Digital Trends

ATi All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500 DV April 17th, 2003 | by Ian Bell

The perfect HTPC Video Card?

For those of you interested in building an HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer), this is the card for you. Everything is included to further your experience. You now have the ability to consolidate your Tivo, DVD player, VCR and computer into one unit. There is excellent DVD playback with the potential for progressive scan ability once the component video package is released this year. You have possible HDTV support as well as the ability to record live TV shows to your hard drive ala Tivo or Replay TV. There is also an integrated TV guide, which can be updated through a network connection to the Internet... There is, however, no DTS out — only Dolby Digital (at least for the time being) — which is very disappointing. However, there could possibly be a software upgrade for this in the future. Using a wireless keyboard or mouse, gaming with one of the best graphic chips on the market has never been better.

For those Gamers

Compared to other cards on the market like the GeForce3 Ti 500 or even its' cousin the Radeon 8500, the AIW 8500DV looks like a lower end card when it comes to gaming performance. If you absolutely need to have 100fps in Quake 3 at 1600x1200 running 32bit color then this is probably not your card. This card will play at 1024x768 at 32bit color without any hitches and at a decent fps, though it is the regular Radeon 8500 that shine when it comes to gaming.

Conclusion

This card is for the multimedia enthusiast who wants it all. If you are a die-hard gamer that simply wants DVD playback and TV out, your best bet is to look somewhere else. This is not a card meant solely for gaming, but rather a compromise for the gamer and multimedia enthusiast. The 8500DV carries a hefty price tag at $399, but look at everything you get: A DVD player, Digital video recorder, video capture card, TV tuner and more, the $399 might not seem as bad. Where areas a DVD player may be outdated as well as a digital video recorder, the AIW 8500DV allows for expansion. Hard drive not big enough for your programming.... Throw in a new drive. ATi has hit the mark with this card and other than a few little irritating problems this card is one of the best on the market. The ATi All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500DV is a real treat for the multimedia enthusiast.

Pros:
- Very powerful multimedia abilities
- Above average gaming performance
- One of the best software packages on the market
- Inputs/Outputs galore
- Addition of two firewire (IEEE1394) ports

Cons:
- No out of the box HDTV support as promised (lacking component outputs)
- Flimsy external adapter connection
- Poor and confusing manual/documentation