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Playing Consoles Through My TV Tuner Card

algorhythm3.14algorhythm3.14 Registered User regular
edited July 2009 in Moe's Stupid Technology Tavern
I have an ASUS MyCinema PE9400 TV Tuner and would like to use it to play console games on my desktop's monitor. It takes in RCA Audio and S-Video, so no adapting is needed. All I need is software to play the card's input in Windows while minimizing input lag for gaming. What would you recommend for this? I'm in Windows 7 by the way, but the compatibility solutions seem very robust so far.

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    IconoclysmIconoclysm Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    No idea if it works on your particular TV card, but DScaler ( http://deinterlace.sourceforge.net/ ) is about the best Tv card app I've ever come across. It comes with its own built in drivers for most common tv chipsets and it's range of filters for real time video processing is fantastic. It can make most any tv input look great.

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    algorhythm3.14algorhythm3.14 Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    I've definitely used DScaler before, but it does not play nice with some things in this set-up. It breaks Windows Aero in half for example, and also is finicky with the Asus drivers. It does end up working though, and you're right about its power. I guess I'm mainly wondering if there was something more modern (DScaler asks if your CPU is 500Mhz or 1000MHz for example, I have a Core i7 :?). I also thought that DScaler, being some crazy de-interlacer/decoder/processor ... I don't know what it is was kind of a hacky solution and wondered if there was something more dedicated to this purpose.

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    EgoEgo Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Media Player Classic can usually play a video source just fine, might want to give that a shot.

    Ego on
    Erik
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    InsanityInsanity Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    A lot of TV tuner solutions are quite laggy, which is fine while watching TV on your PC, but is a complete dealbreaker for games. Definitely download a selection, there are quite a few programs out there and I've had better results with different ones on different setups.

    Insanity on
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    travathiantravathian Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    Why not just plug the console directly into the monitor? A number of computer monitors have S-video connections, and then you'd just have to convert the audio from the RCA jacks to a mini jack and run it in to the midi port. This is what I ended up doing for my PS2 after getting fed up trying to do what you are doing.

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    StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    edited June 2009
    travathian wrote: »
    Why not just plug the console directly into the monitor? A number of computer monitors have S-video connections, and then you'd just have to convert the audio from the RCA jacks to a mini jack and run it in to the midi port. This is what I ended up doing for my PS2 after getting fed up trying to do what you are doing.

    what's your monitor? SVideo sucks hard compared to DVI, Component and HDMI.

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    travathiantravathian Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    It is an older Dell 20" lcd. Has VGA, DVI, S-Video, and composite.

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    StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    edited June 2009
    travathian wrote: »
    It is an older Dell 20" lcd. Has VGA, DVI, S-Video, and composite.

    Ooops, I was quoting you because I agreed with you, but I was actually asking the OP about his monitor.

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    UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited June 2009
    travathian wrote: »
    Why not just plug the console directly into the monitor? A number of computer monitors have S-video connections, and then you'd just have to convert the audio from the RCA jacks to a mini jack and run it in to the midi port. This is what I ended up doing for my PS2 after getting fed up trying to do what you are doing.

    One reason is being able to run it in a window while looking at something else, such as a guide.

    I have done this before with an old TV tuner card (PS2 Vice City with a TVWonder) and yeah it was pretty laggy. But depending on the game it may still be playable (meaning, don't play FPSs or twitch games).

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    StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    But it's gonna be so much shittier

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    kurokazekurokaze Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I know this doesn't help the OP, but I have a Hauppauge WinTV card of some description and the included software (WinTV V6) does not have any appreciable input lag when connecting a game console.

    I've read something to the effect that third-party software won't work on plain old XP and requires MCE or Vista, but I haven't tested that.

    The updated version (WinTV V7) has an unremovable 30-second lag and the developer has posted on the forum that he considers it a feature and will not support any option to remove it.

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    AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    yeah I don't know what the lag is like on the Asus but I tried doing this with an ATI All-In-Wonder card a few years back and it was unplayable

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    ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I did this years ago (probably talking 6-7 years?) with a Hauppage card and I had no lag whatsoever. I used it to play GC in my room when I didn't have a TV to hook up to, and my monitor was a 19" CRT. Played a lot of SSB:M with that setup.

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    algorhythm3.14algorhythm3.14 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Update: Wii through my TV Tuner using DScaler is lagless enough for serious SSBB playing! YAY! (This tuner is rather beastly and I have a core i7 rig running Windows 7)

    It does look like shit though. Major color issues. DScaler is set to deinterlace "Odd scanlines only" because my Wii is stuck in 480i and bad things happen if Dscaler tries to progressive-scan-alize the video input.

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    SquallSquall hap cloud Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I am in a similar situation as the OP.

    Previously I was using a Video RF modulator connected to my old TV to switch between GC and PS2 via component video.

    I recently purchased an AVerMedia ATSC/ClearQAM tv tuner with hopes that I could watch TV and play GC and PS2 on my monitor. I just put it in today, and it looks like I should've done some more research.

    I don't know how to get Windows Media Center to recognize the PS2/GC, and I am only getting ~20ish local channels through comcast on the TV tuner.

    I honestly don't mind if I don't get TV on the monitor, but I'd really like to have the PS2 and GC work on it. Is my best option to return the TV tuner and get some sort of adapter/switch to plug in the PS2/GC to the monitor?

    Thanks for the help in advance.

    Squall on
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    algorhythm3.14algorhythm3.14 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I again ask, is there anything else out there other than DScaler that I haven't been able to find yet? I'm having a lot of trouble with DScaler, there has to be another program to deal with video input right? I don't want to plug it into my monitor because I really like having my console input in Windows to be dragged around/share my screen with other things. Its a multitasking thing.

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    EgoEgo Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Ego wrote: »
    Media Player Classic can usually play a video source just fine, might want to give that a shot.

    MPC Doesn't work for you, algorhythm3.14? I just go 'File' then 'Open Device' and pick my input under the video drop down.

    Ego on
    Erik
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