wmvHD - Lowest End Video Card

[alocurto]

So here I find myself having spent too much on hardware. I currently have 2 Hyper Threaded P4 boxes. Once with an ATI AIW 9800 and one with a regular ATI 9800.

I am looking to downgrade the video card in one machine, it just seems like too much power for a machine I don't use often.

What video card do you think will play windows media HD files well and work well with Beyond TV? I have a hauppauge tuner to record so I do not need a AIW in the machine. I looked online and it said a video card with 128 megs of ram.... I need more info then that? What are you running and how does wmvHD get handled? Is it even worth trying to downgrade (trying to pocket some money)?

 

[Zucarita9000]

WMV HD does not requiere an ultra-powerfull video card... I can play HD content with my good old Matrox G450. Seriously. Get a 128MB ATI 9600.

Are you selling the AIW 9800?

 

[alocurto]

I will be selling the AIW as well as an antec aria setup. I can PM you when I post on For Sale/For Trade. It will be this weekend so I can get everything together and written down.

 

[winterlude]

WMV HD has more to do with processing power than with your video card. Sure, nowadays there are cards like the AIW line that claim video acceleration, but it is just a small improvement (5-15%). Most of the acceleration comes from CPU extentions (MMX, SSE, SSE2 etc.). In other words, you could have the best graphics card in the world, but combine it with, say a PIII, it would never be able to play WMV HD. Or you could have a top of the line CPU combined with onboard video, and the WMV HD will play. You don't say what CPU you have in your P4 boxes, but I assume it's not brand new, cutting edge.

I agree with Z9000. An AIW 9600 will definitely do.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Zucarita9000
WMV HD does not requiere an ultra-powerfull video card... I can play HD content with my good old Matrox G450. Seriously. Get a 128MB ATI 9600.

Are you selling the AIW 9800?

That depends on the content, player, and CPU. 720p may be OK, but 1080p and possibly 1080i may be a different story. Have you tried the 1080p Step Into Liquid trailer in WMP9? In WMP10? When you get to 1080p, the video card can make a difference.

Regardless, both of the OPs cards are close enough that it should not matter. The AIW would make a difference with MPEG, but the 9800s have no WMV encode/decode capabilities. I do not believe there is a driver support difference either for 1920x1080 in that family line.

 

[alocurto]

I can run step into liquid no problem. The card I am buying (the downgraded one) will be in an Athlon 64 with a gig of RAM. Like I said, too much hardware.

I am probably going to get the 9600 Non-AIW. Thanks for the advice!

 

[rbV5]

Regardless, both of the OPs cards are close enough that it should not matter. The AIW would make a difference with MPEG, but the 9800s have no WMV encode/decode capabilities. I do not believe there is a driver support difference either for 1920x1080 in that family line.

Catalyst drivers have native 1920x1080 support. The AIW card has excellent 12bit ADC's and Native YPbPr output (compared to 9800's 10bit ADC's), and both cards "should" have WMV hardware acceleration if MS ever releases their patch for WMP10. I'd keep the AIW, even if you don't use the tuner...it'll be worth more to somebody down the road, and it has some feature advantages for HTPC's even without using the tuner.

 

[alocurto]

So then a 9600 AIW should do the trick?

 

[gsellis]

If rbv5 says keep it, keep it. He is the forum SME on AIWs.

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: alocurto
So then a 9600 AIW should do the trick?

The 9600 AIW cards don't support DVI, so if thats important to you, you need to look at something else. I'm not so sure I would downgrade a AIW9800pro to a AIW9600 unless I got a real good deal and really needed the money.

 

[alocurto]

Yeah, I was just trying to cut out the extra power I dont need. I might not even downgrade, might just get rid of it all together. Look to the For Sale/For Trade this weekend if interested