ATi
has
been
manufacturing
video
cards
and
other multimedia
products since 1985 and
was
one
of
the
earliest
companies
to
institute
the
concept
of
a
combination TV/Video
card.
The theory seemed simple, combine
a
quality graphics
card
and
TV
tuner
into
a
single PCB, that
would give
the consumer
the
best
of
both
worlds
in
a
single
product.
And
so
the All-In-Wonder
product
line
was
born.
These
days, ATi
has
been
releasing
new
models
of
the All-In-Wonder
at
a
feverish
pace,
with
three
new
versions
since
last fall alone,
the All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500DV,
the All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500,
and
now
the All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500.
Not long
before the holiday season of 2001, Dave had the chance to
review the first All-In-Wonder
to
incorporate
the Radeon 8500
GPU.
The
All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500DV targeted the video
enthusiast looking for advanced video editing capabilities
as well as exceptional 3D Graphics quality. Powered by
a 240MHz. Radeon 8500 GPU and 190MHz. DDR RAM (380MHz.), the
8500DV proved to be both a
well-rounded, and well-endowed, graphics and video
solution. Nevertheless, with a price tag
around $400 for the All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500DV, customers
got it "all" but they also had to pay for it. Enter
the All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500.
The
All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 answered the prayers of many users
looking to pick up a good TV/Video card without having to
break the bank. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity
to review the
All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500, a TV/Video card targeted
toward the value minded customer with its competitively
priced MSRP of $200. The All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 may
have been significantly cheaper than the 8500DV, yet it
still offered many of the same TV features as the more
expensive card. Powered by a Radeon 7500 GPU running @
260MHz., and 64MB of DDR RAM running at 190MHz. (360MHz.),
the All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 proved to be both a capable
and economical TV/Video card. With such features as a
stereo TV tuner, TV-On-Demand, and the same Remote Control
feature as the AIW Radeon 8500DV, ATi could now provide a
simpler solution for those users on a tight budget, who may
not need all the advanced features of the premium model.
Still,
something was missing. What about the true gaming
enthusiast who wants a TV tuner but doesn't want to
sacrifice an ounce of performance? The All-In-Wonder
8500DV had a good amount of horsepower, but the memory
speeds hampered gaming performance somewhat and the
All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 was more of an entry level
graphics card. Well, today we have the chance to take
a look at ATi's answer to that question, the latest addition
to the All-In-Wonder product line, the All-In-Wonder Radeon
8500.
The
All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500 is ATis direct response to those
hardcore gamers that want a powerful gaming card along with
quality TV capabilities. The AIW Radeon 8500 is the
most powerful "All-In-Wonder" yet, with its robust 275MHz.
Radeon 8500 GPU and 128MB of 275MHz. (550MHz.) DDR SGRAM .
Clearly, this new card is ATi's most ambitious All-In-Wonder
to date, with the strength to take on some of the fastest
gaming cards on the market today. So let's take a peek
at some of the All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500's finer qualities
and then we'll put ATi's latest "Wonder" to the test, to see
how "Wonderful" it may perform when we compare it to the
competition.
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Specifications of the ATi All-In-Wonder Radeon
8500 |
You Really Do Get
What You Pay For. |
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FEATURE
SUMMARY
Awesome
3D
gaming
and
graphics
-Powered
by
the
revolutionary
RADEON 8500
GPU @275MHz.
and
128MB
DDR
memory @275MHz.
for
the
most advanced 3D
graphics
in
its
class
-ATI's
innovative
TRUFORM, SMARTSHADER
and
SMOOTHVISION
technologies
make
3D
characters
and
objects
more
realistic
-ATI's
HYPERZ
II
technology
conserves
memory
bandwidth
for
improved
performance
in demanding
applications
-ATI's
latest
3D
rendering
technologies,
CHARISMA
ENGINE II
and
PIXEL
TAPESTRY II, power
incredible
3D
processing
capabilities
leading
to
unbelievable
graphics
quality
Amazing
TV
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+
TM
Interactive
Program
Guide
1
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
Magazine
1 -
images
and
text
from
TV
programs
allowing
you
to
read
and
archive
TV
Programs
-Hot
Words 1 - real-time
notification
when
selected
words
are
detected
in
programming
-Zoom
&
pan
-
zoom
in
on
the
action
on-screen
and
choose
your
own
close-up
-Intelligent
Teletext
on
your
PC
1Available
in
North
America
only.
2Available
in
Europe
only.
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 II
technology
allows
for
adaptive
de-interlacing
for
excellent
quality
motion
video
and
text
Radio-frequency
remote
control
-Control
the
TV,
video,
DVD
and
gaming
features
of
the
ALL-IN-WONDER@ RADEONTM 8500
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
up
to
720x480 30 frames-per-second
resolution
-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
-
expand
your
active
desktop
space
-HYDRAVISION
software
provides
a
flexible,
user-friendly
interface
for
multiple
display
settings
-Set
applications
to
automatically
open
in
your
preferred
position
on
the
monitor
and
eliminate
the
need
to
reset
the
computer
every
time
you
turn
it
on
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The Bundle:
In addition to the All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500
having a wide array of features built into a single card, it
also comes with an excellent complement of extras to take
full advantage of all of the cards potential. The
package we received for review contained all the components
expected to be available with the full retail package.
The All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500
package is virtually identical to the
All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 we reviewed a few weeks ago,
the main difference being the cards themselves.
An "Installation and Setup User's Guide" covers all of the
details of the installation process while a "Cable
Installation" diagram keeps the user from ending up with a
tangled web of cables. The package also contains 4
CDs, a Setup disk, a copy of Ulead's Video Studio 5 and
Mediator 6, as well as a game CD containing full versions of
Half-Life, Counter Strike, Team Fortress Classic and
Half-Life: Uplink.
Click To
Enlarge
The "Cable Installation" diagram makes
connecting the All-In-Wonder
Radeon 8500 to external devices such as Camcorders,
Televisions, or VCRs a snap, by use of the ATi Input
adapter. The ATi input adapter provides four external
connections: S-Video Out, Composite Video Out, L.
Audio Out, R. Audio Out which can accommodate virtually any
video/audio peripheral. ATi includes all of the necessary
connectors and cabling to connect each device with ease.
1 S-Video and 3 RCA cables are included as well as an S
Video to RCA converter. To top all of this goodness
off, a fully functional RF remote control is included,
giving the user full control over all of the
All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500's
features. We'll get into this a little more later on.
For now though, let's take a closer look at the
All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500
itself.
Quality,
Setup and the Drivers
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