groovyclam
Active Member
I'm just about to build my first HTPC, it will be used to watch DVDs, family photos, and record from a SkyDigital box ( and watch the recordings obviously )
I've already chosen a SweetSpot to get RGB in from the SkyBox and I am now considering the card I require for output to a CRT widescreen Panasonic telly.
I have read that you can rig-up a cable to allow RGB-out from the VGA port of Radeon 9000 series cards, so that is the way I want to go to get RGB all the way from the SkyBox to the telly.
1) My first question is a bit dumb, but I need to ask it -> will you get RGB with the modded cable with Radeon 9000 series cards from *any* manufacturer ? I can't seem to find info that says it has to be any particular manufacturer. Some people talk about "ATI cards" when doing the RGB output but I presume they mean the Radeon chipset rather than a Radeon card specifically manufactured by ATI. Or do I actually need an ATI manufactured card ?
2) My next question is should I go 9200 or 9600 -> I won't be playing PC games on the HTPC - it will just be for recording/watching
TV and DVD. Is there a significant difference between these two cards for those functions ? Can the 9200 cope with displaying fast pans and such ? I can't stand banding or blocking so do I need a 9600 or will a 9200 suffice ?
3) I want a card without a fan - the 9200s seem to not have fans but do all 9600s have fans ?
4) Is there any picture quality difference between the manufacturers ? Will a dabs own-brand card give the same quality as the same chipset Sapphire for instance ?
4) Finally what exactly is VIVO ? From what I can gather it seems to be a way to make the s-video port bi-directional. Is this true of all Radeon cards ? Does it need a special cable or special software ? If so, do these come with the card ? Can a VIVO card be used as another input capture device at the same time as displaying something else ? Can a VIVO input be used with ShowShifter for instance ?
I've already chosen a SweetSpot to get RGB in from the SkyBox and I am now considering the card I require for output to a CRT widescreen Panasonic telly.
I have read that you can rig-up a cable to allow RGB-out from the VGA port of Radeon 9000 series cards, so that is the way I want to go to get RGB all the way from the SkyBox to the telly.
1) My first question is a bit dumb, but I need to ask it -> will you get RGB with the modded cable with Radeon 9000 series cards from *any* manufacturer ? I can't seem to find info that says it has to be any particular manufacturer. Some people talk about "ATI cards" when doing the RGB output but I presume they mean the Radeon chipset rather than a Radeon card specifically manufactured by ATI. Or do I actually need an ATI manufactured card ?
2) My next question is should I go 9200 or 9600 -> I won't be playing PC games on the HTPC - it will just be for recording/watching
TV and DVD. Is there a significant difference between these two cards for those functions ? Can the 9200 cope with displaying fast pans and such ? I can't stand banding or blocking so do I need a 9600 or will a 9200 suffice ?
3) I want a card without a fan - the 9200s seem to not have fans but do all 9600s have fans ?
4) Is there any picture quality difference between the manufacturers ? Will a dabs own-brand card give the same quality as the same chipset Sapphire for instance ?
4) Finally what exactly is VIVO ? From what I can gather it seems to be a way to make the s-video port bi-directional. Is this true of all Radeon cards ? Does it need a special cable or special software ? If so, do these come with the card ? Can a VIVO card be used as another input capture device at the same time as displaying something else ? Can a VIVO input be used with ShowShifter for instance ?