[vdr] Re: choosing a FF card

[Tony Houghton <h@realh.co.uk>]

In <4209DD30.6030100@f2s.com>, Ian Molton wrote:

> Hi there.
> 
> Can anyone tell me about their experience of FF cards?
> 
> I'd like to know a few details:
> 
> 1) How is audio handled
> 2) How much control over video output is there? my biggest problem with 
> my current setup is that the TV overscan is unadjustable and far too large.

Too large for what? ICBW, but my understanding is that if a device is
outputting 576 lines in PAL, the height is fixed by the TV and can't be
controlled by the device, except that it can probably be shifted up and
down a bit. Then the device has to fill the horizontal field, including
overscan, to make sure the aspect ratio is correct.

If a graphics card is showing an 800x600 desktop on a TV with no
overscan, then it's probably scaling to fewer than 576 lines. If you're
only concerned with video, then I think you'll find the amount of
overscan is the same as you'd get from a DVD player or STB.

> 3) Is the TV output properly interlaced? what about when playing a DVD 
> which is progressive-scan (most movies) ?

I don't know about FF cards, but my DXR3 handled both extremely well,
although I had to use it in NTSC mode for NTSC DVDs. AFAIK FF cards are
better than the DXR3 in terms of scaling non-standard sizes and
displaying an OSD.

> basically, I want really really good TV output from both DVB and DVD, 
> possibly divx (how does that work on these cards?) too.

DivX has to be converted to MPEG1 on the fly. You've got an EPIA system
haven't you? You might well not have enough CPU power. And what's wrong
with the CLE266?

Also, I don't think there's such a thing as a DVB-T FF card, and I think
you don't get as many decent UK channels on satellite as on Freeview.
ISTR reading you don't even get ITV, C4 and C5 without an access card.
Do FF receivers use such cards, and can you still get them for free?
Last I heard the only way to get one was to sell your soul to Murdoch
for at least a year. And satellite is compressed more aggressively to
make room for all those adverts for pay-per-view, so the quality is
lower.

-- 
TH * http://www.realh.co.uk