video card

SLI and TV Tuner/Capture Cards

Gamers are always looking to push the envelope when it comes to video performance. It’s possible to take video to the next level by incorporating a technology known as Scan Line Interleave (SLI). This is when a computer has two (or more) identical video cards that work together for greater performance and higher resolution. The SLI compatible cards are bridged together to essentially work as one unit. The GTX 260 video card mentioned previously supports SLI, as shown in Figure 12.4. It is important to have a compatible motherboard and ample cooling when attempting this type of configuration. Currently this is done with two or more PCI Express video cards and is most commonly found in gaming rigs.

Home entertainment enthusiasts often have a computer hooked up to their home theater. If this is the case, they probably install a TV tuner card. These cards can accept the signal from a cable or satellite provider and then send it back out to the TV or other devices in the home theater. Most TV tuners also act as capture cards, meaning that they can capture the signal and record TV programs. The purpose of all this is to record shows onto the computer and basically use the computer as a digital video recorder (DVR), among other things. By using Window Media Center, which is built-in to Windows Vista and comes as a separate edition for Windows XP, users can control their TV experience. TV tuner cards are available with PCI Express, PCI, ExpressCard (for laptops), and USB interfaces.