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ATI TV Wonder 650 recalled?
We just reported that ATI's TV Wonder 650 would be reaching store shelves near you, but it may be retreating just as quickly. According to reports received by DailyTech, ATI has yanked the cards due to a possible problem with the OTA tuner limiting it to less than half of the promised channels. The TV Wonder 200 that launched at the same time apparently is unaffected and can still be found on Best Buy and CompUSA's websites, while the TV Wonder 650 has disappeared. Those looking for a good OTA HDTV tuner with the hardware encoding capabilities of ATI's Theater 650 chip will apparently have to keep waiting.
EyeTV Hybrid
TV on a Mac is a foreign concept to most people, but EyeTV hopes to change that with the introduction of the minuscule (just a bit larger than an iPod Shuffle) EyeTV Hybrid USB TV tuner. Capable of receiving both digital (S-Video via an adapter) and analog (using the built-in coax plug or the included composite adapter) signals, the Hybrid can pick up regular run-of-the-mill standard standard definition TV, as well as up to 1080p HDTV over-the-air programming (if you have either a dual G5 or Core Duo). With that delicious combination of input options, I can hook up both my Xbox OR digital cable to my PowerBook, sit back, and relax. The EyeTV Hybrid goes for an extremely affordable $150. [via OhGizmo!]
ATI launches TV Wonder 650 OTA HDTV tuner
ATI is trying to make catching OTA HDTV broadcasts on your PC a bit more mainstream with the TV Wonder 650. This add-in card not only picks up high definition broadcasts, but includes Avivo technology for image enhancement on analog broadcasts, motion-adaptive 3D comb filter, noise-reduction and hardware-assisted MPEG-2 encoding. The included high-def PVR software will record content in DivX, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and WMV9 formats. This card seems Vista-ready, as they also mention combining it with ATI videocards to enable 3D menus, in addition to the MulTView picture-in-picture technology (requires two tuner cards) and the ability to have a translucent video window over other applications. While it isn't the OCUR CableCard device you may be waiting for, if broadcast HDTV is all you need this could be a great pickup for $129, shipping today.
Wideviewer's PMP with DVB-T tuner
Wideviewer's new PMP here that they're showing off at Computex isn't the first to include a DVB-T tuner (MSI and Archos, among others, have them beat), but if plain vanilla designs are your thing, it may be just what you're looking for. In addition to the old-school style antenna, the PMP also packs a decently sized 3.5-inch TFT displaying a 320 x 240 resolution, and is MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 compatible, with both NTSC and PAL support. It's not clear what it has in the storage department, however, nor do we know how much it'll cost, although you can be pretty sure that we won't be seeing it in North America anytime soon.[Via Akihabara News]
Memorex iMove elbows into the iPod boombox market
In a market already crowded with iBooms, iJams, and Hi-Fis, do we really need yet another iPod boombox to choose from? Memorex thinks so, as evidenced by their recent introduction of a 12-watt 'box -- called, unsurprisingly, the iMove -- which accepts fourth and fifth generation 'Pods along with nanos, the iPod photo, and even the good old Mini, plus anything else you can plug into its auxiliary port. Also sporting a remote, AM/FM tuner, and SRS WOW sound enhancement, the iMove can be powered from your car or boat's cigarette lighter, eight D batteries, or a regular wall outlet -- and by using the latter option, you can simultaneously charge whatever iPod you have docked as well. No word yet on a release date, but as long as its cheaper than the Hi-Fi (it is, at around $100) and more polished than models like the Toolbox Player or iBoom (which it seems to be), it should probably be able to eke out some decent sales when it finally hits Wal-mart shelves.[Via fosfor gadgets, thanks Mikael S.]
Pioneer updates Carrozzeria in-car entertainment systems
If you're looking to play almost every audio/video format known to man in your car, even MiniDiscs, then Pioneer has just introduced a whopper of an in-dash system that may be perfect for you (well, if you live in Japan, that is). The AVIC-VH009MD in-car multimedia system, which takes over the high end of Pioneer's Carrozzeria lineup, features a 5.1 channel amp, dedicated TV tuner, GPS receiver with birds-eye view, and a head unit that contains a 7-inch screen and plays back DVDs, CDs, MDs, and MP3/WMA files as well as DivX-encoded videos. Also new to the Carrozzeria line is the AVH-P90DVA, which also has a TV tuner and 7-inch screen, but *only* supports DVDs, CDs, VCDs, and the aforementioned codecs plus AAC, but not MiniDiscs or navigation. The all-in-one system will go for a cool $3,200, while the AVH-P90DVA costs $2,300, although if you want to listen to tracks from your cellphone, you'll have to forgo a lot of these niceties and stick with the Bluetooth-equipped AVIC-S1 that we brought you the other day.Read- AVIC-VH009MDRead- AVH-P90DVA
HDTV on a stick
File this the "why don't we have this in the States." This is a USB 2.0 HD tuner for the European market that picks up Freeview signals. Just plug this in to your laptop and way you go. The AverTV DVB-T Volar was annouced about a month ago but is now available for purchase around the 'net for about £55. The little tuner comes with a little antennia that we are sure is going to help little in pulling in HD signals. Has anyone used a tuner like this? Thoughts?
Toshiba's Qosmio F30 and Dynabook SS MX, CX, TX, and AX laptops
Toshiba blasted us with a heap of new additions to their Dynabook and Qosmio line-up of laptops today. Let's start with the Qosmio F30/695LS Core Duo T2300 (1.66GHz) which features a bright 15.4-inch, 1280 x 800 (WXGA) LCD to check the teevee pumped out those integrated analog and digital terrestrial TV tuners. The F30 also features 160GB of storage for TV recording fun, up to 2GB RAM, nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, fingerprint scanner, shock protection, and harmon/kardon's bass reflex speaker system already spotted on the G35. Next up is the new 1.9-kg Dynabook SS MX/395LS which also packs a Core Duo T2300 but delivers on a 12.1-inch WXGA LCD with 80GB disk, a dual-layer DVD burner, 512MB RAM, and 802.11a/b/g WiFi and goes 5.2-hours on a single charge. The compact, 2.5-kg Dynabook CX/875LS offers a 14.1-inch WXGA display and Core Duo T2300, harmon/kardon's speakers, and dual-layer DVD burner we've seen before. Rounding things out are the "high-grade standard" TX/880LS and budget AX/40LS which both offer 15.4-inch displays with the TX going Core Duo T2300 and 120GB disk while the AX manages to slip-in Celeron M 370 and dual-layer DVD burner on the cheap. Looks like all the models will be shipping no later than the 28th of this month. Big snaps of the SS MX and F30 after the break.[Via Akihabara News]
DS TV tuner created from 1984 Trans Am
Seriously, I had a friend in high school who drove a '84 Pontiac Trans Am and the dashboard looked just like this...thing. Actually, upon further inspection, I believe that antenna is the exact one and the same, ripped from the dated-beauty of the hood of his 1984 Pontiac Trans Am and affixed, in pure Frankenstein-like fashion, upon this bulky add-on. Considering the allure of simplistic design that the DS, and even more so the Lite, has achieved, this is one eyesore of an adapter. What's even more puzzling is how the adapter was proposed almost a year ago, looking identically the same, yet the color grey.[Via Joystiq]
Redesigned Sharp AQUOS 20-inch LCD in Japan
Here comes another product from the land of exciting and forward thinking: Japan. Sharp has released a fresh AQUOS 20-inch HD-ready LCD TV. We like the clean look of it but we are very excited about the built-in tuner. Sure, it is meant for the Japanese market so the tuner is a bit different, but with the digital switch over being exactly three years today, we need to see more smaller TVs have the tuner built in. Want more deets? How about 1366x768 resolution, a brightness of 500cd/m2, contrast ratio of 1200:1 and a cost of under a 1000 EUR over in Japan.
CES: ATI demos CableCard, HDTV support for Windows Vista
If you want to get HD channels from your cable provider onto your PC, this is the news you've been waiting for. At CES ATI has been showing off OCUR (Open Cable Uni-directional Receiver), the first and only CableCard 1.0 (no bidirectional) certified HDTV tuner. By all accounts, it's ready to go, and will ship when Microsoft launches Windows Vista later this year.
USB 2.0 HDTV recorder for Macs
Want ATSC or QAM HDTV programming on your Mac you say? How about via your USB 2.0 port? Ok ok, I see you're not interested, but what if I threw in an antenna, support for up to 1080i resolution, remote and EyeTV software to manage the whole thing?Ahh, I knew you'd like that and so did Miglia, so for $250 the TVMini HD can be yours.[Via MacNN]
Westinghouse introduces "SpineDesign" on new LCD HDTV's
Westinghouse's brand new 32" and 27" screens feature more than 1366x768 resolution, integrated NTSC and ATSC tuners and 10-bit processing which they say provides a much better picture. They are also the first monitors to feature their SpineDesign™, with all cable connections moved to the side of the television for easy connection. They also say this shortens the distance from the video source to the panel, improving picture quality.This new tech doesn't seem too different from what other LCD manufacturers have done recently, Gateway's 21" screen comes to mind.
