Rating: 
Summary: Great idea - but lots of problems!
Review: I bought the NextVision 6 primarily so that I could watch TV on my brand new 22" IBM C220p monitor (which is way OUTSTANDING, lemme tell ya!). I toyed with the idea of getting a video card, but balked at dealing with potential software and picture quality issues. The NextVision 6 is a stand-alone unit, so it looked like a great alternative to simply buying a small TV (it is right about in the same price range as a 13" Sony).The setup is relatively simple, however, the end result is very unpleasant. There is a special cable provided, which is designed to interface with your graphics card output and feed into the unit's RGB input. You then connect your normal VGA cable out of the unit's RGB output and into your monitor, thus establishing a pass-through. However, the resulting output signal is highly degraded and of such poor quality by virtue of this cable/pass-through combination that your computer graphics suddenly look like doo-doo. Forget the TV part, because you've just hosed your computer graphics! Now, in my case, my IBM C220p monitor has dual inputs. So, I said, "Forget it!" to this whole pass-through business and I simply connected the unit's output to my IBM C220p monitor's second input. Unfortunately, the aforementioned special cable provided is not useable for this purpose. Just as well, since it's a piece of junk. So, I had to drop another $30 on a decent VGA cable to make this connection. The resulting TV signal was very acceptable (with the TV signal source being standard cable via coax), however I dunno if I would call it 'high definition'. You cannot sit too close to the screen without seeing some sort of 'digital smear'. Since my monitor is a 22", I can kick back on the bed and watch TV but this may be more of a problem with a smaller monitor or if you had plans on watching the TV from directly in front of your computer. Anyway, I run my monitor at 1600x1200 resolution. The NextVision 6 touts 1280x1024 resolution. I tried different combinations of monitor/ NextVision 6 resolutions and found that if I kept my monitor at 1600x1200 and ran the NextVision 6 at 1024x768 I got the best picture. Why? Who knows. But you do have to play around with both the monitor/ NextVision 6 resolutions and the NextVision 6 brightness/contrast settings to really find the optimal settings. Patience is required! The remote control, from which most of the functions are accessed, is, as others have noted, a pain in the rear. Some of the buttons respond to a lighter touch than others. To scan up/down through the channels you had better be able to squeeze this punk with all your might to get it to actuate! I have to hold it between my thumb on the bottom and middle finger on the top/button to apply sufficient pressure. I may opt to get a digital cable box in order to use it as the tuner/remote, which will leave the NextVision 6 to function simply as the means to convert the cable signal to a computer-compatible signal. Another expense - ugh. A lot of caveats here, folks. Certainly, if I did not have a dual-input monitor, the NextVision 6 would have been returned as totally unacceptable. However, since I was able to get it up and running to a truly acceptable level via the procedure outlined above, I am well-pleased with the TV signal. Of course, I cannot watch TV while working on my computer since I have the unit's input on a completely separate monitor input from my computer, but no biggie. I just A/B between them with the monitor selector switch on my IBM. In the final analysis, I was able to accomplish what I started out to achieve, which was to watch TV on my IBM C220p monitor. Yeah! Oh, one more problem: When I am not using the unit I have to unplug the audio cable (which runs from my sound card's audio-out to the unit's audio-in) because it generates a hum in my speakers. No doubt the shielding on this cable is poor - I may replace it with a higher-quality cable. More $! As far as hooking up an external DVD player, I haven't tried it. I use Power DVD 5 on my computer, which is outstanding, so no need to use the NextVision 6 for that. If I want to play console games (X-Box, Game Cube), I'll stick with my 35" Sony TV. Maybe I'll hook up a VCR, which should work fine. All in all, unless you have a dual-input monitor, plenty of patience and want to spring for a second decent VGA cable, forget this unit. Otherwise, as I said, I have achieved a very decent TV viewing experience on my monitor.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea - but lots of problems!
Review: I bought the NextVision 6 primarily so that I could watch TV on my brand new 22" IBM C220p monitor (which is way OUTSTANDING, lemme tell ya!). I toyed with the idea of getting a video card, but balked at dealing with potential software and picture quality issues. The NextVision 6 is a stand-alone unit, so it looked like a great alternative to simply buying a small TV (it is right about in the same price range as a 13" Sony). The setup is relatively simple, however, the end result is very unpleasant. There is a special cable provided, which is designed to interface with your graphics card output and feed into the unit's RGB input. You then connect your normal VGA cable out of the unit's RGB output and into your monitor, thus establishing a pass-through. However, the resulting output signal is highly degraded and of such poor quality by virtue of this cable/pass-through combination that your computer graphics suddenly look like doo-doo. Forget the TV part, because you've just hosed your computer graphics! Now, in my case, my IBM C220p monitor has dual inputs. So, I said, "Forget it!" to this whole pass-through business and I simply connected the unit's output to my IBM C220p monitor's second input. Unfortunately, the aforementioned special cable provided is not useable for this purpose. Just as well, since it's a piece of junk. So, I had to drop another $30 on a decent VGA cable to make this connection. The resulting TV signal was very acceptable (with the TV signal source being standard cable via coax), however I dunno if I would call it 'high definition'. You cannot sit too close to the screen without seeing some sort of 'digital smear'. Since my monitor is a 22", I can kick back on the bed and watch TV but this may be more of a problem with a smaller monitor or if you had plans on watching the TV from directly in front of your computer. Anyway, I run my monitor at 1600x1200 resolution. The NextVision 6 touts 1280x1024 resolution. I tried different combinations of monitor/ NextVision 6 resolutions and found that if I kept my monitor at 1600x1200 and ran the NextVision 6 at 1024x768 I got the best picture. Why? Who knows. But you do have to play around with both the monitor/ NextVision 6 resolutions and the NextVision 6 brightness/contrast settings to really find the optimal settings. Patience is required! The remote control, from which most of the functions are accessed, is, as others have noted, a pain in the rear. Some of the buttons respond to a lighter touch than others. To scan up/down through the channels you had better be able to squeeze this punk with all your might to get it to actuate! I have to hold it between my thumb on the bottom and middle finger on the top/button to apply sufficient pressure. I may opt to get a digital cable box in order to use it as the tuner/remote, which will leave the NextVision 6 to function simply as the means to convert the cable signal to a computer-compatible signal. Another expense - ugh. A lot of caveats here, folks. Certainly, if I did not have a dual-input monitor, the NextVision 6 would have been returned as totally unacceptable. However, since I was able to get it up and running to a truly acceptable level via the procedure outlined above, I am well-pleased with the TV signal. Of course, I cannot watch TV while working on my computer since I have the unit's input on a completely separate monitor input from my computer, but no biggie. I just A/B between them with the monitor selector switch on my IBM. In the final analysis, I was able to accomplish what I started out to achieve, which was to watch TV on my IBM C220p monitor. Yeah! Oh, one more problem: When I am not using the unit I have to unplug the audio cable (which runs from my sound card's audio-out to the unit's audio-in) because it generates a hum in my speakers. No doubt the shielding on this cable is poor - I may replace it with a higher-quality cable. More $! As far as hooking up an external DVD player, I haven't tried it. I use Power DVD 5 on my computer, which is outstanding, so no need to use the NextVision 6 for that. If I want to play console games (X-Box, Game Cube), I'll stick with my 35" Sony TV. Maybe I'll hook up a VCR, which should work fine. All in all, unless you have a dual-input monitor, plenty of patience and want to spring for a second decent VGA cable, forget this unit. Otherwise, as I said, I have achieved a very decent TV viewing experience on my monitor.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a viable alternative for HDTV
Review: I bought this overpriced monster assuming that it would be a cheap alternative to an HDTV, as I play a ton of console video games and wanted to take advantage of the higher resolutions that nextgen consoles all boast about. Well, I am sorry to report that the picture quality on this particular unit makes console gaming on my Viewsonic G90fb monitor look washed out, oversaturated, and generally muddy when compared to my (...) TV, which incidentally cost me significantly less than the N6! So IS the resolution better? I cant really tell as I am so distracted by the generally cruddy picture quality... and yes, I DID get hd adapters for my consoles. Perhaps it is because the experience of sitting close to a monitor vs sitting back further with a TV doesn't lend itself to console gaming, but I must say I was very disapointed when I hooked this little sucker up and got it running. It's novel playing consoles on a computer monitor, but I find myself actually wishing it were a television instead. Caveat Emptor, dear readers... If this product at all interests you I would instead get the N5 for less than half of the cost of the N6 and just settle for S-video.
Rating: 
Summary: Reasonable product for certain applications
Review: I bought this to add television to my home theatre and overcome the lack of inputs on my Epson S1 projector(component video is shared with computer). This unit is designed more for monitors but I am using it for my projector. Certain functions work very well but others could use improvement. One great feature is that it can upscale video to a higher resolution. This can dramatically improve picture quality. Television looked very nice on my projector, but I also own LCD Monitor TVs and I was able to compare the built in tuner to the N6. The picutre from the N6 did look a bit sharper but somewhat dimmer. Personally, I prefered the built in tuner - but this product is something to consider if you want TV off your desktop monitor. VHS tapes that play through the projector (and LCD monitor) composite port play all jumbled through the N6. Not a big deal, I will run a cable to the projector. On the other hand, playstation(composite) games seem a bit more stable through the N6. Progressive scan video(which the PJ can handle natively) looks as good or maybe better when sent as an upscaled RGB signal. Non progressive video looks similar to the projector, and is above average. Overall this product is above average for the pricepoint and what I am using it for. The TV looks much better than what I was getting out of my VCR, and I also have one cable to the projector for my computer, composite, svideo , component.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible video output at a not so friendly price!
Review: I bought this with the sole intention of using it as a way to get the clear and crisp visuals that the "next" generation consoles have been touting since day one. I hooked it up in a few minutes and then started playing my Gamecube. What I saw shocked me - instead of seeing clear and colorful visuals, I was left to suffer in an immense muddy and dull picture. I then rememebred I had not adjusted the video options yet, so I bumped the max resolution up to 1280x1024 and adjusted the sharpness, brightness and contrast trying to find something that looked good. Guess what? I could not find any settings that would give me even an average picture. After I gave up on the Gamecube, I tried my PS 2 and my cable TV. Same results. I even called Viewsonic tech support and got some guy that didn't know his @ss from a hole in the ground - I knew more than he did! Anyway I can't see paying this much for a sub-par product. Stay away from this one, you all have been warned!
Rating:
Summary: Very nice!
Review: I bought this, hooked it up to my 19" LCD monitor, and immediately pushed the old 27" TV tube out of the room (Bigger is not always better). Side by side, the color on the monitor was much better by default than any amount of adjustment on the TV could achieve. I cranked the resolution up, and text on the screen looks like it's actually in a font, readable and all! (TiVo output is amazing, but even all the text in commercials and credits and such are so much better.) DVD looks even better. I can't compare this with HDTV because, well, if I could afford that, I wouldn't have bought this. Minor annoyances: It remembers most settings but not my closed captions on (and the CC is placed horribly and too small). You won't find Viewsonic on any universal remote codes; I wrote to the company and they advised me that I must buy a learning remote. Too bad my TiVo remote can't learn... gonna to be hard to find something workable enough to replace my TiVo remote. Can't afford the Pronto right now so I'm just dealing with multiple remotes.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad with a CRT, horrible with an LCD
Review: I bought this, hooked it up to my 19" LCD monitor, and immediately pushed the old 27" TV tube out of the room (Bigger is not always better). Side by side, the color on the monitor was much better by default than any amount of adjustment on the TV could achieve. I cranked the resolution up, and text on the screen looks like it's actually in a font, readable and all! (TiVo output is amazing, but even all the text in commercials and credits and such are so much better.) DVD looks even better. I can't compare this with HDTV because, well, if I could afford that, I wouldn't have bought this. Minor annoyances: It remembers most settings but not my closed captions on (and the CC is placed horribly and too small). You won't find Viewsonic on any universal remote codes; I wrote to the company and they advised me that I must buy a learning remote. Too bad my TiVo remote can't learn... gonna to be hard to find something workable enough to replace my TiVo remote. Can't afford the Pronto right now so I'm just dealing with multiple remotes.
Rating:
Summary: Very nice!
Review: I bought this, hooked it up to my 19" LCD monitor, and immediately pushed the old 27" TV tube out of the room (Bigger is not always better). Side by side, the color on the monitor was much better by default than any amount of adjustment on the TV could achieve. I cranked the resolution up, and text on the screen looks like it's actually in a font, readable and all! (TiVo output is amazing, but even all the text in commercials and credits and such are so much better.) DVD looks even better. I can't compare this with HDTV because, well, if I could afford that, I wouldn't have bought this. Minor annoyances: It remembers most settings but not my closed captions on (and the CC is placed horribly and too small). You won't find Viewsonic on any universal remote codes; I wrote to the company and they advised me that I must buy a learning remote. Too bad my TiVo remote can't learn... gonna to be hard to find something workable enough to replace my TiVo remote. Can't afford the Pronto right now so I'm just dealing with multiple remotes.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad with a CRT, horrible with an LCD
Review: I have a very small office and I wanted to make some space by getting rid of my 21" CRT monitor and 24" CRT television and getting a 19" LCD monitor which would perform double duty as a TV and PC monitor. Well at 19" and larger, the fastest response time I could find was 25 ms (2003). Faster response times can be found on 15" and 17" LCD's (note that longer response time means you'll see "ghosting" with action scenes). I checked the 19" LCD reviews on CNET.com and decided on the Planar. So I hooked it up to the Nextvision which was connected to my Direct TV box and surprise - what a horrible picture! I made adjustments to the sharpness etc. on the Nextvision and the Planar monitor and the picture was still too pixelated. As a comparison, I tried the Nextvision with my 21" Sony CRT monitor and the picture wasn't too bad. It wasn't as good as even the cheapest 20" TV but it was viewable. So I ended up using the CRT monitor as a TV for a while until I picked up a small Sharp LCD TV. There's no comparison between the dedicated LCD TV and either type of computer monitor for TV viewing. If you want to use an LCD monitor as a TV, I would suggest a TV tuner PCI card or USB device. I've tried a TV tuner card on a 15" LCD and the picture isn't bad. The advantage of a card is that you can resize the picture so that it doesn't use the whole screen like with the Nextvision. The smaller the picture, the sharper and less pixelated it becomes.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad with a CRT, horrible with an LCD
Review: I have a very small office and I wanted to make some space by getting rid of my 21" CRT monitor and 24" CRT television and getting a 19" LCD monitor which would perform double duty as a TV and PC monitor. Well at 19" and larger, the fastest response time I could find was 25 ms (2003). Faster response times can be found on 15" and 17" LCD's (note that longer response time means you'll see "ghosting" with action scenes). I checked the 19" LCD reviews on CNET.com and decided on the Planar. So I hooked it up to the Nextvision which was connected to my Direct TV box and surprise - what a horrible picture! I made adjustments to the sharpness etc. on the Nextvision and the Planar monitor and the picture was still too pixelated. As a comparison, I tried the Nextvision with my 21" Sony CRT monitor and the picture wasn't too bad. It wasn't as good as even the cheapest 20" TV but it was viewable. So I ended up using the CRT monitor as a TV for a while until I picked up a small Sharp LCD TV. There's no comparison between the dedicated LCD TV and either type of computer monitor for TV viewing. If you want to use an LCD monitor as a TV, I would suggest a TV tuner PCI card or USB device. I've tried a TV tuner card on a 15" LCD and the picture isn't bad. The advantage of a card is that you can resize the picture so that it doesn't use the whole screen like with the Nextvision. The smaller the picture, the sharper and less pixelated it becomes.
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