I Wonder Why I Bought It
Written: Jan 26 '01 (Updated Jan 26 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Mpeg2 video capture, nice graphics...um, did i mention Mpeg 2 capture?
Cons: poor sound when capturing, poor tech support, computer locks up
The Bottom Line: If you want Speed, TV, and DVD... its decent, but expensive. Check out Matrox G-400TV or G-450TV
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| soliloquy23's Full Review: ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON, (32 MB) PCI Video Card |
Let me give a little background to my situation. I like to record music videos here in japan. I had been using the Matrox G400-TV with no problems and I was happy with it. While back in the states i decided to upgrade my video card, i figure more and faster memory, ability to record in mpeg 1 and mpeg 2 format would be helpful as well. I'm running a AMD 1000 MHz, with 256MB of pc-133 ram, on the Asus AV7 motherboard (KT133 chipset). running Windows 98se.
Installation wasnt a problem. I have been getting a few unexplainable freezes... the computer just locks up, sometimes while watching TV, sometimes just using MS Office... havent been able to figure out what the deal was. i checked ATI's website and found nothing in the way of support, no updated drivers, no phone numbers to call, no tech support to email. ATI has this troubleshooting complaint form to fill out...which im sure is good for those people who dont know much about computers, but when i have a question about "why does the sound level drop when recording video... all my recording levels are maxed out on my soundcard properties." i don't want to jump through hoops, i just want to talk to a person.
What i did like about the card was the ability to really customize how you record Video... AVI, Mpeg1, or Mpeg2. You can even choose the Codec you record with for AVI. the draw back to recording in AVI is that you can only record at a max size of 320x240. Ive tried editing the AVI in Adobe Premiere but cant seem to find the right combination of codecs for saving the file. With the Matrox G400-TV it was simple.. you used the MJPEG codec. I used a seperate program to compress the resulting AVI into MPEG format.
If you are looking to record rough footage and dont care about cropping out commercials, or unwanted video then the Radeon AIW is a decent card.
Sound... you can't control the quality of sound when recording... nothing. With the G400 you can control what quality you record the sound... with the Radeon you get no control and the sound seems to be set at a 50% level. i've tried everything to boost the audio recording levels, but to no avail.
tv tuner is decent. at the top edge of the TV window is a small flicker, you can crop the window to get rid of some of it, but it's still there... annoying, but not too distracting. You'd think ATI would have set the crop feature to a few more pixels so you dont see any of the flicker.
Video In/Out. there is a breakout box for the video in... which is nice. the Matrox G400-TV has a breakout box that has BOTH Video In, Video Out, and the TV antenna input. Using the G400 and switching from Video In to Video out was as easy as changing the wires around on the breakout box... now with the ATI card its more difficult, i can't just use regular RCA plugs for audio in... i have to use the mini-plug in back of the soundcard. And, i have to go behind my computer when i want to use the TV out feature, because the TV out cable is back there... grrr.
software... the bundled software is useless to me... i guess it would be good if you dont have any video editing software, but if you already own Premiere you dont need the software that comes with it.
games im not a quake player so framerates and such are that big a deal to me... The radeon AIW is a fast card, not the fastest, but in the top 3 i would say.
Overall, if you want a card that has TV, DVD playback, ability to record video... and you are not picky about your TV quality, tech/driver support, or fine tuning of sound... then this card is pretty good...
for me, im gonna reinstall my Matrox G400-TV and chalk this one up to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Some of the first reviews of the Radeon AIW on this site are sound like ATI marketing employees trying to sell their product, i wouldn't take them too seriously.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 329 (-$30)
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Epinions.com ID:
soliloquy23
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Location: Yokoshiba, Japan
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Living a life of quiet desperation in the middle of the Japanese countryside.
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