Dual HD/digital radio tuning

FiringSquad: What does ATI consider to be the limiting factor for dual-HD-tuner products? Not enough consumer interest? Design issues with getting it on a single board?

Godfrey Cheng: While dual TV Tuners are really cool, what we are finding is that OEMs prefer the flexibility of single tuners so that they can mix and match. With MCE 2005 (roll up 2), you can have any combination of 2 analog and 2 digital tuners….. Also, the vast majority of TV enabled PCs only ship with a single tuner today due to cost. Should the market want dual tuners (dual analog, dual digital, 1 analog + 1 digital)



FiringSquad: FM tuning has been a part of a few AIW products. ATI has historically been first-to-market with innovative multimedia functions (ATI-TV back in the Mach64 era, ATI TVO TV out in the 3D Xpression era). Has ATI looked at HD-Radio PC products for the US market? (Is radio even a target market for ATI?)

Godfrey Cheng: Digital Radio is not something that we are considering….. ATI is a graphics company :)

FiringSquad: Will component HD or HDMI capture solutions ever be possible in a reasonably priced AIW-type product? (For hooking a console up to a PC)

Godfrey Cheng: This is something we are looking at but we have no plans either way.

[Alan's comment: Hopefully the PS3 and Xbox 360 will drive this market. The size of televisions has changed substantially and the shift to all-digital broadcast will happen in 2006 if we're lucky, and 2009 if we're not – both well within the product lifespan of the PS3 and Xbox360.]

FiringSquad: What about AIW with digital cable and satellite support?

Godfrey Cheng: This is something ATI is definitely interested in. We are working with Microsoft on some products that we cannot discuss yet. Stay tuned. :)

[Alan's comment: Windows MCE2005 has some preliminary support, but requires the use of an external box.]