- CNET Editors' Rating 6.0/10 Good Editorial policies >>
The good: Does double duty as TV tuner and game-console adapter; small footprint; includes credit-card-size remote.
The bad: Weak signal reception; sluggish software.
The bottom line: Adaptec's GameBridgeTV is unique in letting you connect game consoles to a PC, but its DVR performance is inconsistent.
Specs: See full specs >>
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 02/08/2006
- Released on: 12/12/2005
The GameBridgeTV has a mini-USB port on one end and composite A/V and coaxial cable ports on the other. It comes with a USB cable, an A/V dongle with S-Video, composite-video, and stereo-audio ports, and an RF coaxial cable for connecting to a TV source (cable or antenna). You also get a credit-card-size remote that works with bundled software to let you change channels, adjust the volume, and fast-forward, rewind, and record. The GameBridgeTV uses InterVideo's Home Theater software for DVR chores. If you have a game console connected, it can also record gameplay videos and screenshots--handy for impressing friends with your greatest Halo 2 rampages.
The GameBridgeTV installs in a matter of minutes. After connecting the cable for the TV signal and plugging the device into one of our PC's USB ports, we loaded the setup disc to install the drivers and the InterVideo software.
As a DVR application, Home Theater is easy enough to use, but it can be painfully slow, especially when you're using the channel-surfing and recorded-TV menu options. You can schedule TV recordings from the main TV menu or use the Web-based TitanTV electronic program guide, which is free of charge but requires registration. A Create Disc option lets you choose a recorded program or video and burn it to a VCD, an SVCD, or a DVD.
The GameBridgeTV proved inconsistent at best on our performance tests. In addition to the clunky software, the tuner produced significant signal noise on many channels, and in some cases moderate ghosting and blurring. These issues were not universal, however, and some channels came in clearly. If the incoming signal was clean, recorded TV looked nearly indistinguishable from the original broadcast. If you don't need to connect to a game console and are solely looking for an easy way to add DVR functionality to your PC, we recommend spending a little more on the Diamond XtremeTV PVR600.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- Adaptec Inc.,
- DVR,
- game console,
- InterVideo,
- channel
User opinions
Rating from 3 users
WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEW How would you rate this product?
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6/10 Good October 8, 2006
"The Adaptec GameBridge TV is an easy and inexpensive way to watch TV on any modern PC" Read more >>
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7/10 Very good March 30, 2007
"Great deal for $10 at Fry's" Read more >>
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6/10 Good October 8, 2006
"An easy and inexpensive way to watch TV on any modern PC" Read more >>
- WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEWSee all 3 user opinions >>
