dvd playback

[iceman]

Hi--

Im looking to get a card for a new rig i'm building that is going to only be used for playing dvd's (tv-out) and games. I've heard that ati's have the best dvd playback, but the driver issues are ridiculous. My question is- has anyone seen/heard the difference in the dvd playback between the ati's and the gf3's, and if so, is the difference so great as to justify getting an 8500 (for example) and dealing with the driver headaches? One more thing- if the difference is only minimal, could someone give me THO of what the best (tv-out) gf3 is out there to suit my needs?

Thanks for your help!

[-Exi|e-]

I guess Cisco kid hasnt seen this post yet:D Im sure he (and I) would suggest the Radeon 7500 for this. I had a Radeon Vivo before and the playback was awsome. Although my Ti200 can do the same thing, the 7500 can be bought for less and does as good a job if not better. Ask Cisco kid, he knows alot about TV out on the 7500, he can tell you a bit more about it, he owns one:)

[Cisco Kid]

Originally posted by iceman
Hi--

Im looking to get a card for a new rig i'm building that is going to only be used for playing dvd's (tv-out) and games. I've heard that ati's have the best dvd playback, but the driver issues are ridiculous. My question is- has anyone seen/heard the difference in the dvd playback between the ati's and the gf3's, and if so, is the difference so great as to justify getting an 8500 (for example) and dealing with the driver headaches? One more thing- if the difference is only minimal, could someone give me THO of what the best (tv-out) gf3 is out there to suit my needs?

Thanks for your help!


Exile thanks for the pm , been busy with the 11mth old, LOL.

Iceman I had a Radeon vivo just as Exile did, and I loved it. I can not give you experience on G3 dvd playback as I had a Asus Geforce 256 DDR deluxe card and experimented with a Geforce II GTS card for a bit (bros card). It was good but the 2D video and the dvd playback was not as good as my pat ATI cards, I have only seen the Geforce DDR deluxe card I had play dvd's in my friends machine that I sold it to. We then swapped and put in my vivo, we both agreed it was better. Now how much better the G3 are in dvd playback I do not know but I imagine better.

I just found the ATi hardware dvd to be very good and others who have ATI cards say the same thing.

The 7500 is the only card that does TV out at 1024x768 with HDTVsupport as well. I have not had the time to try mine out, but I can not wait as it is one of the reasons I bought the card as I have a 40" Tosh HDTV widescreen.

There are no driver issues with the 7500, it is really a Radeon 64 DDR vivo on steroids ( shrunk die), and I think the card plays all games very well, at leats what I play with extremely good fps.

Price to performance with the 7500 imho it is cheap dirt cheap for really good quality.

Read these reviews if ya buy one and it is OEM I recommend the Powermagic or Supergrace brands cause the reviews say they have same clk/mem as ATI Reatil 7500. I bought retail for the = of $125US

http://www.digit-life.com/articles/pmradeon2/

http://www.sharkeyextreme.com/hardware/videocards/article.php/932821

http://www.digit-life.com/articles/anyr2002/index3.html

Good luck, you will be happy with a 7500, it is not as fast as a G3 Ti200 but I think it can do some things better for cheaper

Cisco Kid

[iceman]

Thanks you guys! I appreciate the advice.