Decision time

[Michelle Cox]

Ok, now that the G450 E-TV is going on sale tomorrow, I want to make sure this is really what I want.

My main use will be saving TV shows to CD and watching them again on the TV using the dual-head. I plan on using AVI_IO to capture with huffyuv (sp?). I won't be using the built-in capture to MPEG2 right now because I only have a P3-600. I do plan on keeping this card when I upgrade, though, so I may use it in the future.

I've been wavering between this and the G400-TV, and decided to get the new one because I will eventually have a PC that can use it fully and don't want to upgrade it again.

Given my plans, is there any reason I shouldn't get this card?

Thanks,

Michelle

[AndrewDV]

Good questions, I'd like to add one myself to the list.

I would like to know if it can capture full frame with YUY2/Huffyuv (704x480)? I tried to do this with a WinTV card and it could only do 320x240 succesfully. If the G450eTV can do full frame, out goes the WinTV card.

[Jkun]

I guess wait till people have it and tested it?

I kinda like the G400 because it's got the tuner outboard, so you can make a cable and hook YC directly to the card. Like the e450 but without the (for me) useless tuner, which adds interference (see WinTV PVR PAL problems)

J-kun

[wkulecz]

Unless the G450 E-TV is somehow much enhanced over the G450 HuffYUV clips will not play back on the DVDmax TV out!

Neither my PIII-500 dual CPU nor Athelon 700MHz will smoothly playback HuffYUV clips, both capture them fine, but playback is terrible -- only good enough to edit with before transcoding to something else.

--wally.

[Michelle Cox]

Andrew - I'd like to know if it can do full frame, too. I know for sure I can't do full frame MPEG2 with my processor, but I'm hoping I can do it with Huffy.

Jkun - If I wait until people have it, it'll probably end up getting sold out or some dumb thing. I've waited long enough. I don't understand what you mean about the tuner?

wkulecz - I was under the impression that Huffy was not meant for playing back. I just want to capture to that so I can edit out the commercials. I will then convert to something much smaller like MPEG or Divx for storing.

Thanks everyone,

Michelle

[Dr Mordrid]

HuffYUV files are NOT for playback.

They are intermediate files for lossless capture and editing before encoding them into other formats, like MPEG, that are geared to playback.

Dr. Mordrid




[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 28 March 2001).]

[This_Idiot]

Doc, dya wanna say that one more time, or shall I put it up as a banner for you ? You'll be SHOUTING next !

From conversations that I had with <cough> various people back in November/Decembr (just after I bought an Athlon 800), it appears that you need at least a 1Ghz processor to capture full frame MPEG-2 from a 450eTV

On the other hand (from posts made here), it can capture YUV (HuffY) full frame using the same codec setup as G400 with something like a 600-800Mhz processor as long as you have a fast HD subsystem (Promise, whatever)

[Michelle Cox]

Doc - Yeah, I thought I'd heard you mention that a time or two... < grin >

This_Idiot - Ok, sounds like I'm on the low end of being able to do it. I knew full frame MPEG2 was definitely out, but I was hoping I could do it with capping to AVI. I've got a P3-600 and a 7200RPM drive, no raid. Looks like full frame will be iffy at best until I can upgrade.

Thanks for the input,

Michelle

[Nick Piercey]

Hi,

Best check the review at MURC.

http://www.murc.ws/Previews/etv/eTV%20Preview-01.html


Ant says:

"As I've mentioned before the image quality of the MPEG-2 captures is excellent, this in fact caused me a little confusion at first as to how the timeshift captures were being made. Running on my Athlon 600 system I viewed TV input at full PAL resolution, hit pause in timeshift, later resumed and continued to view the timeshifted recording in a full size window, the image quality seemed almost as good as the live feed which lead me to presume the capture had been made at full resolution. However playing the video capture back independently revealed that it was in fact at half PAL resolution so I had in fact been viewing it at 2X, I'm certainly impressed with the capture quality."


So I'm waiting for the "hands on" testing... Doc/Chris/Ant... my new 850 processor... and the nod that the G450eTV can coexist with a Pyro and I'm a happy man!!!!

Thanks, Guys, in advance,


What would we do without you,

Regards,

Nick.

[Dr Mordrid]

Actually I'm thinking of writing some tutorials and giving them to Ant & Chris so all I have to do is post the URL

Dunno about a Pyro but mine coexists with a SIIG 3 port (all external) IEEE-1394. Cost me all of $54 & came with the cable and VS4SE.

The cable alone (which is what I went to the store for to begin with) would have cost ~$30, so the card actually cost me ~$24.

I don't think a Pyro would change much in terms of compatability.

BTW: I noticed a bundle of Pyro, MSPro6 VE and VS4SE at Circuit City for $84.

Dr. Mordrid




[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 28 March 2001).]