Converters

[phenixdragon]

I was looking at some converters today, such as the Ultimate XP Pro PC to TV Converter. Would this display a picture better then let’s say a Radeon 9000 with component jacks? What could be my best option?

Thanks!

[phenixdragon]

Ohh...this would be pumping into a 27" JVC flat screen.

[stanger89]

Is your TV and HDTV?

I ask because I think that's just a scan converter and as such only converts VGA to 480i. So one of these would only be slightly better than S-video. Do you know how your TV handles HD resolutions? I've got a 36" 4:3 RCA. It has VGA HD input so I run 1280x1024i (in 1080i timings) to fill the screen. My TV does some weird non-linear squeeze (kind of the opposite of what widescreen tv's do) and hacks off the sides of 1080i widescreen resolutions.

If you're TV accepts better than 480i or p you'll probably get the best PQ from a Radeon with component out since the card is outputing the YPbPr natively. The next best option would be to get a VGA->Componet transcoder from AudioAuthority or Key Digital.

I'd say get a Component HDTV adapter for the 9000 (that's what you described) and they try a transcoder if you need it.

[phenixdragon]

Well the TV I plan on using this first set is just digital tube, not HDTV. I was looking at the ASUS Pundit but if a Radean component out will be the best overall then the Pundit is out since it does not have an AGP slot. Or am I mistaken about the Radeon being the best option? I do like the case of the Pundit compared to anything else out there and the MSI cube is more then what I am willing to pay and has some bad reviews on certain aspects of it.

[stanger89]

If your tv only supports 480i then component is only an incremental increase in PQ over S-Video, so the Pundit would probably be fine. 480p is a big improvement OTOH so if you can do 480p then I'd go with the Radeon and Component out.

[phenixdragon]

If I went with the Pundit, could you say I would not notice the diffrence with component 480i and s-video? I know myself I can not see a diffrence with compsite and s-video, but when I moved to component I noticed the diffrence with that and s-video.

I am asking because I know with these systems there will be some type of quality lose and I do not have exp in it. I just want the best video qualty I will be able to put out.

But the Pundit looks nice also and would be moving to a crappier TV in a month or so.

[phenixdragon]

Maybe I should also ask about the PVR-350. Would this have the best picture quality over all between the options with the Radeon and the Pundit? I do understand that it won't be full supported util 2.0 which is fine with me, I can replace the 250 to the 350 if it will output better with that card.

[Potatophysics]

Originally posted by phenixdragon
Maybe I should also ask about the PVR-350. Would this have the best picture quality over all between the options with the Radeon and the Pundit? I do understand that it won't be full supported util 2.0 which is fine with me, I can replace the 250 to the 350 if it will output better with that card.

There are others who will disagree with me but I believe that
the PVR-350 output is far superior to the other methods
for showing normal (non HDTV) signals. When you play out
the AIW the result has to be de-interlaced and you loose
some of the TV-ness of the signal. Also, it always seems like
the gamma of video played out an AIW is way wrong. (see
some other reference to figure out what gamma is, sort
of like a non-linear brightness adjustment that changes
the brightness of the blacks and the whites with different
proportions).

If you don't play the video back with the proper gamma (the
one that the MPEG encoder was thinking of when it was
encoding) encoding artifacts in the dark parts of
the picture will be un-necessarily visible.

They may of corrected the gamma mismatch in the AIW software
in AIW's after the one I got. I dumped mine and got a PVR-350
and I've had wonderful, sometimes better-than-off-the-air,
video output quality from it.

If you really want good standard tv you need a PVR-350 or
a MediaMVP to output your video.

If you want to do HDTV someday soon all bets are off. The
PVR-350 won't help you there.

[phenixdragon]

Ohhh yes, the MediaMVP. From what I am reading there will be a pretty good chance it will be support by SageTV, but until then could it still play live TV? I understand it would at least play recorded shows.

Would it also be upgradable to the SageTV software for it?




On the PVR-350 and SageTV, would it at least have an output but not with the OSD? And with the output, is there a way to at least display something on there to maybe check out the guide? I guess that is my only concern about just going for the 350 now.

[stanger89]

Right now the only thing the 350 can output is video, no OSD, no UI until 2.0. You could hook up the TV out of whatever video card/system you get until 2.0.

As for the MediaMVP in the htpcnews.com interview Dan said they had the Sage UI working on the MediaMVP right now and that it can do anything the current client can do. I don't know why they haven't released that yet, there was mention that they were waiting for the MediaMVP SDK to be released, or perhaps they are still negotiating with Hauppauge. I don't know if you'll be able to put Sage on any Media MVP or if you'll need to get with Sage pre-installed.

As far as live TV with the current MVP SW, you can play live TV by selecting the file being recorded but there's no interface with SageTV yet so no channel changing or UI.

[phenixdragon]

OK cool. I Think I figured out MediaMVP, from what I can tell it is just a box that any software may be loaded with. I think I will pick up the Pundit, with a 120 gig 5400 RPM 8M CACHE Maxtor drive with a 2.4 Celeron. I am betting a Celeron is more then enough and at 2.4 or about $60 isn't bad.