• PC World
• » Components
• » Graphics Cards

You can get a high-quality video card for well under $100, but ATI is hanging a $399 price tag on its newly released All-in-Wonder Radeon 8500DV--and it throws in much more functionality for the money.

As a high-performance graphics card, the 8500DV is equipped with what ATI calls its newest state-of-the-art video chip, the Radeon 8500. Supporting resolutions up to 2048 by 1536, the card can be used in AGP 2 and AGP 4 card slots and has drivers for Windows Me, 2000, and XP (but not Win 95/98). Equipped with 64MB of RAM, the card can support memory-intensive gaming graphics, and produces a nice, sharp image.

But the 8500DV goes beyond standard graphics, offering a selection of video inputs, including TV reception and recording. It supports a range of outputs, too, notably FireWire (IEEE 1394). An included wireless remote control can manage video devices and double as a mouse. And the 8500DV is an outstanding graphics card.

Who Needs TiVo?

The card performs hardware DVD decoding, resulting in a better DVD image than software decoding can produce, because the processor on the video card frees up the PC's CPU for other tasks. The DVD player employs enhanced processing to reduce artifacts that sometimes occur in scenes involving substantial motion.

Integrated into the card is a stereo TV tuner. The tuner uses a standard coax connector on the back of the card, though ATI recommends using an amplified antenna or cable source. The technology builds on ATI's entry-level TV Wonder USB tuner.

In addition to receiving a TV signal, the 8500DV supports real-time MPEG2 encoding, so you can capture video on your PC's hard drive. Bundled ATI Multimedia Center version 7.5 software enables you to use the card as a VCR, with controls for recording manually and scheduling recordings.

Functions similar to those of TiVo and other digital video recorders let you pause a program and return to it later, while the PC continues to record. But unlike TiVo, the 8500DV permits you to move that video onto other media, because the video is saved on a standard hard drive. You can copy it onto other optical media or even back it up onto tape.

Other Options

The 8500DV supports a wide range of input and output devices in addition to the video tuner. An included connection device--a box about 4 by 2 by 0.5 inches--plugs into the back of the card to extend the selection. With this device, the card supports standard composite video (an RCA jack), SVideo, and FireWire. A second FireWire port is provided on the back of the card. The input options also include two RCA plugs for standard left and right audio connections.

The input connections accept a variety of video and audio sources. Digital video recorders, SVideo recorders, and standard VCRs can plug into the 8500DV.

Output is similarly capable. The output panel, on the other side of the extended connection device, supports SVideo, composite video, and left and right audio. An SPDIF jack can connect to a sound card or to another component that processes digital audio.

The card can simultaneously display an image on your CRT or digital LCD monitor, and direct video through the output ports. In principle, you could run a video cable and the two audio cables (or video and an SPDIF cable) into another room for connection to a TV set or other video/audio equipment, for viewing in a location away from your PC.

An included wireless remote control uses radio frequency signals to control such devices as the TV tuner, the DVD player, and a Web browser. You can control the media player from another room by using the remote, with help from an RF receiver plugged into a USB port on your PC. Besides switching channels and controlling volume, the device functions like a mouse. The unit has a large key to control the direction of the mouse, plus left and right button keys.

ATI's card comes with Ulead VideoStudio 5.0 video editing software and Matchware Mediator 6.0, designed to create multimedia presentations. Other bundled programs include Valve video games that support Truform 3D (also built into the 8500DV).

A Few Suggestions

Even All-in-Wonder Radeon 8500DV enthusiasts should heed a few caveats. You need a sound card to support audio. Testing the card with a USB headset/microphone combination--but no sound card to accept the audio cable--is less than satisfactory. But most people have a sound card.

The I/O connection extension device raises a minor concern. One side is designed for input, and the other side for output. But the device is not labeled; molding the words IN and OUT appropriately would have eliminated some potential confusion, especially if a user were to misplace the box or instructions. For now, you might want to label the device yourself with small pieces of tape.

The card builds on other ATI All-in-Wonder models, and competes with Asustek's V7100. That year-old card similarly handles triple duty as a TV tuner, a video card, and a graphics board supporting a second monitor or TV, though it lacks some of the extras of the Radeon 8500DV.

Does a $399 video card make sense in a world where you can get a pretty darn good card for a quarter of the price? The answer is likely yes for users who want to record video directly to hard disks (and save the recording). It may also appeal to people who want TiVo-like recording capabilities without paying a monthly fee (and who have an immense hard drive). If you want to store, view, or edit digital video, and watch video (or recorded TV) away from your PC, the Radeon 8500DV can oblige. You also have the option of using your remote control as a wireless mouse. Or you can just enjoy the video card's game-enhancing capabilities.

• See more like this:
• ati,
• radeon 8500dv,
• graphics card,
• digital video,
• video card