Recommendation on a PC TV Tuner

[orestesdd]

Recently I bought a Toshiba laptop which came with USB 2.0 TV tuner. However, after installing the hardware and software, I was not able to capture correctly a PS2 game on my laptop. The initial cut-scene was recorded but it was jerky and at incorrect frame speed. Then, when the actual game started, I was not able to play it because all my actions were not in synch on the screen with what I was trying to do. For instance, I was trying to move a character to a save point to save the game, but I was never able to center the character there to do this.

Anyway, the TV tuner is just a piece of junk. So could someone here recommend a TV tuner that actually works? I don't want to spend money on something that will not even do a simple task of recording a video game.

Regards,
orestesdd

[redwudz]

Recording a game screen may not be such a simple task. There are a few programs here that may work: https://www.videohelp.com/tools?s=110#110

It sounds like you are looping your video output from your game back into your computer. If so, you will generally have delays. Try the above programs and grab the video directly.

[orestesdd]

redwudz

What do you mean by "grab the video directly"? As far as I know and understand, I am grabbing the video directly. The console is connected directly to the TV tuner, which in turn is connect to the laptop via a 2.0 USB connection. If there is a way to connect more direct than this, it needs to be explained.

Regards,
orestesdd

[orestesdd]

by the way, I could use Fraps since I own the software, but unless the video I see on my laptop screen displays correctly as it does when I play the game on my TV, there is no way that Fraps can do anything to improve the frame rate I see on the laptop screen. I think this is just a pretty bad TV tuner, and that there is a bottleneck by using USB as a delivery input to the notebook. I think that it would be better if I had a PC card TV tuner on the laptop.

Regards,
orestesdd

[redwudz]

I probably misunderstood your hookup. The delay may by your card encoding the video and you are watching the encoded output. That would explain the delay. If you were directly watching it, there should be no delay. USB is probably introducing some delay also. I'm assuming USB2. There may not be a solution except to split your video off from your player and feed the USB box and a TV/monitor at the same time.

But anyway, take a look at one of the Hauppauge external USB boxes. Not cheap, but they do a good job. http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_pvrusb2.html

[orestesdd]

So do you think that the delay is caused by the actual tv tuner which indeed hooked up to the laptop using a 2.0 USB (or USB2) connection. Also let me just make clear that I was playing the game at the same time I was trying to watch it on my laptop.

I guess that this tuner is not worth my trouble. Does anyone know of a better solution other than USB2 connection to recommend? I think that USB2 is the bottleneck for this type of tuner, and that I should be better off to find a notebook PC card TV tuner solution, but all the reviews I have seen tells me that I may end up in the same boat.

At any rate, thanks for taking the time to answer my stupid questions.

Regards,
orestesdd

[mats.hogberg]

I think all TV tuner cards have a delay making it impossible to watch and play on the computer screen. A splitter with a TV and the capture card hooked up seems like the way to go.

/Mats

[orestesdd]

OK, I found out what a garbage TV tuner came with my new Toshiba notebook.

I went to the Toshiba website, and this is what Toshiba says about this particular piece of garbage TV tuner, and I quote:

"Video data received through the computer's built-in or USB TV tuner is first written to the computer's hard disk drive, and then displayed on screen after a significant delay. This buffering makes is possible to skip forward and backward within television programming. The buffering is an integral part of the design, and can't be disabled.

While it's possible to display the output of a video game console on the computer's LCD panel by connecting through the computer's built-in or external USB TV tuner, the delay introduced by this hard disk drive buffering will be unacceptable for game play."

Regards,
orestesdd

[orestesdd]

Mats

Can you elaborate a bit more your answer? I want to do this on my new notebook--I bought it just a few weeks ago. So I don't understand the set-up you are trying to explain. Thanks.

I posted the reason for the delay with the stupid Toshiba TV tuner. The problem seems to be that by design this TV tuner buffers all the video input to the hard drive and then it displays the video on the screen thus causing a significant delay.

I thought the if I find a PCMCI TV card like AVerMedia AVerTV Cardbus MCE Mobile TV Tune (see it here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BTAS70/ref=pd_rvi_gw_2/102-4863396-2296908?ie=UTF8 ) that this will be enough to do what I want. However, you are saying that it is not enough; hmm, what gives? Thanks.

Regards,
orestesdd

[mats.hogberg]

Like I say, every tuner I've heard of, has more or less delay. That this disqualifies them for use as Video Game display, doesn't make them "garbage".
Get a video splitter, with one in and 2 out. Connect a TV to one output, the tv card to the other. Record on the computer. play watching the TV.
http://www.hallresearch.com/products/splitters/tv_splitters/tv_splitters.htm
Or ditch the TV Tuner idea alltogether and do this with a DVD recorder.

/Mats

[orestesdd]

Mats

I understand what you are trying to say; however, according to what I have seen, this particular TV tuner will not record it even if I play it correctly on the TV. The PC notebook will record at the speed frame being displayed on the notebook screen which is still terrible. I don't think the split idea will work with this particular connection.

I wish I could get a DVD recorder in my apartment, but I have so many stuff connected to the electrical outlets that I am actually running out of them. At present, I cannot hook up another electric device, say a DVD recorder, into my room where a PC, a laptop, a NA PS2, a Japanese PS2, NGC, a TV, a TV box set, an A/V Receiver, 2 USB2 external 300GB hard drives, an external firewire DVD RW, and an Xbox 360 are all connected.

So it is not the lack of money what's stopping me to buy a DVD recorder, but the lack of electrical outlets in my room where all the above equipments are connected. At this point, I am efraid to connect anything else, but I see that a DVD recorder may be the way to go.

Thanks.

Regards,
orestesdd

[mats.hogberg]

The PC notebook will record at the speed frame being displayed on the notebook screen which is still terrible.

I don't think so - the recording will be fine (provided you have a speedy enough computer not to drop frames) but what you see on screen is delayed, and may even skip frames now and then (also depending on computer capacity) to keep up.

/Mats