7600GT agp will be the best bang for buck card & is HDTV ready with a s-vhs--HDTV component dongle included.Trig wrote: Ok Mr Hippy font'o'all knowledge...
I want to replace the onboard gfx in my shuttle with an AGP card that will let me run in the default res of my TFT TV and allow me to have a decent input into the TV...
Media Centre Project
Moderator: Claw
Trig wrote: LInky?
<a href="http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... =GX-092-LT" target="_blank">Wipey Arsey
</a>Thats the GS, which would suffice.
<a href="http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... =GX-088-LT" target="_blank">This is the GT, a few more quid as you can see.</a>
Hippy wrote: The gfx card will work but will definitely be your bottleneck there. Dont expect to play HD video without it stuttering.
edit: get the remote, you'll be lost without it. The one with your tv card will be next to useless for media center.
Check here for plenty of advice <a href="http://thegreenbutton.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">http://thegreenbutton.com/default.aspx</a>
I'm going to get the remote with my copy of Vista, just wanted to see exactly what I got with the sound card and speakers etc.
I'd love to get a better video card but I'll be damned if I can find anything half height AGP with TV out at the moment
I'm sure in the not too distant future I'll upgrade to a higher spec PC that I can still use all the gear I've just ordered and at that point I can spend a lot more on an AGP card with DVI and TV out etc that will be more than beefy enough!I've just reinstalled everything on a new 200gb drive and just waiting for the PCTV card and I'm set to go. Just got to give the lounge a lick of paint next week and I'll be ready to get it all installed
Nellyboy wrote: Am I right in thinking the tv cards are for aerial connection only and you still connect to the lcdtv through the graphics card? I got me a dvi2hdmi cable off ebay for £7 delivered.
Nells
Correct. The TV card I'm getting has one aerial input and splits that into tow freeview signals (one to watch one to record) and then the graphics card has a TV out that will go to my cheapass non HD ready asda special TV
HDTV ready gfx cards are a bit of a gimmick really. If you connect to any flat panel with a digital connection you (normally) get the option of hd output.
I know on my fx5200, in the pull down menu for resolutions, it has 720p, 720i and 1080p listed (although for some reason it looks rubbish, so i use the native resolution of the tv instead, which is actually higher than 720).
The only benefit i can see with an HDTV ready gfx card is that you get component output, but i just use a d-sub to component lead which looks spot on.
This is where choosing the right tv comes into play, many cheaper tv's have rectangular pixels which means the resolution is not a true HD resolution (less horizantal pixels than with square), the tv will have to decode the image before displaying it. If you choose a tv with the correct number of square pixels and the right connections on the back (namely componant), only then will you be able to get true HD
It's all about the native resolution of the TV, not the compatible resolution.
I.e. you want to display true 720p, you need a tv with 1280 x 720 pixels, and run a display resolution of 1280 x 720 progressive, hence why 1080i is not really possible at the moment because it's an emulated resolution.
<a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/native-resolution" target="_blank">http://www.answers.com/topic/native-resolution</a>
I know on my fx5200, in the pull down menu for resolutions, it has 720p, 720i and 1080p listed (although for some reason it looks rubbish, so i use the native resolution of the tv instead, which is actually higher than 720).
The only benefit i can see with an HDTV ready gfx card is that you get component output, but i just use a d-sub to component lead which looks spot on.
This is where choosing the right tv comes into play, many cheaper tv's have rectangular pixels which means the resolution is not a true HD resolution (less horizantal pixels than with square), the tv will have to decode the image before displaying it. If you choose a tv with the correct number of square pixels and the right connections on the back (namely componant), only then will you be able to get true HD
It's all about the native resolution of the TV, not the compatible resolution.
I.e. you want to display true 720p, you need a tv with 1280 x 720 pixels, and run a display resolution of 1280 x 720 progressive, hence why 1080i is not really possible at the moment because it's an emulated resolution.
<a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/native-resolution" target="_blank">http://www.answers.com/topic/native-resolution</a>
Last edited by Hippy on Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
Well ideally you want to run the exact same screen res as the tv's native resolution yes. That will mean one pixel = one pixel
If you cant, then you should run it at the same aspect ratio, a multiple of your screens native res.
Running half the res of your screen will make 1 pixel = 4 pixels on the screen.
What's the native res of your screen?
If you cant, then you should run it at the same aspect ratio, a multiple of your screens native res.
Running half the res of your screen will make 1 pixel = 4 pixels on the screen.
What's the native res of your screen?
Mine's a phillips with LG panel, in which case you'll probably have the same issues i did.
I didn't research this properly and as a result it doesn't display in HD properly. The only solution was to create a custom resolution the same as the panels native. Go to custom timings section in the nvidia drivers section to set it up, not sure about radeons.
I get as good results as a standard HD setup though.
You can also connect through RGB scart to get a HD picture, but i couldn't find a d-sub to rgb scart cable cheap enough, and my amp has component inputs.
If it's like mine, when you setup the picture through media center, it wants you to use the s-video connection which is pants, perhaps that was fixed in sp2 though.
This is all pointless anyway you realise. unless you're running a sky HD box, all your broadcast pictures will look rubbish as they're broadcast in a completely different resolution and scaled up by media center.
I didn't research this properly and as a result it doesn't display in HD properly. The only solution was to create a custom resolution the same as the panels native. Go to custom timings section in the nvidia drivers section to set it up, not sure about radeons.
I get as good results as a standard HD setup though.
You can also connect through RGB scart to get a HD picture, but i couldn't find a d-sub to rgb scart cable cheap enough, and my amp has component inputs.
If it's like mine, when you setup the picture through media center, it wants you to use the s-video connection which is pants, perhaps that was fixed in sp2 though.
This is all pointless anyway you realise. unless you're running a sky HD box, all your broadcast pictures will look rubbish as they're broadcast in a completely different resolution and scaled up by media center.