Best Video Card for... video?

[phragmoplast]

Hello everyone.

For the past few weeks, I've been deciding what video card to add to my new Shuttle. It is a3.2 Pentium D with 1GB of RAM, but currently no video card. My hobbies are video editing and encoding, and I like to use my Shuttle as an HTPC to output to my 65" TV, so I have a question: which video card will be the best for these specific purposes? My range is around $200-$250

I'm not concerned about game performance, but things like h.264 hardware encoding/decoding, PQ during output, hardward-based encoding/recording, and color reproduction. I hear things like Nvidia's PV and ATi's AVIVO, but I'm not sure of the feature set and benefits and drawbacks of each series in each company (7800? 6800? XT1600? x800?)

I appreciate all your help!

 

[xtknight]

Welcome to the forums.

ATI Radeon X1300. Encoding support/H.264 decode will come for it sooner or later. It has one dual-link DVI and one single-link DVI. NVIDIA PureVideo is better for deinterlacing for now but ATI is supposed to have some new drivers soon.

I recommend you don't buy it until the features are actually released. Who knows if they'll actually release it to be honest? We all know what happened with PureVideo's encode acceleration claims. Both companies still do not have H.264 decode support enabled yet.

 

[w00t]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Welcome to the forums.

ATI Radeon X1300. Encoding support/H.264 decode will come for it sooner or later. It has one dual-link DVI and one single-link DVI. NVIDIA PureVideo is better for deinterlacing for now but ATI is supposed to have some new drivers soon.

I recommend you don't buy it until the features are actually released. Who knows if they'll actually release it to be honest? We all know what happened with PureVideo's encode acceleration claims. Both companies still do not have H.264 decode support enabled yet.

good choice.

 

[phragmoplast]

What does dual-link and single-link DVI mean? Does that mean it uses 2 cables?

And yes, I don't plan on buying just yet until I hear more about ATi's AVIVO and to see what the 7800/7600 series has to offer.

 

[destrekor]

what exactly the dual-link does I am not sure, I am falling asleep right now lol
but i know a dual-link DVI cable is just a single cable, but has the full pin array, versus a block of pins missing in the single-link DVI cables.
http://www.ss427.com/dvi-d-dual-link-digital-video-interface-cable.jpg

 

[Wreckage]

How are you going to connect the video card to your TV? MSI makes a nice 6600GT that supports component outputs and VIVO. Purevideo is the best decoder on the market now. I have yet to see actual software from ATI or NVIDIA that encode.

 

[ksherman]

Originally posted by: Wreckage
How are you going to connect the video card to your TV? MSI makes a nice 6600GT that supports component outputs and VIVO. Purevideo is the best decoder on the market now. I have yet to see actual software from ATI or NVIDIA that encode.

and i can attets to their qualit, as i used to have my compy plugged into an EDTV plasma... looked great on the 6600GT! DVI was a much better choice for hook up than component, but both looked real real good. even played a little BF2 on it

 

[Snakexor]

how does your shutte not melt with that 820d in there?