HWPlus dvd-decoder + Geforce2 Pro 64mb??

[SilverThief]

Just wondering if I should get a Hollywood Plus decoder card instead of using the GF2 Pro for dvd playback. Will the image quality be any better?

 

[majewski9]

yes! Gforce cards do not really have hardware decoding like ATI cards!
A hollywood plus would provide much lower cpu usage than just a Geforce2 card! I don't know if it would help image quality, but I think it wouldn't hurt.

 

[Noriaki]

Don't use the HWMC on a GF2....it worsens image quality.
But if you are in pure software mode, as long as your GF can provide decent 2D quality, the DVD playback quality should be about the same between a good software player and an H+.

Now if you are talking about playback on a TV, the GF has poor image quality on a TV. The H+ will be much better.

 

[mdXtreme3d]

yeah, the H+ is the best solution for PC dvd on TV (unless you have a progressive scan HDTV-ready set), but it's monitor output is only so-so.

 

[SilverThief]

Ok thanks for the info.

 

[Fenix793]

Use the Hollywood for TV-Out its just like watchin on a set top player. As for watching movies on your PC, the only problem is it uses a pass thru cable so your normal 2D gets pretty blurry, however the quality is amazing. A lot of people say that software is just as good but I have to wonder if those people have ever seen a Hollywood baord at work. Its very good and much better than anything the gf2 can do. IMO it is def. worth the money and if you get the remote its even better.

 

[BCYL]

Hmm... reading some of you guys replies, a question comes to my mind...

I currently have the Hollywood+ card and a GeForce 2 GTS card... I love the DVD playback on this setup, however I also play some games... will my games improve (graphically) if I plug my monitor into my GeForce instead of going thru the Hollywood+?

 

[Noriaki]

Depends on the Resolution.
The Hollywood Plus can handle up to about 1024x768 without seriously hurting the monitor quality.

Past that it starts to degrade pretty badly. The board is capable of 1600x1200 but I would never want my monitor hooked up through my H+ at 16x12..

 

[BCYL]

Oh damn.... I am running my PC (& my games) at 1152x864 resolution... I guess I should turn it back down to 1024x768...