G400 review feedback ?

[This_Idiot]

Hi,

Site hits are massively up, but I have had very little feedback from the G400-TV review. Has anyone got any feedback ? I'd like notes so that I can do it better next time.

[Gareth Evans]

It looked good apart for the one bit I really needed to know. ie. cost aside, what do I loose by keeping my G400 and getting the RR-G over the TV? In your reply to me last week you hinted that your opinion may have changed since you received the TV version, has it?

Thanks for the good work :-)

Gareth

[CMB]

Hi, nice review

im still having loads of problems using media studio 5.2 though.

the scrathpad freezes when playing back files

thats using 5.25 or 5.30 im tried re-installing matrox drivers and reinstalling media studio in various combinations

and if i put in the media studio presets that are on the marvel cd, it sets it up for NTSC not 704x768
anyone wanna help me out... anyone else have my problem... its driving me nuts!!!!!

thanks
CMB

[This_Idiot]

I'll be running a comparitive test against the G400/RR-G as soon as I've got my hands on the kit. It seems that the G400-TV has a new tuner and TV-O stages, so I need to compare the two to be sure of the quality difference.

CMB, remind me of what kit you are using, I didn't have any problems with Ulead and the G400-TV (apart from those that I mentioned last night in my news post)

[CMB]

Hi This_idiot thanks for helping out! :O)

I have a p3 450@475
Jetway BX2000 MBoard with the latest Via 4 in 1 drivers
128mg
SB Live
SCSI Card
2x2x6 re-writer
2xDVD Drive
12 gig Bigfoot
16 gig IBM Ditta
(scrathes head) i think thats ut
oh and Windows 98 SE

i think ive got it sorted after constantly uninstalling the drivers with matroxs utility
ive got it going fine now with .25
but its weired how when it didnt work i got the same problem as .30 (scratchpad failing)
i wonder if theres a way to do it,
ah well as long as its working im gonna leave it be

I sure would love that turbo GL though, its the main reason a bought a P3 and now i cant use it grrrrrrrrrrr :O(

any idea inside e.t.a. in new vid tools or powerdesk? :O)

[RoGuE]

Nice review Chris, keep up the good work.


------------------
aka Chris H

[CMB]

I spoke to soon
it was working but an hour or two ago
i got ready to assemble some footage and
TADAAAAAAAA
F.U.B.A.R

any idea of what could help??
ive even tried different resoloutions, dvdmax on/off
it seems random, and this is with 5.25 drivers straight of the cd
if i put in the media studio files you get on the cd, its still the same, only im forced to preview with frames, rendering the footage instead of the cutlist

the scratchpad its self is weird
sometimes it works, other times its jerky and sporadic,
but.. once its played through the clip...
its times out of ten its ok.

its just really irritating to have to play through a 3 minute capture....

This_Idiot.. are you using windows SE???
could that be my problem?
i switched to SE when i did the big re-install ....?

[This_Idiot]

CMB,

So far I've only reviewed under W95. I've loaded up W98 (non-SE) ready to run over all the tests again, but so far I haven't got started. Maybe tomorrow (although I should be studying for my MSP really)

I'll let you know

Cheers

Chris

[Riktar]

Hi Chris,
I keep hearing that the video captured by the G400 Marvel looks better than the G200 Marvel. You seemed to suggest that in your review. If I misread that I apologize. What I was wondering was if you think the G400 looks better than the G200 flavor of Marvel?

[CMB]

Hiya!!!

This_Idiot
id like to thank you for your help, and i think ive fixed it

while reading these forums, ive glemaed info.
that its best to install powerdesk, mediastudio, then Vid tools??

i also read that you should switch of video shadowing, ect in the bios
so i have also been altering those settings

it occured to me today that the scratch pad is having a problem while accessing the hard drive, as once the file has playd through it is usually ok if a little jumpy

so i went back into the bios and set everything to 'detetce optimum settings'

and then installd software as described above

and it works :O)
im using 5.30 with .51 vid tools and so far
Ulead is fine

also if hard disk access was the problem, it could also account for why unreal tournamnet jerked like mad when i tried it

i hope this info helps you to help others :O)

(and you did write a good review, spot on)
the only thing i would add is descriptions of the TV out, i had a G200 and was dissapointed with the black border on the tv out. I feel you should point out that alothough Mjpeg and DVD's are full screen fine, the DVD clone option still has those annoying borders)
im sure a lot of Marvel G2 owners will want to know that :O)

as for me im dead happy now, i can stop obsessing :O)

i finished my video assignment (an a to z of the simpsons) and just treat my self to a game of quake 2

last time i played it was on a voodoo 2
now i played it at 1024x768 and it was VERY smooth and gorgeous looking
very nice :O) so this is what my freinds meant when they said the voddoo image
quality was crap :O)

Thanks again
CMB

[This_Idiot]

Hi Riktar,

Obviously I didn't make the point strong enough in the review. Yes, both the TV tuning AND TV output of the G400-TV are superior to the G200 Marvel. I'm not talking about oscilloscope values here, I'm talking big eyes and WOW. But take a tip from me, go and see one in action.

CMB, glad you got a result. Funnily enough I read that forum post a night or two back (I think it was Doc that posted it). I've always installed Powerdesk, then VTs then UleadMS. I don't know what the difference should be, but I figure that getting the registry set up with the QC and HDTest entries before anything else should help out.

Any offers ?

[CMB]

AAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

it was all working fine!!!!
then i did a silly thing
I rebooted???????
now its like it was before

all i did was switch off, go to work and then come back agghhhhh
(BANGS HEAD AGAINST WALL)
I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND

it must be something to do with HD access cause once a hort clip plays though, i usually regain at least some control

can you think of anything else to help????

call me picky but i really cant be bother to uninstall everything, and reinstall, just because i want to video edit properly

agggghhhhhhh
booo hoooo :O(
please please please help :O)

[This_Idiot]

Well don't you just love when a plan comes together ?

OK, we'll assume that your BIOS settings are OK now because you don't have the option of NOT rebooting after changing them.

That leaves the drivers. Matrox "officially" released the 5.30s with support for VTs tonight. I don't know if there is anything major in this 5.30 release that would help you.

I suggest that you uninstall the VTs and any other vid program that you are using. Then download and run the Matrox uninstall utility and tell it to uninstall everything. DON'T let it reboot immediately, and then run regclean to give that registry a good hoover. Then reboot and windows is going to give you that old "new HW" routine. Try to either cancel out of it (sometimes works) or tell it you have your own disk. Point it at the 5.30 drivers and let them install. Reboot. Now load the VTs, making sure that you use the default directory !!! Make sure that you get the QuickConnect and HDtests run. Then install MS.

Reboot one more time and cross all of your fingers, turn anti-clockwise 13 times and spit over your left shoulder.

[CMB]

im downloading them now..
reading in the 'whats new release'
under main fixes it says 'fixed scrubbing'

hmmmmm i wonder.... isnt that viewing the scratchpad???

maybe....
i think i should spit twice just incase

<fingers crossed then>

and thanks for caring :O)

just think of the fun and games im gonna have when i try and get half life going
WOO HOO!!!!!!!

[This_Idiot]

Well personally I reload windows whenever I get bored just for the hell of it. Always gives me a buzz not knowing whether it will ever work again.

It's like the couch potatoes version of bungie jumping using knicker elastic

Good luck, and be careful what direction you are spitting in. Hot CPUs don't like getting damp