Please help - ATI Poor Video Quality

[chongo]

I'm using an ATI TV Wonder VE. When I watch TV, the quality of the cable channels is great, but I get vertical lines of distortion when I'm watching the network shows, especially channel 2 (which is the one I watch the most). The lines go away if I run the signal through a VCR and connect to the computer with Composite/RCA cables, but then I lose a lot of the Multimedia Center's functionality.

Any ideas on how I can get ride of the lines w/o using the rca cables? (Monster coaxials? A better card? Software settings)?

[Jayhawk]

I'm sure you'll get better answers from ATI uses (not one of them) but here are my thoughts. Firstly, the cable connection should be checked. Is it the same cable going into the VCR that seems to work well. Has bit been split (and possible re-split). If so, is the splitter at least 900mhz or one of the cheap 600mhz or no label (worse).

Second I would expect interference within the case, near the card (fans, hard drives, an internal cable laying across the card, power supply). These could affect the tuner but not the composite circuitry. Relocating the card to a different slot is always a cheap test. To a different machine temporarily is even better.

Third I would look for a ground loop (notorious with cable). If you have a cheap pair of rabbit ears you could hook up and disconnect the cable from the card. Not sure channel 2 is a local station but if you received it OK with the rabbit ears that would support a cable ground loop.

Just a few cheap things to try.

[teegee420]

You need a cheap little gizmo called a DC block(or signal attenuator) from Radio Shack. Tell them you want to remove distortion from your coaxial signal, they'll be able to help you out.

[Jayhawk]

Protects TV or VCR input by blocking out DC voltage used to power a remote signal amplifier.

Radio Shack
15-1259
$2.19

Might help but would try the other things first.

[MeTaLgEaRsOoTy]

yeah,that might work,
or try better quality cables,i got the same problem with my Ati card,and used a good shielded cable,and it went away.

[chongo]

THANKS! That DC block did the trick! Actually, I had to use both the DC block, and the premium cables to get it to work, but the picture is definately usable now.