Hi guys, Sorry for somewhat out of topic question. I am trying to buy a new PC and I have a small conflict here. I have two choice: 1. If I get a nVidia GeForce 32MB, I can get a 12X DVD drive with hardware decoder with TV out, this will enable me to play DVDs in my TV using the DVD drive. But, in this case I will not get the IEEE 1394 adaptor which will enable me to do video processing of video signals directly from the Handycam. 2. If I get a nVidia GeForce DDR 64MB, I dont get a hardware decoder with DVD drive but I get only a software decoder without any TV out, But I will get the IEEE 1394 adaptor. My questions are: 1. How good is the software decoder. I would like to play my DVDs in my TV using the DVD drive. How do I connect the TV to the PC without TV out ? 2. What is signaficance of the DDR in the nVidia card. How good is the 64MB DDR GeForce over a normal 32MB Geforce. 3. Is there any other method to do video processing other that the IEEE 1394 adaptor ? Thanks in Advance, Arun

What''s the speed of the computer? At high enough clock speeds, the software decoder works plenty good.

DDR vs. SDR basically refers to how fast the memory is. DDR performs better than SDR (you can have a higher memory frequency on the card, which translates into better performance.)

I am planning for either a PIII 700MHz or PIII 800MHz system.

I am currently working on a 3D Strategy game similar to Age of Kings. Should I go in to 64MB DDR nVidia GeForce over 32MB GeForce. Is it really worth the additional $200 in the current gaming standards. I mean will the 64MB DDR will be a good advantage boost

Thanks
Arun

oh if you''re getting a PIII 700+ software decoding will be plenty fine! Don''t worry about it.

As for the GeForce,if you can fork out that extra $200 it will do you good in the coming years.I''ve been waiting for the GeForce2 to hit the streets (and it finally has) and I wouldn''t get one unless it had DDR.

my 2 cents anyway.

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www.DigitalSV.com

A''s to your Q''s:

1) Even though you haven''t mentioned which software decoder is provided, I''ll say that any system with the equivelant of a PII 400 in processing power should be fine. Actually, there aren''t really that many hardware decoders. The only one I believe is a bonified decoder is the Hollywood Magic {This is a seperate card in your system.}
> As for a graphics card {especially 3D accelerators} saying that they decode, I have yet to see one that actually handle this. What''s really happening is the video is decoded by the CPU via software then sent to the card for processing before it''s displayed. As to how they get away with calling it decoding is beyond me.
> TV out can be achieved without it being on the video card. There are external boxes {converters} that can handle the task of changing VGA to Video. Some of the more popular brands are Aver and TView.

2) DDR stands for Dual Data Rate. This means the RAM can be accessed twice as fast. This doesn''t provide for much of an improvement in performance, about 5 to 10 percent. The 64MB is far more useful, because it will provide for more and or larger textures to be stored. The hitch, hardly anyone develops to make use of 16MB of memory. But that''s not the reason to buy a gForce. It''s supposed to last for quite a few years instead of 18 months.
> As for comparisons between 32MB and 64MB gForces, can''t help you. I haven''t seen any and I''m not ready to spend $600 plus to find out.

3) Sure, use the Analog out {preferebly S-video} and go to a video capture card. This is expensive. {The cheapest you can go with *good* quality is $300 for a Matrox.}
> Okay, more realistic; if you can live with just cuts, you could look into computer controlled editing systems. These are fairly cheep since it''s mostly just an adapter to go between your computer and your camcorder''s l-anc {SP?} port. You''ll also need to hook up your VCR in most cases. A decent S-VHS can be bought for around $100 these days.

It might be worth pointing out that the GeForce (DDR)(2 GTS) has hardware motion compensation, which can reduce the CPUload during DVD playback by up to 25%.

My PII 400 copes admirably, with the help of my 32MB GeForce DDR, on Win2K and Win98.

That doesn''t mean I''m not going to shove a Celeron 566 in it, and overclock that sucker to 857Mhz, though

TheTwistedOne
http://www.angrycake.com