g400+full screen DVD capture

[keithm]

Here am I considering buying a DVD writer and now I find I can't capture video at DVD resolution (720x576): is there any way to grab at this resolution with a Marvel G400 or am I just wasting my time! It would appear the marvel's top resolution is 704x576.

[Rob100]

Just capture at 704x576 and add 8 pixels to either side when feeding to your MPEG encoder, using AviSynth etc.

Another alternative would be to capture at 352x576 with the Marvel as this is a valid DVD resolution, just depends if the authoring software will accept it (some don't).

Rob.

[Sciascia]

Or you could just be an "ATI AIW Radeon 8500DV --This changes everything-- sellout" like me.

God, what a lame ad. Luckily the card ain't lame.

• 720*480 (NTSC flavored of course)
• 48 kHz audio capture
• full framerate realtime MPEG2 compression
• up to 15Mb/sec (I think)

It is surprisingly high quality and it works like a dream, especially with the newest MMC TV/capture and the newest ATI Catalyst 2.2 Display drivers. These guys have been pumping out new drivers faster than I can install them. Best part is that the last 2 months, they have all worked, with just minor increases in speed and what not.

I would steer clear of the 8500DV version and get the AIW8500 128M version, less issues with compatible MB's there, but both are fine cards.

Or you cold stick it out with Matrox, like so many of us did/are. I was weak and am thankful I was.

[arbymo]

sorry for being out of topic ...

... but i couldn't help it.

Sciascia, does the AIW 7500 have the same quality and capabilities as the AIW 8500 ?? besides that it's missing the DV part.
thanks anyway

[Sciascia]

Yes, the main differences are the DV and the 3D is a little slower in the 7500, though usually not an issue.

[Fred H]

There are many bad rapports about the R8500 compatibility with Epox MB.
Is it an issue of the VIA chip on Epox only?
Or, should Hercules AIW 8500 work with the AMD761 north bridge (my MB)?

I am just thinking to switch over to AIW 8500, alternative to Asus V8420 Deluxe (Gforce4 Ti4200 with video In).
At the present, I capture only analogue, not DV, and just for this, keeping my Marvel G400-TV is quite enough, as a third alt. Only the 16 MB RAM is the problem.

Parhelia + a capture card is not a solution “for me”, because my low activity of capturing/editing video.

Any comments/ideas, please?

Fred H

[Sciascia]

There are some reports of issues with the DV version and some of the MB's out there. The issue was firewire woldn't capture video and the first few frames of high banwidth captures would be dropped. I happened to be one of the victims. It is easily resolved by disabling the firewire port or as I decided to do, buy a compatible MB. I got a good deal and someone was willing to buy my old system for a fair price. Total upgrade for MB, CPU and ram went about $200. Can't complain about that at all.

If you plan on gaming, steer clear of the 7500 series. Not bad, just a little underperforming compared to the 8500. It misses some of the HW acceleration features as well. If you don't plan on going with DV, get an AIW 128, they are fast, lots of ram and don't have the compatability issues the DV version had. They also have an analog tuner which is supposed to be a little nicer than the all silicon on my card and a little cooler.

If you want an all in one solution, ATI is the only game in town anymore. I tried to wait it out for Matrox, but as soon as they dropped the consumer line Marvels, I was gone. It as hard at first, but I am defintely happy these days.

If you plan on editing (serious, multi layer, transitions, effects) then you can still get great products using the ATI and PicVideo. Editing with MPEG really isn't a good idea even these days. The quality of PicVideo is very inmpressive and avi editing is still the best option.

For one time, just a few cuts here and there capturing , the MPEG2 qulaity of the ATI is incredible. This is great for people doing archiving of TV shows and what not. A lot of people use it for SVCD and have great results in realtime capture. I did a time delayed capture of some football last night and while it wasn't the best I ever saw, it was SVCD spec and I didn't tweak the profile to get maximum ME settings either. It went without incident and I was pretty happy. The source video left a little to be desired as the bandwidth of the satellite it is coming down is pretty narrow and it is already highly compressed. It still did an admirable job.

[Fred H]

Thanks, Sciascia
My replay was (silently) addressed to you, because I remember your earlier posts here at this Forum, about your AIW 8500.

Now, it is not a hurry for me to purchase a new video card, but hanging around here and on different forums, I realize that my trusty Marvel G400 is ready to be retired (I am also retired so I know how it feels J ) It could be time for something better. Or must I upgrade the MarvelG400 ?

Do you mean that the MB related issue is only an onboard DV issue? Have you any information about that the incompatibility depends on the chipset? Is the AMD 761 (NB) more compatible than the VIA N-Bridge? Are generally all Epox boards causing errors with R8500 disregarding the chipset?
I’m not prepared, just now, to purchase a new MB. My wife should kill me if I’ll tell her that my new MB must be changed, just because I will a new expensive video card. (and I have another dream too, to by a new DV camcorder. I am already death… )

The 7500 could be a solution, but the higher price of the 8500 is not the major problem. But a much higher price for Parhelia and a capture card have no motivation for me.
I need analog video in/out, dual display (VGA/TV), Tv tuner, HW MPEG and DVD, at least 64 MB.
The AIW 8500 is ideal disregarding the MB issues. I already capture using AVI_IO and PICVideo.
What do you mean “AIW 128? No AIW Radeon 8500/128 is available here in Sweden. Couldn't find a reseller.
Finaly, I am just investigating which one will be the best card for me.


Regards,
Fred H

[Sciascia]

FredH

You can start by looking at this thread about firewire issues and MB's. It ain't pretty. Then you can check here for a list of approved MB's from ATI for the 8500DV. Here is a link to the AIW 8500 128 page, it is PAL as well, may just be hard to find.

The Rage3D forum is ok, not nearly the knowledge base as here and a lot of younger hardheads, but they get alot of driver leaks and they post the news fast. There are a lot of guys complaining about their cards, but alot of them have overclocked systems, illegal SW, and have little idea about what they are doing. Add the fact that 90% of them use SBLive! cards in there as well (because it is the "best") and you can see what kind of problems they have. Most of them are also high school kids, so read each post with a grain of salt.

Do some comparisons, read the horror stories and success stories and decide. I am sure that you could resell/trade it or return it if you aren't happy, since it is still pretty new. I really doubt that after getting used to it you would part with it though. Do some reading and decide for yourself. I don't want to be responsible for someone being unhappy.

[Fred H]

Sciscia,

Thank you very much for the excellent work.

At the links in your post I can see that there are hope and people solved the heaviest issues with this card.
And, because I don’t own any DV camcorder, yet, I think this card is something to consider anyway.
The price of the Hercules Prophet AIW 8500DV went down with about 100$ here and an extra cheap firewire card could be a solution in the future (for me).
It will be interesting to wait and see, when the 128 cards comes.

Your reply is a clearly encouraged me to keep my eyes on this card. Thanks.

And sorry Matrox, about discussing non Matrox products, but this Forum is, anyway a very professional place to get info over everything, not only Matrox related questions.

Fred H