[mythtv] Best TV Out chipset

Monty Walls mwalls at castor.oktax.state.ok.us
Thu Jan 23 19:10:11 EST 2003


On Thu, 23 Jan 2003 14:56:05 -0800 (PST)
"Micah Morton" <micah at oregontech.net> wrote:

> What TV-Out chipsets/video cards/Motherboard-ONBOARD-TVOut have you people
> used and what kind of quality have you experienced?  I'm curious, because
> I want to get a Shuttle SS51G Barebones case/mobo and I'm wondering what
> chipset it uses, if its supported in linux, and if it outputs decent
> quality.
> 
> thanks people, any help is appreciated.
>

Having had lots of experience (way too much on this), You want to avoid
ATI completely (no support except by GATOS folks despite ATI, plus you're
you can't adjust overscann ....).

So you want something with a documented tv-out video encoder (Chrontel or
Brooktree), so drivers can actually exist.  The Chrontel hardware is very
limited, only supporting 3 sizes of overscan/underscan per-resolution.
The Brooktree hardware is fully programmable (so you can get the picture to
size correctly on your tv).

As a side note the new NVidia 4mx use a proprietary NVidia tv-out encoder,
and TNT's seem to have a crippled bios.

So my suggestion is a AGP/PCI card using an surface mounted BT869 encoder.
Examples Voodoo3 3000 (with Tv-out), MSI Geforce 2mx.

As a side note, the Geforce2 derived cards vary and you need to actually
look and verify visually the tv-out encoder. 

As far as I know none of the intergrated tv-out encoders that are
in motherboard chipsets are truly supported, and none of the intergrated
tv-out encoders that people build into video card chipsets are truly supported
(examples Geforce4mx, ATI, SIS).
 
As an example I'm currently using a MSI geforce2mx 32mb with a Bt869 on it (duh).

--
-Monty Walls (mwalls at castor.oktax.state.ok.us)
-	MIS, Oklahoma Tax Commission
-
- My opinions are my own, my employer knows nothing about it.


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