[vitalprogeny]

Basically... i'd like to somehow connect my xbox 360 to my 20" imac so i can play on its beautiful display.. i have all the xbox 360 cables (vga, component, s-video) any other hardware i might need? cables? software? the most affordable working solution that doesnt damage the screen would be nice lol (i wont be playing multiplayer or online on this screen so if there is minimal gaming lag it will do)

[WOPR]

You'd need the EyeTV Hybrid I think it is, it has a game mode that passes the signal straight through eliminating lag.

[vitalprogeny]

Thanks... i searched it so i imagine your referring to the maker Elgato. Anyone used the different products on there? I see more than one, they say they do the same thing but if anyone has actually used them...

[gradient]

Just a little warning, I've read several reviews of those devices that have said their 'no lag' game mode is a bit misleading as there is still some very slight (milliseconds) lag that some people don't think suit gaming. Not to say it won't work for you, but definetely look around before jumping to buy one.

[vitalprogeny]

does a couple of miliseconds really affect it that much?

[bensone1]

i want to say that there is something called the gamebridge? maybe by adaptech or adaptek or something like that.... a buddy of mine uses it for his pc so i doubt that they make one os x compatible

if you find anything, be sure to post it!

[gradient]

Originally Posted by vitalprogeny 

does a couple of miliseconds really affect it that much?

Not according to Elgato but several reviews I read before I bought my Eyetv 250 said that it was a hinderance, especially for online multiplayer games. I've never tried it on mine (I use it for TV) but if you'd like I can hook mine up to my Xbox360 when i get home tonight and let you know how it works for me.

[vitalprogeny]

I would love that, so you have the eyetv 250 and what display at what resolution? and which cables would you be using to connect?

[gradient]

So i tried running my xbox 360 through the eyetv250 with mixed results. I didn't notice the lag to be a real problem, although it did feel just a tad less responsive then usual and I can see that some people who are really into online shooters where a split second might actually make a difference might not think it was very good. For me, though, it seemed fine.

The quality, however, was pretty terrible - much worse then i would have expected. I run digital TV through my eyetv250 and generally think the quality is very good but with the xbox (using composite video input, I don't have an S-Video cable for the xbox) the picture quality is very poor - blurry and without any sharpness. I also noticed that the audio quality wasn't very good compared to what I normally do which is run the audio straight into the line input on my G5.

As far as resolution, I've just been running it at 1024 x 768.

All this said, I'm a bit surprised to say that I really can't recommend this unit in particular at all for gaming - don't know about elgato's other units though.

[vitalprogeny]

would you say the blur and all that is caused by the lack of high definition input? in example a product that would allow me to connect via vga or hd component cables in turn allowing me to run higher resolutions?

I appreciate you taking your time... saved me some money hands down.. my interest for tv on here isnt too great... thanks again!

[gradient]

I'm quite certain that the visual blur has to do with the eyetv unit and isn't a byproduct of using the component video output on the xbox. The difference between running the video through eyetv and running vga directly into my monitor (which is what I normally do, with a KVM switch) is night and day. Keep in mind that eyetv only provides component or S-video inputs so HD isn't an option with any of their units as far as I know. The other thing I can tell you is that I notice only a minor difference in quality with my digital TV signal when switching from component to S-Video. S-Video is better, but certainly not a LOT better.