Graphics Card Recommendation Needed
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>I\'m putting together a new DVR box and need a recommendation for a graphics card. My current box uses a PVR-350 which works fine for analog, but I just bought a 1080i LCD TV and would like to start making use of its digital, wide screen capability. I picked up a pcHDTV HD5500 capture card and I am mainly interested in viewing cable QAM broadcast recordings in 16:9 format. I don\'t really use DVD (Blu-ray or otherwise) and no gaming.</p>\n<p>From what I can glean from the forums nVidia is the way to go. GeForce FX5200 seems popular for SD but there seems to be talk (maybe a little old) that it is marginal for HD and may not do 1080i (1920x1080). GeForce 6200 is reported to be a better choice for 1080i, but doesn\'t support Chroma-key for a color OSD. </p>\n<p>My TV (Samsung LN46A650A1F) can accept HDMI, DVI, component video, S-video, and composite video; I assume DVI is the best choice. My plan is to under power the CPU a bit and have the graphics card do most of the decode work. I will be installing the latest MythDora.</p>\n<p>Several questions:<br />\n1) Do I need 1080i support for QAM 16:9 viewing or is it overkill?<br />\n2) Does GeForce 6200 have color OSD capability?<br />\n3) Does manufacturer make a difference? What about on-board memory? Can anyone suggest a specific card?<br />\n4) It seems cards come in PCI, AGP, and PCIe format. What are the advantages of one over the other, assuming I have a machine which can handle it?<br />\n5) Is there a better recommended graphics card for my needs?</p>\n<p>Thanks.</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:4117ea9a800d4bea5cbc839ceebe83a3' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>First of all, you don\'t have a 1080i LCD. There\'s no such thing. Either it\'s a 720p LCD which will accept and downconvert a 1080i signal, or it\'s 1080p. A quick google search indicates that the latter is probably the case. Since your TV supports 1080p, by all means, feed it a 1080p signal! Granted, on a 46\" screen you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p when watching HD programming, but it\'s a waste not to drive it at it\'s full resolution. (It\'s especially nice when using your TV as a monitor, as I am right now as I type this).</p>\n<p>Nvidia is definitely the way to go. I\'ve used both an AGP version of the GeForce 5200 and a PCIE version of the 6200 to drive my LCD TV (Sharp Aquos 52\" LCD), and had absolutely zero problem with either one. Both were driving my TV at the full 1920x1080. The 6200 does indeed have color OSD capability, provided you\'re not using XvMC. I\'d steer far clear of that if possible anyways, so this shouldn\'t be an issue. This is the card I just ordered a couple weeks ago, and I couldn\'t be happier with it:</p>\n<p><a href=\"http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130310\">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130310</a></p>\n<p>If you have PCIe, go with that. AGP is going the way of the dinosaur, and it\'s almost impossible to find boards and cards which support it nowadays. </p>\n<p>One other note. With the 5200 and mythdora 5, setting up xorg.conf to drive my TV at 1920x1080 was brutally difficult. I spent countless hours scouring the internet and trying different modeline settings before I got it to work. With the 6200 card and Mythdora 5, everything just worked out of the box without configuring a thing. I\'m assuming that\'s because of improvements to FC8, and not the video card, but I\'m not 100% sure.</p>\n<p>Good Luck,<br />\ndarren</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:df7d7fdda59ab9967c34a56c28849ebb' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>I\'d recommend a fanless GeForce 6200. I use them to drive my LCD HDTV via DVI>HDMI which produces a superb picture. Pretty much plug & play with MD5, no need to mess with complex xorg.conf files. MD5 just recognizes the card and output 1080i (1920x1080) to my Sony LCD no problem, albeit with a little overscan, but that\'s a simple fix. And, as someone already mention, the card is very quiet and produces very little heat.</p>\n<p>My Specs:<br />\nDell PowerEdge 420SC/Intel 875 MB<br />\nMythDora 5.0 <br />\nP4 3GHz/1GB RAM<br />\nPNY GeForce 6200 256RAM DVI--> HDMI Sony 55\" LCD HDTV<br />\n2x Kworld ATSC 110<br />\n1x Hauppuage PVR-150<br />\n320 GB SATA Samsung SpinPoint Series T 16MB cache<br />\nCreative Audigy 2</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:a520d6e80bd7e276894cbca7f6e1b45d' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>My Specs:<br />\nDell PowerEdge 420SC/Intel 875 MB<br />\nMythDora 4.0 (no updates)<br />\nP4 3GHz/1GB RAM<br />\nPNY GeForce 6200 256RAM DVI--> HDMI Sony 55\" LCD HDTV<br />\n2x Kworld ATSC 110<br />\n1x Hauppuage PVR-150<br />\n320 GB SATA Samsung SpinPoint Series T 16MB cache<br />\nCreative Audigy 2</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:31234b4a0bc5664b4767a03fd7f9e982' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>My TV (Samsung LN46A650A1F) can accept HDMI, DVI, component video, S-video, and composite video; I assume DVI is the best choice.\n</p></div>\n</p><p>Not sure about that. My Vizio 32in has VGA instead of DVI, otherwise the same as you. Using the VGA port the TV thinks it has a \"computer\" attached and I couldn\'t get it to interpret a 1280x720 signal as 720p. Your Samsung may behave differently.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>I will be installing the latest MythDora.\n</p></div>\n</p><p>Fine idea. I\'ve had my fewest problems with MD5.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>1) Do I need 1080i support for QAM 16:9 viewing or is it overkill?\n</p></div>\n</p><p>My 6200 spits out 1280x720 via the DVI port, simple DVI-HDMI cable (please don\'t buy a super expensive fancy named cable), into the TV via HDMI. TV reports it is getting a 720p signal. I still get the occasional stuttering, mostly noticable on horizontal panning) but I haven\'t had time to tackle it. It isn\'t terrible for me so it\'s not a high priority. I record a fair amount of 720p/1080i content from the major US networks (also with the pchdtv 5500)</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>2) Does GeForce 6200 have color OSD capability?\n</p></div>\n</p><p>Yes, without XVMC of course</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>4) It seems cards come in PCI, AGP, and PCIe format. What are the advantages of one over the other, assuming I have a machine which can handle it?\n</p></div>\n</p><p>What does your motherboard have available? I\'d say use PCIe if you have it. I\'m fuzzy on motherboard technology history but I think AGP was just a separate bus designed for video cards... PCI video cards existed for folks that wanted several cards to drive several displays. AGP is the next choice.<br />\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGP\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGP</a></p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>5) Is there a better recommended graphics card for my needs?\n</p></div>\n</p><p>Sounds to me like the nVidia 8x00 and 9x00 series cards are much easier to configure... your xorg.conf gets a line like \"Option 720p\" or something equally easy... no crazy modelines (someone please correct me if I\'m wrong). If you get a 5/6/7x00 card be prepared to deal with tweaking your xorg.conf and looking for a modeline. Lots of stuff out there on this.</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:8ccee8ccd9944ae57cceff3dfb6b41ac' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>Thank you for your input. A few follow-up questions if you don\'t mind:</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>Using the VGA port the TV thinks it has a \"computer\" attached and I couldn\'t get it to interpret a 1280x720 signal as 720p.\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>I forgot that I also have VGA input, in addition to everything else I mention. Would it fall before or after DVI in terms of preference?</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>My 6200 spits out 1280x720 via the DVI port ... into the TV via HDMI. TV reports it is getting a 720p signal.\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>The HD terminology is still new to me. Is 1280x720 720p same as 16:9? Can you tell a difference between your DVR live TV picture and the original source?</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>I still get the occasional stuttering, mostly noticable on horizontal panning)...\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>What do you mean by \"occasional\", \"horizontal stuttering\" and \"horizontal panning I want to determine if I think I can live with it or not if a solution is never found.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>I record a fair amount of 720p/1080i content from the major US networks (also with the pchdtv 5500)\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>This is exactly my goal. Do you find it comparable to the original source?</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>2) Does GeForce 6200 have color OSD capability?\n</p></div>\n<p>Yes, without XVMC of course\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>It\'s my understanding that XVMC is needed to have the graphics card perform hardware decode and thus offload this work from the main CPU. And it sounds like XVMC specifically disables OSD color with no current workaround. Do you have any input as to whether the B&W OSD is at all usable?</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>What does your motherboard have available? I\'d say use PCIe if you have it. I\'m fuzzy on motherboard technology history but I think AGP was just a separate bus designed for video cards... PCI video cards existed for folks that wanted several cards to drive several displays. AGP is the next choice.<br />\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGP\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGP</a>\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>I don\'t yet have a motherboard picked out. My thinking is to pickup a used P4 3GHz machine on eBay and will focus my search based on the video card needs. What processor are you running to give me a data point? It sounds like I should be looking at PCIe first followed by AGP and skip on PCI.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>birk</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>Sounds to me like the nVidia 8x00 and 9x00 series cards are much easier to configure... your xorg.conf gets a line like \"Option 720p\" or something equally easy... no crazy modelines (someone please correct me if I\'m wrong). If you get a 5/6/7x00 card be prepared to deal with tweaking your xorg.conf and looking for a modeline. Lots of stuff out there on this.\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>I\'m not against the 8x00/9x00 cards if they meet the need better, though I thought on-board fan noise might be an issue. I don\'t mind tweaking xorg.conf if needed, as long as I can\'t blow my brand new TV. Do you know if this is a problem with modern TVs? (I\'ll verify with Samsung in any case).</p>\n<p>Thanks again for letting me pick your brain and experience.</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:ae87701eb7e9218f6c43e533fd313ba9' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>jeez, sorry about the huge delay...</p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>I forgot that I also have VGA input, in addition to everything else I mention. Would it fall before or after DVI in terms of preference?</p></div>\n<p>\nCheck your TV manual... they may behave the same way. Having said that, DVI keeps the signal digital while with VGA you\'re converting D-A to the cable then back A-D at the TV (perhaps that is oversimplified).</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>The HD terminology is still new to me. Is 1280x720 720p same as 16:9? Can you tell a difference between your DVR live TV picture and the original source</p></div>\n</p><p>Yep. The aspect ratio is just simple math (720 multiplied by 16 divided by 9 is 1280). What you may want to brush up on, as far as HD terms, would be the differences between analog and digital signals and the various \"HD\" flavors (720p, 1080i, 1080p). You\'ll get into weighing formats versus costs versus your TV and room and habits and all that... good luck!</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>What do you mean by \"occasional\", \"horizontal stuttering\" and \"horizontal panning I want to determine if I think I can live with it or not if a solution is never found.</p></div>\n</p><p>Like when the camera or action moves side-to-side (as opposed to up/down) for fast motion... it seems like things skip a bit. By \"occasional\" I do not mean \"so frequently that it drives me up the wall\" but rather \"hmmm... I notice this but my wife doesn\'t notice it as much as I do so this is something I should really look into but not right now\".</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>This is exactly my goal. Do you find it comparable to the original source?</p></div>\n</p><p>There is no difference (that I can see) in TV coming off the antenna, TV viewed \"Live\" in MythTV, or recordings in MythTV.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>It\'s my understanding that XVMC is needed to have the graphics card perform hardware decode and thus offload this work from the main CPU. And it sounds like XVMC specifically disables OSD color with no current workaround. Do you have any input as to whether the B&W OSD is at all usable?</p></div>\n</p><p>I never understood the fuss about B&W OSD versus color... sure, color is cool and all but I\'m there to watch the actual program, not the interface. I enabled XvMC, probably incorrectly, and didn\'t notice any visual improvement or CPU efficiency. This is a lot like the horizontal stuttering issue... I\'d like it to be better, but it\'s good enough to get me by and there are a lot of other things on my list.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>I don\'t yet have a motherboard picked out. My thinking is to pickup a used P4 3GHz machine on eBay and will focus my search based on the video card needs. What processor are you running to give me a data point? It sounds like I should be looking at PCIe first followed by AGP and skip on PCI.</p></div>\n</p><p>I\'ve got a fairly old P4 3GHz, AGP-Nvidia6200, PCI slots, 1GB RAM, SATA and IDE mix. You\'ll probably want to think about what you\'ll use for a tuner (card probably or perhaps the HDHomeRun) as well.</p>\n<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>jamoody</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>I\'m not against the 8x00/9x00 cards if they meet the need better, though I thought on-board fan noise might be an issue. I don\'t mind tweaking xorg.conf if needed, as long as I can\'t blow my brand new TV. Do you know if this is a problem with modern TVs? (I\'ll verify with Samsung in any case).</p></div>\n</p><p>Don\'t know... I heard about that but I tweaked my modeline for days before I got it right... I have a Vizio VXL32 and it survived. I even installed Windows on a disk just so I could run PowerStrip but that didn\'t help! Serves me right for trying Windows I bet.</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:ff1a9f3e098f8b31bdad6d4776d43dd6' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>I have a desktop system that has a 7900GT video card on it. For me, personally, I\'d never use a card like that (or higher) in a MythTV box because the sound of the fan on the video card really bothers me.</p>\n<p>I would definitely read the reviews on various video cards in regards to noise. I have a MythTV 4 system that uses an nVidia 6200 card which is fanless - and I really like it a lot. They are very inexpensive, don\'t generate much heat and since they are fanless are very quiet. However, I\'m only using my system (AMD 64 3700, nVidia 6200) to record and playback SD video. I\'ve not recorded HD, yet.</p>\n<p>If you end up playing back HD on 6200 let me know how it goes!</p>\n<p>BTW, I like these computer systems called \"shuttle\". us.shuttle.com - you can find them on eBay - they are a bit more than than a generic beige pc box - but look a little nicer attached to the TV.</p>\n<p>One day maybe I\'ll create something with a real Home Theatre style case... to much money though...</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:19f9321149dd4f94ed8e84d53c2d0e9e' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>\n<div class=\"quote-msg\">\n<div class=\"quote-author\"><em>kkitts</em> wrote:</div>\n<p>BTW, I like these computer systems called \"shuttle\". us.shuttle.com - you can find them on eBay - they are a bit more than than a generic beige pc box - but look a little nicer attached to the TV.\n</p></div>\n</p>\n<p>I\'d strongly recommend you stay away from those Shuttle boxes. I use one as a frontend only. The PS fan is very loud, I can hear it 10-15 ft away, and the box is place in a closet! They run pretty hot too since its not much room in there for proper ventilation. I shutdown the thing off every night, I can\'t stand the fan noise.</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:fb7b193054406f8d9489b917ed7047e1' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>My Specs:<br />\nDell PowerEdge 420SC/Intel 875 MB<br />\nMythDora 4.0 (no updates)<br />\nP4 3GHz/1GB RAM<br />\nPNY GeForce 6200 256RAM DVI--> HDMI Sony 55\" LCD HDTV<br />\n2x Kworld ATSC 110<br />\n1x Hauppuage PVR-150<br />\n320 GB SATA Samsung SpinPoint Series T 16MB cache<br />\nCreative Audigy 2</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:31234b4a0bc5664b4767a03fd7f9e982' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
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- user warning: Table './drupal_gding/cache_filter' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache_filter SET data = '<p>I\'ve had 3 of these shuttles now. The one that I\'m currently using as a MythDora 4 box did have a loud fan on the back of the case. I actually replaced the fan with one from Zalman. I found a website <a href=\"http://www.sudhian.com\">www.sudhian.com</a> where you can search and find recommendations for replacement fans. I can\'t recall the model number at the moment of that shuttle - it was an old one I got off of ebay.</p>\n<p>I have a shuttle SK21G that is really whisper quiet. So it varies by model - some have noise worse than others. And you are also right - they tend to not be able to cool as efficiently as a bigger box. I was thinking about getting an nVidia 7300 that was fanless - but after reading reviews decided it would possibly create to much heat. The fanless 6200s seem to work nicely though - quiet, cool, with sufficient performance - important for small shuttle boxes...</p>\n', created = 1369197620, expire = 1369284020, headers = '', serialized = 0 WHERE cid = '1:fbfd354d9726f939fc08ed6877b83283' in /var/www/mythdora/html/includes/cache.inc on line 109.
Submitted by jamoody on June 5, 2008 - 7:31am
I'm putting together a new DVR box and need a recommendation for a graphics card. My current box uses a PVR-350 which works fine for analog, but I just bought a 1080i LCD TV and would like to start making use of its digital, wide screen capability. I picked up a pcHDTV HD5500 capture card and I am mainly interested in viewing cable QAM broadcast recordings in 16:9 format. I don't really use DVD (Blu-ray or otherwise) and no gaming.
From what I can glean from the forums nVidia is the way to go. GeForce FX5200 seems popular for SD but there seems to be talk (maybe a little old) that it is marginal for HD and may not do 1080i (1920x1080). GeForce 6200 is reported to be a better choice for 1080i, but doesn't support Chroma-key for a color OSD.
My TV (Samsung LN46A650A1F) can accept HDMI, DVI, component video, S-video, and composite video; I assume DVI is the best choice. My plan is to under power the CPU a bit and have the graphics card do most of the decode work. I will be installing the latest MythDora.
Several questions:
1) Do I need 1080i support for QAM 16:9 viewing or is it overkill?
2) Does GeForce 6200 have color OSD capability?
3) Does manufacturer make a difference? What about on-board memory? Can anyone suggest a specific card?
4) It seems cards come in PCI, AGP, and PCIe format. What are the advantages of one over the other, assuming I have a machine which can handle it?
5) Is there a better recommended graphics card for my needs?
Thanks.
my 2 cents
First of all, you don't have a 1080i LCD. There's no such thing. Either it's a 720p LCD which will accept and downconvert a 1080i signal, or it's 1080p. A quick google search indicates that the latter is probably the case. Since your TV supports 1080p, by all means, feed it a 1080p signal! Granted, on a 46" screen you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p when watching HD programming, but it's a waste not to drive it at it's full resolution. (It's especially nice when using your TV as a monitor, as I am right now as I type this).
Nvidia is definitely the way to go. I've used both an AGP version of the GeForce 5200 and a PCIE version of the 6200 to drive my LCD TV (Sharp Aquos 52" LCD), and had absolutely zero problem with either one. Both were driving my TV at the full 1920x1080. The 6200 does indeed have color OSD capability, provided you're not using XvMC. I'd steer far clear of that if possible anyways, so this shouldn't be an issue. This is the card I just ordered a couple weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130310
If you have PCIe, go with that. AGP is going the way of the dinosaur, and it's almost impossible to find boards and cards which support it nowadays.
One other note. With the 5200 and mythdora 5, setting up xorg.conf to drive my TV at 1920x1080 was brutally difficult. I spent countless hours scouring the internet and trying different modeline settings before I got it to work. With the 6200 card and Mythdora 5, everything just worked out of the box without configuring a thing. I'm assuming that's because of improvements to FC8, and not the video card, but I'm not 100% sure.
Good Luck,
darren
I'd recommend a fanless
I'd recommend a fanless GeForce 6200. I use them to drive my LCD HDTV via DVI>HDMI which produces a superb picture. Pretty much plug & play with MD5, no need to mess with complex xorg.conf files. MD5 just recognizes the card and output 1080i (1920x1080) to my Sony LCD no problem, albeit with a little overscan, but that's a simple fix. And, as someone already mention, the card is very quiet and produces very little heat.
My Specs:
Dell PowerEdge 420SC/Intel 875 MB
MythDora 5.0
P4 3GHz/1GB RAM
PNY GeForce 6200 256RAM DVI--> HDMI Sony 55" LCD HDTV
2x Kworld ATSC 110
1x Hauppuage PVR-150
320 GB SATA Samsung SpinPoint Series T 16MB cache
Creative Audigy 2
My Specs:
Dell PowerEdge 420SC/Intel 875 MB
MythDora 4.0 (no updates)
P4 3GHz/1GB RAM
PNY GeForce 6200 256RAM DVI--> HDMI Sony 55" LCD HDTV
2x Kworld ATSC 110
1x Hauppuage PVR-150
320 GB SATA Samsung SpinPoint Series T 16MB cache
Creative Audigy 2
jamoody wrote: My TV
My TV (Samsung LN46A650A1F) can accept HDMI, DVI, component video, S-video, and composite video; I assume DVI is the best choice.
Not sure about that. My Vizio 32in has VGA instead of DVI, otherwise the same as you. Using the VGA port the TV thinks it has a "computer" attached and I couldn't get it to interpret a 1280x720 signal as 720p. Your Samsung may behave differently.
I will be installing the latest MythDora.
Fine idea. I've had my fewest problems with MD5.
1) Do I need 1080i support for QAM 16:9 viewing or is it overkill?
My 6200 spits out 1280x720 via the DVI port, simple DVI-HDMI cable (please don't buy a super expensive fancy named cable), into the TV via HDMI. TV reports it is getting a 720p signal. I still get the occasional stuttering, mostly noticable on horizontal panning) but I haven't had time to tackle it. It isn't terrible for me so it's not a high priority. I record a fair amount of 720p/1080i content from the major US networks (also with the pchdtv 5500)
2) Does GeForce 6200 have color OSD capability?
Yes, without XVMC of course
4) It seems cards come in PCI, AGP, and PCIe format. What are the advantages of one over the other, assuming I have a machine which can handle it?
What does your motherboard have available? I'd say use PCIe if you have it. I'm fuzzy on motherboard technology history but I think AGP was just a separate bus designed for video cards... PCI video cards existed for folks that wanted several cards to drive several displays. AGP is the next choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGP
5) Is there a better recommended graphics card for my needs?
Sounds to me like the nVidia 8x00 and 9x00 series cards are much easier to configure... your xorg.conf gets a line like "Option 720p" or something equally easy... no crazy modelines (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). If you get a 5/6/7x00 card be prepared to deal with tweaking your xorg.conf and looking for a modeline. Lots of stuff out there on this.
Graphics Card Recommendation Needed
Thank you for your input. A few follow-up questions if you don't mind:
Using the VGA port the TV thinks it has a "computer" attached and I couldn't get it to interpret a 1280x720 signal as 720p.
I forgot that I also have VGA input, in addition to everything else I mention. Would it fall before or after DVI in terms of preference?
My 6200 spits out 1280x720 via the DVI port ... into the TV via HDMI. TV reports it is getting a 720p signal.
The HD terminology is still new to me. Is 1280x720 720p same as 16:9? Can you tell a difference between your DVR live TV picture and the original source?
I still get the occasional stuttering, mostly noticable on horizontal panning)...
What do you mean by "occasional", "horizontal stuttering" and "horizontal panning I want to determine if I think I can live with it or not if a solution is never found.
I record a fair amount of 720p/1080i content from the major US networks (also with the pchdtv 5500)
This is exactly my goal. Do you find it comparable to the original source?
2) Does GeForce 6200 have color OSD capability?
Yes, without XVMC of course
It's my understanding that XVMC is needed to have the graphics card perform hardware decode and thus offload this work from the main CPU. And it sounds like XVMC specifically disables OSD color with no current workaround. Do you have any input as to whether the B&W OSD is at all usable?
What does your motherboard have available? I'd say use PCIe if you have it. I'm fuzzy on motherboard technology history but I think AGP was just a separate bus designed for video cards... PCI video cards existed for folks that wanted several cards to drive several displays. AGP is the next choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGP
I don't yet have a motherboard picked out. My thinking is to pickup a used P4 3GHz machine on eBay and will focus my search based on the video card needs. What processor are you running to give me a data point? It sounds like I should be looking at PCIe first followed by AGP and skip on PCI.
Sounds to me like the nVidia 8x00 and 9x00 series cards are much easier to configure... your xorg.conf gets a line like "Option 720p" or something equally easy... no crazy modelines (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). If you get a 5/6/7x00 card be prepared to deal with tweaking your xorg.conf and looking for a modeline. Lots of stuff out there on this.
I'm not against the 8x00/9x00 cards if they meet the need better, though I thought on-board fan noise might be an issue. I don't mind tweaking xorg.conf if needed, as long as I can't blow my brand new TV. Do you know if this is a problem with modern TVs? (I'll verify with Samsung in any case).
Thanks again for letting me pick your brain and experience.
Jerry >
more responses...
jeez, sorry about the huge delay...
I forgot that I also have VGA input, in addition to everything else I mention. Would it fall before or after DVI in terms of preference?
Check your TV manual... they may behave the same way. Having said that, DVI keeps the signal digital while with VGA you're converting D-A to the cable then back A-D at the TV (perhaps that is oversimplified).
The HD terminology is still new to me. Is 1280x720 720p same as 16:9? Can you tell a difference between your DVR live TV picture and the original source
Yep. The aspect ratio is just simple math (720 multiplied by 16 divided by 9 is 1280). What you may want to brush up on, as far as HD terms, would be the differences between analog and digital signals and the various "HD" flavors (720p, 1080i, 1080p). You'll get into weighing formats versus costs versus your TV and room and habits and all that... good luck!
What do you mean by "occasional", "horizontal stuttering" and "horizontal panning I want to determine if I think I can live with it or not if a solution is never found.
Like when the camera or action moves side-to-side (as opposed to up/down) for fast motion... it seems like things skip a bit. By "occasional" I do not mean "so frequently that it drives me up the wall" but rather "hmmm... I notice this but my wife doesn't notice it as much as I do so this is something I should really look into but not right now".
This is exactly my goal. Do you find it comparable to the original source?
There is no difference (that I can see) in TV coming off the antenna, TV viewed "Live" in MythTV, or recordings in MythTV.
It's my understanding that XVMC is needed to have the graphics card perform hardware decode and thus offload this work from the main CPU. And it sounds like XVMC specifically disables OSD color with no current workaround. Do you have any input as to whether the B&W OSD is at all usable?
I never understood the fuss about B&W OSD versus color... sure, color is cool and all but I'm there to watch the actual program, not the interface. I enabled XvMC, probably incorrectly, and didn't notice any visual improvement or CPU efficiency. This is a lot like the horizontal stuttering issue... I'd like it to be better, but it's good enough to get me by and there are a lot of other things on my list.
I don't yet have a motherboard picked out. My thinking is to pickup a used P4 3GHz machine on eBay and will focus my search based on the video card needs. What processor are you running to give me a data point? It sounds like I should be looking at PCIe first followed by AGP and skip on PCI.
I've got a fairly old P4 3GHz, AGP-Nvidia6200, PCI slots, 1GB RAM, SATA and IDE mix. You'll probably want to think about what you'll use for a tuner (card probably or perhaps the HDHomeRun) as well.
I'm not against the 8x00/9x00 cards if they meet the need better, though I thought on-board fan noise might be an issue. I don't mind tweaking xorg.conf if needed, as long as I can't blow my brand new TV. Do you know if this is a problem with modern TVs? (I'll verify with Samsung in any case).
Don't know... I heard about that but I tweaked my modeline for days before I got it right... I have a Vizio VXL32 and it survived. I even installed Windows on a disk just so I could run PowerStrip but that didn't help! Serves me right for trying Windows I bet.
Video Cards
I have a desktop system that has a 7900GT video card on it. For me, personally, I'd never use a card like that (or higher) in a MythTV box because the sound of the fan on the video card really bothers me.
I would definitely read the reviews on various video cards in regards to noise. I have a MythTV 4 system that uses an nVidia 6200 card which is fanless - and I really like it a lot. They are very inexpensive, don't generate much heat and since they are fanless are very quiet. However, I'm only using my system (AMD 64 3700, nVidia 6200) to record and playback SD video. I've not recorded HD, yet.
If you end up playing back HD on 6200 let me know how it goes!
BTW, I like these computer systems called "shuttle". us.shuttle.com - you can find them on eBay - they are a bit more than than a generic beige pc box - but look a little nicer attached to the TV.
One day maybe I'll create something with a real Home Theatre style case... to much money though...
Shuttle not quiet
BTW, I like these computer systems called "shuttle". us.shuttle.com - you can find them on eBay - they are a bit more than than a generic beige pc box - but look a little nicer attached to the TV.
I'd strongly recommend you stay away from those Shuttle boxes. I use one as a frontend only. The PS fan is very loud, I can hear it 10-15 ft away, and the box is place in a closet! They run pretty hot too since its not much room in there for proper ventilation. I shutdown the thing off every night, I can't stand the fan noise.
My Specs:
Dell PowerEdge 420SC/Intel 875 MB
MythDora 4.0 (no updates)
P4 3GHz/1GB RAM
PNY GeForce 6200 256RAM DVI--> HDMI Sony 55" LCD HDTV
2x Kworld ATSC 110
1x Hauppuage PVR-150
320 GB SATA Samsung SpinPoint Series T 16MB cache
Creative Audigy 2
You're right about fan noise
I've had 3 of these shuttles now. The one that I'm currently using as a MythDora 4 box did have a loud fan on the back of the case. I actually replaced the fan with one from Zalman. I found a website www.sudhian.com where you can search and find recommendations for replacement fans. I can't recall the model number at the moment of that shuttle - it was an old one I got off of ebay.
I have a shuttle SK21G that is really whisper quiet. So it varies by model - some have noise worse than others. And you are also right - they tend to not be able to cool as efficiently as a bigger box. I was thinking about getting an nVidia 7300 that was fanless - but after reading reviews decided it would possibly create to much heat. The fanless 6200s seem to work nicely though - quiet, cool, with sufficient performance - important for small shuttle boxes...