DVD decoding

  • Thread starter Thread starter GregL
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G

GregL

I know that all ATI cards have such functions like:
MPEG-2 decoding with motion compensation, iDCT
and color space conversion.

Are there any differences between these cards
(9000,9200, 9600,9700,9800) as far as decoding
DVD is concerned. I had my own Radeon 8500 card and
I was very happy with it untill it broke down
I will have to buy the new one now.

I don't play games so 3D performance is not what
interests me. I only want to watch DVD's and other movies
(using different codecs) on my LCD monitor.

If all theses cards have the same DVD features
should I buy the cheapest one?
Or should I choose something else (Matrox etc.)?

Greg
 
IMO, they're all equal as far as DVD Decoding is concerned - although it'd
be better to get something like a 9500 Pro - they're fast, they support DIVX
decoding in hardware unlike the 9000 or 9200, and they're cheap. You can
pick one up on ebay, or in clearance - for about £65

ATI Cards are generally regarded as better quality picture output than
nvidias, and while the gap is closing, ATI still retain their crown for
quality.

HTH
 
IMO, they're all equal as far as DVD Decoding is concerned - although it'd
be better to get something like a 9500 Pro - they're fast, they support DIVX
decoding in hardware unlike the 9000 or 9200, and they're cheap. You can
pick one up on ebay, or in clearance - for about £65
Click to expand...

Since I couldn't find R9500 I decided to look at R9600.
I think I will buy R9600 (not Pro or XT) because there also
seems to be FULLSTREAM Real DivX implemented.

Actually there are many manufacturers such as:
HIS, Gigabyte, Sapphire, Hercules etc.
Can you tell me which one makes the best
clones because I don't think I can afford to
buy an original ATI card?

Greg
 
Be sure to stay away from 9600SE cards, they're extremely slow in comparison
with other 9600-series cards.
 
IMO They're all as good as each other - although Sapphire are generally
regarded as the best.

As Yello said, DONT get the 9600SE - it has a crippled 64-bit memory path,
rather than the 128-bit one of the regular one.

The 9600 should serve you fine. However, i also find it a little bit amusing
that the 9500 and 9500 Pro are faster than the 9600 in a lot of things :P

128 or 256mb shouldnt matter at all - although always try and get the best
card you can afford :)

Kai
 
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