Best HDTV card?

[zed]

You can receive the unencoded digital cable channels only if you use the Dvico software, GB-PVR will not support it. GB-PVR will only receive OTA digital channels with the Fusion5.

Which channels (if any) are unencoded depends on your cable company.

As for an antenna, if you're that close you may need only rabbit ears, even in a basement. You'll have to try it and see, there are lots of variables. A friend of mine has an HDTV and gets all the local HD channels with only a piece of wire stuck in the antenna connector. He's about five miles from the towers.

[collindv]

Thanks for the reply Zed.

My cable company is Time warner, if anyone happens to know the unencrypted HD channels they offer.

Any idea if GB-PVR will support QAM in future releases?

Sorry for so many questions, just want to make sure I buy the right card. Things would be so much easier if they weren't dragging their feet so much on CableCard tuners.

[JimF]

It seems like a good device to me, and should be fully compatible with GB-PVR. The analog side of this device has the required MPEG2 encoder hardware (effectively the equivalent of the ATI 550).

The preliminary information indicates that the ATI 650 supports H.264 also.
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/ATI_Theater...08877.html

I don't see that listed on the ATI website for the Theater 650, but do you think that means hardware encoding of analog channels? Will GB-PVR support that also?

[daphatty]

Any idea if GB-PVR will support QAM in future releases?

The current answer to that question is no and their are several reasons why. The primary reason is because Microsoft has not made native support for QAM possible in WinXP. The DViCO device is QAM capable only because it is using a proprietary method within the WDM drivers. Sub would have to plunk down $1000 (not necessarily in US dollars mind you) for the rights to use DViCO's WDM drivers.

[sub]

The preliminary information indicates that the ATI 650 supports H.264 also.
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/ATI_Theater...08877.html

I don't see that listed on the ATI website for the Theater 650, but do you think that means hardware encoding of analog channels? Will GB-PVR support that also?

I have an ATI 650 myself.

I havnt done too much testing with it, but it seems to be working fine with GB-PVR. I have the PAL model which does analog + DVB-T digital.

The analog side is very much like it's older brother the ATI 550 Pro. There is no hardware H.264 encoding. MPEG-1/2 encoding only.

The digital side of it could in theory be used to record DVB H.264 channels, but in that case all the encoding is being done back at the broadcaster's site rather than by the card. This may have been where these comments came from.

[leedarl]

Lots of complaints about poor/nonexistent ATSC performance for this card on the AVS forum

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=713412

[jksmurf]

There is no hardware H.264 encoding. MPEG-1/2 encoding only. The digital side of it could in theory be used to record DVB H.264 channels, but in that case all the encoding is being done back at the broadcaster's site rather than by the card. This may have been where these comments came from.

So if I read this right, if the DVB-T broadcaster is "pushing out MPEG4" as I understand they will, then that's what I will get in my PC?
k.

[EDIT] And if I read this right the HVR1300 is another "or" product i.e. Analogue OR DVB-T, but not simultaneously. I am in the market for a new card, and in the next year DVB-T will come here, but I would like an extra analogue too...

k.

[sub]

So if I read this right, if the DVB-T broadcaster is "pushing out MPEG4" as I understand they will, then that's what I will get in my PC?
k.

Correct.

I should point out though, there is still a fair amount of work to be done before GB-PVR can hand MPEG4 transmissions. The same is true for most DVB software - very little of it can handle MPEG4.

[nitrogen_widget]

Lots of complaints about poor/nonexistent ATSC performance for this card on the AVS forum

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=713412

Looks like it was recalled.
Too bad.
I was looking forward to this card.

[collindv]

Looks like it was recalled.
Too bad.
I was looking forward to this card.

Yeah, I was too. Not sure what I will do now. May just wait for a cable card tv tuner. I believe that will require vista though unfortunately.

Maybe I'll check out the Fusion card or and HDTV Wonder.