best video card

[aoehlke]

open call for people to post which video card they think is best for playback through sage and why.

i am going to bas emy purchase decision on feedback... i hope to run with full transparency in all menus etc

[Wheemer]

I think the common choice now is the Nvidia 6600gt. Be sure to get one with the component out cable, even if you won't use it now.

[kny3twalker]

unless you have a HDTV
a hardware decoder like the Xcard, MVP, or pvr 350 are the best option

for HDTVs the 6600 series seem to be a good value

[aoehlke]

why is the 6600 preferred over the 6800?
and which 6600? the gt, td etc etc?
how much vram 128 or 256?

and finally, i dont notice any that have component output ability

[aoehlke]

i dont have an hdtv right now... but may someday.
sounds like you are suggesting a dedicated decoder card over a regular graphics card?

[kny3twalker]

the 6600 only comes in the GT version for AGP
and has 128MB of DDR3
the 6800 cannot do component output
but most 6600s can
you just need to make sure the dongle is included with the card
XFX and a few others companies did not include the svideo/component dongle but like I said most did

the 6800s also unless the standard 6800 PCI express
do not accelerate WMV HDs, where as all 6600s do

6800 would most probably be preferrable if running an extremely large screen where the extra horsepower is needed

the 6600 for WMV acc and component output make it a better value

but really unless you have a HDTV go hardware decoder

yeah although limited in functionality the dedicated decoder will be better in quality of picture and stability
the X card is a purely dedicated decoder
and the MVP is bascially a network decoder
and the pvr 350 has a hardware encoder for recording and the decoder for playback (but some users have hardware compatibilities issues)

the X card and MVP have plug-ins and are better devices than the pvr 350
where as the pvr 350 is fully supported
but personally the MVP and X card seem like much better options
the MVP is probably the best option although no DVD playback
(all three cannot do DVDs (with the X card being able to do DVDs in other apps other than SageTV currently)
but the UI is limited on the number of colors like the X cards'

yeah the image quality and problem free playback should be worth the loss of DVDs especially when you can buy svideo DVDs player for less than an X card or MVP
(@ 80 dollars)

[aoehlke]

so the 6600 is not a hardware decoder?

the rest of your points make good sense to me

[kny3twalker]

no got my edit in late there
sorry
no, the 6600 has hardware assisted decoding
and not a dedicated decoder

[aoehlke]

i see you are using a gforce 6800... why wouldnt you recommend the same thing?

[insomniac]

Because its overkill. The video out is the same.

Originally Posted by aoehlke

i see you are using a gforce 6800... why wouldnt you recommend the same thing?

[stanger89]

I've got a 6800 also (I think I was probably the first one here to get on ). And I love it, but kny makes some very good points. The primary reason I went 6800 over 6600 was because I didn't want to wait.

[mdmint]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I've got a 6800 also (I think I was probably the first one here to get on ). And I love it, but kny makes some very good points. The primary reason I went 6800 over 6600 was because I didn't want to wait.

Plus the 6800 model (ASUS IRRC) you got has a massive heatsink passive cooling, nice feature for HTPC of course! I didn't go the 6800 because of needing component out, hence got the MSI NX6600GT AGP which I am very happy with. (Went MSI based on reviews of it being about the quietest of the 6600GTs) Of course, controlling it's fan with T-Balancer keeps it even quieter!

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mdmint

Plus the 6800 model (ASUS IRRC) you got has a massive heatsink passive cooling, nice feature for HTPC of course!

Gigabyte FWIW, and I think they've got a passively cooled 6600 now

[korben_dallas]

BFG 6600 GT all the way; fast, quiet, and includes the component out cable

[aoehlke]

interesting, thanks for all your inputs.

i read the bfg is the loudest(or near loudest) and the msi is the quietest.
for 300$ canadian, i think its time to upgrade the 9600 ati.
i'm amazed how fast parts get "obsoleted"... like the 9600.
in all, its a solid performer, but is missing soem key features of the 6600 series.

just as a side note, my ati 9600 is a passively colled model from sapphire... i think its called the 9600 ultimate(not XT).
huge sapphire branded heatpipe on it.

i think i'll keep it even after i swap it out for the 6600. maybe try to put another machien together... i'm now also leanign heavily toawrds the silverstone lc11 instead of using my existin antec sonata.

jees, i'm gettin awful cauge up in this and i dont even have sage running yet!

(pvr150 due to arrive wednesday)

[kny3twalker]

I've got a 6800 also (I think I was probably the first one here to get on ). And I love it, but kny makes some very good points. The primary reason I went 6800 over 6600 was because I didn't want to wait.

stanger convinced me on mine and it was my B-day and needed something to buy (also I love gaming so this works well for me)

i see you are using a gforce 6800... why wouldnt you recommend the same thing?

cause I am suggesting buy a dedicated hardware decoder
unless you have plans to upgrade to a HDTV or have a great desire to play PC games on the TV (there are Xbox's and PS2's)

really for quality of picture and stability the hardware decoder is hard to beat with a SDTV

but for video cards
the 6600 is enough
since you have decided to go this way

[Wheemer]

the hardware decoder are not yet such a reliable solution. Aren't people still having issues with the 350's output? Plus it won't play dvds. And the other hardware decoders are not fully functional yet, missing features.

To get the full compatible experience of SageTV currently hareware decoders are not acceptable. Possibly the future may be different, with high hopes towards the xcards development.

[kny3twalker]

well I am not suggesting really the pvr 350
the X card or MVP would be a better option since most people already have a DVD player(or they are very cheap now and can be easily purchased) and the stand alone player will look better than svideo output (although DVDs are nto as bad as recorded TV from svideo video card output)

the X card and MVP work just fine
they are just not fully supported by Frey only through plugins

and the X card and MVP are stable

[aoehlke]

i'd be willing to try an xcard... if the price is reasonable and i can get one in canada. is it pci or agp based? could i keep my radeon 9600 for regular monitor viewing?

[aoehlke]

nevermind, i see its pci 2.1 format... hmmm should i take the plunge with this as opposed to a nvidia 6600?
anyone got any feedback?

also, bear in mind, my viewing screen for now is a 32" trinitron "regular" cr tube tv.
i doubt i will get any kind of new tv for the next 2-3 years.