2D quality, as many would expect with a Matrox product, is exceptional. Typically, Matrox is considered to have some of the best 2D quality on the market, and the eTV is right in line. This is thanks, in part, to having a 360 MHz RAMDAC, as well as a generally high quality design both at the chip and board level. Even at 1600x1200, text still looked clean and crisp and there was no noticeable flicker.

3D performance, on the other hand, is not an area that Matrox has set as a priority with the Marvel G450 eTV. However, they have still included some capability. The G450's 3D engine is fairly similar to that found in the G400. With that in mind, performance isn't expected to be too high but image quality is quite good.

• Athlon 600
• Abit KA7 motherboard
• 128 MB PC-133 SDRAM
• Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
• Matrox Marvel G450 eTV
• Driver Version: 6.24.007
• Windows 98 SE w/ DX8

In 3DMark 2000, the fill-rate test returned some numbers that allow for a basic understanding of how the Marvel G450 will perform in games. Obviously, the fill-rate numbers are very low. With this in mind, the G450 is definitely a card that is better suited for low-resolution, 16-bit gaming. This will be confirmed in an application as well.

Using Quake III Arena, the Normal detail level was used. This is a mid-range setting for detail levels, using 16-bit color. Clearly, performance is not very high. At 640x480, the game might be considered playable, but it is not fast.

Bundled with the eTV are copies of Ulead's VideoStudio SE and Photo Explorer. VideoStudio is of particular interest as it allows for the editing of video clips. A lot of the software is more basic in design, targeting the home users that do casual editing of clips, such as family videos. The hardware certainly offers the capability of advanced video editing, but users will need to purchase a separate package for such.