S3 DeltaChrome - a 3D card for HTPCs

[amix]

For those running their HTPC under the control of Windows there might be a very interesting product. Linux users must wait for drivers. I guess that will take two years at least, if any at all.

https://)<a href="http://www.extreme...as the preview and also a review of the updated model of the S3 DeltaChrome.

It's 3D performance is comparable to entry-level mid-range cards, but what makes it interesting for HTPC use are its advanced video features, that are being all hardware accelerated.

# MPEG -2/-4 hardware acceleration
# IDCT hardware support
# Motion compensation
# Per pixel adaptive de-interlacing (PS2.0+)
# Windows Media Video hardware acceleration
# 4x4 programmable kernel filter video scaling (PS2.0+)
# Real time post processing (PS2.0+)
# ArtisticLicense real-time video effects (PS2.0+)
# Integrated Hi-Def HDTV & Standard TV Encoder
# 480p/720p/1080i/1080p component (YPbPr) output
# 4 : 4 : 4 conversion with 10 bit DAC resolution
# 2/3 tap flicker filter with programmable coefficients
# Vertical over/underscan compensation
# 2x Oversampling for premium image quality
# Full range RGB to YUV color space conversion with Hue, Saturation and Contrast adjustment

Drool!

[JonMarsh]

Could be interesting- do you know what cards are actually shipping with this chipset? In the past they've been slow and inconsistent in support.

I have two HTPCs, one in living room, one in bedroom. This would probably be a lot more affordable than the nVidia 6800, which will have tons of hardware support for various video processing.

Right now, the FX5700 works pretty well for me, in my Athlon based systems.

Regards,

Jon

[amix]

Sorry, but all I know is, that PowerColor manufactures cards with this chip.

Where to buy ? Dunno. Personally I must live without it, since I think there will never be supporting Linux drivers.