TV Emulator?

[Elliander]

I have been looking for something specific, but could never find it on any search...

I have a PCI TV-Card, which came with "Hauppauge WinTV" software which is nice for just watching television, but doesn't have the best compatibility with consoles or even a VCR.

I called them up, and asked them about it, and they basically said that the reason it doesn't work well with consoles is because it actually displays content a few seconds after it enters the computer, and produces some kind of MPEG streaming.

My thought is this: A computer is much more powerful than a television set.

If someone simply tried to emulate a television, so that within the software it all behaves like a Television Set. Where everything that goes into a TV card is displayed in real time, without trying to make it do anything that a TV doesn't do, then it would be possible to play a console game as if it was on a television.

I would also imagine that it would be possible to have a Plugin "pretend" to be a physical VCR with Virtual VHS tapes, so that it could record television and movies to file in real time, if people wanted a little extra.

In addition, current Software limits usage. In addition to needing to process the picture, the TV card can't split a signal so you could watch one channel while recording another. But if it was simply an emulated TV, I would imagine, a TV splitter could also be emulated.

But as far as I can see, the Industry as a whole has ignored the demand to use TV Cards as if it was a TV.

So in short, I'd like to ask if anyone is working on anything like this, or if not, as a conception, if it sounds like it would work?

[blueshogun96]

I'm sorry but do you want to emulate a TV or a TV Tuner card??

[PCXL-Fan]

Many cards are capable of doing this already its just a question of where the hardware/driver software enabling the video to be streamed without mpeg encoding. The delay is because of the encoding.

If you can disable it, then your image quality may become pretty bad, but you input delay won't be a problem anymore, and you be able to play games

As for a TV Emulator...good effort on the post but I think this is a candidate for funniest post of 2008. Sorry ...forgive me plz

[cottonvibes]

i don't understand what the OP is talking about.

if you want to play emulators on a TV, you can output the PC's graphics to a TV.

i have my PC connected to my HDTV...

and if you want to watch cable/satellite through your PC, you just need a TV tuner card.

[imlost]

Er... why would anyone want to emulate a TV on their computer?

[Rebel_X]

Originally Posted by imlost

Er... why would anyone want to emulate a TV on their computer?

exactly! especially with the noise on screen when signal is gone..

btw, how can we emulate antenna

[imlost]

Originally Posted by Rebel_X

exactly! especially with the noise on screen when signal is gone..

btw, how can we emulate antenna

Try soldering the wires from an antenna to the computer's mother board.

[TheCloudOfSmoke]

Originally Posted by Elliander

I have been looking for something specific, but could never find it on any search...

I have a PCI TV-Card, which came with "Hauppauge WinTV" software which is nice for just watching television, but doesn't have the best compatibility with consoles or even a VCR.

I called them up, and asked them about it, and they basically said that the reason it doesn't work well with consoles is because it actually displays content a few seconds after it enters the computer, and produces some kind of MPEG streaming.

My thought is this: A computer is much more powerful than a television set.

If someone simply tried to emulate a television, so that within the software it all behaves like a Television Set. Where everything that goes into a TV card is displayed in real time, without trying to make it do anything that a TV doesn't do, then it would be possible to play a console game as if it was on a television.

I would also imagine that it would be possible to have a Plugin "pretend" to be a physical VCR with Virtual VHS tapes, so that it could record television and movies to file in real time, if people wanted a little extra.

In addition, current Software limits usage. In addition to needing to process the picture, the TV card can't split a signal so you could watch one channel while recording another. But if it was simply an emulated TV, I would imagine, a TV splitter could also be emulated.

But as far as I can see, the Industry as a whole has ignored the demand to use TV Cards as if it was a TV.

So in short, I'd like to ask if anyone is working on anything like this, or if not, as a conception, if it sounds like it would work?

That's not neccessarily true because analog TVs don't have to do calculations and data transfers of large quantities of information or memory intensive processes. Computers have a lot to do and everything needs to be processed the right way when the computer interprets the analog signal, while a TV receives a signal with no calculations to process since older TVs aren't computers. The only way you're going to get close to accurate speeds is if the computer renders the analog signal in low quality on the computer so it wouldn't have to make more calculations to produce good results. I hope what I said is accurate. Someone correct me if I am not.

Originally Posted by imlost

Er... why would anyone want to emulate a TV on their computer?

I think he's talking about getting the TV tuner on the computer to play in real-time without any delay like a real TV because there is a delay when playing a game unlike what happens on a real TV.

[cottonvibes]

Originally Posted by TheCloudOfSmoke

I think he's talking about getting the TV tuner on the computer to play in real-time without any delay like a real TV because there is a delay when playing a game unlike what happens on a real TV.

oh,
well it might be possible with a PCI-e TV tuner card, since PCI-e has a faster BUS.

i don't have a TV tuner card, so i don't know much about it...

but i assume that when watching TV, it dosn't matter if theres a delay, because you'll just be watching it ~1 second behind.
its only important if you're gaming through a TV tuner card, which is pretty dumb.

[Phil]

why would you want to watch tv on such a small screen anaway??

[Elliander]

um... it looks like not many people really got what I was saying.

Emulate the TV on a computer, using the TV card just as a source of input. Not emulate a TV card. And as I said, the reason I would want something like this is compatibility of hardware and also simplicity... It also doesn't seem to be just a matter of the MPEG Encoding, because I disabled that in the registry but it still would not display any other device plugged in at all. I didn't have any image quality reduction of any TV. I don't really understand how or why the screen could be a problem without all the extras. I mean, it's still just a cable signal going through. If a television can do it, why can't a computer?

[Rebel_X]

Originally Posted by cottonvibes

but i assume that when watching TV, it dosn't matter if theres a delay, because you'll just be watching it ~1 second behind.
its only important if you're gaming through a TV tuner card, which is pretty dumb.

When there is some latency, it cant be tolerated when playing games.
imagine you are playing Tekken.. without synchronization between Input (user input like gamepad) and Output (i.e TV)

Anyways, any ideas besides TV tuner card..

[PCXL-Fan]

Originally Posted by Elliander

um... it looks like not many people really got what I was saying.

Emulate the TV on a computer, using the TV card just as a source of input. Not emulate a TV card. And as I said, the reason I would want something like this is compatibility of hardware and also simplicity... It also doesn't seem to be just a matter of the MPEG Encoding, because I disabled that in the registry but it still would not display any other device plugged in at all. I didn't have any image quality reduction of any TV. I don't really understand how or why the screen could be a problem without all the extras. I mean, it's still just a cable signal going through. If a television can do it, why can't a computer?

I believe answered your question in my first post. You'll have to get a card that can display a the image without mpeg encoding enabled.

[Elliander]

Originally Posted by TheCloudOfSmoke

That's not neccessarily true because analog TVs don't have to do calculations and data transfers of large quantities of information or memory intensive processes. Computers have a lot to do and everything needs to be processed the right way when the computer interprets the analog signal, while a TV receives a signal with no calculations to process since older TVs aren't computers. The only way you're going to get close to accurate speeds is if the computer renders the analog signal in low quality on the computer so it wouldn't have to make more calculations to produce good results. I hope what I said is accurate. Someone correct me if I am not.

That does make allot of sense, and I know hardware still needs to interpret the signals, and I could be way off, but I still think it would be simpler to just relay the signal as-is (after being interpreted of course) onto the screen to be displayed.

Originally Posted by TheCloudOfSmoke

I think he's talking about getting the TV tuner on the computer to play in real-time without any delay like a real TV because there is a delay when playing a game unlike what happens on a real TV.

Yes, that is exactly it. But more than just that. For other hardware too. And also simplicity. With TV software there is so much configuration and complexity and then nothing but the television signal seems to work.

I just wish I could plug it in, open a program that would display my "View Screen" and then plug everything into the coaxial connection normally.

[PCXL-Fan]

THe incoming tv signal would still have to converted into a format the videocard and rest of the computer could understand.

[Elliander]

Originally Posted by PCXL-Fan

I believe answered your question in my first post. You'll have to get a card that can display a the image without mpeg encoding enabled.

Actually, I in part answered your response. (just now figured out quotes) I disabled MPEG encoding in the registry. That's one of the first things I tried. But it didn't help. Not because the hardware can't support it (I got the instructions on how to do it right from the company) but I don't know why.

[cottonvibes]

Originally Posted by Rebel_X

When there is some latency, it cant be tolerated when playing games.
imagine you are playing Tekken.. without synchronization between Input (user input like gamepad) and Output (i.e TV)

Anyways, any ideas besides TV tuner card..

lol,
read the rest of my quote.
i said "its only important if you're gaming through a TV tuner card, which is pretty dumb."

[Elliander]

Originally Posted by PCXL-Fan

THe incoming tv signal would still have to converted into a format the videocard and rest of the computer could understand.

But isn't the whole point of emulation to trick the computer into thinking of virtual hardware, as physical hardware? So if someone build a "Virtual Television Set" and the computer was just looking at it in real time, then interpretation would not be an issue, right?

[cottonvibes]

Elliander, you don't even have to worry about your problem in the future, because HDTV's can be used as computer monitors and TV sets.

i have my HDTV hooked up to my PC, and if i want to watch TV, i just have to switch my source to cable mode on my HDTV.

[PCXL-Fan]

Originally Posted by Elliander

But isn't the whole point of emulation to trick the computer into thinking of virtual hardware, as physical hardware? So if someone build a "Virtual Television Set" and the computer was just looking at it in real time, then interpretation would not be an issue, right?

Well its originally analog...which is impossible for computers which understand only 1's and 0's (on and off) to understand. It has to be conversted into into a means the computer could understand.