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Diamond Multimedia announces two ATI All-in-Wonder HD cards
We told you that ATI's reinvigorated All-in-Wonder would be hitting the streets in late July, and sure enough, Diamond Multimedia is first out of the gate with versions of its own. The All-In-Wonder and the All-In-Wonder Premium iterations are both slated to hit reputable e-tailers "soon," with the latter unit including a bundled remote and an input / output board with an array of easy access connections. As expected, each card will boast 512MB of DDR2 memory, a clock speed of 725MHz and a single hybrid tuner for capturing local NTSC / ATSC broadcasts and ClearQAM signals. Unfortunately, the most pressing piece (ahem, price) was omitted.
Velodyne, Amina team up to deliver full-range in-wall speaker systems
If your home decor demands that you go for an invisible AV install, you can either build a separate HT room to house your gear or opt for in-wall speakers. Velodyne and Amina have teamed up (at least in the UK) to make sure that sound quality isn't compromised if you go the in-wall route. Pairing up Velodyne's SC-IW in-wall subwoofers with Amina's SoundUnseen in-wall AIW speakers turns out to enjoy a Reese's-like synergy. Mounting a subwoofer in a wall seems like a recipe for nasty vibrations, but Velodyne has pulled a clever bit of design with the SC-IW and aligned the driver to fire vertically in the wall. For its part, the Amina speakers actually get a thin layer of plaster applied over them for a truly seamless look. This kind of stuff is definitely custom-install only, so we can only hope similar partnerships get struck up on this side of the Atlantic.
AMD smells a comeback with ATI All-in-Wonder HD
And you thought Microsoft bringing back the SideWinder was gnarly. Announced today, AMD is resurrecting the long-standing AIW line with its first-ever high-definition variant: the $199 ATI All-in-Wonder HD. The PCI Express 2.0 card attempts to handle both PC gaming and HDTV duties by boasting specs like DirectX 10.1 support, a 725MHz engine clock, 600MHz memory clock and MPEG2 / VC-1 / H.264 video decoder acceleration. You'll also find Vista and AMD LIVE! certification badges to go along with the dual-link DVI port, HDMI jack (which supports 5.1 Dolby Digital transmission) and optional component video connectivity. As expected, users can capture live programs (as well as pause / rewind) in SD or HD over-the-air, and there's even support for ClearQAM. For those looking to take their clips elsewhere, the bundled Avivo software converts it for viewing on some of today's most popular handhelds (yes, including the iPod). Look for models from Diamond Multimedia and VisionTek to hit retailers in North America late next month. Full release after the jump. %Gallery-26140%
