New ATI Tuner Card.

[digitalravi]

Hope this will clarify, some of the confusion people had regarding the
PAL version of the Theater 550 based cards. I wrote to GECUBE, and
they responded to my email.

Here is my mail to Gecube, and their response:::

:::::::::My mail ::::::::::::

> Hi,
>
> With reference to our conversation on telephone on
> March 30th at 4:45 pm Taiwan time, here are some
> questions on GECUBE CINEMASTER TV tuner.
>
> 1) The webpage of GECUBE CINEMASTER GC-T550PRO is
>
> http://www.gecube.com/mbu/productCategory.php?proID=64
>
> In this webpage, it is given that GC-T550PRO works on
> both NTSC and PAL.
>
> The question is whether GC-T550PRO works for
> European PAL standards i.e PAL B/G/I/H.
> There is confusion about this because ATI also
> says that their cards work for PAL, but they
> refer to PAL M/N-Latin America standards. ATI cards
> donot work on European - PAL B/G/H/I.
>
> So Does GC-T550PRO work for European-PAL:
> PAL-B/G/I/H..?
> Simply put, does GC-T550PRO work on all types
> of PAL signals..?
>
> 2) Sapphire is selling separate Theater 500 cards for
> NTSC and PAL. But your card GC-T550PRO is said to work
> for NTSC and PAL. So does the same card work
> on both NTSC and PAL signals...?
> If I buy the GC-T550PRO card in Japan, can I use
> it in Europe..? (I can use it if the same card
> works for both NTSC and PAL....does it work..?)
> Please clarify.
>
> Please answer the above two questions.

> Awaiting reply,
>
> Best regards.


:::::::::::::::REPLY FROM GECUBE, TAIWAN:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hi,
After I checked with ATI (Taiwan)engineers,Their answers are as below:

1.Does GC-T550PRO work for European-PAL: PAL-B/G/I/H.?

Ans:Yes, GC-T550PRO can support all types of European-PAL system.

2.Does the same card work on both NTSC and PAL signals...?

Ans:No,GC-T550PRO also must sell separate card for PAL and NTSC.
So if you buy GC-T550PRO in japan.It can not use in Europe.

If you have other questions or something are still confusion.Please
respond
to me.

Best Regards

Info-Tek Technology Co., Ltd.
MD3 R&D Division

[backlund]

Where's our settlement for "misleading statements"?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03...nduct_payment/

[exAndrzej]

Hi All,

I have been through a ton of posts - pulling out what seem to be the 'key questions' and then looking to remove duplicates

Can you have a look through these and let me know if I have missed any before we start working on a definitive reply ?

Backlund: When will the sharpness issue be sorted ?
SpaceD: When will the PAL/SECAM versions be available ?
Jschiede: My captured picture appears 'washed out' - why ?
Jschiede: When will I be able to change the ‘capture location’ ?
Jschiede: Why does the video appear to freeze if I try to record from composite or svideo ?
Jschiede: Why does changing to VCD or SVCD not seem to work – the resolution is still 720*480
Jschiede: Why isn’t AVI or WMV recording allowed ?
Hrlslcbr: When will we have fine bitrate control ?
Hrlslcbr: How long before VBR/CBR control ?
Hrlslcbr: Will filter control be implemented ?
Hrlslcbr: When will we have an EPG ?
Hrlslcbr: Record volume control would be really useful – when will it happen ?
Hrlslcbr: Will Dolby AC3 audio be possible ?
Hrlslcbr: Will recording to AVI with working filters (and with the same colours as MPEG-2 encoding) ever be a feature ?
Hrlslcbr: Will there be a 3D comb filter for composite connection ?
Hrlslcbr: Can the NTSC version capture PAL through s-video or composite ?
Blakev: As part of the wider software support - which 3rd party software, if any, gets a leg up?
Blakev: How full a set of features/filters will Intervideo implement with their new software ?
Digitalravi: If a Theatre 550 Pro card is advertised as NTSC/PAL – then does it mean that soft/firmware can be used to change the card from one to the other ?
Farmkid: When can we expect 'enthusiast' features on the Theatre 550 Pro ?


This is a long one with some preamble – and I don't pretend to know enough about this product to feel safe reducing it - so it is separate...

Techsan: I purchased this card to replace my old conexant based tv tuner card with the hopes of better fast action picture quality. During certain sporting events like the NCAA tourney (Go TxTech Mens and Womens BB), I have the game on both my TV and my computer, sometimes recording. I dont care about time shifting, I just care about having the audio and video synced with my television with the live analog cable feed. I understand by using a PVR card the MPEG encoding generates lag. Using Power Cinema there is some lag, but if there is software out there that I can use for this? Should I be looking for a Non PVR Card? I also looked at this card becuase it does not use a loopback cable, I connect my speakers using a SPDIF cable most of the time, but I have to switch from digital to analog mode to get it to work.


PLEASE do not add the same question again - but with different wording

PLEASE do add any questions that you think I have missed - and which woud help a newbie to this thread 'get right up to speed' without needing to read over 60 pages

Any help/feedback appreciated !

[e.lectronick]

I'd like to add the request for the same extensive standard and oddball resolution choices found in Multimedia Center (eg 720x480, 704x480, 640x480, 352x240, 352x480, and on and on and on...). It should be willing to capture at just about any resolution desired.

-Erik

[satnav4]

Hi All,

I have been through a ton of posts - pulling out what seem to be the 'key questions' and then looking to remove duplicates

Can you have a look through these and let me know if I have missed any before we start working on a definitive reply ?

Backlund: When will the sharpness issue be sorted ?
SpaceD: When will the PAL/SECAM versions be available ?
Jschiede: My captured picture appears 'washed out' - why ?
Jschiede: When will I be able to change the ‘capture location’ ?
Jschiede: Why does the video appear to freeze if I try to record from composite or svideo ?
Jschiede: Why does changing to VCD or SVCD not seem to work – the resolution is still 720*480
Jschiede: Why isn’t AVI or WMV recording allowed ?
Hrlslcbr: When will we have fine bitrate control ?
Hrlslcbr: How long before VBR/CBR control ?
Hrlslcbr: Will filter control be implemented ?
Hrlslcbr: When will we have an EPG ?
Hrlslcbr: Record volume control would be really useful – when will it happen ?
Hrlslcbr: Will Dolby AC3 audio be possible ?
Hrlslcbr: Will recording to AVI with working filters (and with the same colours as MPEG-2 encoding) ever be a feature ?
Hrlslcbr: Will there be a 3D comb filter for composite connection ?
Hrlslcbr: Can the NTSC version capture PAL through s-video or composite ?
Blakev: As part of the wider software support - which 3rd party software, if any, gets a leg up?
Blakev: How full a set of features/filters will Intervideo implement with their new software ?
Digitalravi: If a Theatre 550 Pro card is advertised as NTSC/PAL – then does it mean that soft/firmware can be used to change the card from one to the other ?
Farmkid: When can we expect 'enthusiast' features on the Theatre 550 Pro ?


This is a long one with some preamble – and I don't pretend to know enough about this product to feel safe reducing it - so it is separate...

Techsan: I purchased this card to replace my old conexant based tv tuner card with the hopes of better fast action picture quality. During certain sporting events like the NCAA tourney (Go TxTech Mens and Womens BB), I have the game on both my TV and my computer, sometimes recording. I dont care about time shifting, I just care about having the audio and video synced with my television with the live analog cable feed. I understand by using a PVR card the MPEG encoding generates lag. Using Power Cinema there is some lag, but if there is software out there that I can use for this? Should I be looking for a Non PVR Card? I also looked at this card becuase it does not use a loopback cable, I connect my speakers using a SPDIF cable most of the time, but I have to switch from digital to analog mode to get it to work.


PLEASE do not add the same question again - but with different wording

PLEASE do add any questions that you think I have missed - and which woud help a newbie to this thread 'get right up to speed' without needing to read over 60 pages

Any help/feedback appreciated !

That is a nice list. It is unfortunate I received no attribution. OK, I am now over it. Some related questions are:

1) Assuming these features are added (vbr, filter, bitrate, volume control, save location control etc.), through what software will they be accessed?

2) If these features are to be added through the Cyberlink software, will there be a free download of the improved software for the current owners of the 550 family of cards?

3) Can interlace/deinterlace control be added?

I would appreciate your adding these to the list.

S.

[ron329]

Hi All,

I have been through a ton of posts - pulling out what seem to be the 'key questions' and then looking to remove duplicates

Can you have a look through these and let me know if I have missed any before we start working on a definitive reply ?

Backlund: When will the sharpness issue be sorted ?
SpaceD: When will the PAL/SECAM versions be available ?
Jschiede: My captured picture appears 'washed out' - why ?
Jschiede: When will I be able to change the ‘capture location’ ?
Jschiede: Why does the video appear to freeze if I try to record from composite or svideo ?
Jschiede: Why does changing to VCD or SVCD not seem to work – the resolution is still 720*480
Jschiede: Why isn’t AVI or WMV recording allowed ?
Hrlslcbr: When will we have fine bitrate control ?
Hrlslcbr: How long before VBR/CBR control ?
Hrlslcbr: Will filter control be implemented ?
Hrlslcbr: When will we have an EPG ?
Hrlslcbr: Record volume control would be really useful – when will it happen ?
Hrlslcbr: Will Dolby AC3 audio be possible ?
Hrlslcbr: Will recording to AVI with working filters (and with the same colours as MPEG-2 encoding) ever be a feature ?
Hrlslcbr: Will there be a 3D comb filter for composite connection ?
Hrlslcbr: Can the NTSC version capture PAL through s-video or composite ?
Blakev: As part of the wider software support - which 3rd party software, if any, gets a leg up?
Blakev: How full a set of features/filters will Intervideo implement with their new software ?
Digitalravi: If a Theatre 550 Pro card is advertised as NTSC/PAL – then does it mean that soft/firmware can be used to change the card from one to the other ?
Farmkid: When can we expect 'enthusiast' features on the Theatre 550 Pro ?


This is a long one with some preamble – and I don't pretend to know enough about this product to feel safe reducing it - so it is separate...

Techsan: I purchased this card to replace my old conexant based tv tuner card with the hopes of better fast action picture quality. During certain sporting events like the NCAA tourney (Go TxTech Mens and Womens BB), I have the game on both my TV and my computer, sometimes recording. I dont care about time shifting, I just care about having the audio and video synced with my television with the live analog cable feed. I understand by using a PVR card the MPEG encoding generates lag. Using Power Cinema there is some lag, but if there is software out there that I can use for this? Should I be looking for a Non PVR Card? I also looked at this card becuase it does not use a loopback cable, I connect my speakers using a SPDIF cable most of the time, but I have to switch from digital to analog mode to get it to work.


PLEASE do not add the same question again - but with different wording

PLEASE do add any questions that you think I have missed - and which woud help a newbie to this thread 'get right up to speed' without needing to read over 60 pages

Any help/feedback appreciated !

Andrzej,

Nice list which I think covers most of the questions. Keep in mind when providing answers to these questions that they must be specific as to what software will support what features. For instance, I use the 550 Pro card in an Media Center 2005 configuration which may or may not support some of the functionality of the card itself. My main issues with the card is lack of sharpness control and occasional ghosting. If these 2 issues could be addressed as a user definable adjustment or a driver fix I would be very satisfied with this card.

Thanks for your support.

[backlund]

Andrzej-
I thought of another question:
When new drivers are released, can they post a changelog on the ati.com site for us to see if installing them is even worthwhile?

[spacded]

ANDRZEJ , DONT Worry about all those silly Questions Mate!!

Just tell us WHEN THE PAL EURO (UK) Version is going to be released its the only one worth answering!!!



This a is a Joke for all those without a SOH!!!!


though you know which one your old pal Spacded is waiting on nudge nudge

[hrlslcbr]

Andrzej: Now the composite input does have a working 3D comb filter, but the first 4 frames aren't filtered, so you might want to change that question.
Thank you for your great help.

[Myrdhinn]

Now that Andrzej is compiling the list I have a faint hope now that ATi will do us right... faint, but some hope is better than none. Andrzej, I do hope you make it clear when we say we want sharpness, noise, comb filter settings, etc, we also want an actual control of being able to set them to maximize our experience since everyone's input/output, cable or atenna will be different.

[hrlslcbr]

Andrzej: I've just remembered...There might be something wrong with the MPEG encoder in the card. I posted some shots of an 'I' frame compared to a 'B' frame, and the 'I' frames were badly encoded (noise, or something...) and those should be the 'best' looking frames. I can post the images again if you like.

[digitalravi]

PLEASE do add any questions that you think I have missed - and which woud help a newbie to this thread 'get right up to speed' without needing to read over 60 pages

Any help/feedback appreciated !

Hi Andrzej, your list appears exhaustive and together with additional
questions posted by forum members, the list of questions and answers
from ATI will make it a one-point reference for all issues associated
with Theater 550 based cards.

Please go ahead, we will all support you to the best we can.
Anxiously waiting for answers to the big list of questions.

DigitalRavi.

[Capaholic]

ANDRZEJ, here are two questions you might want to add.
1- Can ATI fix the excessive artifacts or large pixelization on fast moving images? e.g. a person is jumping up and down really fast. I am capturing from satellite tv through the s-video input with cbr 9000000 and still get pixelization on fast motion scenes.

2- Regarding the PowerCinema, can we have the option to set the capture file size to whatever we want instead of the default size of 2GB?

Thanks

[jonaslasky]

ANDRZEJ, here are two questions you might want to add.
1- Can ATI fix the excessive artifacts or large pixelization on fast moving images? e.g. a person is jumping up and down really fast. I am capturing from satellite tv through the s-video input with cbr 9000000 and still get pixelization on fast motion scenes.

2- Regarding the PowerCinema, can we have the option to set the capture file size to whatever we want instead of the default size of 2GB?

Thanks

I hate to let ATI off the hook too easily, but I don't think the pixelation is ATI's fault. Even the fastest moving objects are perfectly clear on my machine. That's using BeyondTV, VirtualVCR, iuVCR and GraphEdit. I'm afraid those who are having pixelation problems might have to look for something else to blame. Talking about pixelation, those flat panel TVs are horrendous. After paying 5000 dollars all you get is a lot of crap. Spending 83 bucks on a PCTV card seems trivial by comparison.

Jonas

[duren]

I would also like to see two things in addition to the compiled list,

a frame drop counter, either in the software or perhaps even hardware for last capture,

and the ability to use the hardware encoder not only in capturing but also in transcoding video, such as exporting to mpeg2 after editing. I think this should be possible and would make this card very cool.

[blakev]

Andrzej, thank you, you've stuck through thick and thin.
Being in waiting mode, I have nothing to add to the list but the recent remarks.

digitalravi: Questions to manufacturer: "Does the same card work on both NTSC and PAL Signals...?" Answer: "No,..."
**Need to clarify for 550. Is GeCube using a different tuner?

e.lectronick : Need to imlement variable capture sizes: 720x480, 704x480, 640x480, 352x240, 352x480,

satnav4: features implemented in which software?

satnav4: if features implemented in Power Cinema, is upgrade path free?

satnav: Need de/interlace controls

backlund: changelogs are required

hrlslcbr : implementation of 3D comb filter, test reveals first 4 frames aren't filtered

hrlslcbr : MPEG encoder issue? 'I' frame compared to a 'B' frame, 'I' frames were badly encoded

Capaholic : PowerCinema, default file size of 2GB is too low