Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Monitor/Video Forum => Topic started by: computarmann on December 18, 2004, 09:25:29 pm

Title: Best TV-out Card
Post by: computarmann on December 18, 2004, 09:25:29 pm
    There seems to be a general consensus that ATI has the best TV-out. My opinion is that nvidia is better. ATI cards have something called diagonal striation lines. It almost appears to me that they have diagonal scan lines or something. I have a nvidia fx 5200 with tv-out anf i think it looks much better. I think the colors look better, the image seeems more crisp and it does'nt have diagonal striation lines. Evidently dot crawl cannot be escaped without using component output or perhaps dvi, however for S-video I have never seen better than what my nvidea card produces and i've seen even the latest Radeon 9800 pro and they all have diagonal striation and I personally think it looks mediocre. This is not one of those mine is better than yours post because i have acouple all-in-wonder cards that i could use but for tv-out i personally like the nvidea. What do you all think
Title: Re: Best TV-out Card
Post by: stellarola on December 19, 2004, 12:49:17 pm
I tried TV out (S-video) on a Radeon 9800 and a Geforce4...and I got better results with the geforce. Geforce had this great flicker filter option built in the to the software that made the picture look great.
Title: Re: Best TV-out Card
Post by: Silver on December 19, 2004, 04:26:11 pm
Well if recent nvidia cards have got good tv-out - thats great. Its about time if you ask me.......

In my experience - and I have not used the latest and greatest of either ATI or Nvidia - ATI cards have generally had a vastly superior tv-out quality. However Tv-out is not always just down to the gfx chip maker  - 3rd party vendors who make cards with ATI/Nvidia chips have a choice of components they can use and some are notorious for cutting corners by using cheap encoding/signal chips etc... Its possible ATI's repuation was built up becase they had tougher control over what could be used etc..etc... I do not know.

Go with what looks best to you. Although I must say I have not encountered these diagonal striation lines you mention - could you post a pic? The last ATI I used card had flicker adjustments too, along with an overscan/size adjustment (that worked) which is not something I had encounterd on anyone elses cards.
Title: Re: Best TV-out Card
Post by: Xiaou2 on December 20, 2004, 05:23:32 am

  That ridiculus.   I have an older radion 7000ve.   The svideo I have is the cleanest picture ever.  No diagnol "striation"?! 

  I do not think its possible to update a picture diagnally.   Maybe what you are seeing is 'tearing'.   Your mame settings may be at fault.   Make sure to use 'tripple buffer'.

 The ati drivers also have the adjustment settings  for  flicker control... so you can choose high detail w/ slight flicker... or lower detail without  a trace of flicker.   Ati had this setting long before anyone else did.  I know - because  my friend has an older Nvidia card.  Ati has also been doing tv  in/out & capture  for a lot longer.

 As said,  you probably got a 'powered by Ati"  card rather than a "BUILT by Ati"  card.   Always go  with the built by - as the other manufacturers may be putting poor quality chips in the mix on the card.
Title: Re: Best TV-out Card
Post by: Tritoch84 on December 20, 2004, 03:09:13 pm

  That ridiculus.   I have an older radion 7000ve.   The svideo I have is the cleanest picture ever.  No diagnol "striation"?! 

  I do not think its possible to update a picture diagnally.   Maybe what you are seeing is 'tearing'.   Your mame settings may be at fault.   Make sure to use 'tripple buffer'.

 The ati drivers also have the adjustment settings  for  flicker control... so you can choose high detail w/ slight flicker... or lower detail without  a trace of flicker.   Ati had this setting long before anyone else did.  I know - because  my friend has an older Nvidia card.  Ati has also been doing tv  in/out & capture  for a lot longer.

 As said,  you probably got a 'powered by Ati"  card rather than a "BUILT by Ati"  card.   Always go  with the built by - as the other manufacturers may be putting poor quality chips in the mix on the card.


I do agree with you, however, just becasue it is a "powered by" doesn't mean it has bad video out.

Sapphire and Hercules are 3rd party makers of ATI Radeons that make great TV outs.

But your right, some 3rd party makers TV outs can be horrible. And comparing nVidia to ATI TV-Out is laughible. ATI takes the cup every time.