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 Video Cards
(Dual Head with TV-Out)

Purpose:
Depending on your computer, your video processor card is either "integrated" onboard (bad) or a "discrete" 3rd party card (good).  If your PC has onboard "integrated" graphics, you might experience issues using Visual Communicator, since video requires a lot of computing power.  That is why a 3rd party "discrete" graphics card is preferred. 

Before deciding on which computer to use, verify it has a discrete graphics card, or the ability to install a discrete video card into an empty slot (AGP or PCIe).  These are commonly under $100.  You'd only need to replace or add a video card if your computer is outdated, or lacks TV-output capability.  TV output capability is only necessary if you plan to broadcast live with Visual Communicator.

Not sure if your existing PC is going to run fine with Visual Communicator?  Before spending any money, why not download the free 30-day trial and test it out?

Required for full screen live output:
TV-output jack (composite yellow or s-video) if you need live output capability, and/or want to record your live output to a VCR tape, or watch full screen on a TV set.  See picture on right.

What To Avoid:
Video cards that are OpenGL based cards, commonly used for CAD and 3D modeling workstations (example- NVidia Quadro class cards).

Recommended Brands:
ATI Radeon or NVidia GeForce-based video cards.  These are available in either AGP (older) or PCIe (newer) slot styles.  Note that you do NOT need to buy the exact name brands of ATI or NVidia, as many generic manufacturers use the same Radeon or GeForce technology at a lower pricepoint.  Shop locally, or check out newegg.com when shopping for video cards.

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