ATI8500DV DV port, MPEG2 capture fiasco

[IM_Riktar]

Hi Doc,

G-450 (or better yet: a Parhelia, when they hit)

As a user of the G400 in the Marvel and MAX flavors, I am wondering how the new cards will compare to the better than excellent 2D qualities of the afore mentioned.

The only comparison to any of the newer offerings from Matrox is the G450 PCI which is in the wife's Dell, and which she steadfastly refuses (grrrr) to let me "experiment" with.

Since the 2d quality, and DVDMAX is my primary concern, is there any reason that the latest offerings from Matrox are going to outdo the above mentioned cards?

I can't see any advantage to even the G450 over my G400's, other than the G450 is a PCI model which was a mandate for the wife's AGP-less Dell. And since I am satisfied with W2k I have no intention of lining Billy Boy's pockets to get his latest OS (XP=eXtra Problems?)

[Dr Mordrid]

Good for you. If you're having no problems with Win2K then stick with it and leave XP to those comfortable with being paying betatesters

The difference between a G400/450 and a Parhelia is about the difference between a Piper Comanche and a Rutan Proteus

Dr. Mordrid

[IM_Riktar]

The difference between a G400/450 and a Parhelia is about the difference between a Piper Comanche and a Rutan Proteus

Well than, since I have no desire to run something that takes 2 to operate, I'll stick to my G400. But hey, that's me.

[Hulk]

I think that for the most part everybody who frequents this forum is a relatively advanced user and knows their particular needs very well.

I am using a Matrox G450 with Windows XP and really don't have any complaints. Yes, the field order when recording is reversed but that is easily corrected in the codec settings.

As for the drivers, my current system doesn't go down, really. I think I've had one crash since December and I was doing something really stupid when it happened. I watch tv, compress video, edit video, browse the web, etc all the time, at the same time with 100% stability.

The G450etv is suiting my needs perfectly right now because good 2D quality, good TV Out, and a good TV tuner are my priorities. If someone comes out with a card that can do those three things better than the G450etv and improve on the analog capture and 3D performance then I will buy it. Assuming it is stable of course.

I have had a few AIW's and they suited my needs at that time. Perhaps one day I will have another ATI card in my system. The thing is everytime I start thinking about a new video card I keep thinking about how my Matrox card simply WORKS! No driver downloads or major issues. It just sits there and does what I need it to.

I would send ATI an email or two expressing your displeasure with your issue and leave it at that. Enjoy the card for what it does do well.

[Sciascia]

UPDATE!!!

Well after an interesting evening (not for me but a close friend that had a meltdown in his PC) I got an oppurtunity to upgrade my PC. I went and researched the ATI compatible MB chart and picked up an MSI K7T266 Pro2 MB and an XP 2000 and 512M DDR ram. All issues are resolved. So it in fact does work as advertised (very well I might add) and My friend got an incredible deal and a slight upgrade as well.

I didn't even reinstall the OS yet. just slapped it in there and it detected everything without a hitch. Of course I will be reformatting this week when I get some time.

[Hulk]

Sorry to sound like a broken record by asking this same question but I'm really interested in this card IF it can do the DVD max thing.

Is there a DVD max feature?

If so, how is the output quality and does the picture fill the entire TV screen?

Thanks so much.

Mark

[Sciascia]

Yes there is, it is only for video playback and only works in overlay mode. Some formats don't work, like Picvideo. The aspect ratio issues have been fixed in the last few sets of drivers and it does scale to full screen regardless of dsktop resolution.

Problem is that it does ont work well foro video editing like the the G400 did. When you start the playback of the clip, the monitor flashes while the TV sets up for playback.

DVD's look great though and the remote control actually works vey well.

[Hulk]

Thanks for getting back.

So it works like DVDmax as long as the source files are MPEG format, that's not bad since most of my DVDmax use is for that format anyway.

Mark

[Sciascia]

Yes MPEGs are fine, but other formats playback as well. It just seems that it is an Overlay issue. Some avi codecs use it some do not I imagine. PicVideo seems to not be one of them.

[JoeDaring]

ATI8500DV DV Port compliance...

Hi all...

This D****d forum is making me sick again with the incurable "Videoedit Fever"! ;-)

Just have a question...

While I'm still investigating wether it's worth to try and have the Marvel G200 installed in WinXP (Thanks to anybody that commented on this in my previous post!), I may have the chance to buy an ATI/Hercules AIW 8500DV for a fair price...

Have read wonders (!) about this card, but just have a question...

Are the FireWire ports on the DV version of this card OHCI compliant???

Could not find any info on this subject... Oh! By the way... I know there are some MOBO incompatibilities, but eventual OHCI compliance comes first... (Anyway... ASUS CUSL-2 here...)...

If they aren't... I think I'll better follow Doc's and Brian's advice of avoid "embedded" things... (Brian... your comparison with your experience with your first drill back' in the 50s was exhilarating, but quite to the point!

Thanks everybody willing to share info!

Ciao! Joe Daring, Italy