Zino HD graphics card

the ATI 3200 graphic chipset should handle up to HD video no problem ... 3d stuff not so well ... have you tried the latest ATI drivers from AMD?

windows 7 64 bit ver 9.1.2 driver direct download from ATI's website

that link is just the driver without ATI's Catalyst software.

this is the download page if you want to see you other options:

http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=win7/windows-7-64bit

I got an unauthorized download error when attempting to do this.  When I looked for drivers for the HD3200 series, there were none.  Hmmm.

Is your problem with all video playback (ie. from Hard drive, over internet, from DVD) or just when playing DVDs? I have had my Zino for a month and have had to spend hours trying to tweak software to play standard definition DVDs back without stuttering or freezing up. I cannot use the PowerDVD software that Dell packaged at all, but don't have problems using Windows Media Player. I have been very frustrated with the performance issues and the lack of help I received from Dell who keeps trying to sell me Software support. I understand the HD3200 card to be onboard, which means no upgrading. I am interested in seeing how many others are having issues and how they can be resolved since Dell doesn't seem to want to help too much (at least not without charging a fortune).

I have been advised that the HD3200 graphics card is supposed to hand high def video with no problem. 

I am having problems with the streaming video.  I tested the power DVD software and it seems to work just fine.  My old laptop streamed video just fine from the same location, but it seems to have a better wrieless card because the signal strength is stronger.   I had ordered a better wireless card (n) with the Zino, but I need to upgrade my router.  A new one is on order.  I am hoping this solves my problem.   I have not have good experience with Dell techincal support, which is done overseas. 

I haven't even got my Zino HD yet and I ordered it in late November 2009!  From reading this threat I get the feeling that the graphics card is not as good as NVidia Geoforce (on this old machine).  I'm not a gamer and when I configured my Zino there was only one option (already picked by Dell) for me.  I'm not a big movie buff but I am into making good quality graphics.  I hope the card does not put a damper on that.  New graphics software which is compatible with Windows 7 and the 64bit processer is hard to find unless it costs an arm and a leg.

Oh, my machine is estimated to ship 2/24/2010!  That is a long time to wait for a new computer!

I found it without issue. It downloaded OK from here..

The 3200 should display HD video just fine.

Have you had a resolution to this problem.  I just got my Zino with the ATI 5450 card installed and get choppy video.  Netflix being the worst offender.  Tech support wants to charge to look at it even though I've only had it a few days.

Folks,

I suggest the issue is not with the Zino's graphics card or CPU, but with the connection between the two. The Zino uses a unique connector (which installs like laptop memory) for the graphics card. I can't find any information about this connector or the bus speed that it supports. However, the symptoms are exactly like what you would expect when using any graphics card on slow buses like legacy PCI and PCI-e X1.

As justification for this opinion, I am including something I found on the NVidia Support Site FAQ:

Q: Choppy video or audio sync issues with full screen streaming video

A: When running a full screen video stream from YouTube, Hulu or NetFlix, the video may become choppy or the audio and video lose sync, even though the GPU may be at low utilization.

This is caused by a bandwidth limitation in the PCI-E 1X channel.  While most desktop systems use a PCI-E X4 or X16 channel for the GPU, some laptops and systems with ION GPU's use a 1X channel.  While this is typically sufficient for most videos, some streaming video content has multiple composited overlays for menu's, advertising and so on.  This causes multiple trips through the bus, exceeding the available PCI-E 1X bandwidth.

The only solution, IMO is a conventional desktop system with a graphics card in a PCI-E X16 slot.

Masi_GC

Thanks, Masi, for perhaps shedding some light on the situation.  I should probably add that the problem becomes worse with higher quality videos. 

This computer is marketed as having the capability of smooth streaming of HD video.  You'd think that Dell would have recognized and resolved the problem before the product hit the market!  It is a zino "HD" computer afterall.  You'd think that a lot of customers would really be screaming about this problem.   

How is it possible to tell if a computer is properly configured for HD streaming?  I looked at the zino specifications and I did not see anything about PCI-E _X channels?

Thanks.

Gailofiowa,

Unfortunately, it's not at all obvious from looking at a set of specifications, whether a system is actually capable of HD streaming video.

The Zino HD doesn't have a normal graphics slot at all, so the specs don't mention the bus type.

This is what I've gleaned from various threads on this forum:

- Motherboard graphics (with the possible exception of newer ATI based motherboards) is not up to the task

- Fast AND consistent Internet access is a necessity

- Any modern PCI-E X16 or AGP card with an NVidea or ATI chipset should be fine.  If you don't game, its more important that the chipset was made in the last 3 years than how good it is at gaming. Newer card have circuits that accelerate the decoding of video codecs.

Masi_GC

Thanks for the responses.  I'm really in a quandry as to what to do.  I can still return it to Dell but probably would mean a 15% restocking fee.  Maybe if I called to return it Dell might put more effort into figuring out the problem as I'm not opposed to the possibility the problem is on my end.  I did notice my laptop displays a lot of the same choppiness as well but as Masi_GC explained above laptops tend to have the same limitations as the Zino or vice versa.  I just don't want to pay $900 for something that doesn't do one of the primary tasks I got it for.  Of course streaming isn't the only thing I wanted as I could have accomplished that with Roku.  I highly recommend Roku to anyone looking for just a streaming device.

Thanks, Masi,

I do have high speed broadband internet and I did upgrade my wireless router, which improved things, but did not resolve the issue. Speed tests show that I get 10-11mps.  With hulu, I have paused the steaming so a large buffer builds up, but I still have the issue.  That suggested to me that it was not an internet speed issue.  Is that a good assumption?   Do you know what speed should be adequate?

I also noticed that video on Microsoft Silverlight streamed better than a site using a flash player.  However, with high speed action, I still had issues with the Silverlight source.  I originally thought this may be a windows7/adobe flash player issue, which is one reason why I did not pursue the matter with Dell.  However, given the Silverlight issues, I was left wondering. 

It's a Dell tool under Dell Support in the Programs List.  As far as I can tell it doesn't check streaming but just the hardware components.

As far as Dell is concerned if it passes the PC checkup on the Hardware then they wash their hands of you.  Unless you want to pay for Software support.