The HDTV Video - Graphics Card

The graphics or video card has probably changed more than any other component needed for a HDTV PC. With the introduction of Aero in Vista and DirectX 10 a whole new generation of graphics cards has been developed. As we learned from the Microsoft and Intel mess last year, not all graphics chips and card work well in this new environment. Both ATI/AMD and Nvidia, the two leading manufacturers of graphics chips and cards, had their share of problems with Vista but fortunately things have stabilized over the past year and seem to be even better with the introduction of Windows 7.

Decoders for HDTV MPEG-2 streams are now included in Vista and Windows 7 unlike MCE 2005 and XP where you had to supply your own decoders. Most new pre-built PC’s (with the exclusion of the lowest end) have a PCI-e slot for a graphics card. The lower end PC’s rely on an onboard chip for graphics which usually provides marginal HDTV support especially with Vista which seems to demand a better graphics card for optimal HD performance.

A quality graphics card in your PC will assure that there will be no jerky picture display because of poor through-put. Also all of the new mid to higher end graphics cards support onboard decoding of the H.264 spec which is used for displaying high def DVD’s (1080p). Some of the higher end cards also have HDCP (the encryption component) which is required for Blu-ray DVD playback. Others come with HDMI output or an HDMI to DVI adapter. Any card with HDMI will have HDCP.

You might consider a fanless card if you are using your PC in the living room. Many fans that come on graphics cards for cooling are noisy. Not something you want if you are concerned about WAF (wife acceptance factor). Just make sure there is good ventilation in your PC case as fanless cards put out a fair about of heat.

There are two main types of graphics cards the AGP, an older technology, and the PCI-e. Most cards now are PCI-e, however there are still a few AGP versions of the latest technology, although usually at a premium price.

The nice thing for consumers is this technology is moving so fast that some excellent graphics cards are available at discounted prices or with rebates. An example is the Nvidia 9500GT PCI-e, a great HD card for both TV and Blu-ray (have one myself), now starts in the $60 range (or less when rebates are offered) when they were over $90 just a few month ago. There are similar saving on some ATI graphics card as well.

With the Vista and Windows 7 OS, you can just install most graphics cards and Vista will automatically download and install the latest software for you. With XP or MCE2005 you will need to download the latest drivers from the ATI or Nvidia site.