Need ViVo video card advice

[iamfried]

I am in the market for a new video card but don't know enough about what is out there to make an informed decision on what to buy (even though I have spent countless hours reading up on different cards, support, and problems.)
What I need is something with ViVo.
I would like to play games on my TV
I have no desire to play dvds from computer to TV but, would like to import video from VCR or DVD to computer (I have top a of the line Sony reciever, dvd, and vcr so any outputs would be had)
Don't think that I want the performance drop of going with an AIW (unless it is not noticable), btw would a separate tv tuner card hinder gaming performance when not in use??
Gaming is of importance so that is a big key.
I don't want to spend more than $250 but would if a little more money gives a lot more value.
I will install onto MSI K7T pro2 mobo
duron 800@92#
on board sound (that is next, just got rid of SBL 5.1 because it blew)
256M PC133
Replacing a Diamond Viper V550 just to give you an idea how long I would like to keep card.
Out

 

[Ronstang]

Why do you want to play games on the TV? They will look much better on your monitor. The TV might be larger buth the resolution is a lot lower. I don't even like playing Playstation games on too big of a TV because it actually looks worse.

 

[iamfried]

Some things that I can't do with my computer now I would like to do when I upgrade.
I don't know, just seems like something that I would want to do.
Ours is not to wonder why, it is just to do or die.
out

 

[Merc7]

Get a Radeon 64meg DDR VIVO. Good video-in for watching tv on your comp if you have a vcr or a box. Good video out for connecting to your TV. It's speed in games is top notch also.

 

[UsandThem]

I just sold my ATI AIW Radeon because of driver support and I bought a Asus V7700 deluxe.

The V7700 has all the same features of the AIW Radeon plus great drivers.

I have the K7T Pro2a and all works great.

The Radeon line has great features, great visual quality, and I think is the best card for capturing, however their drivers suck, and I gave up on the rumors of them releasing new drivers that were going to be built from the ground up specifically for the Radeon chipset.

It is a shame they are so bad on drivers/support

 

[Taz4158]

The Radeon 64 meg VIVO would probably suit you better than the AIW.

 

[iamfried]

thank you for the replies. I was leaning toward the Radeon 64 ViVo but had doubts because so many complaits about the drivers. Are those real complaints (ie not from people that have something else and just want to radeon bash) or are there significant issues with this card.
Also, let me get this right. My only other real option is the V7700. No real problems with this card and about the same quality. Is that right???
Thank you all again for the advice
Out

 

[Taz4158]

The Radeon drivers are actually quite fast and stable and updated regularly. Many of the complaints come from improper installs and implementation, the OLDER ATI drivers however were abysmal, the new one's are anything but.Do some searching, check the reviews and most importantly try and see if you can compare the cards side by side. If you go Radeon there's a lot of support here. Always feel free to PM if you have a question.

 

[Yoshi]

I picked up a Radeon 64 VIVO last weekend. I hooked it up to my 32" Sony Wega TV using the S-Video output and it looks very good. Not quite as sharp as my monitor but what can you expect from 800x600 resolution on a 32" screen. Believe me this is by far the best video out I have ever seen from a PC video card. Also, playing on the TV screen makes games integrate very nicely with my surround sound setup.

So far I have not had any driver related problems. I'm using it with Windows 2000, DX8a, and the beta DX8 Radeon drivers.

 

[rbV5]

I have the AIW on a pro2a, I can comment that I had no problems with the drivers/installation. I play games as well as work with graphics and so far no complaints. The multimedia features I have tried so far (TV Tuner/tivo features, DVD playback) worked right out of the box, and look great. I've tried only 2 driver sets, the official and now these 3100 w/dx8 on win2k. Everthing is good!

The s-video in and tuner was what swung me to the AIW from the 64mb VIVO, The slower/less ram was a concern at first, but I have no complaints.