Hooking up a PS2 to a PC monitor in 20 steps

Step 1

Buy a PS2 slim and a copy of Guitar Hero II

Step 2

Search Internet after a solution for hooking it up to a PC-monitor.

Step 3

After much contemplation order a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1300 internal TV-Card.

Step 4

Realize what should’ve been an easy job of hooking up the PS2 to the Composite-in-jack and getting an image on the screen– isn’t

Step 5

Fiddle around with different settings in the program and realize it’s completely and utter shit. The interface is a joke and so is the settings menu – Hauppauge haven’t heard of user-friendliness. Just a small example of the ass-backwards ways they do things. If I want to maximize the TV window the usual way is by double clicking the left mouse button or pressing ALT+ENTER. No that’s too easy, you press CTRL+T – fucking ace!

Use the supplied remote control as a means of testing the durability of your wall, since the fucking thing doesn’t work. And believe me I tried everything – went to the Hauppauge forums and tried pretty much every advice found there. Realize the problem is in the Remote control sensor-jack in the card – and give up.

Step 6

Download ChrisTV and find out this program is so superior to WinTV that it is like comparing a jetfighter to a tricycle.

Fiddle around with the settings (of which you can micromanage everything) and get the PS2 up and running with image and sound. Due to some software encoding difficulties the image jitters and some streaks are visible and the game is playable, but not enjoyable. This is not ChrisTV’s fault. I’d recommend to anyone looking for a software-based TV-tuner decoder.

Step 7

Give up completely getting the PS2 working with the tuner-card and revert to the original idea of getting an all in one “box” that converts the PS2 signal output to VGA that can be interpreted by the PC minitor.

Step 8

Order a “1TEK 3 in 1 VGA Box” from the following page: LINK and get exited waiting to play Guitar Hero II on a Monitor.

Step 9

3 day later the aforementioned package arrives and its contents are opened and hooked up to the PC-monitor as the instructions dictate. Wonder why there’s audio output but no image. Trust the flawlessness of the product and keep fiddling and reread the instructions. Notice the two red LEDs on the front of the box aren’t working. Discard this as a problem with one of the connectors and keep fiddling.

Step 10

Accept the product isn’t working and unhook it.

Step 11

Browse the net and discover the audio in some Youtube -videos aren’t working. Disregard this and open Winamp and wonder why there’s no Kaiser Chiefs blaring out of the speakers. Fiddle with the physical volume-control and the software version. Reinstall the AC’97 audio drivers and restart computer.

Step 12

Slowly realize the audio out-jack in the motherboard has been fried by the audio-in-jack from the 1TEK 3 in 1 VGA Box.

Step 13

Curl oneself into a small ball on the floor and shake head slowly from side to side.

Step 14

Calm one-self and order a SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme: LINK

Curse the day you wanted a PS2 connected to a PC-monitor.

Step 15

Get the package later that day, and wonder why the soundcards only packaging consists of an open antistatic bag and brown paper - especially since the company (SHG.dk) have a reputable image and never before have done such a thing.

Step 16

Unwrap the card hook up the front panel audio connector, boot PC and turn it off shortly after.

Step 17

Turn on PC and put the driver-cd-rom and install the drivers. Get aggravated when the program demands the card is present in the computer.

Step 18

Hook up the card in the PCI-slot and turn on PC install drivers. Smile when audio is heard through the speakers. Test front panel audio connectors and feel totally unsurprised when it isn’t working.

Step 19

Read the manual on the CD-rom and find the manual for PC-Case and play around with the different audio-jacks. Try different configurations and give up after four tries. Wonder why Creative doesn’t just use the standard 10-pin connector.

Step 20

Calculate the total amount of cash spend on getting a PS2 working and recoil in horror

TV-Card - 775,00 DKK (141,53 USD)

1TEK 3 in 1 VGA Box - 212,73 DKK (38.84 USD)

SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio - 279,00 DKK (50.95 USD)

Total cost - 1266,73 DKK (231.33 USD)