"9800 pro" plus "TV wonder pro" or "all-in-wonder 9800 pro"?

[I discuss]

I would like to
- watch and capture TV on my computer,
- have two monitors side by side, (one CRT, one Flat Panel with DVI
connection),
- TV-out divx video to my big screen TV.

So I am wondering:

Sould I get an "ATI 9800 pro video card (AGP)" and a "TV wonder pro PCI
card" seperately,
or, should I just get an "all in wonder 9800 pro"?

AIW 9800 pro is more expensive than video card and TV tuner card combined,
does it offer any real advantage?

 

[Paul Murphy]

If you get both an AIW 9800 pro AND a TV Wonder Pro, then you can have
something called MulTView which gives you the ability to watch one channel
while recording another or watch picture in picture as well as other
combinations. Current AIW cards use an ATI produced chipset for the TV
functionality whereas the TV Wonder Pro uses a Conexant chipset (made by the
same people who released the HSP modem chipset). The AIW by itself will mean
you can keep a PCI slot free.

If you do decide on an All In Wonder 9800 - make certain that it is a Pro
version (that you referred to) and not the inferior/slower SE version (that
is unless you want a cheaper but much slower card). If you have a read of
the AIW 9800 Pro manual on ATIs website you'll get a good idea of what its
capable of.

Paul

 

[Barry Watzman]

I have a question on this same subject (AIW vs. ATI video card + TV Wonder).

What about bus traffic?

With an AIW, when watching TV, everything is presumably done on the
video card.

But with separate cards, doesn't the TV video have to get from the TV
Wonder card to the separate video card? And wouldn't this mean a lot of
traffic and bandwidth use of the PCI and AGP bus?

Just a question, because I've also considered the question of separate
cards vs. an AIW card. But is there a negative performance implication
that's not obvious because of the need to transfer the video signal
information across the PCI and AGP bus?

 

[I discuss]

Thanks, Paul.

I like the idea of getting an "all-in-wonder", but I do hesitate because of
the following reasons:

- first and most importantly, AIW 9800 pro does NOT support dual monitors,
you can only hook up one monitor. I really would like to have two monitors,
so I can expand my desktop.

- AIW 9800 pro is more expensive than 9800 pro and TV wonder pro combined,
yet I haven't really find anything AIW can do, and the combination can not
do.

- With AIW, when you upgrade your video card, you are forced to replace the
TV tuner too, isn't that a waste?

Leo

 

[Paul Murphy]

Regarding any bus traffic issues raised by Barry, the AIW solution is better
because, as already mentioned, TV Data doesn't need to flow between a
seperate card and the graphics card (although it still uses the PCI bus,
especially for recording, through the AGP slot).

You can have 2 monitors with an AIW but only with cloned desktops - via a Y
splitter standard VGA cable (not DVI and d-sub). It is possible to have a TV
acting as a monitor simultaneously with 1 DVI or standard d-sub input
monitor. You could always put in a cheap PCI VGA card if you want a second
monitor and then if you also add a TV Wonder (Pro) you have the flexibility
of being able to upgrade to MulTView as well - meaning more total
possibilities.

When an AIW is upgraded, it's going to be worth more second-hand (and be
much more saleable) than a standard card so there won't be any "waste" as
such. It's a bit like if you buy the top of the range model of a car versus
the base-line model, you get to use the extra features built in while you
have it and then you get more for it when you eventually sell it.

Paul

 

[anonymous]

I would like to
- watch and capture TV on my computer,
- have two monitors side by side, (one CRT, one Flat Panel with DVI
connection),
- TV-out divx video to my big screen TV.

So I am wondering:

Sould I get an "ATI 9800 pro video card (AGP)" and a "TV wonder pro PCI
card" seperately,
or, should I just get an "all in wonder 9800 pro"?

AIW 9800 pro is more expensive than video card and TV tuner card combined,
does it offer any real advantage?

Isn't the 9800Pro an awful lot of heat for a TV tuner ?

 

[I discuss]

oh yeah, especially so if it is located on the same board!