Rating: 
Summary: Double your monitor as a TV
Review: I got this product today and had it up and working inside 10 minutes. Just connect the cables (which are all nicely included), put the batteries (also included) in the remote, and turn it on. It was seriously that simple.Pros:
- The picture quality is amazing at 1024 x 768. Just like a regular television.
- Menus are easy to navigate and simple to bring up with the remote.
- Setup is quick and simple.
- All the cables you need are included.
- Even comes with batteries (AAA) for the remote.
- Good instructions with lots of pictures in the manual.
- Channel, Volume and Input buttons on the main box pretty make using the box easy even without the remote. Cons:
- Channel and volume buttons are awkwardly located at the top of the remote.
- Can only get to the Menu (for controlling brightness, resolution, etc.) using the remote.
- Can't record video to your PC with this. The last con really isn't a con since it's part of the product design. But I think more than a couple people might be confused and buy this with the intention of recording TV or VCR tapes into digital MPEGs on their computer. You can't do that with this box. Overall it's an awesome device. Good picture quality. Easy setup. All parts included. Can't beat that.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad News
Review: I guess if you need to turn a computer monitor into a pretty bad TV, this is your baby. But reading the other reviews here I expected at least a watchable picture. Nope. In my view it was muddy, bad contrast, pretty weak even by 50-year-old NTSC standards. I can't stand watching TV like this. Maybe it's OK for you?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Product
Review: I have to say, this is the coolest thing I have purchesed in ages. It does everything I expected it to do and more. What it does is use a computer monitor as a tv screen. The setup is easy, took at most five minutes. As other reviewers have mentioned, the remote is a little non-intuitive but its not bad enough to keep anyone from buying this unit.
I could go on and on about the specs and what it does but if you're reading this you already know what it does. If you're looking to make a tv out of your monitor, and do it without having to install cards or software on your computer this is definately what you need.
Of course since this unit doesn't use the computer in any way, you can't record programs on your computer...but the picture quality is excellent unlike what I've read about tv tuner cards for your computer.
Anyway, its a great product, couldn't be happier with it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Buy, Came Through
Review: I ordered the Viewsonic Viewbox for use in a dorm/apartment setting, and I couldn't be happier with it. Tv and videogames look great on my 17'' computer monitor, and the remote is really handy for navigating in and among all inputs. For reference have tried the playstation 2, w/games and dvds, n64, and super nintendo, all with s-video, and genesis games with composite video. An added bonus that I was hoping for and got was the ability to use this tuner without being connected to an actual computer. The specs are unclear as they indicate "connect to you computer with and RGB passthrough cable." So now, yes, the tuner can work alone simply connected only to a computer monitor. This will be useful to me once I get a new monitor and/or would like to use my present monitor in the living room for movies and tv w/o having to lug my tower around as well. Hope I could help.
Rating:
Summary: Well, Better than Okay
Review: I purchased this product so that I could connect my X-Box to my bright and sharp View Sonic LCD monitor, and indeed it is a simple matter to make this connection using the RCA jacks that are standard with the X-Box. Unfortunately, the X-Box image is fuzzy. I will purchase an "S cable" to see if this improves the X-Box image quality. The View Sonic tuner works as advertised. It is easy to use. The PC image remains clear and bright. I think my fuzzy X-Box image problems have more to do with the X-Box than the tuner. ... (I am revising this review a few days after first posting it. I did purchase and install a Monster Cable GameLink S-Video cable link between the XBox and the ViewSonic Tuner, and this makes a tremendous improvement in the X-Box image on my LCD. So congrats to ViewSonic for a good product, and lets throw a few kudos to Monster Cable as well.)
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected! Thanks Viewsonic!
Review: I received this unit last night. Ran a cable line up to my bedroom, and connected the monitor and stereo to the unit. Adjusted the cable settings to fit our local cable setup, and - whammo - just like that, the most amazing thing I've seen: TV reception on my computer monitor! The Viewsonic VB50HRTV EXCEEDED my expectations. I have a nice 17" Samsung .20mm dot pitch CRT monitor, which I love, and to see crisp TV reception on it is a wonderful thing. Just for the heck of it, I hooked up a little 9" color SVGA "banker" monitor, just to see if it would work, and it does! So, in theory, with a VGA Y cable, one could hang a monitor on the wall over the bed, and another on your desk, and be able to switch between TV and computer... or even set it up with a switch box so that you could use two monitors as either TVs or computer monitors. You will want to play around with the color settings, as every monitor is different. The audio and video are perfectly synchronized, unlike a lot of units that are dependent upon the computer for them to function. If you're looking for a TV tuner box which lets you see the TV in a little window while you work on the computer, this unit will not do that for you. This is full-screen mode only: But it's Hi-resolution -- the crispness and clarity that you get with this is truly a treat. You are turning your monitor into a REAL TV set. It is worth every penny, and I'm glad to have found it.
Rating:
Summary: Works great!
Review: I was originally interested in buying a USB or PCI TV tuner for my computer. Then I saw this product recommended on Amazon, and decided to try it. My 19" computer monitor now doubles as a TV, which saves a lot of space on my desktop. The picture is clean and crisp, and the audio is fantastic as well. The ViewBox is a perfect way to put an old monitor to good use, too.
Rating: 
Summary: good all-around product
Review: I was pleased over-all with it's performance. I hooked up my Sony dvd player to both the Viewsonic (on a great 19" samsung)and my 27" Magnivox tv at the same time, this way I could compair the pictures side-by-side. I could never get the Viewsonic's picture to be exactly as good as the tv (with dvd) but it was close. If I would have used a VCR or regular tv (antenna or cable box) I probably wouldnt have notice a difference in picture quality. The Viewsonic would be perfect for someone who doesnt have room for a regular tv or would like a tv in their office. Just dont expect home theater performance from your dvd's.
Rating:
Summary: Standards
Review: I've always thought that watching tv/movies (dvd/vhs) on a computer screen was out of the question. THe most important part of the puzzle the 'video card' had to be of such a quality that made it impossible to find. Plus, having the 'puter on while watching a dvd/cable can make things annoying. This tuner is amazing...i've since gotten rid of my tv (a 25" magnavox) which did well but took up space and really did nothing more than what this tuner along with a new flat screen monitor can do. Plus i get to keep everything in one place. Games (rugby, football, etc...) are near perfect on the screen, as are dvd's such as the matrix! which can become a big blur if you don't have the right equipment. I recommend the use of a high quality (not high $) flat screen or crt monitor. I have since purchased a Planar 19" from reviews i read. I had the highest rating for clear and concise pictures when viewed as a multi-entertainment screen. If you have any more questions/points that i may have 'glossed over' or forgoten to make feel free to email me. -mike mike
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I've always thought that watching tv/movies (dvd/vhs) on a computer screen was out of the question. THe most important part of the puzzle the 'video card' had to be of such a quality that made it impossible to find. Plus, having the 'puter on while watching a dvd/cable can make things annoying. This tuner is amazing...i've since gotten rid of my tv (a 25" magnavox) which did well but took up space and really did nothing more than what this tuner along with a new flat screen monitor can do. Plus i get to keep everything in one place. Games (rugby, football, etc...) are near perfect on the screen, as are dvd's such as the matrix! which can become a big blur if you don't have the right equipment. I recommend the use of a high quality (not high $) flat screen or crt monitor. I have since purchased a Planar 19" from reviews i read. I had the highest rating for clear and concise pictures when viewed as a multi-entertainment screen. If you have any more questions/points that i may have 'glossed over' or forgoten to make feel free to email me. -mike mike
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