dual-head or scan convertor

[cubas]

I would like just to know if it is better to buy for same amount of money cheaper single head graphic card + scan convertor or put all money only in one more expensive dual head card...

[eXhale]

Nowadays it seems that all the major brands have some kind of dualhead features (ATI, nVidia, Matrox...). However, if you really have to choose, a scan convertor is IMO always a good "long-term investement" for a VJ. :)

[infopocalypse]

Well shortly the choice won't be neccessary... a software scan converter is in the works.

[LEVLHED]

Each has desirable attributes.
A scanny is much more versatile. Very easy to swap to different rigs as you upgrade. More useful to a laptop user because it works well with the typical video chipsets. I would say having a zoom function of some kind is almost a "must-have" feature for VJs to look for in a scan converter.

A dual head card (I assume you mean one with a composite/TV out) might be a better choice for a desktop user. Its tidier (no extra cords/gadgets/clusterfuck). Typically they will give you more bang for your VJ buck. Almost a given if you use a desktop, are even half serious about being a VJ and/or need to buy a new video card anyway.

[wellREDman]

do any of the new dual head cards(other than matrox) have zoom on them, and if so do they work in Win2k?

[orx-qx]

This loox nice - internal PC card. Thats something between. Scan convertor, but no cabling, power adapters...

http://www.digivision.it/docs/corionscan_eclypse.htm

[LEVLHED]

I believe the new GeForce4's have a zoom function now.

[infopocalypse]

The GeForce4 doesn't have a zoom function per se on it. But it looks like our little program which will make ANY dual-head have a zoomed output will be out in a few weeks.

James

[will]

will ur new bit of software work on a single head card with composite out? [ at the moment what comes up on the monitor also comes out of the composite } the card in question is an ati 64mb vivo

[infopocalypse]

Well check... it might actually be dual head. How to check:

right click desktop... click settings... you will either see a single monitor, or two monitors. If it has two monitors, then yes it will work. If it has one, you can always buy a cheap PCI card for a 2nd graphics card and then it will work.

James

[cubas]

thanks you all! i will choose probably dual head + some software zooming (hope that one from infopocalypse will be reliable and cheap :)

[unjulation]

personaly i like the two card option, useing a gf3 agp tvout and a very cheap matrox pci card ?14 with resolume, that way one card is not doing all the work and my nice "relitivley" new gf3 is not spliting its power between two functions

[infopocalypse]

Some of the tests had strange results on that... we got higher framerates for smaller image areas using dual head, and higher for larger using 2 cards. We'll have a lot more data once betas are done.

[detsme]

from my experience(still a newbie ;) ) don't get the ATI cards, they just clone the main monitor and to make things worse you can't have CRT1,CRT2,TV configuration so it's pretty well the same as a one head/TV graphx card :( I will need to get a scan converter hooked up to my CRT2 or get the sw scan converter hooked up to a 2nd PCI graphx card...unless of course I'm missing something ? anyone ?

-Des

[phunkyguy]

I'm thinking that most ATI products work pretty well as long as you get the most recent drivers. Hydravision is ATI's endorsed multimonitor program. Seems to work ok, so give that a shot and see what you get. I'm looking forward to this software scan convertor. Is is kinda like SVi's wingrabber?

- Evan

[MoRpH]

Originally posted by phunkyguy
I'm looking forward to this software scan convertor. Is is kinda like SVi's wingrabber?

Hmmm a bit but not really.

Softscan captures part of your primary montior and outputs it on your second monitor @ full screen (what ever sort of output that is) or sends it to a file

Wingrabber captures part of primary monitor and inputs it into one of the inputs in SVi.

[infopocalypse]

uses the process ID to get what another item is drawing through the GDI... we actually read from video memory (which means we work on DirectDraw stuff)... so you can select an area of the screen... like everything from 0,0 to 320,240.. or from 320, 240 to 640, 480... or any other area.

A wingrabber mode for the purposes of making demos and corporate applications may also be done, but not in this version. In the event that we discern firewire output, we will also make a version capable of this.

[MoRpH]

Umm yeah you have to select a window or an output process thingy in the old version. In the new version thats coming you have a box that you drop on what you want to output and then hide :)

[detsme]

In the event that we discern firewire output, we will also make a version capable of this

Wow ! that would be fabulous. Would it support PAL output as well ?

-Des

[vandeti]

I just bought the televiewer from trust
cause it has a zoomfunction it seemed nice to use with 'Vlight'

but .. damn

it has just 1 standard zoom in it .. and it zooms way to hard in on the screen
so a lot of my output is lost

and if you use it with flowmotion .. the zoom isn't big enough and you see a part of the UI

any hints on getting rid of this problem ?

[infopocalypse]

Go Dualhead

[MoRpH]

Originally posted by vandeti
I just bought the televiewer from trust
cause it has a zoomfunction it seemed nice to use with 'Vlight'

but .. damn

it has just 1 standard zoom in it .. and it zooms way to hard in on the screen
so a lot of my output is lost

and if you use it with flowmotion .. the zoom isn't big enough and you see a part of the UI

any hints on getting rid of this problem ?

Yes vandeti most scan convertors just do a 1/4 screen zoom. Thats why we have to encourage more scan convertor compatablity with software makers, or atleast some resizable/movable output windows that won't cover vital UI.

Dualhead is a very good option if you want to lug around a desktop box, but personally I'm not even going to consider that anymore... so we need to tell the software designers what we want/need :)

[eXhale]

Maybe you should have read the review (http://www.vjcentral.com/hardware/show/571) first :o

[snapdragon]

hey vandeti,

if you haven't tried already, try changing your screen resolutions, this way you might be able output everything you want or avoid outputting the interface, works for me with the 'trust thing' although i use vjamm and vjamm2 and swf progs. although i'm pretty sure i had it working on a demo of flowmotion.

[MoRpH]

Yeah I thought flowmotion was 1/4 screen zoom compatible.....

[vandeti]

thanx guys for the words ..

and yes .. I should have read the review


but hey .. when you just have discovered this site .. there's a lot of data to read you know ;-)