Blu-ray Graphics Card?

R

remember

New Member
I know there is a list of video cards that the Blu-ray people recommend, like. .
http://www.emedialive.com/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=11422#vij
for example.

But short of becoming a Blu-ray video card specialist and learning all the differences between them, giving the short but sweet version, what is the difference between them? and ultimately which one should I get?

I have a Intel E4300 cpu, still haven't got my mobo, 99% sure I will get 2 gigs of RAM, but I am just stuck on deciding which video card to get.

My philosophy is. . .if Blu-ray ok's any of them, then I would rather just get the least expensive one, but again, I don't know what the differences are.

At this point, I am physically exhausted from today as well as trying to better understand all this over the last 3 months. Can anybody give me some good, economical advice on which card to get?

P.S. I have a 1080, high def projector, and it does not have DVI as most of the video cards I have looked at have. I need further guidance on this issue, as I believe that I may need a video card that has HDMI connection, but I hope someone here can teach me the right way. Please anybody, if you can help, I am getting so frustrated beyond words.
 
Any of those video cards which supports HDCP will support Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, but the issue most people have is the monitor. You're monitor or projector needs to be HDCP compliant, which I doubt yours is because it doesnt even have a DVI port. Blu-Ray require that for certain DRM protections, in making sure that you dont record the videos.

To answer your second question, you dont need a video card with HDMI, although I think either DVI or HDMI will work.
 
remember said:
I know there is a list of video cards that the Blu-ray people recommend, like. .
http://www.emedialive.com/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=11422#vij
for example.

But short of becoming a Blu-ray video card specialist and learning all the differences between them, giving the short but sweet version, what is the difference between them? and ultimately which one should I get?

I have a Intel E4300 cpu, still haven't got my mobo, 99% sure I will get 2 gigs of RAM, but I am just stuck on deciding which video card to get.

My philosophy is. . .if Blu-ray ok's any of them, then I would rather just get the least expensive one, but again, I don't know what the differences are.

At this point, I am physically exhausted from today as well as trying to better understand all this over the last 3 months. Can anybody give me some good, economical advice on which card to get?

P.S. I have a 1080, high def projector, and it does not have DVI as most of the video cards I have looked at have. I need further guidance on this issue, as I believe that I may need a video card that has HDMI connection, but I hope someone here can teach me the right way. Please anybody, if you can help, I am getting so frustrated beyond words.
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with this issue, however I am familiar with home theater and I believe a DVI-HDMI cable would work with any card that supports HDCP, as long as your projector supports HDCP.

I have a 32" 720p LCD that supports HDCP, but it only has DVI-D (as far as digital inputs go), and my DVR has HDMI, so the HDMI to DVI-D cable worked for me.
 
To Omega:
Why doubt that my projector has the HDCP? These projectors are sickeningly expensive. Don't scare me like that.

Here is the website I use for most of my projector equipment stats and the proejctor I have.
http://projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE1000U.htm
It says "HDMI (HDCP) in the right column about half way down.

The only thing I know about about the DVI vs. HDMI is that DVI is said to work for lengths only up to 5 meters(pretty bad) whereas HDMI is said to work in lengths up to 15 meters long, not too great either, but obviously better.

Now that I think, or at least I hope I established that my projector is HDCP compliant, what about the the HDMI cable and connections?

Regarding the HDMI vs. DVI cable lengths, my projector is obviously at the back of the room(about 20 feet from the front screen.) In order to make the activity of watching TV normal, I have to have my sat TV receiver situated at the front of the room. When you add the distance from the back wall to front wall in addition to the 6 or 7 more feet from the top of the front wall down to the counter where the satellite receiver is situated, plus the few extra feet required for twist and turns, etc. I need at least 28 feet of cable length to be run from the computer/sat receiver at the front of the room to projector at the back of the room. Thus, this can only be done with an HDMI cable, at least as far as I know, but obviously I could very easily be wrong.

Anyway, assuming I need an HDMI cable and HDMI connector video card, how do I figure out which one to get?(All that stuff in videocards 101 about pixel shading didn't help me too much.)

To makmillion:

If you read the first part, you will already know my response and question. If I use the "DVI-HDMI cable" as you suggest, what about the statements I made about the DVI cable only recommended to be used for lengths up to 5 meters?, when I need at least 28 feet?

I am still no closer to figuring out this subject and deciding which video card to get. I know I could read about if forever and at least I have a little more energy today to do some more learning, but I will try to ask some more questions here, when I can fine tune my questions on the issue and hopefully there will be more people who can add to this thread. Thanks for your suggestions and help thus far.
 
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I have a 35' HDMI to DVI cable running down my wall and into my basement without ill effect.. I highly doubt you'll have any issues with it.

This is the cable I have. I use this right along side of it, as well.
 
remember said:
To Omega:
Why doubt that my projector has the HDCP? These projectors are sickeningly expensive. Don't scare me like that.

Here is the website I use for most of my projector equipment stats and the proejctor I have.
http://projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE1000U.htm
It says "HDMI (HDCP) in the right column about half way down.
Click to expand...
It looks like it will work, but from your previous post you said that you didnt have DVI so I was assuming it was an older projector with only VGA, composite, or component. Because you need a digital connection for it to be HDCP compliant, which is either DVI or HDMI.
 
So, between all the video cards that the Blu-ray websites recommend, what is the difference between all of them? If there is not much of a difference, obviously I would rather just get the least expensive one.

Its hard for me to understand this whole video card issue. CPU's I can understand, because one goes faster than another, but what is the difference between the Video cards?

I can only assume that they either are able to play and record High/def Blu-ray movies or not. Beyond that capability, I dont know what else to consider.

If anyone can help me along on this, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you. I need to choose a video card for my Blu-ray burner very soon.
 
you can already download pirated movies in 720P/1080P in h.264, so i have to believe there's a reason to watch your legit blu-ray discs on any h.264 capable video card, regardless of being HDCP compliant
 
To heyman,
Ok, a bit off topic, but just for curiosity sake, where can you download those movies?

And are you saying that in addition, to making sure my Projector is HDCP compliant and my video card is HDCP compliant, that it also has to have this h.264 capability?

I have only very slightly heard of h.264, but I have never noticed any of the video cards I have been comparing on newegg to have mentioned this h.264 thing. Probably I just didn't know what it was and neglected it. But why would they be selling HDCP capable cards without this h.264, if HDCP seems to be for watching/recording Blu-ray movies, which I assume you are saying also needs h.264 to be used?
 
nor would i advocate doing so, i just find it hard to believe there isn't a way for you to watch a legally obtained blu-ray disc without buying ALL new hardware to do so....
 
Then why even mention it? Has the thought police arrive in the U.k.? I dont think its crime to just talk.

Or if anyone has any advice relating to the topic, please let me know.
 
heyman421 said:
nor would i advocate doing so, i just find it hard to believe there isn't a way for you to watch a legally obtained blu-ray disc without buying ALL new hardware to do so....
Click to expand...
I agree with you completely. I think the video download serve should offer 1080p video content for download(although it ran about 10gigs for 300) for an increased price. Watching 300 in 1080p was like being back in the movie theaters, and being able to do it with out buying the 300+ dollar drive to do so made it that much sweeter.
 
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