Barry Watzman said:
For the 8500DV, I suggest that you use 9.02 instead of 9.06. ATI says
that 9.02 is the last supported version for the 8500DV. But, that point
aside, look through this newsgroup. 9.06 was a disaster, there are dozens
if not hundreds of messages about people having problems with it.
And those 9.06 related problems are all with newer All In Wonders which
incorporate the Theatre 200 chip (not the old Rage Theatre that's on the
8500DV). The other very significant difference is that newer AIWs with the
latest drivers and MMC also transfer audio over the PCI bus where as the
8500DV must still use the old fashioned cable method (and some of the
problems related to audio issues). I'm using MMC 9.06.1 (note the 1 on the
end which seems to have made a difference for many of those experiencing
problems with 9.06) with my 8500DV and Cat 5.4 and the only thing I've found
wrong is that when recording TV if the screen is maximised the TV Control
app wont show the channel details anymore - hardly a biggie given that users
already would have known what channel it was on when recording was started -
this issue is also present with my other AIWs though so I'm pretty sure its
hardware independent. Additionally I've found that the maximum DVD Player
volume isn't enough for my liking but that's an ATI DVD Decoder issue and is
present under previous versions of MMC and even under Windows Media Player.
I do realise that 9.02 is the last ATI recommended version - it does however
have its bugs as well with the 8500DV and I don't think that its best
default record setting is DVD quality but rather VCR format.
Ian will need to be aware of the correct installation order and to first
ensure that the old MMC and then drivers are removed using add/remove
programs (as well as any other ATI related software in there - it's so long
ago I cant remember what else was installed with MMC 7.x). The reason for
this is because MMC doesn't like being upgraded upon itself. Upon rebooting
the Catalyst 5.4 drivers can be installed (I suggest the all-in-one DSL
package rather than mucking around with separate control panel and WDMs
etc). The PC must then be rebooted and installation of the MMC prerequisites
and ultimately MMC 9.(whatever version is settled on) can be completed. The
one point that may be an issue is the DVD Decoder. Even though ATI's
"Cyberlink developed" DVD Player isn't being used (Cyberlink's own Power DVD
instead), I'm unsure whether the ATI decoder is needed for TV Playback
that's recorded in DVD format. I'm also unsure whether MMC is clever enough
to "borrow" the Power DVD Decoder if its installed instead. MMC 9.02 may be
a better/safer bet for this reason without that ATI DVD Decoder installed.
I suggest Ian reads through and prints out the installation procedures to be
completely familiar with them before commencing anything. They have to be
followed in the correct order and to the letter with nothing else running in
the background at the time. This means that all programs which start with
windows (such as antivirus and utility applications) must be closed and/or
disabled for the full time it takes to complete the installation. This can
be checked using the Windows Task Manager/Applications Tab.
Paul
