With how fast video tech seems to advance, I was wondering if the advice in that thread is still applicable. I'm fed up with TVersity so I want to turn my old desktop into a media server for my TV. The only real problem is I have no way to get sound at the moment. The current videocard is an ATI 9600 Pro -- which I'm not sure is enough to handle HD. My TV is 720p, with DVI, VGA and HDMI. It seems the nicest solution would be to find a videocard with HDMI out that includes sound.
Another issue that may factor in to which videocard is best for me is that I will need to address the overscan of my TV -- that is, I'll somehow need to create borders around the image so that it isn't cut off my by TV's overscan. I know I can do this nVidia cards by setting a custom resolution slightly lower than 1280x720 and setting it to Do Not Scale. I'm not sure if this can be done on ATI cards.
I know the ATI 3xxx series can do 5.1 audio over HDMI, and the 4xxx series can do 7.1. I think the NVidia 9xxx and GTX series can do 7.1 as well but don't quote me on that.
I've used ATI for a long time on my HTPC and I've never had a problem with custom resolutions or overscan. They have a pretty good set of features in the CCC.
------------------------------Maximus Formula | q9550@3.6 | 4 GB Kingston HyperX @1106 5-5-5-15-2t | Zalman 9700 | Silverstone 750 | Sapphire 3870x2 | Visontek 3870 OC | 500 GB Vista 32 OS | 74 GB Raptor RAID0 | 74 GB Raptor RAID1 |Samsung SATA DVD | X-Fi Fatal1ty | Thermaltake Armor
Reply to firebird
I am running an Asus ATI 3450 in my home theater. Works great and has HDMI. They are $29 at newegg.
Be warned though, getting HDMI audio to work with this card is a biatch!
Given the prices of the ATi 4650 and 4670, they're not bad choices.
4650 and 4670 do support 7.1, but if you're going straight into your TV with that then chances are you'll never hear it. What TV brand and technology (LCD, CRT...)? What receiver digital audio input options? What Mobo?
Wow did you guys not metion nvidia... i would go with a 9400Gt it is cheap and perfect for your needs
While nvidia has the ability to do audio over hdmi, it does not have a built in sound device, you are forced to use a cable from your existing sound card.
I did mention an NVidia product, but I have no experience with them.
also, I think you can get a 4350 on the cheap, under $30 after rebate. No dedicated HDMI, but with adaptor would work.
I remember Nvidia using the SPDIF pass through for HDMI audio on previous gen cards, but I saw a review of the newest NVidia IGP with 9xxx series graphics and it had 7.1 audio built in (i think).
My personal opinion is to go ATI for HTPC/media usage. NVidia seems to work best for gaming.
------------------------------Maximus Formula | q9550@3.6 | 4 GB Kingston HyperX @1106 5-5-5-15-2t | Zalman 9700 | Silverstone 750 | Sapphire 3870x2 | Visontek 3870 OC | 500 GB Vista 32 OS | 74 GB Raptor RAID0 | 74 GB Raptor RAID1 |Samsung SATA DVD | X-Fi Fatal1ty | Thermaltake Armor
Reply to firebird
It sounds like you're using a computer with an AGP slot (9600pro would be an old card to be PCI-e). If that's the case you're going to have to go with a 2xxx series AGP ATI card or the AGP 3850.
Also, catalyst control center makes it very easy to adjust underscan/overscan, and using HDMI audio in Vista is super easy (to the point where I couldn't believe I didn't have to do anything to get it to work flawlessly.
I was really liking the look of the 9400gt -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127380 -- but a review about nVidia's audio-out, like firebird explained two posts ago, worries me: "Cons: Poor HDMI Audio out implementation. The only way to get audio out through the HDMI port is to make an internal wired connection between the card and the motherboard's SPDIF header. A flimsy wire is used for this. MSI Techs tell me this is the nVidia solution for audio thru HDMI. Apparently, ATI has a different approach."
The ATi 3450 looks like the front-runner -- tomorrow when I have a little extra time I'm going to look up some reviews for it. Thanks.
4650 and 4670 do support 7.1, but if you're going straight into your TV with that then chances are you'll never hear it. What TV brand and technology (LCD, CRT...)? What receiver digital audio input options? What Mobo?
Wow -- really? I didn't realize there were so many chances for it to be incompatible.
This will be going directly to my TV for now -- an older Samsung DLP, 56", 720p. It was made long before HDMI 1.3.
I'm not too sure about the computer's mobo, but I know it's PCIe -- the 9600pro in it is PCIe.
You may want to do a sanity check on the model of the video card and mobo slot. If I was a betting man I'd put the house up against the 9600 pro ever being on PCIe...
------------------------------Maximus Formula | q9550@3.6 | 4 GB Kingston HyperX @1106 5-5-5-15-2t | Zalman 9700 | Silverstone 750 | Sapphire 3870x2 | Visontek 3870 OC | 500 GB Vista 32 OS | 74 GB Raptor RAID0 | 74 GB Raptor RAID1 |Samsung SATA DVD | X-Fi Fatal1ty | Thermaltake Armor
Reply to firebird
It's possible it's not a 9600pro, but it's definitely PCIe... it doesn't really matter what card is in it now, does it? I'm 100% positive it's PCIe, that was one of my requirements when buying the computer.
They never made a PCI-E 9600 pro.
When they made that card in PCI-E they called it the X600 (Same card different name i believe). The only way your 9600pro is PCI-E is if your motherboard is not identifying the X600 right. That is the reason why i linked to an AGP.
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G33/X-fi ElitePro
24'E248WFP/OCZSxS600
Vista\Xp\Sv03\Ubuntu
Reply to Ares_
I am running an Asus ATI 3450 in my home theater. Works great and has HDMI. They are $29 at newegg.
Be warned though, getting HDMI audio to work with this card is a biatch!
I hear ya - do you have your detailed steps for getting 5.1 out over the 3450?
I've been able to get 2 channel - but not 5.1, despite loading the ATI HDMI driver, and different combination of drivers from Realtek, ATI, Microsoft and Radeon...
Are you using XP? NVIDIA cards require a SPDIF input from the motherboard to be able to carry sound. ATI has their own "chip" that does this. On the CD Driver disk that comes with the 3450 should be a HDMI driver.
While nvidia has the ability to do audio over hdmi, it does not have a built in sound device, you are forced to use a cable from your existing sound card.
What do you mean? Doesn't it just go through the motherboard, on to the PCI slot, and from there into the video card, which then combines the audio into it's HDMI output?