Excellent card with Excellent features
Written: Jun 05 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Digital VCR like Tivo, can record MPEG2, decent chipset, optimized for DirectX8.
Cons: Huge filesize for Digital VCR, Tuner not "crisp", not fastest card.
The Bottom Line: Best full-feaured card with decent game playing chip (more than most people will need) - records in DVD quality (MPEG2)
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| matwood's Full Review: ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON, (32 MB) PCI Video Card |
Background
My Diamond Viper 770 Ultra bit the dust and I needed a replacement. After reading opinions on this card and on other websites, the fact that I could use this as a digital VCR really intrigued me. I decided to give this card a try, because it was (and I believe still is), the only video card that can create DVD quality MPEG-2 files. Now if I only had a recordable DVD burner….
Installation of Hardware
Installation was very easy. Pull out anything in the AGP slot, insert this card, and screw the card into the case. Externally, the output is not a standard SVGA output but rather it is a digital connector for the flat panel monitors! Of course, for those of use who believe they are still too expensive and poor quality, you will need to plug in the available adapter in order to use a regular monitor. In addition, if you are going to really maximize the use of this card, you will need to attach two more cables, that allow for multiple inputs and outputs for video and one for AC-3 sound! I even attached a video cable from the card to the video on the TV, so I could compare the TV Tuner to that of a “real” TV.
Software Installation/Issues
As with anything ATI, the installation was very simple. However, if you get an older version of the card, it is wise to update the drivers off ATI’s website to take care of a few bugs. Also, with the release of DirectX 8.0a, this card really shines. This card was developed FOR Direct X 8, and it shows. You will get about a 20% improvement in game speed, bringing it almost on par with other graphics cards.
Playback Quality/Digital VCR Quality
OK – games were definitely playable. In truth, almost all graphics cards are overkill for today’s games, because today’s games do not take advantage of newer graphics card’s features. Who REALLY want to play Quake at 1600 x 1200 instead of 800 x 600? There really was no noticeable difference between this card and my Voodoo 5500 and my other Diamond Viper 770 Ultra (although I am sure SOMEONE will disagree with this, the average person will notice no difference). As a DVD player, the playback was acceptable on the screen, but much better on the TV. The TV tuner is the only one of two complaints so far – the picture was “washed” out and not as “crisp” as that of my Sony TV. I even tried changing setting wi add more color, but with little satisfactory results. This does put a damper somewhat on my using the system as a digital VCR until I can get this fixed. The other complaint is their programming guide on the Internet. If I use their system, sometimes the card will record at the time I say and sometimes it records 5-10 minutes into the program. This could also be a result that if you record items back to back, it take the “temporary” file on the hard drive and writes it out to a MPEG-2 file. I will post a follow-up in about one month to state my progress. The digital recorder does have great quality, especially if you wish to conver tall your old VCR tapes to DVD’s/CD’s. There is only one issue – to get DVD quality, a ˝ hour show will use about 2.9 GIGABYTES of storage, not the megabytes that ATI claims. Thus the yearning for a DVD burner so I can save all my kids VCR tapes to DVD before they wear out. The good news is that they are under $1000 and dropping fast. In fact, using tape as input, the digital VCR produces stunning results. I think the other person on here who did not like the digital VCR was most likely disappointed more with the TV tuner than the recording quality. When recording, you cannot use your computer unless you want to watch something with many frame skips! Some tips would be – record shows on hours the computer will not be in use, and don’t record shows back-to-back.
Compatibility with games
So far, all games run fine. ATI also includes a process to improve the quality of older games, similar to what the Voodoo 550 does. Both cards DO make older games look much crisper and better.
Quality of Unit
So far, the unit has performed well. I am disappointed in the quality of the Phillips TV Tuner though. Room for improvement would make this product stellar.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
matwood
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Member: Michelle Atwood
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 3 members
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