Strengths: Works well
Weakness: Some audio issue
First of all, I bought this for playing games on the computer, recording video was just a bonus. Hookup & driver installation was painless and the software interface is very straightforward. The video does not lag although I only tested it with a PSX and Castlevania SOTN. The only problem I have is that the audio starts to lag after a bit of play. It gets off by about 3 seconds. The strange thing is, if you record your gameplay or whatever and playback the video, the audio is synched up! I've searched Adaptec's knowledge base with no answers & have seen people posting in forums that they had the same problem. It's not an issue with my PC as my system specs over-exceed the minimum & recommended requirements. If Adaptec can fix this audio issue, they'd definitely get 5 stars from me.
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TopStrengths: small size, multiple input interface
Weakness: video quality is not as good as it claims to be
Tiny size makes it suitable for laptops. S video and composite input enable it used as a bridge for camcorders, DVD players, game consoles etc. However, it takes some effort to install the Intervideo Home theater. And the video quality is not enhanced as it says.
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TopStrengths: Very tiny, absolutely no lag, accepts ANY Svideo or composite input (not just games!!), decent software, easy to install. Probably the smallest TV tuner you can buy, includes remote (!), easy install
Weakness: Small, proprietary cables for AV, DOES NOT "enhance" graphics as claimed
Adaptec fills a very interesting niche with the Gamebridge. If you've been in the video capture world at all (and ESPECIALLY with lower-end external devices), you'll know many video capture devices have a slight lag between "real-time" and what is shown on your PC monitor. If you're just watching a TV program or movie, it's not a big deal, but if you're trying to play a game, you're dead (literally) since you're 1/2 to 1 second behind the action!
Enter the Gamebridge. Adaptec is a strange company, built on industrial strength I/O cards for servers and high end workstations, they seem to try to branch into more consumer level equipment occasionally. With the Gamebridge, they are selling a lag-free external video capture device, marketing it as a video game accessory, and seeing what happens.
Note: This will accept ANY S-video or composite video source. I don't know why Adaptec doesn't play that up a bit, but it does. This is a full featured external video capture unit with a TV tuner. You can use it with a camcorder, DVD player, game system, security monitor, etc.
The Gamebridge is a huge success on its main selling point- it provides a lag-free video input to your computer. This allows you to play games with no problems using your PC monitor. This is great if you're in a small space. This would also be an idea TV tuner for someone with a laptop-- it is very, VERY tiny (smaller than the smallest notebook mouse I have ever seen) and doesn't require any power except over the USB connection.
This model DOES provide a full cable-ready analog TV tuner and a remote control. The cables to hook up are very, VERY tiny and be sure to label them and either keep them connected or store them somewhere safe-- I doubt you could get a replacement cheaply and they'll be very easy to lose.
The software it comes with (an older version of Intervideo Home Theatre tweaked for only the Gamebridge) is adequate, although it takes forever to start up. Setup is a little confusing as some options are in a separate program you need to launch outside of the main application (which must be closed). Picture quality is fairly good-- it's not the best capture card I've ever seen but it's good enough. I've seen worse. The good news is this does what it claims to do-- allow lag-free gaming on your PC, and the AVC-1410 provides a full TV tuner with recording capability. I am not sure if the Gamebridge models install proper drivers to allow it to work with other software, though.
So far, 4-5 starts, right?
The problem is that Adaptec goes this one further, claiming that because the window for the software can be opened to 1024x768, that it is somehow "enhancing" the quality of the incoming video. This is NOT true. There is NO WAY to substantially enhance a signal using standard connections -- there may be some slight filters but those filters are simply making the "blowing up" not look worse than it would have already. You're not getting HDTV quality signals over a game system's composite or S-video connections. (you can't show detail that isn't there!) It keeps loss at a minimum, but it will look more or less how it looks on a TV. Maybe even a bit worse, depending on how well the Gamebridge's ADC circuits work. I knew this before I purchased, so it doesn't bother me, but DO NOT buy this if you think that your game systems will magically look better than on a TV, that is simply not the case! Adaptec loses a star for this bordering-on-blatantly-false advertising claim.
Basically, if you need this product, it's great. I just purchased a second unit (with a sizable rebate) for a second PC just to have a cheap/quick way to get a video-in for those times I need to check something out quickly. If you have a need for lag-free video input (this could work on anything needing controlling-- VCR monitor, game system, set-top box DVD recorder, etc)
I would really like to give it 3.5 stars. (4.5 overall, losing 1 point for deceptive advertising and .5 for some rough edges) But I can't do that, so I will round it back up to 4 stars-- Adaptec produces a device that answers a very significant need in video capture, doesn't quite advertise it right, and doesn't quite get some of the rough edges polished-- but if you need a lag-free video input it's one of the few options. If you need ultra high picture quality, you should keep looking, but for day to day use it's a great unit. I can imagine this would be perfect for someone in a college dorm with a laptop-- you get it all, a full TV tuner and lag free gaming, all without the need for a TV.
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TopStrengths: compact size, remote
Weakness: none
I use a Dell Inspiron laptop (E1505) and use this Gamebridge AVC-1410 to "watch TV." It was really easy to install and worked right away with absolutely no problems. The picture is very clear (the same as a regular TV--though I suppose it depends on your comp's screen resolution), no static whatsoever. The remote works from basically every angle and from a good distance away. It's also very portable. The remote is about the size of a credit card (though a little thicker)and the adapter itself is a little bigger than a box of matches. To sum it all up in a word: amazing.
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TopStrengths: TV tuner and game-console adapter 2in1, small size, includes credit-card-size remote, powered by USB port.
Weakness: a litter hot after 1-2 hours used.
The GameBridgeTV installs in a matter of minutes. The software is painfully slow, especially when you're using the channel-surfing and recorded-TV menu options. If you got less channels as you expected, you can increase the fine-turn value to 250(in HomeTheaterConfig). The vedio quality is good. No lag when playinggame with PS2.
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TopStrengths: Small size and compatible with all game consoles, NO lag time.
Weakness: NO.
I bought this gamebridge for my Xbox 360 because I want to play the console game in my computer. This gamebridge just works great and the data transfer is amazing, definitely no observable lag time. The size is extremely small,credit card size so not going to take up too much space.
Rank 5/5.
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TopStrengths: Small
Weakness: Supports Windows only
It's a nice little gadget that connect your game console to your computer. The included software is pretty easy to pick up. Installation went through smoothly. The quality is acceptable. This thing is very useful for travelling as you can use your laptop as a standalone TV. Good product!
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TopStrengths: Enable console game play on computers.
Weakness: Picture quality can be higher.
I bought this product mainly for playing console games on my pc. The good news is that there is no lag at all when playing games. They played fine. My only complain is that supposedly this product has to deliver better image quality than a regular TV. It's written in the box. I know console games are low-res compared to pc standards, but I know it can look better. This product is a great solution if you want to play games mainly on your laptop. It is little, so you can take it anywhere.I watched TV and it was fine. It's usb powered, so it's good if you want more portability.
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TopStrengths: Small and lightweight. Works via USB. Cables included.
Weakness: Relies on PC CPU. Some cables are propriatery.
This little unit is all you need to turn your laptop computer into a TV or provide access to game playing. It comes with a driver disk plus all the cables that you will need. One downside about the cables is that some of them are proprietary, so don't lose or damage them or you'll be out of luck. The unit is surprisingly small and so lightweight that you can take it virtually anywhere without even knowing you have it. Simply plugs into any available USB port. It does sap power away from your CPU, so I do not recommend using it while other CPU hungry apps are running. Overall, this is the unit to get if you want to be able to hook your laptop up to a cable line to watch TV or need access ports for your favorite game console.
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TopStrengths: Small form, inexpensive price, USB 2.0, extremely portable, allows for TV and video game console inputs.
Weakness: Small propriertary cables, requires software installation, switched TV channel lineup
I've been using this device for a few months, and I am extremely impressed with its performance thus far. My only previous experience with a similar device was an internal ATI PCI TV tuner/input card that was double the price I paid for this device. The TV picture quality is just as nice, if not better, than the picture produced by other TV tuners I have tried, and there is no time delay between video and audio, as there has been on my ATI tuner and other similar products. The composite input is basic enough for video games to be played on a computer monitor, but with many more new LCD monitors being produced as "multimedia" monitors with multiple inputs, this feature of the Gamebridge will soon become unnecessary. However, as a TV tuner alone, it is well worth the price. Since it is USB 2.0 compliant, it can also be used on a laptop (as I am currently doing), thus making the price even more reasonable. The only problem I have dealt with so far is the channel lineup somewhat changed from the normal TV lineup I receive when I plug the cable input into a normal TV, but this is not a major issue, as long as I can still find the channel and see the picture clearly.
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TopStrengths: Easy installation, recording video games
Weakness: video quality is decent
I set it up within 10 minutes, the installation is pretty straightforward, just plug it in and click on the installation disc, the program starts while windows prompts for drivers, just point it to the disc then it'll install the drivers. The program continue to install required application. After the reboot, you can start playing video games, watching tv from your laptop/desktop right away. Pretty cool gadget.
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TopStrengths: Compact, light, and easy to carry one and to install
Weakness: Image quality is not as good as your TV, even if you hook it up to a cable. For antenna source, the image depends on what kind of antenna you use. It's hard to judge.
Although the image quality is not very good, for this price you paid, it's still worthy. Anyway, you get what you pay. Don't expect too much. Since I currently don't have a game console, how this unit works on the console is beyond me
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TopStrengths: small, able to travel, and suites its purpose really well.
Weakness: small lag only noticable on hard core graphic intense games
I just got mine and im in love. i have a built in tv tuner card on my desktop but now this si perfect the kid can play games on my lap top durning trips, and i can hook it up to my tv and surf in bed, (wife doesnt believe in tv's in the bedroom) and work at the same time....
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TopStrengths: small form factor,no lag
Weakness: none
I got this adapter to play my PS2 on my laptop. It is easy to setup. There is pretty much no lag while playing games on the laptop compared to other adapters. The Small form factor is great and it also has a TV tuner built in.
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TopStrengths: Enables laptop screens to be used as tv screen for a game console, the tiny unit even lets you watch tv with it with surprisingly good quality!
Weakness: Only supports standard definition and has no component inputs for the xbox 360.
I am very happy with my purchase. The tv tuner quality is superb and there is no lag in between changing channels. The Gamebridge does a very nice of job of enabling game consoles to be used on a computer. There is no noticable lag between the controller and the screen. I recommend this product!
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Top
Cool Little Device
Strengths: small size, includes remote, easy installation
Weakness: none yet
The small size of this device makes it excellent for portable applications or with a laptop. Just plug it into a USB port and run the installation software. The picture quality is ok and it even includes a remote.
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