TV-Tuner Card

[X-Caliber]

why not get a high definition card?

[mutz]

Hi X, who makes them?

[az]

Is there even HDTV where you live, mutz? (Switzerland, I believe?)

AZ

[mutz]

Haha, dunno. Just curious who makes them and where the whole HDTV thing is at. It has been a theme for ages that never seems to get off the ground, I think because standards cannot be agreed.

[az]

It's already a reality for the US, AFAIK, at least for certain pay-TV channels like HBO etc.

It won't get off the ground anytime soon in europe, though.

AZ

[X-Caliber]

http://www.digitalconnection.com/

Take a look here, they have lots of cool stuff - including HDTV cards. Sorry I don't know if HDTV is available in Europe. I want to get one, but it requires a pass through cable from my video card, which I will NEVER do. I am waiting for someone to build a really good video card, with an HDTV daughtercard - similiar in design to the RRG and G400, ie: a direct connection!

[X-Caliber]

This is just one of many on the market:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/mdp120.asp

[Wombat]

HDTV is here in the US, but the damn standard keeps changing. 6 month old HDTVs can be incompatible with the newest new standard (they're trying to copy-protect the video).

[X-Caliber]

Is there a TV tuner card that can be used with a Parhelia, without using a pass-through cable?

[mutz]

Don't know what you mean X. I've had four different TV cards in the last 4-5 years and they just reside in a PCI slot like any other card. I seem to remember eight years ago or so I had a Mellinium I that was connected to a frame grabber or something over the features connector, but that's all.

On AZ's advice I just bought a Terratec Cinergy 600 TV card, which again is just plugged into a PCI slot. The only cable to another card is to the sound card. Maybe I'm missing something...

[X-Caliber]

Ever since I got my RRG/G400 combo, I have stopped looking at other TV tuner cards - but lately....

What I was referring to can be seen here:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/Support/cliffnotes_14.htm

If you look at configuration1, you will see a pass through cable, so the output from the video card goes to an input of the HDTV tuner card (this concept of a passthrough cable was very common with Hauppauge cards a while back - haven't looked since though). So I guess your new card doesn't need one of those, which kills signal quality!

How is your Terratec? and what type of video card do you have?

Thanks,

-X-

[mutz]

I have a Parhelia 256 and the Terratec Cinergy 600. The pic quality is not bad, but the main thing is its stability and ease of use. I can swing the TV window from display to display with it only hiccupping once or twice. The sound quality and stereo rendering is much better than the Pinnacle had. I really like the RDS on the radio too.

The HDTV probably would need a pass to the graphics card so as not to bog down the buss. But if I look at that HDTV rig-up I think nah, I'll take another look in a year or two.

[Admiral]

Originally posted by Marshmallowman
Philips SAA7134 is the PAL kind of chip buit does support some NTSC stuff

Philips SAA7133 is the NTSC flavour..japan/usa

The flyvideo is available in both flavours depending on yuour region.

I have SAA7134 pal version

http://www.lifeview.com.tw/eng/pro_pci_chart.html

As bargain cards go they are very good.

How good is the software for it ?
I can find the FlyVideo 3000 for ~40 Euros here.

[Marshmallowman]

The software is defintely getting a lot better, eg they have added direct mpeg2 capture recently..

And the wdm driver(WHQL) allows you to use any bit of WDM compatible software you want ulead, virtualvcr, virtual dub showshifter....and even ATI mmc software(if you have an ATI video card)

However they have just done a major overhaul of the capture/scheduleing software, so I have to get grips with the new way it operates, but it does do good captures at full 720x576 pal and does not crash. Previously I use to use virtualVCR or AI mmc, but now I use flyvideos TVR software almost excluisively. I will sometimes go back to virtual dub, because it a lot easy to play around with codecs, and I have grown so familiar with it.

Good hardware and capture driver is good. The software is not the best...but it is as good as cinergy stuff

[Admiral]

Cool, my current Leadtek TV2000XP Deluxe does allow for a whole lot of capture standards and the software is good (except for the fine tuning where I would've liked a manual option istead of auto fine tune) but the TV reception on it isn't that great and FM reception sucks, can't get more than a couple of radio stations.
I'm looking mainly for a TV/FM card and secondary a capture card, so if the reception is good (Philips chip) and it can capture at 720x576 pal in mpeg2, it's great .
Actually, it's my brother who needs a TV tuner but I get tot pick and test it, so I can choose between the two depending on which I like

Can it switch from window to full screen with the remote ?