ATI All-in-wonder OR WinTV PVR 250?

[Crowdx42]

Which is the better options? I already have a PVR 250 and like it. Is the All-in-Wonder as good at making ready to burn files for DVD ? Would both cards work in the same machine?
I am thinking of maybe using the all-in-wonder in a machine by itself BUT would like to know if the option of running both cards in the same machine at a later date would be possible?
TIA

[stanger89]

Do you have both? If not don't get an AIW. For one it won't work (as a tuner) with SageTV. Second I have heard many accounts of people trying AIWs based on the advertising and being very dissapointed with the results.

Now I know there are people running SageTV (w/ 250's or something else Sage supports) and using an AIW for their video card, so you should be able to run both in the same machine, but I doubt the AIW will be better or even as good as a 250 for creating burnable DVDs.

You can always try though, that's the best way to find out. It's always best not to rely completely on the comments of biased people like me (I had a TV Wonder and it sucked).

[Crowdx42]

Thanks for the info, I just read that the AIW does only part of the MPEG2 encode onboard and the rest is cpu, so that sucks.
Will probably just go with the PVR 250 and a cheap graphics card.
Thanks for the help.
Patrick

[stanger89]

I wouldn't go too cheap, all video cards are not created equal, even in simple HTPC setting:
http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthr...&threadid=3489

[Crowdx42]

A last thought, if I am running a PII 350 with a client and just controlling a server machine from it, I would think that the PII would be fine to decode the MPEG2 stream, there will be a Ati VIVO 64 card which can help with hardware decoding, not sure if Sage supports it or not though.
I am thinking an Ati 7500 for the server which will be doing other desktop chores as well as being a server.

[stanger89]

I'd switch the cards, the 7500 will almost surely have better DXVA (hardware acceleration) support. A PII 350 will be pushing it, even with hardware accelleration.

[Crowdx42]

Looking at the prices right now. I would've thought the vivo would have been the better choice due to it being an actual capture and playback card in it's time. It has both tv and out for recording and playback, is about 3 years old though now.
Will check around, suppose I can test the playback with either card. Not sure if it is worth spending and more money than a radeon 7500 card, don't think it will make any difference.
Patrick

[Opus4]

If you _really_ want to use a p2-350 for playback, I would seriously consider either a Hauppauge 350 or a Sigma Xcard, if I were you. They will do full hardware decoding.

Quick comparisons:

350: has a tuner included, can display SageTV OSD, cannot play encrypted DVDs.

Xcard: No tuner, no OSD yet (if ever), can play DVDs.

- Andy

[Crowdx42]

So looking at the Sigma card, it has a remote control with it, can this control the sage tv client? Or do I still need the sage usb remote add on?
Otherwise, I think that buying another PVR 250 and the X card might be the way to go, having 2 PVR 250s in the server and the X Card in the PII 350 machine, with it's onboard monitor output for any pc related stuff (think the box will be put behind the tv unit, out of the way.
Patrick

[Opus4]

Originally posted by Crowdx42
So looking at the Sigma card, it has a remote control with it, can this control the sage tv client? Or do I still need the sage usb remote add on?

No, the xcard remote does not work with SageTV, or: if it can, I don't know how. Also, you do not play DVDs on the xcard through SageTV -- yo uhave to use the xcard's dvd player or something else.

Otherwise, I think that buying another PVR 250 and the X card might be the way to go, having 2 PVR 250s in the server and the X Card in the PII 350 machine, with it's onboard monitor output for any pc related stuff (think the box will be put behind the tv unit, out of the way.

The Xcard does not output the Windows desktop to your TV. You would still need a monitor connected to your video card, or you could output the desktop via your video card to a 2nd TV input & switch between TV inputs. I have an xcard & likes its output, but be aware that there are negatives.

- Andy

[Crowdx42]

Well I think a 350 would be a waste, cause I just want a bare bones machine as the client, minimum memory, hard drive and video card. Other than that I want the server to have the encoder cards etc, Would running the 350 with it saving the encode back across the network onto my main storage disk work?
This would still give me a problem with watching a show and still recording another one on the slow machine? Correct?
Patrick

[Opus4]

Originally posted by Crowdx42
Would running the 350 with it saving the encode back across the network onto my main storage disk work?
This would still give me a problem with watching a show and still recording another one on the slow machine? Correct?

I would think that as long as it is a wired 100Mbs network, it should work fine. As for watching & recording on the slower machine -- I record 2 shows & watch a 3rd on my p2-400. (The systen response in Windows can be slow, but the shows record & playback w/o problems.) But, that is my server; your only remaining question is the network throughput. I _think_ that would be fine via wire, but maybe someone else can offer comments on that or even on wireless possibilities.

- Andy

[Deadbolt]

I have a pII-400 running a 350, and a 250...plus one 250 I have across a 100Mbit LAN in another machine as a network encoder. Works fine.

Deadbolt

[Crowdx42]

Ok... so a PII 350 would need a decoder card to work correctly... IF I put a PVR 350 into that machine, can I encode on anther machine also and still play it all back on the TV?
Or does all the cards need to be in same machine and then run to the client?
Thanks
Patrick

[jmeeks]

No, all the cards do not have to be in the same machine.

Your client machine (PII350, next to your TV) needs the PVR350 for hardware decoding. The PVR350 can also run in that machine with a copy of SageRecorder in that client machine as a network encoder to provide you with another source for encoding for your server machine.

Your server machine (don't know what you intend here for configuration) only needs however many other PVR250's you intend to have for multiple encoding capability. The server does not need to have that much processing capability other than hard drive space to store the MPEG2 video, unless you plan on watching and therefore decoding video from it.

The processing power typically needs to be on your client, unless, as in your case, you plan on using a hardware decoder like the PVR350 to handle the decoding chores. Otherwise the decoding happens with software which is why you'd would need more processing power without a hardware decoder. (I don't think you would find a PII350 acceptable with software decoding.) This would also be why you would want the more capable video card to be on the client if you weren't using the PVR350 for TV output and were relying on the TV output from the video card in the client.

I hope that provides some clarity, although everyone else seemed to do just as well....