Re: Re: Home Video Server?

[Ian Lowe <ian@xxxxxxx>]

--- ewenjc <ewenjc@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> We seem to have a few video card experts on the list.  I've been
> waiting for the Matrox G450 Marvel as it has "dual head"
(you can
> output a DVD to TV and read your email on the monitor at the same
> time) and it has hardware MPEG2 compression.  It should be better
> than the G400 and comes with PVR software.
>
> Do you (the experts) think it is worth waiting for or can the same
> functionality be achieved another way?

My thoughts on MP2 Hardware Compression are well know by now... :)

Dual Head is cool, although no use for me: my TV machine doesn't have a
monitor, it uses the TV for all display.

I also use a hardware MPEG-2 DEcoder card, the Holywood Plus from sigma
designs (on scan for only £39!) which handles DVD. Whilst the PC (an
800MHZ PIII could easily handle the load, I use the DVD card for it's
cool features (like being able to translate NTSC to PAL on the fly, or
switch a widescreen movie to Pan and Scan mode)

Basically, horses for courses. if MAtrox are still using that
ridiculous M-JPEG Voron engine thing on the G450, don't wait. It blows,
no matter how fast they make it.

at the current price point, an ATI AIW128 is cheap enough that you
could decide you don't like it, and use it in a second VCR machine as
Keith was describing...

Ian.

=====
>+++
Ian R Lowe. Director, Wintermute Consultancy Ltd.
e-mail: ian@xxxxxxx
Onward and Upward! Towards Ascension!

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/