AMD intros first PC tuner to record cable HDTV
updated 11:30 am EST, Tue January 9, 2007
TV Wonder Digital Cable
AMD's graphics division ATI at CES revealed the TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner, the world's first PC-attached tuner that can both play and record HDTV signals from more than just unencrypted over-the-air broadcasts. The tuner accepts the CableCARD adapters offered by many HD-capable TV providers and will allow live viewing of any HD television, such as ESPN or HBO; with approval from content providers, programs can also be saved to a computer and streamed to the Xbox 360 or any other Windows Media Center device. An Avivo video decoding system eliminates the compression artifacts and other anomalies that surface even in HD broadcasts, ATI says.
While available at the end of January to coincide with the launch of Windows Vista and its new Media Center functions, the tuner won't be sold separately, the company says. Instead, system builders and third-party companies are expected to build the new TV Wonder directly into new desktop and laptop computers or else offer the tuner as an external device (pictured).
