Hi Greg........
 

Just my two cents worth on the graphics card..........

I'm currently running a Matrox APVe :- DVI to my Dell 24" and Component to my Sony 46" Bravia 1080 screen (the Sony refuses to play ball with a DVI to HDMI gender bender from the Matrox even tho' it will from my partners laptop).

One thing I think I can say with confidence is that I really wish the Matrox had HDMI out - footage played back from my HV20 (HDMI) certainly looks far superior to the same footage off the pc via Component.

If you go for a card that doesn't have an HDMI port with HDCP, it's not likely to be an add on at a later date, so you'll be stuck with Component 1080i for the life of the card.

(From my limited experience "most" HD telly's seem to only accept 1080i on the component port, 1080p/i on the HDMI port - tho' I wouldn't go so far as to say there aren't some out there that will accept 1080p on the Component)

That HDCP is important too as all sorts of weird things are happening with screens that should run HDMI but won't without HDCP, even tho' the content doesn't require it.

Hope this helps.

CS

Thanks Chris for your thoughts. I was planning on eventually getting a broadcast [crt] monitor as a third screen, hence the need for component out. I've got an hdtv at home so it'd be nice to see what I'm working on on a big screen... nothing's ever easy is it?
I wonder if your pc is doing something to the signal that the camera isn't, during playback-- or vice versa?

I think the price of video cards is low enough that one can be replaced with another. In fact, I am doing so. I have a new one on order.

Nope.............
 

It's definately an HDMI/ Component thing. If I play either my A1 or HV20 into the Sony screen via Component it looks identical to the Component off the PC. Switch to HDMI from the HV20 and hey presto, instantly sharper.

I've tried the DVI/Component test on the Dell as well, DVI wins hands down on the picture quality front (IMHO).

My suggestion wasn't to drop the Component port in favour of an HDMI, but find a card that will do Component, DVI and HDMI/ HDCP. You can never have too many different types of connection!

Good luck with the new system.

CS

Anybody know of a card that has all three outputs? Dvi(2), hdmi and component video out? I haven't seen any in my searchings the last couple days, but then I wasn't looking for hdmi specifically. My head is spinning <g>.

Hi again.......
 

Well, if there ain't, they've gotta be on their way. An alternative may be to go for two seperate cards, one that has HDMI/HDCP & DVI and another that has Component etc. The reason I say they must be on their way is that the "new" version of the Dell 24" screen has a DVI/HDCP (NOT HDMI, according to the NZ web site) connection.

I have yet to figure out what the difference is between a HDMI/HDCP port and a DVI/HDCP port (apart from the embedded audio, I guess).

If I could find a card that had the HDMI/DVI/HDCP/Component/ 3 screens options I'd ditch the Matrox in a flash - that HDMI is Sooo good on a "standard" 1080 telly.

More head spin!

CS

Thanks for the heads up on this Chris- for now though I'm going to live with the Quadro FX-560 and upgrade in the future if necessary.
I found out the cpu I chose wasn't compatible with the motherboard so... new list:
Intel Desktop Board DP35DPM
E6850 cpu
4g of ddr2 800mhz ram
Antec TruePower TRIO 650w ps
NVIDIA Quadro FX 560
Gigabyte full tower case
4 WD 250g hd's, two in a RAID0 for the captured video, one for os and programs and one for cache, media, etc.

Just so you know- I learned a ton reading this forum, and those "what computer should I buy" threads were invaluable. Or I should say, the contributions of knowledgeable folks were invaluable.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Got the new computer home today, installed Premiere Pro CS3, connected the camera, captured the tape and was able to log everything. The hd video looks great and I am a very happy camper :)

Hey Greg..............
 

Congratulations. Enjoy!

CS

That's the way it should be! Congratulations.

Chris, If you are looking for a nice solution of an HDMI output to monitor your two cam's... check out the BlackMagic Intensity card...

That card has both HDMI input and output...

an added benefit of real time or tape HDMI caputure from your cam's.....



and you get to keep your video card seperate....

its a good card to have with the two cam choices you listed.....