Strong points almost out-weigh the weak points...almost
Written: Jul 21 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A lot of features, stable performance (for me in XP Pro), relatively affordable.
Cons: ATI tech support is non-existent, TV-On-Demand audio is awful, some TV channels are not clear.
The Bottom Line: Overall, the card is ok. However, I doubt I'll buy anymore ATI products (see above)
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| billymann's Full Review: ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON, (32 MB) PCI Video Card |
I bought this card specifically to record home movies. The install went smooth (upgraded from Nvidia TNT2), no obvious compatibility issues.
However, when using the video capture utility (TV-On-Demand), I noticed a loud "hiss" on the audio. I went to ATI's website and found that this is a common problem (ATI refers to this noise as "static"). 1.5 - 2 years later, the status has not changed and they still have not released a resolution for this issue. I have contacted ATI (which was not toll-free AND I had to call Canada) which was of no help.
Finally, my last complaint is the TV tuner doesn't seem to be without it's flaws. When watching TV, I notice channels 09, 10, 11, 25, 62, 68, 78 all have bad reception ranging from annoying to unwatchable. These same channels come in crystal clear when the coax is plugged into a television.
On a positive note, the card works great for everyday display adapter needs. I have it set to 1024x768 32-bit color @ 100Hz refresh rate and it never misses a beat.
I am not a gamer, so I can't comment on how it performs in that arena.
Overall, the card is ok. I don't think it performs as advertised. I doubt I'll buy anymore ATI products (simply because it's too difficult to get support and when you do get it, it's not much help).
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 120
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Epinions.com ID:
billymann
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Reviews written: 3
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