ATI HDTV Wonder w/ Nvidia

[eagle23881]

I have a Chaintech PCI-E card the 6600gt and I was looking to add a TV tuner capability to it. I want to go with the ATI HDTV Wonder card but I have heard everything from it will work to people who haven't gotten it to work at all. Is there a problem with compatibility?

 

[Bruxbox]

Yeah, some folks have had problems installing the ATI HDTV Wonder. They've belly-ached all over the place about it.

I haven't had any problems. In another thread here at Tom's, I've laid out a low risk but highly successful installation procedure for this HD tuner.

No, the Nvidia graphics card does not pose any problems, so long as it's a competent card. I mean, the ATI HDTV Wonder requires a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0. So, we're talking about a GeforceFX 5200 or better.

If you are thinking about using Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, a Nvidia GeforceFX 5700 or Radeon 9800 or better is highly recommended.

 

[Bruxbox]

I'd like to add that it appears that ATI will no longer produce this HD tuner because of the American FCC's Broadcast Flag rules that were supposed to come into effect on July 1, 2005. I've seen an email from ATI saying this very thing.

For our non-American friends, the Broadcast Flag rules required that all HD tuners, TVs, and receivers made after July 1, 2005, to be able to detect and decode over-the-air encrypted HD signals that included the flag, and outlawed all other products that did not include the flag detection technology. Covered products made before July 1, did not need to include the flag detection scheme, but these products could work nevertheless to receive encrypted HD signals after July 1 even if the signals included the flag.

"The technology, known as the broadcast flag, would have been required after July 1 for televisions equipped to receive new digital signals, many personal computers and VCR-type recording devices. It would permit entertainment companies to designate, or flag, programs to prevent viewers from copying shows or distributing them over the Internet."

The ATI HDTV Wonder, the AverTVHD, and the FusionHDTV III tuners did not include the flag detection technology, and were highly sought after because of this feature.

However, yesterday, May 6, 2005, a US federal appeals court issued an injunction against the enforcement of the Broadcast Flag rules by the FCC, saying that the FCC exceeded the authority granted to it by the US Congress.

Who knows whether or if the FCC will appeal the court's injunction.

Now, manufacturers of HD tuner and TVs are in an Hamlet's dilemma. Are they now permitted to make products without the flag technology? To make, or not to make, that is the question.

Meanwhile, the ATI HDTV Wonder and the AverTVHD tuners are hard to come by. Apparently, no one's selling them at the moment. I did a Google Froogle search, and neither product is in stock at any online retailer.

I have an extra AverTVHD that I received through a shipping error. I'll note that the AverTVHD is an OEM product designed specifically for WMCE 2005, and absolutely will not work in a plain WinXP box. However, it is a easier install than the ATI HDTV Wonder.