Sigma X-Card?

[flyswatta]

I noticed the option of the "Sigma Designs X-Card" in the playback section on the config app. Well anyway, there's one for sale locally, so I started wondering about it.

I found a couple of reviews on the card, and they only talk about DVD (mpeg-2) playback. Anyway, if someone has some experience with it could you answer a few questions for me?

Can you use the card for playback to a monitor? Can you use it for .ts or ms-dvr files? I'm interested in either upgrading my video card, or adding this card (if the price is right ) I'm mainly looking for something to do HD playback to a monitor and the best encoder I've found for HD is .ts so I'd like something that has a hardware decoder for that file format.

[sub]

Can you use the card for playback to a monitor?

No, only to its special output.

Can you use it for .ts or ms-dvr files?

No for dvr-ms, I dont think so for .ts.

I'm mainly looking for something to do HD playback to a monitor and the best encoder I've found for HD is .ts so I'd like something that has a hardware decoder for that file format.

Its also worth noting that the XCard only does standard definition, so you wont be able to view thes HD files via this output.

In summary the XCard is really old now, poorly supported by any software, and not worth buying. Sorry, but its better you know now and save yourself the money.

[flyswatta]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering how old they were, I noticed that he also had an ATI AIW 8500 - a relic these days

I think in order to upgrade my video, I'm gonna have to get a new motherboard :eek: that has PCI-E. Realistically I think I'll just keep my old stuff going...

[liteswap]

Is there a recommended hardware decoder that I could use with GBPVR?

[Kevl]

Can you use the card for playback to a monitor?

The X Card also has an on board digital I/O Port. (presumably 565 video).

You can buy an RGB aquisition card called a PDI Sweetspot card. The latter card uses WDM drivers and has an X Card compatible digital input port on it. The cards can be connected by a 40way ribbon. So you can use a WDM driver aware application (such as dScaler) or possibly GBPVR via the software recorder plugin to view DVD output on the PC monitor.

Have had this combination working in the past with dScaler and picture quality was absolutely superb (presumably due to the hardware MPEG decode that the X card does - silky smooth)

Not sure if you could get the combination to work like that through GBPVR though and the sweetspot card is not exactly low cost.

The other issue with the Xcard is that sigma no longer seem to have any interest in the card. The last drivers are dated 2003.

Kev

[nitrogen_widget]

X-card & PVR-350 seem to be only linux supported devices these days.
Which is great.

If you are a MythTV Guru.

[sub]

Is there a recommended hardware decoder that I could use with GBPVR?

These devices were ok three years ago when often PCs were not fast enough to view the video files or DVDs that people wanted to watch, but these days market has moved away from this type of proprietary hardware decoders. The Xcard and PVR350 were the two most prominent of these types of devices, and neither of these are really supported by their respective manufactures, or by software in general.

These days people just use regular general purpose videocard, ideally with hardware acceleration features.