ATI All-in-Wonder 9600 Pro: Multimedia Refresh
by Andrew Ku on October 16, 2003 11:38 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
EasyLook — Squint no more
Since ATI's Multimedia Center 8.0, there have been two new versions introduced with a significant (new) visual feature implemented: EasyLook (in Multimedia Center 8.5 and greater). ATI has recognized the use of their remote (Remote Wonder) in combination with an AIW card for home entertainment. It often means that the user will be sitting on the couch with about 10+ feet between them and the TV/display. As a result, changing the channel with small fonts is straining on the eyes, and this still lacks the versatility that a set top box would bring.After all, with a cable TV set top box and a PVR, TV listings and the ability to set recordings become fully interact able with nice large fonts. Setting a TV show to auto record becomes that much harder when you have to squint to confirm that you had set it up correctly. EasyLook is a clean and easy-to-use interface that is reminiscent of Windows XP Multimedia Center Edition, and we have found this to be an invaluable tool. To be perfectly honest, we continue to be amazed, having survived the use of past All-in-Wonders without this feature…
You can still use a keyboard to access all, plus more, functions of a Remote Wonder. At a distance of 10+ feet, cables will get cumbersome, and we recommend sticking to the remote. A wireless keyboard still isn't the same as a remote for us. We try and keep the other hand free for our snacks...
New to Multimedia Center 8.6 is channel surfing in EasyLook, which makes everything nice and neat. Instead of constantly flipping through the channels, channel surfing in EasyLook provides a way to preview 6 or 24 channels at once. If your tuner receives more than 24 channels, EasyLook channel surf automatically displays thumbnail images to be viewed in a 4 x 6 grid. Less than 24 channels, the grid automatically configures itself into a 2 x 3 grid. This does mean that the 2 x 3 grid will display the thumbnail images larger than in the 4 x 6 grid.
There is one glitch that we found in EasyLook that hasn't seemed to be resolved. Since EasyLook extends itself into other parts of Multimedia Center (DVD, File Player, etc.), we decided to tinker around a bit in those areas. We found that in File Player, changing the time dialog to display “remaining time” wouldn't transfer over to EasyLook, though it did in EasyLook DVD. Instead, the information bar would still read “Elapsed time” and show the time ticking down.
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ddschmidt - Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - link
I just bought an ATI AIW 9600 Pro and am wondering if you want tell me how to get the tv tuner to display on the secondary monitor. The article talks about the tv display "docking" when you try to move it to the secondary monitor, but the article goes on to discuss what happens when the tv display spans two monitors and that it shows only on the monitor that has the largest part of the tv display window.Thanks.
Anonymous User - Friday, October 24, 2003 - link
Does anybody where I can buy this card in Europe (Germany)Anonymous User - Friday, October 24, 2003 - link
Is it really worth it to upgrade to an AIW AGP card for PVR type features, versus a PCI card? I have a AverTV Studio Card and use WinDVR software to record my shows. But, the quality seems to suck on some low & high channels! I was wondering if the xtra bandwidth from the AGP slot versus the PCI slot would clear up the recordings? I already have a 9000 Pro for what litte gaming I do. The gaming I'm not concerned with! I mostly use it as a TIVO (with no subscription fees!!!)Anonymous User - Thursday, October 23, 2003 - link
Does this card offer hardware decoding or/and hardware encoding like the hauppauge PVR 350.Seems quite important if your going to actually use this card as PVR type device.
Anonymous User - Tuesday, October 21, 2003 - link
Or perhaps it's slower...Anonymous User - Tuesday, October 21, 2003 - link
Hercules has released a AIW 9800SE in europe at a very cheap price! That should be faster than the 9600 Pro and perhaps it can be modded to a 9800 Pro?www.Hercules.com
Anonymous User - Monday, October 20, 2003 - link
I concur. Not having DVI is a real step back for ATI on this product line. This is the first Radeon AIW card that has not offered DVI. A huge disappointment, as my LCD monitor takes only DVI (which I bought because the first Radeon AIW I bought had the DVI connector). And because it's an MDR-20 to DVI-D connector, I can't use it at all (well, there is that $400 converter, but that kind of defeats the purpose). Talk about pulling the rug from under you. Thanks a bunch, ATI.Anonymous User - Monday, October 20, 2003 - link
I am so disappointed that AIW 9600 Pro doesn't have DVI.Anonymous User - Monday, October 20, 2003 - link
I want this card... bbbbaaaadddd! Thank you ATI for finally including RADIO!Anonymous User - Monday, October 20, 2003 - link
I want this card... bbbbaaaadddd! Thank you ATI for finally including RADIO!