Has ANYONE else had this problem???

[KRSESQ]

My replacement Marvel G200 AGP-TV card has crapped out on me!

I recieved this card in exchange for my old one in August. Now it is having the EXACT SAME problem:

When the BOB is connected it refuses to identify itself as a TV Tuner card. When the BOB is disconnected it properly identifies itself until the BOB is reconnected. Needless to say, this seriously compromises the card's functionality.

Someone please give me a good reason to make my next capture card a Matrox.

If this wasn't bad enough, it comes immediately on the heels of my trusty old camcorder dying on me!

Has ANYONE else had an experience like this?

Kevin

[jeff b]

I'd check the BOB's pinouts for short circuits after that experience...

As far as having an experience like this, I got laid off from a job about 12 years ago, and the next day my car's transmission crapped out. A couple days later, there was a small fire in my apartment building!

But I digress...

When you got a new card replacement from Matrox, was it the whole package with a new BOB, or are you still using the original one?

Jeff B

[KRSESQ]

Jeff:
I sent my old card in BOB and all. They sent me what I assume was a full replacement. I have no way to be certain, however...

The pins on the cabling all look good. I don't do a whole lot of unplugging and switching around.

Don't get me started on what a month I've been having!

Kevin

[jeff b]

Well, Kevin, the only other thing that might lead you towards a solution is the fact that, in some cases, a card socket can be a slightly imperfect match for the card that's plugged into it. I have a computer at work that I end up going into about once every three months, because the guy who uses it will suddenly have no video. I take the AGP card out, and put it right back in, then he's good for a couple more months...

This kind of thing used to be more of a problem in the old days with ISA cards, where every once in a while you'd get a card that simply didn't align in the slot at all. The one at work, though, I think may be a case of the AGP socket on the motherboard having some slight imperfection, or maybe just one finger being slightly bent... and I'm too lazy to take the whole board out and go over it with a magnifying glass!

Hope that you can resolve the dilemma with your situation, because it's always much more fun to spend time editing than configuring/tweaking/repairing.

Jeff B

[KRSESQ]

Just an update for anyone interested:

I've been in contact with Daniel Lawrence of Matrox Email tech support. He suggested I try a new power supply, as the Marvel G200 is supposedly quite finicky about the amount of juice it gets.

I installed a new power supply, but the problem persists. I have requested an RMA number for a SECOND replacement for this board.

This situation is becoming intolerable. I can't afford a new capture card, and I certainly can't get any work done as things currently stand.

This has left a very bitter taste in my mouth as far as Matrox products are concerned.

Forgive me for using the forum to vent, but I expected far better quality from Matrox than this, especially since this was not a cheap card!

I guess that's the risk one takes for being an early adopter.

Going to get VERY VERY drunk now.

Kevin

[wkulecz]

Third time was a charm for me.

Perhaps for you too.

With your camcorder also dead, perhaps a move to DV is in order. If your analog stuff is 8mm or Hi8 the Sony D8 models may be just right and they're not too much more than twice what you paid for your Marvel if you shop the WEB. Add a cheap (~$90) Pyro firewire card and you may never miss your Marvel.

--wally.

[Dr Mordrid]

Unless he wants to do keyed effects, high quality MPEG, VCD, SVCD or streaming video....then he'll want an analog card to capture YUY2 (YCrCb) with.

Dr. Mordrid

[wkulecz]

Supposedly all you need to do is change the blue screen to green for color key effects with DV. Getting it lit correctly is the biggest problem. I've had enought trouble with blue screen projects in still photography that I'm in no hurry to attempt this with video!

As for YUV (YUY2) a cheap Hauppauge card seems to work quite nicely. But I'm not completely sure the improvement is worth the hassle for MPEG, VCD, SVCD or streaming video. Are you claming we need analog camcorders for such projects? Analog captures from digital camcorders will make no difference if the DV is processed correcly in making the MPEG or whatever (a slight horizontal blur to match the analog lowpass). The color space is reduced going to the DV tape and an analog capture of it won't restore colors that aren't there. Analog capture will add some small amount of noise that was not on the DV tape.

I sort of agree with you that it seems I get slightly better MPEGs with analog captures from my cable box than I do from my original camcorder DV sources, but its not an apples to apples comparison. Just my subjective opinion of the level of artifacts in my somewhat limited playing around with this high compression stuff. I'm also not sure MSPro has the right filter to only blur the H and leave the V alone.

Most non-DVD MPEG stuff I've seen is basically crap, but the exceptions are spectacular. I can't tell if they really have a better workflow or got lucky on the subject matter. I mean, I can find 10 seconds of impressive MPEG from my DV sources and claim its typical, but if you look at an hours worth it obviously wasn't.

I've commented in other threads on the impressive 300K streaming I saw in Eminems "infomercial parody" video and the total crap in the newest Fastball video on VH1.com (also 300K). The infomercial was basically just "talking heads", while Fastball had lots of high motion scenes.

--wally.


[This message has been edited by wkulecz (edited 13 October 2000).]