Hollywood + = $30 from CompGeeks

[unhuman]

Sounds like a smokin deal to me... Enjoy - Howie

 

[nateholtrop]

Is this a nationwide deal or?? let me know.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

ummmm compgeeks is a internet site, not a B&M. So, yes it is nation wide.

 

[bigjon]

Here it is http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtId=205-2373K

EDIT: WTH? It won't link right - you'll have to copy/paste the link above for it to work

Great deal, thanks! The picture at their site shows the card has a monitor output?! My older decoder doesn't. What is it for? Should I plug my monitor into it or keep it connected to my TNT2u?

 

[Fallen Kell]

Wow! Almost as good a deal as the way I got mine. Packaged with the Panasonic 4x Region Free DVD-ROM for $49.95 last October from Staples

 

[PG]

This isn't a bad deal considering that it should come with the cables and everything. I was waiting to see that it was the card only, but their site says that it comes with cables and drivers in a plain box. But unless you need the TV-out or have a slow system you don't really need a hardware DVD decoder.

I was lucky and got in on the DVD kit from OM last year. My H+ works pretty good and I can't complain. The win2k drivers even work.

 

[Frglss]

linked

 

[db]

bigjon, maybe this is what you're looking at


<< Built-in serial audio output >>

 

[unhuman]

Monitor output is just that... This card (when output to a monitor) needs a pass-thru - Like the old VooDoo cards. It also has Svideo out (or should - mine does).

-H

 

[TimeThrash]

I have had a Hollywood + decoder for 8 months now and it is beautiful...simply beautfiful. Works great with my GeForce, worked great with my Viper 550, output onto TV looks like it came straight from a channel. GET ONE OF THESE.

 

[noxipoo]

Is it new? compgeeks sells a lot of refurbs

 

[FuzzyBee]

considering the proprietary pass-through cable alone is $25 from the Sigma Designs site, this is a hot deal...

 

[LiekOMG]

doesn't a pass through cable kill the image quality of your monitor, especially at high resolutions and refreshrates? its the only reason I haven't bought one of these yet

 

[pjs]

From what I have heard, if you are going to use your computer monitor to view DVDs, it is better to use (if you have a reasonably fast computer) a software DVD decoder. Also, if you are going to use a TV (the video inputs, composite or Svideo inputs), then a hardware DVD decoder is supposed to be better.

I have been using the WinDVD software decoder (v2.2), a SCSI based system (scsi DVD drive), VooDoo 3500tv, a turtle beach Santa Cruz primarily in 2 channel surround sound to an el-cheapo dolby logic surround decoder and it is fine. The 3500TV can output to the tv in 800x600 and 640x480. My tv does the 640x480 just fine but it does not do the 800x600 good enough (vertical pincushion is bad)).

At this price, I ordered a couple of the Hollywood+ decoders. I will then compare the results. Eventually, I will get an AC3 decoder: the Hollywood+, WinDVD and the turtle beach Santa Cruze all support s/pdif output of a AC3 datastream to an external decoder.

Paul

 

[misterj]

DOACleric, same here. i gave up the search a while ago, too. can someone confirm the quality issue and at what resolutions? i only run 1024 anyways.

pjs, i think you are correct in that for monitor viewing software is better, but for primarily outputting to tv, then a hardware decoder is better. &quot;The 3500TV can output to the tv in 800x600 and 640x480&quot; you get 800? i thought only 640 was possible? what refresh rate do you set it at? win9x or win2k?

also the fact that i only have a dolby receiver with a sblive value, not DTS is not helping, and cuz im flat broke hehe

on a side note, i couldnt afford the dvdrom for my notebook, but DivX is working out just fine, even outputting to the tv =P hm when is the next codec update?

 

[cmv]

I can confirm that there are display problems with the pass thru. But the solution is SIMPLE. Just unplug the pass thru when not in use (be sure to leave it plugged into the H+ board though so you can hook it back up without rebooting, the board can sense if the plug is in).

The display with the Hollywood+ is awesome... Having to remove the pass thru for better clarity isn't too much work.

 

[Capster]

I can safely say that anything above 1024x768 is going to have a degraded picture doing anything other than viewing video. I loved using the H+ with my old 17&quot; Optiquest V75 that I ran at 1024x768 but once I got my 19&quot; Viewsonic PF790 and started running at 1280x1024, I was wondering what was wrong with the monitor at first.

I do have an ATI AIW128 that does pretty well with dvd but in many ways the H+ is better so I'm considering having them both installed and just run the H+ output into the video in port. I then get the best of both worlds. I might try that this weekend if I get the chance. I've got the slots so why not.

 

[Fraggle]

can anyone explain the acronym for S/PDIF and its signicance/usage? I have a sound card, but have never used that connector. thanks!

 

[Karoth]

i have a H+ run at 1280x1024 75 Herz form my gefroce2 and can't tell if its going through the H+ or not... its that good. for you people that think its fuzzy.. turn up your Hz !

Great deal.. if i didn't have one i wouldn't think for more then a second about picking it up.

 

[bigjon]

Fraggle, spdif is a digital audio connector - you'll only use it if you have a Dolby Digital receiver with an spdif input. It gives you 5.1 channel surround sound and the sound quality is much better since it sends a digital (rather than analog) signal. I have a 20 foot RCA patch cable running under my house to connect the computer DVD player to the living room receiver. Before I had my DD receiver I always got static and hum thanks to some electrical wires I was forced to run my cable near. Now the same cable is passing spdif signals and there is no noise (since it's digital).

Hope this makes sense as I'm posting in the middle of the night

 

[Fraggle]

'preciate it bigjohn --
guess i'm a bit tired at this hour, too;
I just reread the question that I posted and i sound moronic for all the typo's in there; or maybe that's just me. no biggie.
thanks again,
i may try that reciever option sometime soon; get lots of tough-to-eliminate interference w/my midiland s4/7100's:disgust:

 

[moolman]

Hi,
I bought the hollywood plus from onvia but had to return it, if you want just the TV out and use it to watch DVD's on your TV its fine, the pass through is useless if your resolution is high such as 1280x?? whatever is standard for 19inch monitor. If you have a 17in you might not have problems with the passthrough. I have a 22inch so I couldn't use the pass through unless I put the resolution LOWER not higher. At 60Hz it looks fine, no blurriness but your eyes hurt obviously. It's a good card only for TV out, use software decoder for your monitor.

ALex

 

[Mr.Diggler]

I have a Hollywood+ I use with my 21&quot; monitor (1024x768@100+Hz, how can you see anything at higher resolutions?) I have no problems with the pass through degrading my picture quality for normal operation.

Frankly, I think the DVD quality blows though, the motion is not smooth. So, based on what everyone else here is saying, I think you're wasting your money if you get it for monitor display.

 

[moolman]

Really, what kind of video card do you have, I went to the sigma designs newsgroup and almost everyone had problems with blurriness and it was an unfixable known problem for them.

Alex

 

[bigjon]

Can you use this card to send your monitor image (games) to your TV? I really can't think of another reason you'd have a monitor output on the dvd decoder card.