Review: XCM USB VGA V-Box

XCM USB VGA V-Box
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from TotalConsole
Price: $59.99

http://xcm.cc/v-box_logo.jpg http://xcm.cc/XCM%20V-BOX-c.jpg

Overview : Connect your Wii to a VGA screen. Record your gameplay on a hard disk for review, screen capture or to show your skills to friends!

The V-Box for Wii by XCM is more than just a VGA Box to connect your Wii console to any PC screens. It is USB based, you connect to any PC via USB 2.0 port and let you record or capture all that your Wii display on the screens.

An add-on recorder also can allow you to record DVD/VCD/CD via the V-Box from the disk player to your PC hard drive.

Features

• Crystal Clear Picture Screen.
• Supports USB 2.0, plug and play, does not require changing configuration
• Supports Streaming Video, which can be stored in multiple formats including MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/AVI/VCD/DVD/SVCD
• Supports multiple picture file formats such as: JPEG, GIF etc.
• Supports multiple input formats standards: NTSC/PAL/SECAM
• Auto playback, allows you to store in game action to your PC/laptop
• Additional optional addon recorder.
• Image can be configured: Brightness/contrast/Image sharpness/fullness/color
• Supports Windows 2000/XP operating systems
• The V-Box is compatible with Mac OS X, if you purchase the eMPIA drivers and player for US $29.95: http://www.echofx.com/videoglide.html

Quality/Usability : The V-Box is a cool unique little adapter. It allows you to play and view your Nintendo Wii using your computer or laptop. This is perfect if your TV is being occupied by family members or a semi-portable solution. The V-Box comes with the V-Box adapter and instruction manual. You must download their software online at http://xcm.cc/v_box.htm (14MB).

You can download US/Japan Windows2000/XP/Vista (32bit) or Vista (64bit). Dont worry, European users (PAL) can download Windows2000/XP/Vista (32bit) or Vista (64bit). MAC user? You'll have to pay for the drivers and payer for $29.95 and can be purchased at http://www.echofx.com/videoglide.html. Installation of the software is fairly simple and the manual will guide you through it. During installation, I did run into a problem. An error messaged popped up and it was not mentioned in the manual. The error message was

Module C:\Program Files\XCM\XCM V-BOX\Filter\swflash.ocx failed to register. HRESULT-2147319780. Contact your support personnel.

I contacted XCM and they replied back telling me to click on the IGNORE button. The other two choices to choose from were CANCEL or RETRY. CANCEL will cancel the installation and RETRY would retry but would keep giving you the error message. So I went ahead and clicked on IGNORE. It then informed me to insert the USB V-Box. In the manual, it had a section regarding install the drivers. Since this was tested on Windows XP, I did not experience a pop up regarding installing and locating drivers. Windows XP automatically recognized the USB and setup the drivers.

Once all the drivers and software was set up. Its time to open up the software. The V-Box Interface looks nice. There are 6 menus to choose from: GAME, EDIT, PLAYER, PHOTO, WEB, SETTING.

- GAME: This is where all your Wii gameplay will be displayed. You can also record and take screenshot images.
- EDIT: This a where you can edit your recordings/images
- PLAYER: This is where you can play your recordings
- PHOTO: This is where you can view all the screenshots that you have taken
- WEB: This allows you to browse the web
- SETTING: This allows you to change hardware (select your video; NTSC, PAL, SECAM), video (adjust brightness, contrast, chroma, saturation and sharpness) and record settings (select record quality; normal, high, highest and recording format).

The quality looks pretty good on the monitor. There is no lag or any delays. During my testing, I did not experience any problems with the V-Box. The recording feature works great and allows you to record you while you are playing so you can show off your friends or even save the recording to post on the web. You can also take screenshots of the game and the quality of the image is very nice as well.

Conclusion : Overall, the XCM USB VGA V-Box is a unique item. This is great for those who dont have a free TV to use and need to resort to using a computer or laptop. I love the fact that you can record and take screenshots of your gameplay. However, getting this to work was a little troublesome but once its set up and working, its a breeze.

Images via comments

Hmm it looks cool but the price tag is way to much 59.99 Pounds? thats like almost 100$ here (the price of a game) the only people i feel this would be usefull for is Gaming websites or magazines who need Nice videos or pictures.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by grantlionheart

Hmm it looks cool but the price tag is way to much 59.99 Pounds? thats like almost 100$ here (the price of a game) the only people i feel this would be usefull for is Gaming websites or magazines who need Nice videos or pictures.

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Since when has $ been a pound sign???

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Anyway I might purchase one of these for Wii use on my PC

Umm because its a uk site? i thought they might have used a $ sign by accident? better be safe then to just assume :P
Plus 59.99 us is still about 75$ here about the price of warioware :P its a bit much.

does anyone know if this outputs 480p?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by grantlionheart

Umm because its a uk site? i thought they might have used a $ sign by accident? better be safe then to just assume :P
Plus 59.99 us is still about 75$ here about the price of warioware :P its a bit much.

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Although the site is hosted in the UK, I am based in the US. Majority of the users are from the US as well. All prices in the reviews are in USD. If they are in a different currency other than US dollars, I will put the correct currency symbol. Reason I dont put other amounts or currencies is because each site has their own different price as well as currency. So I usually put the suggested retail price of the product.

If you want to know what it would cost at a reseller, simply just click their link and it will take you directly to the product along with the price.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redsyrup

does anyone know if this outputs 480p?

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I do not think it outputs in 480p (progressive scan). The video quality is s-video...I believe.

Hi,

I bought this and the picture is qctually quite decent. However I have no sound. I'm using a desktop PC with an onboard Creative SB Audigy chip. I've tried it on someone elses laptop and both video and audio work. Could it just be something to do with my onboard audio?

Should I get a soundcard instead?...

Can anyone recomend one that they are currently using with the v-box?

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

Hi,

I bought this and the picture is qctually quite decent. However I have no sound. I'm using a desktop PC with an onboard Creative SB Audigy chip. I've tried it on someone elses laptop and both video and audio work. Could it just be something to do with my onboard audio?

Should I get a soundcard instead?...

Can anyone recomend one that they are currently using with the v-box?

Thanks!

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Sorry, I cant help you there as I dont know what could be causing it. I suggest you contact XCM with your problem. They can answer your question.

[email protected]

Hi i need some help. Mine came, but when i install it, a error box comes up saying something along the lines of 'the cabinet file 'disk.1' required from the installation is corrupt and cannot be used.' Please can you help me.! :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jirachirox

Hi i need some help. Mine came, but when i install it, a error box comes up saying something along the lines of 'the cabinet file 'disk.1' required from the installation is corrupt and cannot be used.' Please can you help me.! :(

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Ignore it if that option is available and see what happens. Or just email XCM at [email protected]. I didnt get any of that error message.

BTW, what operating system are you on? If on MAC, you must purchase eMPIA driver and player (link is in review).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jirachirox

Hi i need some help. Mine came, but when i install it, a error box comes up saying something along the lines of 'the cabinet file 'disk.1' required from the installation is corrupt and cannot be used.' Please can you help me.! :(

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Check the filesize of the download, it should be about 14mb. Sounds to me like it hasn't fully downloaded - i got the same error once.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bandit

Sorry, I cant help you there as I dont know what could be causing it. I suggest you contact XCM with your problem. They can answer your question.

[email protected]

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Waiting to hear from xcm. Their previous advice wasn't too helpful though. Could u tell me what soundcard you're using at least?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

Waiting to hear from xcm. Their previous advice wasn't too helpful though. Could u tell me what soundcard you're using at least?

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My laptop is a IBM Thinkpad. I dont know what soundcard it uses but its probably one of those integrated sound and video cards. I dont know whats in my PC at the moment as its custom built. Probably a SoundBlaster.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bandit

Ignore it if that option is available and see what happens. Or just email XCM at [email protected]. I didnt get any of that error message.

BTW, what operating system are you on? If on MAC, you must purchase eMPIA driver and player (link is in review).

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I press ignore but then this comes up 'the installer has encounted an unexpected error installing this package this may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2350' - What can i do, im on xp home edition. Also ive downloaded it about 10 times, but its never exaclty 14 mb, the closest i get is about 12.5mb. Please help me

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

Check the filesize of the download, it should be about 14mb. Sounds to me like it hasn't fully downloaded - i got the same error once.

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I press ignore but then this comes up 'the installer has encounted an unexpected error installing this package this may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2350' - What can i do, im on xp home edition. Also ive downloaded it about 10 times, but its never exaclty 14 mb, the closest i get is about 12.5mb. Please help me

Well your package is corrupt. I have a copy of it on my desktop and it reads 14.0mb exactly. What browser are u using and where are u downloading it from?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

Well your package is corrupt. I have a copy of it on my desktop and it reads 14.0mb exactly. What browser are u using and where are u downloading it from?

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Aol 9.0, and i am downloading it from the website it directs me to - http://www.xcm.cc/v_box.htm
perhaps you could send me your copy to my email-
[email protected]

thanks

http://rapidshare.com/files/41778542/XCM_V-BOX_E.msi

try that

The download is not working, perhaps you need to re do it, please reply ASAP .

thanks
(or just email it to me)

It's too big to email and the link works fine for me

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jirachirox

I press ignore but then this comes up 'the installer has encounted an unexpected error installing this package this may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2350' - What can i do, im on xp home edition. Also ive downloaded it about 10 times, but its never exaclty 14 mb, the closest i get is about 12.5mb. Please help me

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When you download it and it does not download completely...do not delete the file. Just try overwriting the file.

To baggio:
Use http://www.sendspace.com to upload the file. I would do it myself but I'm already uploading and about to hit the bed for the night.

I got it to download and install full now!!!!
thanks all of you from dcemu forums.
But now i have another problem, when i plug in my wii and click on 'Game' on the menu, an error message comes up sayign it has encountered a problem (you know the send error report/dont send) and then it just turns off. That happens every time now, please yet again help me


thanks:thumbup:

Make sure you haven't got any other usb devices connected.. I found that if I had my PC usb game controller connected and tried to connect the v-box a system error would occur

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

Make sure you haven't got any other usb devices connected.. I found that if I had my PC usb game controller connected and tried to connect the v-box a system error would occur

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Now thequality is really poor, the colour is gray and not on the screen and is srolling accross, in other words its not working. Any ideas?

you need to set the hardware options in the software to Pal or whatever ... try going through each one till u find the best one

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

you need to set the hardware options in the software to Pal or whatever ... try going through each one till u find the best one

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none of them seem to work, i think ive been through all of them

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jirachirox

none of them seem to work, i think ive been through all of them

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You sure you have a NTSC V-Box and a NTSC Wii or a PAL V-Box and a PAL Wii.

goto device manager make sure there is no error with the USB 2861 driver

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baggio4378

goto device manager make sure there is no error with the USB 2861 driver

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it dosen't seem to be showing up
check out my vid on it -
go to - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GYHj...?v=8GYHjhinOF8

this looks like a useful piece of kit and isnt tooo expencive but i spose it isnt for everyone i meen im happy with my wii just on my tv for now.

Is anyone gonna help me cus i really need it

Pal Wii
Vbox Supports Pal
No Settings Work
Direct X 9.0 Istalled
Hardware Working Correctly
All Plugged In

But Still It Dosent Work!!!!!

As mentioned, contact XCM and see if they can help. Email or call the online store you purchased from and tell them you are having problems and direct them to the video on YouTube. It could also be defective.

Jirachirox, you need to change the TV type in the Wii settings, connect it to a TV change the setting then try using the V-Box.

I managed to solve my sound problem, I had a conflict with a Bluetooth Audio driver which i just disabled.

Audio Troubles

There seems to be quite a lot of static coming from the speakers.

System specs:
WINXP Pro
amd athlon 2500+
USB 2.0
Soundblaster PCI128

It sounds like white noise. You can hear it in the recordings too. XCM's tech support is a void of uselessness since I e-mailed them like two weeks ago and still haven't gotten a response. If anyone else is experiencing the same problem, please help a fellow out.

Hi guys,
I also bought this item and I'm quite frustrated since I only get sound but no picture. I have a pal wii but when I select ntsc in the software I get at least a black and white image. If I select pal the screen remains black. I also tried the the 2nd version of the software on xmc's homepage but this also didn't work (I tried the various versions of pal and so on). The run led on my box lights "blue"..which should be a good sign right? I also tried switching from 60hz in wii settings to 50hz but this didn't help.
Do you have any idea what else I could try? Any help appreciated ;-) xcm support seems to be quite slow...

Hey all,

I seem to be having the gray screen problems. Tried every setting and nothing seemed to work.

I've emailed XCM but don't hold out much hope. Did anyone come up with a fix?

Thanks

Ironfistchamp

All I get is a green liney screen, I attempted to print screen but it pastes as black. When I go to change the hardware/video settings, it shows a black and white display of what the screen is supposed to look like. I've tried other versions of the software available on the site but I get the same result each time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by darkd

xcm support seems to be quite slow...

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Correction: XCM support is non-existant. I emailed them a week and a half ago and no reply.

The odd thing about my problem with the green distortion is that when I enter the settings, the small screen is now fine, full colour and display. I take screenshots, its fine! But when I try and view it any other way and I get a green messed up screen.

Could anyone tell me if Virtual Console and Gamecube games work with this? I currently have a Vdigi VGA cable but only 480p games can be displayed with that one, and since in Europe neither Gamecube nor VC games support 480p, I can't play them on my wii.

i would also like to know the above. and do wiiware games work?