you hook your PS2 to the S-video. What do you do about sound? Are there inputs for sound on this thing?[/quote]

It features 4 connections: The red, yellow, white connections and the S-video connection. So yes, it takes in the audio input too and it will output it through the PC's speakers. Just like how you connect a PS2 to a TV.
 
[quote name='red_devil3']I'm guessing you have a 1280 X 1024 monitor? You can still play games in widescreen, they just won't fit the entire screen (which is a bad idea in the first place anyway...you don't want to blow up the image to such a high resolution.[/QUOTE]

Right, but the only reason I'd want to set it to widescreen is if I have a 16x9 monitor. I'd have no reason to want to do that on mine.
 
Or you can just plug the connection directly into your sound card too with an adapter.

Regarding Mac support-ElGato's eyeTV products are pretty much the same idea AFAIK. Some/all of the newer ones have a "Game Mode" that minimizes latency the way the Gamebridge does (all these products still have a tiny bit).

ElGato's stuff costs more though (since it's not being clearenced out).

Actually, I wonder if ElGato's software would work with the Gamebridge hardware. It does work with some non-ElGato hardware...
 
Well, why wouldn't this work if I'm running my Mac in Parallels with Windows XP?

I have a Macbook, 2Ghz Core Duo, 1.25GB RAM. I think I could use this while emulating Windows. What problems could I possibly run into?
 
I've been trying to get the Gamebridge to work with Media Player Classic. I can get the video to run, but when I try to add the audio, the player hangs. Is anybody getting the same results?

I'm using the 1410 version.
 
[quote name='gamer812']I've been trying to get the Gamebridge to work with Media Player Classic. I can get the video to run, but when I try to add the audio, the player hangs. Is anybody getting the same results?

I'm using the 1410 version.[/quote]

When you select the capture devices, for audio, pick instead of Gamebridge.
 
Hmmm.......okay I did that, but now there is no sound :whistle2:#. This is weird since all MPC does is use the same exact filters as the Intervideo software. It should work. I'll keep on tinkering with it. Thanks.

But all you did was select that and you have sound?
 
In Dscaler, how do I change the capture resolution to 640x480? Its always stuck at 720xsomething.

Also, how can I reduce the size of the output file? Using dscaler creates humongous files and if I choose ffdshow, it lags like crazy. Should I use another codec?
 
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