Computers In The Living Room
Dear Gary: I very much agree with Jim Taylor’s comments on (DVD) “Computers In The Living Room”in his article on “Progressive DVD: Why You Want It,” which appeared in Issue 39. I tried the an RKR video card and DVD drive, however, I couldn’t get them to work and saw some other reviews where the reviewers had great difficulty with them. RKR says they are doing no more development on the project which is a shame. Do you know of any other video cards which function well (and relatively glitch free) in the role of a video scaler? Also, while I have you, do you know of any cards which are high-end Dolby Digital decoders?
John Meyer
Widescreen Review’s DVD Zealot Jim Taylor Comments:
Until recently, most computer graphics chip makers concentrated on 3D performance, to the detriment of 2D video performance. ATI has been the exception, and I recommend any card based on their Rage chip line or new Radeon chip. Video scaling in ATI graphics chips is excellent, and the upcoming Radeon includes support for adaptive de-interlacing, which can make interlaced source look much better on a PC. A few graphics chip companies have recently begun paying more attention to 2D video performance. You will get excellent results from cards based on the nVidia GeForce or the Matrox G400. I don’t know of any high-end Dolby® Digital decoding hardware for PCs, and I probably wouldn’t recommend any if I did. A PC is not really a good place to generate analog audio signals, given the high levels of electromagnetic interference. I recommend an audio card with SP/DIF or 1394 output connected to a Dolby Digital/DTS® Digital Surround™ receiver or outboard decoder. The Home Theater Computers forum at www.avsforum.com is a good source of information and first-hand reports on setting up a PC-based DVD player
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