ATI Brings HDTV to the PC

Minimum Requirements

Here are the minimum requirements as stated on ATi's website. Notice that ATi says that any video card with at least 64 MB of memory and DirectX 9 support will work. We will test that claim later in the article.

Testing Conditions

We reviewed the HDTV Wonder on two different test rigs: an Athlon64 home-built system and an AthlonXP 2500+ Shuttle system. We used the Shuttle to test if the card would fit and if the power supply could handle the increased electrical demands.

We tested compatibility with several different video cards. After all, it makes sense to see if you have to buy a new video card to work with the HDTV Wonder. We also wanted to see how the card worked with Nvidia equipment.

On the Shuttle system, the HDTV Wonder barely tucks under the drive tray. You have to either remove or lift up the drive tray as you install the card. There was enough horizontal clearance to coexist with the GeForce Ti4200 and the ATi All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro cards. The power supply, which was upgraded to the Shuttle SilentX 250 watt model, had no problems, but the Shuttle box did get very hot.

Channel reception tests were done in Redlands, California which is about 65 miles east of Los Angeles.