[stubernaut]

My TV has VGA, SVGA and component inputs. I figure I might as well use them for something, so I've considered getting an ATI AIW 8500 128 meg card (for all the features it presents), as well as a cap card that works w/Dscaler plus a PCI video card. Might make for some nice a/b comparison opportunity, but...


1. Does Dscaler de-interlace a signal on it's way in (thru the tuner) or on it's way out (thru the video card)? Picture this. If I wanted to watch one program while recording another to my hard drive, I might use the tuner on the AIW to watch, and the Pinnacle, or whatever, plus some PVR software to record. Would the signal being recorded run thru Dscaler on it's way to the hard drive, or would the algorithms be crunched as it was being played back? If the signal went thru Dscaler and into storage, would the AIW be able to play it? Is a sound card necessary for PVR or does it only come in during play back?


2. My TV has twin tuner picture-in-picture. Is this feature going to go bye-bye in an HTPC setup? I know ATI's Media Center has 6 thumbnail previews, but it seems like only one is live at a time, and I've never seen it mentioned whether you could watch one shown full-screen, while keeping track of another in a small window.


Any other related issues? Thanks,


Shaun

 

[HomeVideoGuy]

1. dScaler uses the capture chipset on the TV Tuner card to take the video from an external source (built-in tuner, S-Video or Composite) and deinterlace it and display it thru the video card. It works in conjunction with the TV tuner card to provide an overlay that is displayable by the video card. It has limited if any PVR functionality and is only capable of deinterlacing external video feed not video from a harddrive. You would need recording software (such as PowerVCR) that is compatible with your tuner card to record video to your harddrive. You would then play it back with the appropriate video software. The AIW DVD software could be used if the video was recorded in MPEG2 format.


2. Your twin tuners are for NTSC input not VGA from an HTPC and would go bye-bye.

 

[HomeVideoGuy]

1. Sound card is necessary for PVR if you want your recording to have sound when recorded from an S-Video or composite input.

 

[stubernaut]

What...no GOOD news, Homevideoguy .


It sounds like you're saying that I would need 2 tuners, 2 sound cards and 1 1/2 video cards (the AIW being tuner and VC), simply to watch one show while recording another...or to switch from my VGA mode to SVGA mode!!!


Yow

 

[HomeVideoGuy]

1 TV tuner and recording software to record from tuner input ( 1 soundcard to input audio for S-Video or composite input). 1 TV Tuner card, 1 soundcard, 1 video card to watch another show. 2 video cards to have two discrete, dedicated VGA and seperate SVGA outputs or watch what you are recording while watching what you are watching. Could get by with 1 video card if you recorded and viewed in two seperate windows on the same desktop but would also have to split the output and switch modes in Windows from VGA-SVGA-VGA.


Or build two HTPCs.

 

[stubernaut]

Ever seen a 3-way coax splitter? That way I could feed the TV cable into 2 separate capture cards as well as directly into my TV. I wonder if there's a big hit in PQ.

My surround receiver has plenty of inputs and listening modes.

I'm trying to make sure my woman can watch TV any way she wants. If it gets to be too much hassle, she'll just tell me to forget it and spend the cash on finishing the basement. Hmmmm...I could probably do stadium seating down there