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[Sam]

I have an ATI All-In-Wonder 8500.  I think I remember that others also use ATI video cards, and so I hope someone can help me...

The picture quality I get on my PC from cable TV is awful.  Is this to be expected on an ATI video card?  Or is there likely something that I need to change or fix?  Does anyone get a great picture on an ATI card?

[LisaRCT]

Hi,
I am using an ATi All-In-Wonder, but a 7500.
I have encountered no such difficulties, except from loose or poor cable connections.
Try comparing the picture quality on your PC against the reception on your TV set. If the PC is degraded, then perhaps compare the PC's TV card reception in MC9 to that in the ATi TV Software.  At least this will isolate the problem for you.

Hope this helps,
Lisa

[sraymond]

There was a thread a few days ago about making sure the Video Capture Pin (I think) had the right resolution set.  You get to it from the TV Options/Configure TV/Advanced Properties.

I'd check that as a start.

Scott-

[Sam]

Thanks.  That does help.  I know it's not the cable signal or the software.  And the connections are as tight as they can be.  I just wanted to check that it's not normal for the incoming video to be poor before I contact ATI.  A friend had suggested that PCs can't keep up with incoming video, but I'm at 1.8GHz...    I'll contact ATI.

If anyone else has advice on ATI cards, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks.

[JimH]

I have several ATI cards.

The image from a signal to a PC should be at least as good as if you were viewing on a TV.  Usually better.

Maybe you don't have the right input in your software.  Can you describe what you're using and what you've done?

You must have tried the ATI software.  How does it look?

[DocLotus]

Hi Sam;

I have had 7 (yes seven) TV tuner cards for my PC over the years & can honestly say that the ATI is by far the best one out there.

My first ATI was an A-I-W Pro.

I'm on my second ATI (an A-I-W 7500; same as the 8500 except for the video processor speed) & love it.

Can't wait to get my hands on an A-I-W Radeon 9700 Pro (as soon as the price drops out of the stratosphere).

Many TV tuner cards suffer from a brightness issue including the ATI (but it is brighter then many).

If you have a DVD of a movie and have the fortune to see the same movie on the TV, try running them both at the same time.  The DVD will be much brighter then the TV.  I have some movies on both DVD & store bought VHS movies.  Again the DVD is much brighter.

JimH... are you listening? we need to have all the main TV controls available through a hot key.  ATI does it very nicely with the TAB key.  You just keep pressing the tab key & it cycles through all the basic TV controls... Brightness, Gamma, Contrast, Hue, Volume, etc.

TV tuner cards do produce a much sharper picture as they use various forms of re-interlacing to fill in the space between the scan lines that are very noticeable on a regular TV.  I run my Sony 19" flat-screen at 1028 x 1280 & there is absolutely no scan lines visible no mater how close you look.  No regular TV can do that to my knowledge without some sort of special scanning box.