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

I'm Canadian so I had a bit of a hassle getting this thing. I bought it from NCIX for $56 Canadian (shipping and stuff) but they were out of stock and it took too long so I cancelled. Took a few days to get my refund. Then I ordered it from an eBay store for $40 Canadian ($36 or so American) and I should have it sometime this week. Hopefully Tuesday or so. I'll see how that goes.

$40 CAD is the cheapest I've found it for Canadians. $25 for the 1400.
 
I got the tv tuner one at Fry's today for $29.99. So far it has worked pretty well, I just watched Family Guy and some news on my laptop. I just wanted add that the Gamebridge can get pretty hot during use.
 
Wonder if that's the tuner. The 1400 dosen't really seem to get hot. Slightly warm maybe.

STILL waiting on an S-Video cable so I can see what this thing can really do.
 
I got mine through ebay a few days ago, at a setllar price of $14 brand new after shipping.. that being said, though the price was right the product is giving me some headaches.

The video is excrutiatingly choppy for me at times, and other times I get green lines. I have never had it run smoothly yet, and the popping noise has never gone away. I think once I'm finished a few key downloads I will format the hd and do the system fresh over to make sure it's clean. But if anyone else had similar problems.. I'd love to know what you did to fix it. I am just running the standard software that came with the program, mine is the version w/o the tuner.

Running a P4 2.8 w/HT , 1GB ram, but only a Radeon 9200 w/ 256 RAM.
 
What chipset do you have? Mine are all Intel, and it works fine. Also make sure you've got the newest chipset drivers installed.
 
I still haven't solved my DScaler/WaveIn issue; it's odd since I get fine audio when I'm playing, but if I hit record it says it can't access the WaveIn device. The default software doesn't even run on my laptop so I'm not sure if it's a driver issue, a Vista issue or a DScaler issue... guess I should try to figure that out.
 
I just purchased the model with the TV tuner. I took the advice of some of the people on this board and downloaded the dscaler software. I was wondering if anyone has gotten it to work with a cable box? It seems like it is set up to just take channels from the direct line and not a box.
Also, can you use the remote that came with the tuner for anything?
Thanks.
 
i've been messing around with the gamebridge for a day and i can't seem to get dscaler to work period.

when i try to open dscaler, it gives me some error about how my graphic card doesn't support "overlays" and then it shuts down.

i tried to google a solution to this for hours but the best that i've found is that my graphic card might not support overlays. i find that to be weird/near impossible because i have the geforce 7900 GS go on my 1 month old laptop and thats pretty much top of the line in terms of video card.

so i'm stuck using the default included software that won't let me set any deinterlacers. does anyone else have an alternate program that they are using besides for dscaler? most of the programs that i managed to google doesn't support the gamebridge or i cannot get them to work with the gamebridge.

the audio does lag occasionally, but whats the fix for that? i brought a composite to headphone jack (i dont know the 'official' name :p) from radio shack to directly plug the sound to my laptop/soundcaard but apparently my laptop can't play music/sound coming from the lineIn plug. or at least i couldnt find the lineIn volume window in the advance sound option in windows.

The tv tuner is alright, there is audio lag every so often, but i don't think that there is a way to fix that since the audio has to go through the gamebridge.
 
There should just be a line-in option you can unmute in the audio mixer thingee-although I'm using Creative's drivers, so maybe that adds it.

Any remotly newest GPU supports video overlays. A Geforce 7900GS is complete overkill for that. Probably you need real Nvidia drivers, not the ones that shipped with your laptop. I think it's www.laptopvideo2go.com or something like that that has INF files that let you install real Nvidia drivers on laptops.

DScaler works for me, but I couldn't figure out what any of the millions of options mean. At best, it worked about as well as the included program, and when I changed much of anything it slowed down the video a ton without improving anything. So I just went back to the included program (that's super-easy to use).
 
nope, i dont think theres a in line option. normally i know where its located on my desktop but i just cant find it on the laptop.

thanks for the link. i tried the drivers they had there but they still don't work. i looked around the forums and found this semi-old thread on overlays and did what they instructed but it still doesnt work. this is starting to drive me nuts :bomb:
 
Is this an Inspiron e1705 by any chance? You might want to post this over in the game forum on Dell's forums, see if there are any other ideas. Those inf files should work on a Dell though.
 
WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!

I finally got my (official Sony) S-Video cable and hooked it up to the game bridge. The difference is night and day. Just amazingly better. The colors "pop" off the screen just like they do on a real TV. All the graphics are razer sharp to the point you can see individual pixels easily. It's especially obvious in Final Fantasy II's text.

My other obervation is it really is slower or faster depending on your computer. I suspect the chipset may make a big difference. On my two computers, the Pentium 4 2.4GHz/533Mhz with an i845 chipset uses around 60-70% of it's CPU power to run the gamebridge. And that's before going full screen-probably goes higher at full screen.

That's why it seemed like there was lag sometimes-it's just barly pulling it off, and if the CPU spikes, or I'm running something else, it lags as it really dosen't have the horsepower.

Meanwhile, my 2.8GHz/800MHz Pentium D only uses around 8% (so I think really 16%) of one CPU. The faster CPU and FSB and updated core shouldn't make THAT big of a difference I don't think, so I'm guessing the newer i915 (or i925, I don't remember) chipset is either more efficent at USB, or the drivers are, or both.

Anyway, I've been kind of witholding judgement on this until I got my S-Video cable, but so far I am REALLY impressed with S-Video. I'd say if you've got a modern computer (ie I wouldn't go below a 2.4GHz Pentium 4-it seems just right on the edge) go for it, but get an S-video cable for whatever console you're using!

Now, someone just needs to figure out if this can be used on Mac OS X. I don't suppose EyeTV software works with it?
 
[quote name='Puppy']Is this an Inspiron e1705 by any chance? You might want to post this over in the game forum on Dell's forums, see if there are any other ideas. Those inf files should work on a Dell though.[/QUOTE]

yes it is a e1705. i installed all the drivers and still no luck :(

well i tried messing around with the winamp TV plugin today to see if it would work, but all i'm getting is theh audio... when i switch to svideo, i would just get a black screen. if i tried to use the tv tuner, i would see static or whatever for 4 seconds and the window would just turn all white.

personally i can't tell much of a difference between my composite cable and my s-video cable. i bet its due to the fact that its made by mad catz
 
I got mine today. Everything worked perfectly as soon as I put it in. I haven't tried S-Video yet though and I can't get DScaler to work properly. It just makes it worse.

I hear sound mess up sometimes, but recorded video comes out perfectly. Sadly, SSBM doesn't seem to run as full speed but I was expecting that. It feels a bit better now, but I think that's because I got used to the slow speed on the computer. After I play SSBM at school tomorrow I'll see how it compares. Haven't played in a while due to all this work they're giving us >_
 
I'm a little disapointed in how Shadow of Rome looks, but I'm not sure that that's really the Gamebridge's fault (ie it may just look worse when the graphics are cleaner...not sure).

Also lip syncing is slightly off (the video trails the audio), but I'm not sure that it isn't slightly off on a regular TV too. It'd definetly playable though, and I can't notice any lag at all when actually playing the game.
 
I'm also getting the installation error saying that no USB 2.0 port is detected. I have an Asus P4C800 mobo, XP Service Pack 2 and I've got at least 4 USB ports..

Is there any way to get this to work?
 
I finally got mine working(thanks again for the help, CaptainBlue!).. but recording and overall performance has been a drag. Well.. there is hardly any lad with the picture.. so game's are definitely playable. All except for music and rhythm games because I'm having some major lag with the sound. Yes, by drivers are updated, but I have no idea why the sound is lagging so much.

As for recording.. it seems to have a 50/50 chance of working completely. It will record 100% of the time, but half of that.. when I puch the record button, the display just turns completely black, so I am unable to see what I'm doing while the game is being recorded.

I've even tried recording with DScaler, but it unfortunately causes the program to crash. My drivers are all updated, so I don't know what the problem is. Even though the price for this was cheap.. it may not have been wrth the hassle for me. I'm not going to give up yet, though..
 
For me, sound lags every time I alt+tab to something else. So just close all programs you're not using before you run the GameBridge and it might help. I always get the black screen after I press record, but it goes away after about 5 seconds. I think it's just starting up the recorder.
 
For recording, I've just got it set up with my TV's A/V out to the GameBridge. The quality seems a little worse when recording with InterVideo Home Theater, but I have a feeling it would be much better in DScaler. Now if only it wouldnt lock up every time I try recording :/
 
I need help!

I just got the 1410 model and the software wont insall for me. I get an error saying General extraction error Location IMP1.

Anyone else experience this and can give me an idea of how to fix this?
 
ok, finally got the software to install.

however, i'm a bit disappointed in the graphics are blurry and not as sharp as i thought they'd be on my LCD. anyone have any suggestions or hints to make it a bit sharper?

also, my games are not playing in complete fullscreen. the games are only about 3/4 of the screen. any tips on how to get fullscreen as well?
 
Using a name-brand S-Video cable helps a lot. In the case of Shadows of Rome, to me the video looks worse (and might have some lag?), but it may just be that the LCD is less forgiving than a cheap CRT, so flaws are more obvious. I'm really not sure.

Basically make sure you've got enough CPU power to minimize lag, use S-Video instead of composite, and sit a ways back from the screen to help make the most of the image.

I'm nowhere close to 100% happy, but it does work much better than the ATi TV tuner I tried five years ago. The $15 price makes it palatable that it's not perfect IMO.
 
[quote name='CorporalJackson']if anyone gets a 1410 and dose not want it I'll buy/trade you for it[/quote]I'm not gungho on keeping this thing, but you have a very uninteresting trade list.
 
so what S-Video cable would one suggest? i've been using the cables that have some with the gamebridge itself....the a/v cables and thats it. i should use the S-video instead then?

I'm trying to play Resident Evil 4 and MLB The Show and both are really fuzzy and ugly. I have a really powerful computer setup, so that shouldnt be a factor i dont think.

also, any idea how to adjust the picture so i don't have a 3 or 4 inch borded around the picture? i have a 19" LCD and i'm only getting about 15 of it because for whatever reason the picture wont fit the screen entirely.

So i'll grab an S-Video and try that then. Thanks :)
 
Has anyone gotten the 1410 to work with something like gbpvr, or another one of those tivo type suites? I'm having problems, but it could be on my end.
 
ok, since i'm seeing the s-video cables are not cheap, anyone have a guess on what type of visual improvment i might see? if it's only slight, then i'm not up to spending $20+ on cables.
 
It's pretty huge. Very noticible even just on boot screens before you get to the game, though I'm still not sure it's anywhere near a decent TV.
 
and i'm seeing that it is suggested to buy either monster cables or official sony? not any off brand then? does that matter much?
 
ok, my local store only had Mad Catz cables so i bought those. so far i can tell a good bit of difference on my LCD. i don't know if the monster cables would make any more of a difference, but the Mad Catz are working good.

also, can someone tell me how to get my games to stretch across the entire screen? i'm getting a 2 or 3 inch border when playing games. i'd like to get the image not a couple inches smaller. anyone know how to adjust that?
 
Hmm... I seem to have run into an odd problem. Whenever I'm recording/encoding video, it stops recording video after 30 seconds...

It continues to record the audio, but that may be due to me having the audio cables going into my PC's sound card. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
This might have been addressed in this thread already, but I didn't want to read through all 17 pages. But I have a couple of questions.

1. When you're playing the games, can you still see them on your regular TV or is it only on your PC? Cause my comp sucks, and I would like to do screen captures, but not necessarily play the games on my comp.

2. If I don't have USB 2.0 (yeah, that's how old my comp is) will this still work with it, or will I have to wait until I get a new comp?

3. If I'm not going to be recording TV shows is there any reason to get the version with the built in TV tuner?

Thanks for any help. :D
 
[quote name='PapiChullo']This might have been addressed in this thread already, but I didn't want to read through all 17 pages. But I have a couple of questions.

1. When you're playing the games, can you still see them on your regular TV or is it only on your PC? Cause my comp sucks, and I would like to do screen captures, but not necessarily play the games on my comp.

2. If I don't have USB 2.0 (yeah, that's how old my comp is) will this still work with it, or will I have to wait until I get a new comp?

3. If I'm not going to be recording TV shows is there any reason to get the version with the built in TV tuner?

Thanks for any help. :D[/quote]

1. Not without a video splitter, you basically unplug the cables from your TV and plug them into this unit. If you get a splitter you'll notice a decrease in picture quality on both probably.

2. No, you'd have to go buy a USB2.0 card and install it (another $20 which it doesn't sound like you NEED to spend.)

3. Not really, your PC probably wouldn't be able to handle much video capture from the games even, so there really wouldn't be a benefit.
 
If I'm calculating this right, this thing has to transfer over 26MB/s, so USB 1.1 dosen't come close to being fast enough. (640 x 480 x 3 bytes/pixel x 30 frames/s = bytes/s)

I played through MegaMan 7 (anniversery collection) on this. It was definetly playable-and if Mega Man can be played on it, then anything can IMO. It did still seem SLIGHTLY off somehow, but it's pretty subtle and I forgot about it.

I wouldn't want to use this in place of a TV, but it does work for when you don't have access to a TV.

Still wish there was something perfect. I'd gladly pay $200 for something that worked as well as playing on a real TV.
 
I have a question for DSCaler users. When I use DScaler, it's much clearer, but there's like 3 - 4 seconds lag between the time I input my command and the screen follows. So like I try to move and the character does it like 4 seconds later. Is there a way to fix that or is it my crappy graphics card (GeForce FX 5200)?
 
I just got one, and it won't work on my desktop (Athlon 64 3200, Geforce 6600GT, 1G Ram, XP SP2)
On intervideo, for some odd reason, I cannot adjust anything except the record quality (which only allows you to choose default)
On Dscaler, it always says the device is not connected
I have already tried reinstalling it once, but I get the same issues
Anyone else end up in a similar situation?
 
Mine worked perfectly so I don't know about the errors... Did you install it both times it asked like the instructions said? Is it a USB 2.0 port?
 
[quote name='Firestorm']I have a question for DSCaler users. When I use DScaler, it's much clearer, but there's like 3 - 4 seconds lag between the time I input my command and the screen follows. So like I try to move and the character does it like 4 seconds later. Is there a way to fix that or is it my crappy graphics card (GeForce FX 5200)?[/quote]

DSCaler still doesn't work out for me, but I picked up the Mad Catz S-Video cable and the quality using the software that came with the GameBridge is much better now. Text isn't as blurry as before and images are sharp. I recommend people do this. Was only $15 Canadian.
 
Sorry to bump this again, but I'm having a ton of problems trying to get DeInterlacers to work.

I want to use the Greedy one, but I don't know how to "turn it on" I don't know where to check. I mean, I click on Deinterlace at the top, and then I just have 3:2 and 2:2 pull down options, but NONE of the things in "Video Methods Settings" are visible. Am I just stupid...or what is going on?
 
All right- I got this from the Woot-off sale, and I decided to try it with my brother's copy of Guitar Hero. Bad idea. Small as it is, the lag completely fucks up the timing. Other games seemed to work fine, though.
 
Unfortunately no one's posted that there are any OS X drivers available-so apparently not :whistle2:(

ElGato's newer eyeTVs have a "Game Mode" that's probably similar in quality to what this does.
 
[quote name='Puppy']Unfortunately no one's posted that there are any OS X drivers available-so apparently not :(

ElGato's newer eyeTVs have a "Game Mode" that's probably similar in quality to what this does.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. I'm aware of eyeTV and all that but they're really really pricey. I might as well buy a 20" tube tv for the price they're asking - and the quality will probably be better.
 
I'm going bonkers. I'm trying to play FFXII using my GameBridge, I have tried ALL kinds of DeInterlacers and settings, but I'm still having the same problem.

GHOSTING!

But its random ghosting. While playing, I can walk into one room and be fine, then walk into the next with extreme ghosting. I don't understand it. It's totally baffling to me, and I can't play FFXII right now because of it. I can't post on the Dscaler boards because their forum doesn't work right (you can't sign in) so I have no where else to go?

Someone have an answer? :(
 
Still havent got my confirmation email... then I checked my messages. Apparently my CC thought someone fraduently stole my card to preorder the WII and I had to call them and say yes it was me. So fucking dumb. So my order has been sitting in processing for 5 hours now because of that garbage. Oh well at least its fixed.
 
Same problem in DQ8. After going through doors, it has a chance of rectifying the ghosting, or restarting, if it has gone away. I'm so baffled right now.
 
Does it ghost when just using the included software? What's the response time on your monitor? My guess is you've got a slow monitor, and it just depends on the colors in the room as to how slow it appears.

I don't know how software could make it ghost.
 
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