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

got it,

4945691 Adaptec 1410 GameBridge! Play Console Games and Watch TV on Your Computer 1 $24.99 $24.99
subtotal $24.99


tax $2.16
Overnight Shipping
$9.64

total $36.79


since i couldnt get free shipping, i figured i might as well spend the extra $3 and have em overnight it. thanks again
 
[quote name='Phaethon360']Came this afternoon (ordered 2nd day air on the 12th) and I've got to say I'm impressed! It's definately the best bang for your buck. Although my purposes was to use this for video reviews on my blog with youtube quality, and it definately delivers. I can't complain for $20.

Didn't notice an incredible amount of lag. I recorded at the best quality, and then downsized the file using Windows Movie Maker to a 35mb file (originally 255mb for a 7min vid). I recorded myself playing Shadows of the Colossus on the PS2. You can check out the test video on my blog here. I'm really impressed, and I cannot wait to use it in the future. Heck, I might just use it to play my games on my monitor!

Note: I later realized I had my PS2 set on 16:9 in both the console settings and game settings, so the reason it doesn't fill up the whole pane may be because of that and not the product itself.[/QUOTE]

good spot. how long did it take you to convert the 255 to 35?
 
[quote name='help1']Can this be used to record VHS to dvd?

Does Frys accept PayPal?[/QUOTE]

Yes on the first, don't think so on the second.

I would like to point out a couple things about this from someone who does tons of video capture/editing.

1) Set up is arguably easier than any other capture device I've used.
2) It uses proprietary capture software from what I can tell. This is a GREAT thing as Windows has a terrible, terrible built in driver for capturing. It has bugged out on 2 of my home systems and 3/6 systems at work requiring some serious fixes.
3) Quality is pretty good even with MPEG1 settings. If I go to MPEG2 my system can't seem to *quite* keep up with the audio stream and I get occasional pops and lag.
4) The price, ease of use and portability (TV on my laptop with just a mini-antanae add on, all right!) simply cannot be beat.

I'm usually quite leary of products from adaptec, code masters, interact, etc. but this one is a keeper.
 
[quote name='BREVITY']With th posted settings mine looks nice and bright and good... till I move then its all stuttery. Thats the best word I can use for it. I might have gummed up some other setting. Also I dont see Pixel Width.[/quote]Same here. Not much different from the last time, except the picture is a bit better.

EDIT: Okay, I found something better, but the trade off is a very small amount of video lag. Same settings as megabadd posted, except instead of Video (TomsMoComp), select 2:2 Pulldown, Flip on Odd. The motion is much smoother than anything I've seen so far, and the picture stays nice and sharp, however, there is a bit of lag with the video. That's the only negative I'm seeing and I'm actually doing decent in Guitar Hero with these settings, so the lag must not be too bad.

EDIT #2: But now I'm having a different problem. Everytime I go to fullscreen (and I have fullscreen set to 640x480, 60Hz), it automatically reverts the filter back to Video (TomsMoComp). Any way to stop that?

EDIT #3: Dangit. The lag gets worse over time. The longer you stay in that setting, the more it lags.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']Same here. Not much different from the last time, except the picture is a bit better.

EDIT: Okay, I found something better, but the trade off is a very small amount of video lag. Same settings as megabadd posted, except instead of Video (TomsMoComp), select 2:2 Pulldown, Flip on Odd. The motion is much smoother than anything I've seen so far, and the picture stays nice and sharp, however, there is a bit of lag with the video. That's the only negative I'm seeing and I'm actually doing decent in Guitar Hero with these settings, so the lag must not be too bad.

EDIT #2: But now I'm having a different problem. Everytime I go to fullscreen (and I have fullscreen set to 640x480, 60Hz), it automatically reverts the filter back to Video (TomsMoComp). Any way to stop that?[/QUOTE]
I had that too I think its to do with the save.ini file. I seen people mention it on their forum. I got mine to stick by setting it then closing the program and going back into it.

I have been messing with the settings some more too. I really do think its a better pic with this prog but the jitters are bad at times for me. Its not CPU usage this thing doesnt get high at all; at around 20. Again I got a 3.2ghz machine, 1g DDR. Anyway I do see that the stutters are not all the time just in certain places and with Taskmngr up I can see that its not during CPU or mem hits. I dont know what it is really but its not constant. Well I am going to stay at it today and hammer out some nice frame rates and find a solution to these other problems.
 
Hm, I have no noticeable lag of video nor audio with Dscaler and I have tried various settings. However, I am getting a slightly annoying problem with Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and GGXX Slash in Dscaler. When I use the deinterlacer TomMoComp everything looks and plays pretty fantastically, but there is some frame blur. I can cut out the motion blur by using Scan only even lines, but the picture quality kinda sucks. Any ideas?
 
[quote name='souNReAL']got it,

4945691 Adaptec 1410 GameBridge! Play Console Games and Watch TV on Your Computer 1 $24.99 $24.99
subtotal $24.99


tax $2.16
Overnight Shipping
$9.64

total $36.79


since i couldnt get free shipping, i figured i might as well spend the extra $3 and have em overnight it. thanks again[/QUOTE]

Dunno, I got the cheapest shipping and got it in two days. o_O; I think you could've saved a bit of cash.
 
Has anyone tried out Smash Bros. Melee on this? When I used WinFast or something on my friend's computer we were playing at 30 fps and not 60 fps and the lag was very noticeable. I really would like to get this, but if it can't play SSBM I don't think it'd be worth it for me.

Also, can you play games in progressive scan using S-Video? I'm not sure how all that works. Not really a tv techie =(
 
[quote name='zewone']So, with the quality of this, would I be able to record some Halo 2 footage and not suck while I am playing online?

Can anyone confirm that the $15 version records at MPEG-2? That's the version I want to get, but only if it can.[/quote]

The "best" recording quality for the $15 one is MPEG-1, 16-bit stereo, 720x480, 29.97 frames/sec, 179 min record time. The record quality wasn't as good as realtime play quality for me.
 
[quote name='Firestorm']Has anyone tried out Smash Bros. Melee on this? When I used WinFast or something on my friend's computer we were playing at 30 fps and not 60 fps and the lag was very noticeable. I really would like to get this, but if it can't play SSBM I don't think it'd be worth it for me.

Also, can you play games in progressive scan using S-Video? I'm not sure how all that works. Not really a tv techie =([/quote]

I tried SBM and it was kind of slow - so you probably won't like this. Also you can't get progressive scan or HD using S-cable, you can only get that with component cables which I did mention on the the first post. If you want to play using progressive scan, you'll want a VGA box which you can get from Lik-Sang for $50 + shipping. http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=221&products_id=4233& $50 is the cheapest I've seen for a VGA box.
 
So after reading this topic, can I safely assume these points?
It's preferable to plug audio into your sound card instead of this device to avoid lag
Since everything seems to be software based, it is extremely CPU intensive
Dscaler works better than the included software (if you have a good enough rig)
S-video seems to cause less lag than composite video

I still am not sure about some things...
Since this is USB and not vga/dvi, when people mention somewhat low video quality, is this because of pixelated textures becoming more apparent (like using a VGA cable for the dreamcast), or just because the output sucks?
I'm probably going to get the 1410 (since I'm in a dorm and thus lack a tv), but many people have asked if the 1400 has MPEG-2 support
Does dscaler just improve recording, or does it actually make the actual picture smoother?
 
Ordered the one with TV.

I'll be on vacation for the next week, so I sent it to me mum's. Cant wait to try it out. I'll be using it as a VCR of sorts, and to record some of the better stuff from Seaman.
 
[quote name='NightNinja7']Dunno, I got the cheapest shipping and got it in two days. o_O; I think you could've saved a bit of cash.[/QUOTE]


you thought that was bad, you should have seen my face when i realized i opted for overnight shipping on a Saturday morning oi....
 
I skipped every post in this thread except for the OP, so if my question has already been asked and answered, go ahead and spank me.


But I want to know if there's any way to get this to work for older consoles, or if there's an adapter for older (atari on up) systems, as I'd love to get rid of the old tv I have kept which is the hookup for all my old consoles.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']I skipped every post in this thread except for the OP, so if my question has already been asked and answered, go ahead and spank me.


But I want to know if there's any way to get this to work for older consoles, or if there's an adapter for older (atari on up) systems, as I'd love to get rid of the old tv I have kept which is the hookup for all my old consoles.[/quote]

The 1410 version ($25 one w/ TV tuner) includes a coaxial hookup cable - if that's what you mean by the older consoles. The cheaper 1400 for $15 inculdes only the RCA and S-video cables. I wish I could just get the adapter as likewise, I want to hookup my old consoles to it.

BTW, very cool to have an Ashleigh Brilliant quote in your sig. I have a book of his Pot Shots and ordered some of his individual Pot Shot cards from him too.
 
Hey guys,
Has anyone used the 1410 to do some capturing to video edit? I could care less about playing the games through this thing (why would I want to play console games at my desk when I could be enjoying them on my comfy couch?). All I want to do is capture some video of my gaming highlights and convert some old VHS tapes over to digital so that I can edit them in Adobe Premiere.

Anyone having any problems with the final captured video? Any lag with the video files produced?

Thanks.
 
[quote name='brianmoy']I tried SBM and it was kind of slow - so you probably won't like this. Also you can't get progressive scan or HD using S-cable, you can only get that with component cables which I did mention on the the first post. If you want to play using progressive scan, you'll want a VGA box which you can get from Lik-Sang for $50 + shipping. http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=221&products_id=4233& $50 is the cheapest I've seen for a VGA box.[/quote]

Thanks for the tip. I'm still interested because of the recording though. Playing games on a laptop is also appealing because I'm thinking of getting one soon.

Did you try Dscaler like megabadd said? I know some people don't notice a difference in SSBM speeds until they try some more advanced stuff like l-cancelling etc.

Tempted to still buy >.
 
[quote name='Lord Hamm']Why is ground shipping 7 dollars?

2nd day is only 20 cents more...[/QUOTE]

and overnight is 2.50 more. Odd
 
[quote name='Firestorm']Thanks for the tip. I'm still interested because of the recording though. Playing games on a laptop is also appealing because I'm thinking of getting one soon.

Did you try Dscaler like megabadd said? I know some people don't notice a difference in SSBM speeds until they try some more advanced stuff like l-cancelling etc.

Tempted to still buy >.
 
[quote name='QuickFix']Hey guys,
Has anyone used the 1410 to do some capturing to video edit? I could care less about playing the games through this thing (why would I want to play console games at my desk when I could be enjoying them on my comfy couch?). All I want to do is capture some video of my gaming highlights and convert some old VHS tapes over to digital so that I can edit them in Adobe Premiere.

Anyone having any problems with the final captured video? Any lag with the video files produced?

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

well, mpeg and mpeg2 are standards, so it should be fine for that.... i have to copy some video from vhs to dvd on a trip later this year, and didn't want to lug my pc.... so it should be fine.

[quote name='brianmoy']I tried SBM and it was kind of slow - so you probably won't like this. Also you can't get progressive scan or HD using S-cable, you can only get that with component cables which I did mention on the the first post. If you want to play using progressive scan, you'll want a VGA box which you can get from Lik-Sang for $50 + shipping. http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=221&products_id=4233& $50 is the cheapest I've seen for a VGA box.[/QUOTE]

well, your getting line doubling, not the best picture. i have 1 vga converter (like the one mentioned) and a component to vga transcoder (the vdigi) and a transcoder will give you the best video out... if your system supports progressive scan.

the gamebridge is exactlt what i expected. with tv tuners you're not always going to get 100% awesome video.
 
Hey, megabadd, sry to ask you this, but have you tried recording with those settings you posted earlier? The settings are fine in DScaler while playing, but when i start recording, it really gets laggy. Is there a special setting that you have encountered to make recording no lag up the screen? Thanks.

Unfortunately I couldn't get intervideo to work with mine either. Only sound, no video...
 
anybody using win xp sp1 has to upgrade to sp2, because the installer will not let you install the drivers for the device.
i had been putting off upgrading to sp2, but i guess i'll bite the bullet
 
Oh, and thanks Z, using 2x2 and all my old setting gave me the best picture possible while clearing up most of my slight ghosting problem.
 
"REJOICE!"

Well, I finally got intervideo's program to work with it. My main problem was issues with intervideo's MPEG codec. After downloading a new updated codec pack [Combined Community Codec Pack] it resolved the missing video issue I had. And I fired it up once more with Super Smash Bros OG. The quality was excellent and virtually no lag. And recording was very good as well. The only difference I noticed was that it might take a couple seconds for the recording to fire up, however there seems to be no picture loss, and still no lag. I highly recommend this. I prefer the intervideo home theatre program than dscaler for now because of no need to fiddle with a/v settings and the consistency of the quality and frame rate.

On a side note, I got lucky and got the gamebridge 1400 for 14.99 well after the Tuesday deadline. When I went to check out the gamebridge rang up as a "special order" and they had to check the price even though the sticker still said 19.99. They must've checked their online price which still remains at 14.99. So yeah, maybe it'll ring up as 14.99 still for any others.

I was also thinking of getting some sort of a/v splitter or s video splitter for this. So that the computer can still record while I play on the higher quality TV. This was just a thought.
 
[quote name='megabadd']Oh, and thanks Z, using 2x2 and all my old setting gave me the best picture possible while clearing up most of my slight ghosting problem.[/quote]But the problem with 2:2 is it eventually lags.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']But the problem with 2:2 is it eventually lags.[/quote]

Hmm, not for me, I've been playing MvC2 off and on the whole day (left my PStwo on).
 
Is this deal good at Frys B&M ? and do you have any idea what part of the store it would be located in ?

The place is so huge sometimes you can't find what your looking for and the people who work there are never going to help you find something.
 
[quote name='KingDox']Is this deal good at Frys B&M ? and do you have any idea what part of the store it would be located in ?

The place is so huge sometimes you can't find what your looking for and the people who work there are never going to help you find something.[/quote]

I found mine at the checkout line. I almost bought so much shit while i was there, i forgot i came for the gamebridge.

Really, I had a Tekken 5 Ultimate Bundle, Bleach DS, A light up keyboard, a pc controller, and a copy of Jumping Flash (85).

I put back everything except the Tekken 5 bundle and Jumping Flash and got the Gamebridge for 20 (Non TV tuner version).
 
[quote name='Jr7891']I found mine at the checkout line. I almost bought so much shit while i was there, i forgot i came for the gamebridge.

Really, I had a Tekken 5 Ultimate Bundle, Bleach DS, A light up keyboard, a pc controller, and a copy of Jumping Flash (85).

I put back everything except the Tekken 5 bundle and Jumping Flash and got the Gamebridge for 20 (Non TV tuner version).[/QUOTE]


How much was the tekken 5 bundle? Was it on sale or something?
 
How is the TV reception quality on this thing. I ended up getting the TV tunerless version, but now I am having second thoughts that it might be nice to turn my laptop into a TV also.
 
[quote name='KingDox']Is this deal good at Frys B&M ? and do you have any idea what part of the store it would be located in ?

The place is so huge sometimes you can't find what your looking for and the people who work there are never going to help you find something.[/quote]

According to the ad, the price was subject to change after last tuesday, so may want to just give Fry's a quick call to check.

Also, yeah, I looked all over in what I thought were obvious places - gaming? No. PC adapters? No. It was in the Upgrades section in with the routers.
 
[quote name='ofacto']How much was the tekken 5 bundle? Was it on sale or something?[/quote]

50 bucks. Comes with the 8 button Hori stick and some cases for all the Tekken Games.
 
So I started reading every post for two pages and realized it was ten pages and that I don't have time to read every post right now. So I apologize if this has already been adressed.

Anyone using this with a widescreen lcd? Or even a standard perspective larger lcd. I have a Samsung 21inch widescreen lcd monitor that has composite (rca), S-video and component connections which is great but when running ps2 or gamecube (don't have an xbox) through it, it looks like crap simply because standard def resolutions don't look good stretched across a 1680x1050 native resolution. Even using component with progressive scan. My thoughts are, though, that since this runs through your pc I might get a better picture because I can change my screen's resolution and also just have a whole lot more settings at my disposal to the best picture possible.

So my question is, would I be wasting my time or money and wind up with the same issues I have connecting directly into my monitor or could this be a viable solution? The TV tuner version actually appeals to me because I have been looking for a tv solution for my pc. I was thinking about even dropping a hundred bucks or so on an HD card. This thing isn't HD, but I can't argue with the price.
 
[quote name='brianmoy']According to the ad, the price was subject to change after last tuesday, so may want to just give Fry's a quick call to check.

Also, yeah, I looked all over in what I thought were obvious places - gaming? No. PC adapters? No. It was in the Upgrades section in with the routers.[/QUOTE]
When I called a bit after Tuesday, they said it was 19.99, most likely because the sticker says 19.99. But in my case, I actually went there on Friday and they rung it up. Again, it came up as "special order" and they checked the "real" price [which I presume was off the net] and made it 14.99 instead.

So when you call, I'm assuming they'll just read it off the sticker price over the phone. Maybe you can ask them to see if it rings up as a special order and then check the "real" price. But usually those guys are lazy bastards *no offense to Fry's*. Warning though, this most likely was a YMMV case with me, I don't want you guys to waste a trip all the way to a Fry's.
 
[quote name='souNReAL']for $24.99 thats damn good. ill take it.[/quote]

Yeah, I have always wanted a tv tuner for PVR, and now im getting DVR, but this could be useful for watching TV when the otehr tv's are taken up or wanna jsut watch tv and search the net easily.

So glad I didnt blow the money on one of those hauppage USB tvtuners for 80 ish dollars like 3 months ago.
 
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