8500GT settings...n00b question;)

[zerocool00]

Forgive me, I am new at this and I am getting lost at all the different options I have read out there. Here is a quick rundown of my current setup:

GB-Server:
3.4 CeleronD
ECS 945PL-A board
2GB DDR2 533
8500GT 512MB PCIe
500GB Sata2
PVR-150
PVR-1800 (installing tonight)
WinXP SP2...GBPVR 1.2.9
Popcorn Hour on its way....for second TV

My question is how do I setup the graphics card to output to my LCD TV (full 1080p) and get a decent picture (currently it is blurry). I am lost as to what I need to set in config.exe for the 8500 card and what codecs I need to have installed for Live Tv viewing and recordings.
Currently the only source I have is regular analog cable and I am using the 150 to view and record that.
TV is connected via VGA cable(analog) right now because I can't seen to get the HDMI to DVI to display yet (settings I believe).

Thanks in advance.
Michael

[stustunz]

it depends on the native resolution of your screen
but it should be 1920x1080

but remember you are upscaling from something like 720x480 so the picture is getting screwed over and the pvr150 has a slightly soft (nice way of saying blurry)picture anyway
you could try downloading the hauppauge tweak tool and increase the sharpness and turn down the temperal blurr and i forget the other one on the last tab of the tweak tool

also the dvi/hdmi may give you a sharper picture anyway so before you get to carried away put some effort into that

you could also try a different vga cable (not saying expensive just if you have another one try it )

[zerocool00]

Yes, that is the native res I believe. I will definitely try to get HDMI to DVI going (must admit I spent less than 5 mins on it and quickly went back to the VGA cable. Could not wait to see my new toy up and running you know..the VGA cable is a new "good" one though)
I have a few QAM channels (1080i) that I will try when I get the pvr1800 installed tonight also.
As far as settings in config.exe, any input on what works best for my combination? I have tried EVR (with Xp patch), VMR9, VMR9 custom, and overlay. On all of these I see what I would describe as one plate of an RGB filter skewed. Imagine looking through the RGB filter and pulling the green plate .25" to the right and that is what I see. I saw this on my 24" LCD monitor too ( it is 1920x 1080 native also though).
Also what codecs do I need? PureVideo? I do have CoreAVC Pro installed, but nothing else.

Thanks,
Michael

P.S. ...this program is great. The wife even said it looks cool. Let me tell you, that is a major compliment. haha

[stustunz]

have you tried a different driver for your video card
i use pre 100 drivers seems to be better for mpeg files but each setup is different so you will just have to try different ones till you get a picture you are happy with
is the vga cable the same one you were using on the 24"lcd if it is try a different one (i know you say its new but just cause its new doesnt mean its good )

i use purevideo but others say it makes the picture soft
i like cause i get the best panning shots (ticker is smooth)

[SUPERMAN40]

I have this card
Download the latest drivers from Nvidia for the 8500
Use the Nvidia control panel and set the output to Nvidia scaling, 1080i, then use the resizing scaler module the make the picture fit your screen.

[zerocool00]

stustunz: Yes, the monitor cables are different ones. Both new, both different brands. As for drivers, I am using the latest 169.21 driver that is available. I double checked the monitor's native res and found that it is 1920x1200. The TV is 1920x1080 res native. I tried and tried last night to get a picture by using just the DVI to HDMI cable, but didn't get anywhere. In fact, it wouldn't display any part of the boot process, just a blue screen.
I tried clone desktop in the menu as well as extended desktop when both the VGA and DVI cables where being used. It recognized the TV as an analog output (VGA) and a Digital output (1080p native) in the menu, but nothing would show under the HDMI input on the TV. At one point, the TV displayed 1p SD up in the corner when I switched to that HDMI input (this was with VGA and DVI both hooked to the GT), but no picture, just a dark screen. The only thing I didn't try was to delete the drivers and reboot with just the DVI-HDMI cable hooked to the TV.

I downloaded the tweaker tool and adjusted the blur/sharpness and did get a better picture(viewing on VGA analog input to TV), but still not near as good as the built in tuner in the TV . The RGB still appears skewed as I described below. The desktop does not nor does any Divx or other video I play have this problem, just live TV and recordings from the PVR 150.
I installed PureVideo HD last night also, but that didn't do anything for Live Tv except screw up my audio/video sync. Now even when I switch back to another MPEG, the audio isn't aligned or tends to "walk off" after a minute of viewing. I'll have to research that, seems I remember reading about that somewhere on here.

SUPERMAN40:

I didn't see this in the menu, I saw 480i,480p,720i,720p,1080p for options to set the display. None of them gave me a picture.


I appreciate you guys helping out. I like helpful communities like this one, and I'll be sure to help out when I become a bit more knowledgeable.

Thanks,
Michael

[Zeus]

I recently upgraded to the 8500GT from a 6600. I've loaded the latest drivers. I'm using the S-Video out to composite which then goes to my AV stereo then a plasma TV. I did use the DVI-out converted to HDMI to try and connect this, but it wouldn't recognize my TV, just my stereo. If I went straight to the TV, then it would recognize the HDTV properly.

As for size, I cant use Dualview instead I have to clone the two montitors (I hook up a monitor when I troubleshoot). When my HDTV is recognized I choose the 1080i resolution and select my proper connection type.

My picture is sharp on all of the connection types, so I'm not sure why your getting a blurry picture.

...

[zerocool00]

Update: I installed the 1800 over the weekend and hooked up the analog tuner. Now with this tuner, I have exceptional video (Live TV). It is very close to the TV's internal tuner and with some tweaking I think I'll be satisfied, but the 150 is still giving bad results. Could their be something physically wrong with the tuner that is cause this problem? Should I look into sending it back or does anyone have other suggestions?

Also, I cannot get the TV to work with the DVI to HDMI. When connected with both analog and DVI, the control panel recognizes the TV, but does not display a picture on it no matter what setting I use. For you guys that have this card and a HDTV, do you see the bios post during bootup?

Thanks again,
Michael

[stustunz]

have you downloaded the latest drivers for your pvr150 from the haupauge site

[zerocool00]

have you downloaded the latest drivers for your pvr150 from the haupauge site

Yessir