Geforce4 : poor video-in quality

[Joelafrite]

I just bought a Geforce4 myVIVO from Leadtek, and the video-in (s-video signal from a cable tv decoder) quality seems to be quite poor, compared to an ATI AIW128Pro I previously owned. It's almost like watching a VideoCD. Does this have to do with the chip (Philips SAA7108, used on most Geforce4 cards), or the software (Leadtek Winfast PVR) ? I'm using the latest detonator drivers together with the latest nVidia WDM drivers on WinXP Pro.
Would video-in from an add-on TVcard (Pinnacle, Hauppauge, ...) be better, or shall I switch back to ATI AIW line of products in order to get decent visual quality ?

 

[videobruce]

They all are very poor! I haven't found a VIVO card with decent in or out quality! Most don't do 1024x768 out and the high frequency roll off is terrible! I doubt they would pass 2MHz!

Computer people don't seem to understand NTSC and/or the manufactures are just cheap by putting the cheapest solutions in these cards they charge between $150 and $400 for and giving you features vs preformance!

The separate PCI capture cards are slow because of the bus used. I guess firewire is the only way to go if you have that option with your video device.

Funny, I was looking at the same card. Is it the A250 My VIVO or the A280 My VIVO? I ruled it out because it doesn't have 1024x768 out as the non VIVO version does.

 

[Joelafrite]

A250. I haven't tried video-out yet (21" monitor is enough ;-)

 

[Boobers]

You don't seem to understand. It's not that all Video-In (VIVO) cards suck, it's that NTSC TV resoulution is very low when compared to the resolution on a computer monitor.

"For NTSC, the picture occupies approximately 480 of the 525 scan lines. For broadcasts the portion of a scan line that is visible can hold up to about 440 dots so a grid 480 high by 440 wide represents the maximum amount of picture detail possible."

A 480X440 picture will look pretty crappy when played at full screen 1024X768 or larger resolutions.

Check out TV and Video Resolution Guide

 

[videobruce]

I'm compairing video from a computer to video from a tv tuner via off air (not cable). I know the linitations of Never The Same Color.

Thanks for the guide BTW