ATI’s new TV Tuner board released w/ ISF Certification

ATI is getting more and more serious when it comes to Home Theater it would seem. Their new TV Wonder Elite card looks like it could hold some pretty real promise for those who need ‘next to’ professional quality video equipment.

ATI’s new Home Theater 550 Pro-based ATI TV Wonder Elite TV Tuner board was just released and started shipping to retailers today. I just got my hands on a board and have personally seen the quality of this standard-def tuner beat that of an upsampled signal on a high end HDTV set from a major manufacturer. That’s saying a LOT. Thanks to the 3D comb filter, you don’t get the “jitter effect” you normally see on overlayed graphics such as a CNN or NBC logo or sports scorebox. I cannot wait to put this board through it’s paces personally on my MCE box this weekend.

The Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) has certified this board as meeting or exceeding specifications for high-end consumer AV electronics.

If what I’ve seen hold true, this board significantly raises the bar for other PC-based TV tuner manufacturers. I know ATI has been investing heavily to develop this card to exacting quality.

Thomas, I think this board was made for you. While I understand the perception might be that “Media Center” doesn’t deliver the level of video quality you’re looking for, it’s important to distinguish between the OS’s capabilities, and the particular components that make up your Media Center system. I agree- the bar needs to be raised across the whole but we both know there’s variability in hardware for everything from gaming to overall system performance, hence the need for an ISF logo program.