Re: [REVIEW] Paprika

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:07:02 +0200, ender wrote:

The problem is unless you have a video card that is designed to support
high definition multimedia, most of the work is done by the CPU.

What I'm talking about are the reports that people were unable to get any
picture at all if LCD was connected with DVI, while it worked with standard
VGA cable - even though none of the current HD-DVDs and BluRay discs were
supposed to have the bits that prevent showing on unprotected connections
set.

I know the CPU requirements for displaying 1080p video, and I'm certain
that the people who reported the problems met them.

More common are DVI-D/HDCP or DVI-I/HDCP connectors that should work
without any problem. If you don't have the connectors, it doesn't
necessarily mean you can't display the content because there are various
work-arounds; however, the output quality will be diminished.

You see, after all this it's no wonder people prefer to download stuff
instead of buying it - unlike legitimately bought stuff that makes you jump
through hoops and feel like a criminal just because you want to watch it,
pirated stuff *just works*.

Finally, if you're processing high definition content, it would be a shame
not to have a monitor that could properly display it. Currently, IMHO, the
Dell 30" UltraSharp and the Apple 30" cinema display - with resolutions in
the 2500X1600 range - represent the high end.

Welcome to a whole new world of pain if you have one of these monitors -
AFAIK, only Dell supports HDCP, but that won't help you, because no graphic
card supports it at the full resolution yet.

That's right. With Dell it is built in. With the Apple you would need to
get a converter from a company like Gefen Home Theater. To me, it's a moot
point because I use my cinema display (the smaller 23") only with my Mac
and, AFAIK, the Mac will not be able to support HD-DVD or Blu-ray until OS
X.5 comes out. In spite of the slick commercials you see on TV, Windows
based platforms, especially the HDCP friendly Vista, are better multi-media
machines than the Mac.

The key is in your final comment - when you refer to only very new cards.
There are cards that have been around for several years that will support
high definition content. However, as I alluded to earlier, most of the
burden is born by the CPU. Ideally, you want to put the monkey on the back
of the video card. This is what the very new cards do.

I was referring to HDCP support - only the current series of nVidia and ATI
cards support it (and the 7600 series for nVidia), if you have anything
older you're SOL.

The bottom line is, if you're buying a computer today, you should be able
to put a system together for under $1500 that includes an HD-DVD or Blu-ray
drive and a monitor capable of displaying 1080p content.

I replaced my video card less than a year ago, and it still serves fine for
my needs (it's a 7900GT) - but it doesn't do HDCP, so I'm pretty much
screwed up if I'd want to watch legally purchased HD content...

The 7900GT is HDCP compatible. If it's not working, it could be because
you have an older driver. For the 7000 series, the driver needs to be
ForceWare 93.71 or higher if you're on XP (and you must have service pack
2). If you're on Vista, you'll need 100.65 or higher.

This is my shoot-from-the-hip response because there are four parts to the
equation that must work together. You've got to have:

1. A Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive
2. A media player that can play media from your Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive
3. A video card that supports the HDCP specification
4. An HDCP certified monitor

If you get a Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive, it will most likely come with either
PowerDVD Ultra or WinDVD Platinum as the media player. The graphics cards
I discussed earlier - the NVIDEA 8500 and 8600 series, the 8800 Ultra, and
the ATI 2900XT - are fully compliant. Other cards such as the NVIDEA 7000
series and the 8800 GTS/GTX are compatible but not 100% compliant.
Finally, the monitor. More and more HDCP certified monitors are being
produced. Gateway has HDCP certified monitors for under $200. I'm quite
satisfied with my 21" Gateway FPD2185W that I described earlier. If I were
to buy today, I would get the larger 24" Gateway FPD2485W with 1920X1200
resolution. Samsung and ViewSonic provide some pricier and fancier
offerings at that screen size. Another option that many people take is to
get an HDTV that doubles as a computer monitor.

Since you have a 7900GT, you probably have a pretty high end system. You
probably have all the wherewithal to watch legally purchased HD content
with the likely exception of the monitor. The monitor problem can probably
be solved through the use of a converter or adapter. If you're interested,
you may want to check out Gefen. You can register and submit info
requests. Thus, you can provide them with your setup, your problem, and
your desired outcome, and they can recommend a solution. Naturally, there
are other companies that provide similar devices and services:

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/hometheater.jsp

I do feel that disk based media is inferior to media that does not entail
moving parts. We have the technology (including the security aspect) to
dispense with the disks. I've said that before in this newsgroup. What's
missing is an entrepeneur to develop a wide-scale business model using this
technology.

Mata ato de,

Phil Yff
.

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