DirectX9.0 vs. Directx8.1

[davo80]

Hello again.

I need to buy an extra video card with tv-out since my PVR350 tv-out is freezing my machine.

I want to keep it el cheepo, so my options are limited. I was told to look for an ATI Radeon 9600 type card. Apparently it has directx9.0 capability.

Now, I can get a cheep radeon 9250, but this only has Directx 8.1 capability. See description below.

Question is: what will be the difference in viewing experience between the directx8.1 card and a directx9 card?

I suppose the VMR9 only works completely with a DX9 card? Or am I mistaken?

What is the actual difference between vmr9/7/overlay ?


Thanks for your suggestions and help!!!

davo

Code:

Product Description    ASUS A9250/TD - graphics adapter - RADEON 9250 - 128 MB
Device Type    Graphics adapter
Enclosure Type    Plug-in card
Interface Type    AGP 8x
Graphics Processor / Vendor    ATI RADEON 9250
RAMDAC Clock Speed    400 MHz
API Supported    OpenGL, DirectX, DirectX 8.1
Video Memory Installed ( Max )    128 MB - DDR SDRAM
Video Output    2048 x 1536
TV Interface    TV out
Manufacturer Warranty    3 years warranty

[fuzzweed]

to be fair graphics cards are so cheep these days that I don't think it's even worth going as far down as a 9250 - my 9550 was a bargain bucket card and that was well over a year ago - it's still on ebay for under £40 new.
Although I can't actually answer your question () my guess is you might find 9x is pretty much minimum standaard for decent performance in most windows apps these days.

Although this isn't really a cheapo option you could also consider an MVP (if you've got a decent TV already) - or hold fire and consider looking for an LCD/plasma screen in the future with a VGA/DVI input if you're TV is up for replacement in the next couple of years.

[pBS]

that's not what you're looking for [they mean dx8.1 direct3d modes] ...any ati 75xx+ supports dx9 vmr mode....
and if you look at the actual chip, a 95xx is actually the same exact chip as a 9600[just slower mem]....and for our purposes,[mpeg decoding] all of the ati radeons will do, as they all support both motion estimation accelleration and idct accel as well.. [nvidia only does both+ on 6200+]
it's all about the DXVA...[Direct X Video Acceleration]
most boxes don't mention it tho...

which is what you're after really..ensures smooth motion..
the more accellerated modes the better

i believe you could get by with a 9250, but i know ya can't go wrong with a 9600...i use a 9500 with dscaler codec in overlay mode and it's all acellerated..very low cpu for watching..
[for vmr use nvidia purevideo]

[davo80]

[for vmr use nvidia purevideo]

what do you mean with this last thing.

[gEd]

gbpvr supports 2 methods of displaying the tv image, vmr (7 & 9) and overlay.

pBS is saying that to use vmr he would recommend that you use the Nvidia Purevideo decoder, which is a commercial product.

FYI: I am using an old ATI 9600 pro (with zalman heatsink for silence) with the purevideo codec and it looks good to me.

[davo80]

ah ok thanks... I get it.
Good idea to put a passive cooler on the ati. I might do that too.