HDTV, ATI AIW 9600XT, Windows MCE and Me...

[dj4monie]

Okay, here's the deal....

I want to watch Funmation's Anime channel which is available locally here on channel 18.3 in 720p HD. It looks great, I was able to tune it before with the older HD Tivo/Direct TV box. But my father was having issues with that and D*TV finally had enough of his CSR calls and they replaced the dish with a newer model with 5 LNB's and took off the amp'ed OTA ant and installed the new D*TV MPEG-4 HD DVR.

FUNmation's channel has not been added to D*TV's MPEG-4 service yet...

So I have to finally get an HD tuner. Which is fine, I'll get max use out of the LCD I got. Its a lower quality LCD (Magnavox) and as you know it works best as a PC monitor (like now) and with DVD movies/files, PS2 playing GT4 in 720p, HD but so-so with SD content....

This will be upgraded to a new Samsung 1080p LCD or maybe a cheaper Samsung 37" 720p LCD which both have a great picture even with 480p content, which I have with my RCA D*TV box now, but this screen is marginally better than compared to S-video..

But I digress...

I want to get a "cheap" tuner card (under $100). One that doesn't have an FM tuner, my AIW 9600XT has one already. I was considering the Avermedia but it does have an FM tuner. The Kworld doesn't and the Pinncale USB HDTV dongle for obivous reasons.

But ATI's MMC will not control it I don't believe which means installing the Beyond TV software included with card(s). Okay that's fine and I would need a USB-IR blaster anyway to control my Direct TV box, which I have to manually tune if I want the MMC to record anything. I really won't miss ATI's MMC if I have to use something else, as the Remote Wonder II hasn't been used in who knows when and like mentioned it won't change the channel on my Direct TV box.

Beyond TV interface is okay, but it will control my Direct TV box with the IR blaster, but I was thinking a more intergated solution. I don't mind playing a bit more for MCE if it can control Direct TV as well and it doesn't leave a icon or anything else on my desktop like ATI's MMC does...

Current system specs -

2.4GMhz Pent 4
512@333Mhz (upgrade to 1G soon)
About 20GB of HD space (can move a few more files if I need more)
ATI AIW 9600XT
I also have a WD 320GB HD I want to install and might get another one, but only if I do a clean install of MCE...

Any suggestions?

Oh the ATI is VGA out, the current drivers don't allow for 720p resolutions, should I be worried and what ATI drivers allowed that resolution???

Thanks

[dj4monie]

Bump!

[edDV]

Later versions of Catalyst support 1280x720 including VGA out.

[dj4monie]

I know that ED, my decktop is set to 1280x768 now because my LCD doesn't like 1280x720.

When I first set it up, it refreshed at 1280x768 and left it there.

I was wondering if I could get 1366x768... Doesn't seem like it

[edDV]

Time to call Samsung.

If you can get it to work at 1366x768 or 1360x768 etc. then the 1280x720p playback will be a window on the desktop. "Full Screen will upscale that to the desktop resolution.

[dj4monie]

Actually I got a Gateway 24" LCD Monitor and it looks GREAT! Blacks are BLACK....All the specs are good and the picture is great.

I have MCE issues now however.... Only been able to watch Akimbo with the MCE Client and DVD's.