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I'm sure if you asked any computer enthusiast to name a
manufacturer of combination TV/Graphics cards, there is
little doubt that many would say "ATi."
We're not saying that they are the only game in town but it
is hard to argue that they haven't carved out quite a niche
for themselves. With competition from players like
Hauppague, as well as the relatively recent edition of
nVidia, with its "Personal Cinema" product, ATI still holds
a major share of the combination TV/Graphics card market.
What sets
ATI apart from the rest, is that they were one of the first
to pioneer the idea of integrating high-end graphics
capability and TV functions into a single product. As
technology has evolved, what once required two separate
cards, could now be achieved on a single board product.
Coining the name "All-In-Wonder" seemed to be the most
accurate way to describe the product line, since in essence,
it does it all on one card.
Over the
years, the All-In-Wonder line matured from a simple TV/Video
combination to a powerful multimedia product capable of
serious gaming, as well as offering advanced video
functionality. Today we'll be taking a look at one of
ATI's latest offerings, the All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500.
Aiming for the user who wants an All-In-Wonder based
solution with competitive 3D capabilities, for around $200,
ATi has come up with a sister product to the
Radeon 8500DV,
which normally sells for twice the price. The question
is how much of the Radeon 8500DV's features and performance
did they have to sacrifice to reach the lower price point?
You just might be surprised. Let's take a look at the
product specs and then we'll delve a little deeper into what
the All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 has to offer.
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Specifications of the ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon
7500 |
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A Lot For The Money. |
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Overview
-
- Powerful
all-in-one 3D, TV and video for your
PC
- Powered by the
RADEON? 7500 GPU
- 64MB DDR memory
- Stereo TV-tuner
- TV-ON-DEMAND?
Time shifting
- Integrated
Interactive Program Guide1
- Easily capture
and edit MPEG-2 video into your own
creations
- Wireless
radio-frequency remote control
- DVD video
playback
Features
-
-
TV-ON-DEMAND?
-
- Pause live TV
or record live broadcasts and
watch them later
- Get instant
replays of favorite programs
- Click through
the transparent live TV window
to access your desktop - no more
moving the TV window to get to
your work!
- Use the
integrated
Gemstar GUIDE
Plus+? Interactive
Program Guide1 to view and search TV
listings by category,
actor/performer, or date. Schedule
and record programs at the click of
a mouse - all the benefits of a
Personal Video Recorder without the
monthly fees
- Amazing TV
features including:
-
- TV Magazine1
- images and text from TV
programs allowing you to read
and archive TV programs
- Hot Words1
- real-time notification when
selected words are detected in
programming
- Zoom & pan -
zoom in on the action on-screen
and choose your own close-ups
- Intelligent
Teletext on your PC2
EXPERIENCE HOME THEATER WITH DVD AND
DIGITAL AUDIO OUTPUT ON A PC
-
- Industry-leading
DVD playback with AC-3 Digital
Audio* output to enable Dolby®
Digital 5.1 surround sound
- ATI?s
VIDEO
IMMERSION? technology
allows for adaptive de-interlacing
for excellent quality motion video
and text
*Actual Dolby® 5.1
AC-3 decoding is done by the external
AC-3 decoder and is not included.
- RADIO-FREQUENCY
REMOTE CONTROL
-
- Control the TV,
video, DVD and gaming features of
the ALL-IN-WONDER® RADEON? 7500 from
another room in the house using
ATI?s remote control*
- No need to point
the remote control at the receiver ?
connect your PC to your TV and watch
DVDs, search channels, or record TV
shows from your couch
*Available USB port
required
- EASILY EDIT
VIDEO INTO YOUR OWN CREATIONS
-
- Capture still
images and analog video in MPEG-2
format at resolutions up to 720x480
and 30 frames-per-second
- Powerful video
editing software allows you to add
effects, transitions, sounds, and
more to video footage
- Create your own
personal productions to share with
family and friends
- DUAL DISPLAY
TECHNOLOGY
-
- Connect to a TV
and a monitor (VGA or DVI)
simultaneously
-
HYDRAVISION?
software enables you to display
information on a TV and monitor at
the same time
- POWERFUL 2D AND
3D PERFORMANCE
-
- Powered by the
RADEON? 7500 GPU and 64MB DDR memory
for advanced 3D graphics
- Delivers
realistic 32-bit color graphics
without a decline in PC performance
-
CHARISMA ENGINE?
and
PIXEL TAPESTRY?
technologies allow for phenomenally
realistic 3D graphics details
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The Bundle:
The ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 has a long
list of built-in features. To top it all off, they
also offer a complete package to accompany the
All-In-Wonder, providing all the necessary hardware and
software to take full advantage of the its capabilities.
The package we received for review was a retail box, with
everything needed to get up and running.
The package includes a nice complement of
documentation to help the novice or expert user install
their new video card with ease. An installation guide
is also included, which thoroughly covers the installation
and setup of the All-In-Wonder. The kit contains 3
CDs, a Setup disk, a full version copy of the game
Expendable, and Ulead's Video Studio 5.
Click To
Enlarge
The quick installation guide provides a
clear picture of how each component should be connected to
external devices such as Camcorders, Televisions, or VCRs.
This is accomplished using the ATI input adapter, which is
an extension of the card itself. The ATI input adapter
connects to the video in on the card and provides four
external connections; S-Video Out, Composite Video Out, L.
Audio Out, R. Audio Out. Although their names may
imply they are outputs, they are in fact inputs. All
of the necessary wires and connectors are available to help
accommodate virtually any external device. 1 S-Video,
and 3 RCA cables are included as well as an S Video to RCA
converter. Probably one of the more innovative and
exciting pieces of equipment to come with the All-In-Wonder
is the remote control. We'll touch more on that later,
but before we do, let's take a closer look at the card
itself and cover some of it's finer points.
Quality,
Setup and the Drivers
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