I want an ATI TV Wonder 650 PCIe

[Bill Anderson]

Not just PCI. I want PCIe. The product is described on the ATI
website, but I can't find it for sale anywhere. Does anyone know when
it will go on the market? I'm holding off building a new system until I
can have one. How long will I need to wait? Anybody know? Thanks.

 

[JamesH]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-Video+Devices+++TV+Tuners-_-ATI-_-15294001
$119.99

 

[Bert Hyman]

In "JamesH"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815294001&ATT=15-2
94-001&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3watch-_-Video+Devices+++TV+Tu
ners-_-ATI-_-15294001 $119.99

Nope:

"PCI Interface TV Wonder 650"

"Interface PCI"

 

[Augustus]

Not just PCI. I want PCIe. The product is described on the ATI website,
but I can't find it for sale anywhere. Does anyone know when it will go
on the market? I'm holding off building a new system until I can have
one. How long will I need to wait? Anybody know? Thanks.

All I can find on the various review sites is "a few weeks". That was from
July 9th. None of the usual suspects are showing inventory or even listing
it yet.

 

[JamesH]

My mistake, I forgot to check the bus type. This card is old and Ebay might
be the be place to get the PCIe version. PriceWatch only comes up with
newegg.com but Bestbuy.com is listed on ATI as a seller of the PCIe version.

 

[Ashton Crusher]

Not just PCI. I want PCIe. The product is described on the ATI
website, but I can't find it for sale anywhere. Does anyone know when
it will go on the market? I'm holding off building a new system until I
can have one. How long will I need to wait? Anybody know? Thanks.

Does that card go in the "little" PCIe slot? From looking at the ATI
website specs it doesn't sound like it's a video card.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Does that card go in the "little" PCIe slot? From looking at the ATI
website specs it doesn't sound like it's a video card.

It's a video capture card. Plays TV, both analog and HD. Captures
video, allowing me to make DVDs. The PCI Express version will also
accommodate digital cable.

http://ati.amd.com/products/tunermatrix.html

The product I waiting for is the TV Wonder 650 Combo PCI Express (PCIe).

 

[Ron Krebs]

It's a video capture card. Plays TV, both analog and HD. Captures video,
allowing me to make DVDs. The PCI Express version will also accommodate
digital cable.

Just so you know, it only plays HDTV from a ATSC tuner (local HD broadcasts
usually) with an appropriate external antenna and not from satellite dish
input due to HDCP bull****.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Just so you know, it only plays HDTV from a ATSC tuner (local HD broadcasts
usually) with an appropriate external antenna and not from satellite dish
input due to HDCP bull****.

Yes, thanks. I know how it works -- I have an ATI HDTV Wonder in my
current system. I seldom use the HDTV card, though, because I live in a
downtown concrete canyon where reception is iffy. The new PCIe card,
though, is supposed to accommodate *some* digital cable channels. I
believe my cable provider (RCN) provides some digital channels in the
appropriate format, and if that turns out to be true, I want to be able
to capture those channels with the new card. So I wait.

BTW, I can easily capture HDTV via firewire from my cable box and
playback looks super, even when I convert the HDTV image into DVD
quality. But when I capture analog cable TV via firewire, I always end
up with a letterboxed/windowboxed image. Black bars on all sides. I
haven't put much effort into figuring out what's wrong with my setup.
It has just occurred to me as I type this that if I can crack that nut,
I don't need to wait on the TV Wonder 650 PCIe to build my new system.
I can just make do with firewire until the new card goes on sale. I
think I'll do a little experimenting this afternoon. Thanks!

 

[Ron Krebs]

Yes, thanks. I know how it works -- I have an ATI HDTV Wonder in my
current system. I seldom use the HDTV card, though, because I live in a
downtown concrete canyon where reception is iffy. The new PCIe card,
though, is supposed to accommodate *some* digital cable channels. I
believe my cable provider (RCN) provides some digital channels in the
appropriate format, and if that turns out to be true, I want to be able to
capture those channels with the new card. So I wait.

you do know that HD is at least 720p and the 650 only accepts composite or
S-video in.
It comes with a component adapter. But that is component IN and it only
sends it OUT thru either
composite or S-video to the 650, neither of which is HD. Neither version of
the 650 has HDMI(1080i)
nor component(720p) in.

BTW, I can easily capture HDTV via firewire from my cable box and playback
looks super, even when I convert the HDTV image into DVD quality.

What are you using to capture within the PC? Not the cable(conduit), the
capture card.

 

[Bill Anderson]

you do know that HD is at least 720p and the 650 only accepts composite or
S-video in.
It comes with a component adapter. But that is component IN and it only
sends it OUT thru either
composite or S-video to the 650, neither of which is HD. Neither version of
the 650 has HDMI(1080i)
nor component(720p) in.

Not a problem. I merely want to use the capture card to capture a TV
signal in near DVD quality, as I can do now with my All-in-Wonder
9600XT. I don't need the new card to capture HD. But the fact that it
does have component IN is interesting, and even though I don't need it,
I plan to play with it to see what I can do.

What are you using to capture within the PC? Not the cable(conduit), the
capture card.

I don't use a capture card to capture HD. I use IEEE 1395 Firewire. I
have connected the Firewire output from my cable box to the Firewire
input on my motherboard and I use a program called CapDVHS to capture
the signal. Works great. The resulting files are big, of course. John
Ford's "The Searchers" is a nearly 16 gigabyte file on one of my hard
drives. But it looks great in HD, and with the 9600XT I can output to
my Panasonic 42" plasma screen TV monitor which accepts a VGA input.

 

[Ron Krebs]

Not a problem. I merely want to use the capture card to capture a TV
signal in near DVD quality, as I can do now with my All-in-Wonder 9600XT.
I don't need the new card to capture HD. But the fact that it does have
component IN is interesting, and even though I don't need it, I plan to
play with it to see what I can do.

It does NOT have component IN. If you read it again, I said it has an
adapter cable that has component in, but it will downgrade it to S-Video.
So, again, no HD.

I don't use a capture card to capture HD. I use IEEE 1395 Firewire. I
have connected the Firewire output from my cable box to the Firewire input
on my motherboard and I use a program called CapDVHS to capture the
signal. Works great. The resulting files are big, of course. John
Ford's "The Searchers" is a nearly 16 gigabyte file on one of my hard
drives. But it looks great in HD, and with the 9600XT I can output to my
Panasonic 42" plasma screen TV monitor which accepts a VGA input.

How do you know that your capture is HD? Or is HD, to you, just a crisp,
clear picture?
I haven't found one link that shows that true HD can be transmitted/captured
via Firewire. Digital signals, yes.
High Definition? I haven't seen the proof. The reason I'm skeptical is
because I've been chasing that unicorn for
some time. I thought the 650 Pro would do it. But no. I'm still trying to
find a HDTV card that circumvents HDCP.
My DirecTV HD-DVR receiver has a USB port that the tech guys said would be
the future key to transferring HD recorded programs
to my PC. But currently, it needs a firmware/software update to allow this
due to the damn HDCP.

 

[mcattack86]

Has anyone found one of these yet?

 

[Bill Anderson]

Has anyone found one of these yet?

Nope. A call to a nice young man at ATI on Tuesday (Monday was a
holiday in Canada) revealed the unit will be available "in a few weeks."
Best I could do.