Building HTPC, Xcard, Need advice!!

Hi all, thank you in advance for any help or suggestion. I just start building my HTPC with some old parts. I mainly just it to play Divx and currectly it's doing its job just fine. But sometime with Direct-Show Vobsub Subtitles it will get slow and then out of sync.


I read about this Xcard from Sigma Design that can decode Mpeg4 (divx v4+). It have Component output so I can get better PQ to my HD Ready TV that have YCrCb input only.



My question is...I want to connect Xcard to my HD ready TV thru Component (YCrCb) and I want to be able to see Window desktop without extra monitor connected to the PC. So I can do it with VGA passthru? Now do I Had to Have a Transcoder in order for this to work??


1. (Watch movie as well as see desktop) Will it work?

Video Card --VGA (passthru) SVideo??? --> Xcard --YCrCb--> TV


2. (Watch movie as well as see desktop) Or this only?

Video Card --VGA (passthru) SVideo??? --> Xcard -- VGA (transcoder) YCrCb --> TV


The reason I put Svideo??? is I look at the VGA in of the Xcard and it look like an S-video connector? or thats how it suppose to look?