console gaming on laptop notebook

[Camineet]

I'm about to move to China, then South Carolina, and then maybe Japan or back to China, or somewhere. So I won't be able to set up my projector because I just won't be in each place long enough to bother with it. So I've decided to explore how to display console games on my currently being delivered Inspiron 9200.

So far, the best combo I've read about on tvcard.com forums is the avertv pcmcia card along with the use of dscaler. Apparently this combo yields zero lag and very good visuals. Would someone please comment, or weigh in on this subject?

[Buji]

Sounds like you've done more research on the subject than anyone I've talked to. I travel a lot for work and would like to know as well. I've never gotten very far with it because of all of the lag issues, so I just figured I'd have to do without or get a cheap projector. (Or stay in hotels which allow device hook-ups).

Let us know what your results are.

[Camineet]

Ok, I'll let you know.

[Camineet]

So far what I've determined is still that the PCMCIA plus Dscaler combo produces very good results. So I'm going to give that a try. For the long term, I'm going to try to see if a firewire analog video converter with component input (<$200) will work with Dscaler because that's the only way to start with 480p output from the consoles. Nobody's doing this though. And NOBODY responds to these posts on various forums including this one, save for you Buji. Oh well...

[Camineet]

Whoops, I meant (>$200). The firewire converter boxes are over $200.00 I don't care. I want the best damned results I can get. It's not all about money, it's about travel weight and hassle too. 5 Months in China; I'll be damned if I'm going to haul a display device over there in addition to the 17" one on my notebook. And I'm not going to be caught dead playing games on a $100 TV. Well, that remains to be seen. =)

[Buji]

I hear that, (it's not all about how cheap you can get away with). I'd rather spend a little and have it work flawlessly.

[Camineet]

yep

[Cush1978]

I'm very interested in your findings as well. My HDTV lags when upconverting 480i images, so I've tried the Console->capture card->HDTV route. If you find a capture card without lag (try DDR or Hot Shots Golf), I'd be interested to hear. I plan on visiting the aforementioned forums too.

Cush

[Camineet]

Cush, if you're using a notebook, let me know which capture cards you've tried. I want to know which ones to rule out. Thanks.

[Cush1978]

No, I'm just using a desktop PC. Same issue though; I want lag-free console gaming. I have two notebooks; I'll have to see if either has video-in capabilities.

Cush

[Camineet]

Ok thanks. Oh, trust me your notebooks don't have video in. The only one that does is the new Toshibo Qosmo. Well either way I'm determined to figure this thing out. And for now it's going to be the cardbus/dscaler thing. But when the new systems come out, I'd really like to be getting that 720p source with component rather having to use that caveman Svideo nonsense.

[fubarduck]

Originally posted by Camineet
So far, the best combo I've read about on tvcard.com forums is the avertv pcmcia card along with the use of dscaler. Apparently this combo yields zero lag and very good visuals. Would someone please comment, or weigh in on this subject?
Have you tried this combo out yet? I'm moving to Japan soon for a year or so and bringing a PS2 along with a Laptop, but no TV. I'd much rather play on my Laptop's screen than getting a cheap TV while I'm there--have you tried this combination yet? No lag is VERY important for me, as I'll mostly be practicing fighting games and the like which require split-second timing.

Thanks!

[Camineet]

Yep, tried it. It's pretty good. If you're going to Japan to teach English. Dont do it! It sucks!!! That is unless you like being nothing but a dancing bear that screams " I like icecream! I like icecream!" for a living. I wanted to go to Japan so badly that I had to do the English teacher thing to get there. Man did it suck.

[fubarduck]

Originally posted by Camineet
Yep, tried it. It's pretty good. If you're going to Japan to teach English. Dont do it! It sucks!!! That is unless you like being nothing but a dancing bear that screams " I like icecream! I like icecream!" for a living. I wanted to go to Japan so badly that I had to do the English teacher thing to get there. Man did it suck.

Thanks! I guess I will be trying out the Lifeview card since they have it at Fry's . . .

. . . and don't worry, I'm going as a Study Abroad student =)

[roy179]

Hey Camineet, myself and many other people are curious about what it's like to move to Japan. Would you be willing to go into more detail about your experience? You can add how much you actually got to play games etc to stay on topic.

[fubarduck]

Hey Camineet, I'm having some problems--

Bought the LifeVideo To-Go today. Setup went fine on my laptop, but I'm having a couple of problems--

First of all, DScaler does not appear to support sound for this card. How did you get it working?

Secondly, the Tuner does not work at all unless I use the crappy DirectShow filter mode.

Finally, when doing composite input from my PS2, there is snow on the right half of the screen whenever there is motion. Is this a hardware problem or a driver/software problem?

The stupid TVR software that comes with the capture card works (also captures sound) but it is EXTREMELY choppy and laggy on the games. It appears to just be using DirectShow filters and not the actual hardware.

I was hoping this would be the solution I was looking for. Let me know if I'm doing something wrong and if you think I got a lemon.

[Camineet]

I'm off for a few days before I move to China for the internship part of my MBA. I don't mind taking a few calls to answer some ques. Sorry, I'm too lazy to type out answers, but you can give me a call.

248 790 9208

-Marc

[fubarduck]

Update--Fixed the static on the right half of the screen. After updating Intel Drivers and my mobo's firmware, this is now working.

TV Tuner still only works through DirectShow, but I can live with that, I won't be watching much TV with this.

The only thing I really need to get working now is SOUND. Unfortunately, it looks like the newest DScaler still does not support sound on the Lifevideo To Go (SAA7133 Chipset). I can get sound working if I use a Y-Splitter from RCA to Mini-Stereo jack into my Microphone input, which is in the front of my laptop so it looks really tacky :P

So, I have only one question for you now, Camineet:

Does the chipset on the AverMedia cardbus have fully working sound in
DScaler?

If so, I need to order one of these ASAP, or I'll just look for one in Japan. If I can't get one in time, I might just look for a cheap TV to use while I'm there.

[Camineet]

Sorry man, I aint tryin' to mess around with playing games with sound coming from my notebook. The poor stereo imaging is a deal breaker. I offload the sound to a set of powered pc speakers, which is still a helluva compromise in my opinion given that at "home" I have a 1050 watt RMS 5.1 system. So I can't help with the sound issue. I guess if I wanted to try to use headphones in order to get some decent sound, then I would want to overcome this problem. But with my limited time, if someone didn't just hand feed me the answer of how to make it work with Dscaler and my Avermedia card, I'd probably just pop for a $40 CMOY headphone amp from eBay and get my headphones powered up through that. I haven't offered any answers, but hopefully I've provided some ideas or perspective. Good luck.

[slaxer07]

If you laptop has a vga input you can use a transoder (I got the vdigi 65.00) and a component cable to play on the laptop in 480p.

[Camineet]

Are you serioius? Yes I would have figured that out if I had a vga input, but that's a pretty big if. Where on earth did you find a notebook with a vga input? What's the make and model? Wow, very interesting.

[fubarduck]

Originally posted by slaxer07
If you laptop has a vga input you can use a transoder (I got the vdigi 65.00) and a component cable to play on the laptop in 480p.

I looked for this while I was buying a laptop, but it seems only really ancient and rare laptops actually have a VGA input.

Anyway, with all this hassle this has caused me, I decided to go ahead and return the LifeVideo To-Go and just buy a TV in Japan to use during my stay there. Apparently I can get a 24 or 27 inch SDTV with S-Video inputs for around $200 or less. At least then I can play PS2 in decent quality with no lag or hassle. Plus it'd be kinda lonely with just the laptop in my apartment . . .

[Camineet]

I figured it must be ancient. So what university are you at in the states? What program are you participating in over in Japan? What's your major?

[briancl]

Just FYI-

I have been following the thread and I wanted to add my experience. I went to Fry's and picked up the Liveview PCMCIA TV Tuner and it works well. I can sense no lag whatsoever when playing GT4 on my PS2, and the picture is surprisingly sharp when using the S-Video connector. The sound syncs up well when using the PS2; however, I have noticed some odd sound lag when viewing certain channels. For example, nearly every channel is fine, but randomly HBO will be lagged. From a truely portable gaming point of view, I cannot find a complaint.

[Sgt_Strider]

Any other altneratives to the Liveview TV Tuner card?

[Buji]

I just got a sony locationfree LF-X11 kit which includes a 12" monitor which has a video in on it. It's something that would have to be carried in addition to the laptop, but definitely an option.

[fuzziejello]

Hey everyone,
I am currently stationed in South Korea near Pohang and Chinhae. I am new to the whole computer and gaming console hook up thing. I have a brand new Dell Inspiron E1505 and an Xbox360 both from the states. My question is how, what, and where do I find the proper adapters and anything else I need to hook up my 360 to my laptop. Anyone with advice please feel free to replay to this post.


Thankyou,
Your fellow solider