Although Vista Media Center supports up to four CableCARDs, we haven't actually seen the required ATI TV Wonder breakout box for sale by itself yet -- it usually only comes bundled with a CableLABS-certified Vista Media Center PC. (In fact, from what we hear, OEMs are strictly forbidden from selling them without a PC.) It looks like Sony's ready to bust these things loose, however, because SonyStyle.com is now selling them as the "VAIO Digital TV Tuner" for $299. You'll still need that Vista Media Center PC with the required special firmware to make it work, but those of you itching to add more tuners to your rig -- or just hack away at these things -- might finally be able to make it happen. Just don't blame us of CableLABS's locks prevent you from properly capturing all those delicious high def MPEG-2 streams.

[Thanks, William]

Those looking for a fresh way to capture OTA signals on their computer need to look AMD's way, as the firm is kicking out three new ATI TV Wonder devices today. Up first is the TV Wonder 650 Combo USB, which includes two TV tuners to pick up OTA HDTV signals / ClearQAM programming, analog TV and FM broadcasts. For those with desktops, the TV Wonder 600 PCI or TV Wonder 600 PCI Express should fit the bill quite nicely, as they offer up the same features as their USB sibling in less portable forms. Notably, all three units come bundled with Catalyst Media Center software, which enables the devices to quickly convert (read: "with two mouse clicks") recorded programming to formats suitable for use on the iPod, Zune, PSP, iPhone, Palm Treo, etc. Price wise, the 650 Combo USB will demand $149, while the other two (pictured after the jump) will run you just $99 apiece.

Regardless of whether you're scouting a TV tuner for your desktop or portable machine, AMD has unveiled a duo of devices that will likely fit the bill. Up first is AMD's plug 'n play ATI TV Wonder 600 USB, which should have no problem tuning OTA HD on any machine equipped with USB, and also comes bundled with an IR remote, AV input, and Catalyst Media Center software. For the desktop only crowd, the ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo PCIe (pictured after the jump) sports ClearQAM support, hybrid analog / digital tuning, a 3D comb filter, FM tuner, and like its portable sibling, works just fine with Windows Vista. No word yet on the pricing details, but both units should be shipping out next month.

[Via DailyTech]

Looks like Okoro Media Systems isn't the only HTPC builder on the block cramming Microsoft's latest OS into its systems and upping the specs, as Velocity Micro has taken a break from its NoteMagix series to amp up a few media PCs. Both boxes come with Windows Vista Premium pre-installed, ATI's TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner, and options for HD DVD and Blu-ray playback. The CineMagix Pro Cinema rocks a fairly average black chassis, 500-watt power supply, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, HDCP-compliant ATI Radeon X1950 Pro, onboard 7.1 audio, 8-in-1 flash card reader, up to 1.5TB of hard drive space, dual gigabit Ethernet adapter, 802.11b/g, a pair of FireWire connectors, six USB 2.0 ports, and a wireless keyboard / mouse combo. The Intel-powered CineMagix Grand Theater swaps in your choice of CPU, including options for both the Core 2 Extreme X6800 or QX6700, up to 4GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS, up to 2.25TB of HDD space, but otherwise mimics its AMD-packin' sibling. Both units are fully customizable if you've got the cash to burn, and while the CineMagix Pro Cinema starts at $1,695, the Grand Theater rings up between $2,195 and near-five digits.

[Via 64-Bit-Computers]