Best Video Card/Computer Requirements for AVCHD?

[wakeboardmom]

I have the Canon HG-10 and use VS11.5 Plus. I am purchasing a new computer (quad core) that can handle these AVCHD files and seem to be getting alot of differing opinions regarding the Video Card. One tech said it doesn't matter---it's only for display. Another told me that there is a direct connections between the quality of the finished, burned DVD and the video card. Basically, what you see on the screen reflects what you'll get on the finished DVD. Would a ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB do, or do I need to move up to a 512 MB card? Anyone know the real answer to this? Thanks!

[Black Lab]

I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to the technical side - my contributions to this forum lean more to the creative side - but it is my experience that the video card does, in fact, effect the quality of the output.

I was having trouble with another piece of software that produces AVI files that I use in VS. The quality of the AVIs were not crisp and clear. I was finally advised to upgrade the drivers for the card. I could not understand how that would help but, lo and behold, it fixed the problem.

[Ken Berry]

You will see from my System button that I have both a Quad and the specific ATI card you mention. I am not particularly sure that the card RAM makes all that much difference if the computer itself has lots of system RAM that the card can draw on. If you use Vista, then Vista seems to have difficulty properly using system RAM higher than around 3 or 3.5 GB. So I figure that means the ATI card can happily use the extra 512 MB not being used by Vista and devote it to graphics... Oh, and I find almost invariably that regardless of the card I use, what you see in the preview screen of VS in particular, or even to an extent on a computer monitor, is never as good as it appears on a DVD which is then played over a decent size TV...