I'm planning a htpc project and I'm planning to put an AIW 9600 pro in it so I can play games and play the tv (dvd as well) through the htpc. I want infos on what to expect from the AIW... if I put the tv through the htpc will it be as good as if directly pluged in the tv? also, is there a good visual difference between the s-video and the rca? I know rca isn't that great... finally, I have a dish and I wonder if I'll be able to use the tv through the AIW without having to use the dish controller... anyone has experience with those? is there something I need to know about AIW and htpc? thx for your time
1. Might be better actually. The latest revisions of AIW do some cleanup to video signals (I think they dubbed this VideoSoap, but don't quote me on that). 2. S-video should look a bit more smoother if anything, as there's only 1 signal using composite, which has to carry timing and color info. S-Video has these seperate lines. 3. Sadly no. The AIW doesn't do IR blasting (the term for controlling cable/satellite boxes), so you'll have to manually change channels before recording.
You would be better served if you got a hardwre encoding card like a Hauppauge 250. The quality difference between a hardware encoder and a software encoder is like night and day and IMO mention AIW and HTPC in the same sentence is a no-no. The AIW is a good card when used in a desktop but it shouldn't belong in an HTPC based on image quality between the two. I have a bunch of links for guides an such, pretty much everything you need to know about HTPCs. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=759011
I second that the pvr250 is a quality card I have it in my hptc here it is. As your in North America a IR blaster such as the usbirt or actisys 200L can be had fairly easy to allow the pc to change channels on your reciever.
