ViewBox Makes Your Computer More Entertaining

Whenever I see a device like this, I'm convinced that computer hardware manufacturers still aren't sure how PC/TV convergence will come into play. We see both set-top boxes, which are little more than low-powered computers, and we see things like TV out cards, which let you push video out of your computer and onto the big screen of your home entertainment center. What I've been thinking of doing, next time I'm forced by progress to replace both my motherboard and processor, is to just take the old computer out of the office - DVD player, CD burner, games, gaming devices, modem and all - straight into the living room. Throw in a TV compatible video card and the right software for recording TV programs, and it seems like the old computer would make a dandy brain for the entertainment gadgets in the living room.

Anyway, ViewSonic is now showing off another convergence device. This one will let you use your monitor as a TV screen. Actually, since a monitor is generally smaller than the TV in your living room, I've not sure how valuable this device is unless you've got a massive plasma screen laying around. It actually seems more like it's targeted at providing the right connections. The ViewSonic ViewBox VB50/HRTV is a multimedia converter that gives you Broadcast TV and video entertainment jacks for any computer display. ViewSonic says the VB50 turns any CRT, LCD, plasma, or projection display into a high-resolution television with up to a 1024 X 768, 24-bit color and a full-screen image. The VB50 HRTV converter provides reception of analog cable or terrestrial broadcast TV, and re-scales the image to be compatible with high-resolution monitors. The VB50 is also equipped with video entertainment ports that let you connect to DVD players, VCRs, video game consoles, and video camcorders. The device is priced at $129 and is backed by a one-year replacement warranty and toll-free technical support 24/7.