Introduction

Since IBM originally conceived the first personal computer over two decades ago, the PC has slowly evolved from a device used solely for work (whether it be for typing documents or spreadsheets), into other applications such as gaming and multimedia. It’s the versatility of the PC that has allowed it to grow for so long, up until the recent economic downturn, PC sales as a whole have grown annually. For 2003, PC shipments have continued this trend.

Chaintech PC 5600 card

These two traits, evolution and versatility, are now taking the PC into a new era: digital entertainment. The concept is simple -- not only will your PC continue to be an excellent device for getting some work done or playing games, you can also use it to watch TV and DVDs, or, for the budding video enthusiast, create videos.

ATI was first to jump into this burgeoning market with its ALL-IN-WONDER card, first introduced over seven years ago in 1996. Over time ATI has built on its ALL-IN-WONDER line, adding more powerful graphics cores and implementing new features to boot. As a result of their dedication to this market, ATI has established itself as the de facto standard in the digital entertainment market, with millions of ALL-IN-WONDER cards sold to date.

Black PCB

Chaintech vs ATI AIW 9600 PRO

Not content to give a budding market away to ATI, NVIDIA entered the digital entertainment business with its Personal Cinema, first announced at Intel Developer Forum 2001.

While NVIDIA’s first Personal Cinema was a capable alternative to ATI, it was limited to just the GeForce2 MX GPU, which was limited to just DirectX 7 compliance and, as a value part, didn’t offer the greatest performance. ATI also improved its software offering by including Gemstar GUIDE PLUS+ and REMOTE WONDER in its offerings, and with the ALL-IN-WONDER 9700 PRO, began to bundle Pinnacle Studio.

These features gave ATI an unquestioned advantage over NVIDIA. ATI’s software was more powerful and easier to use. Meanwhile, ATI’s REMOTE WONDER was in an entirely different class in comparison to NVIDIA’s IR-based remote. Quite simply, ATI ALL-IN-WONDER delivered a better overall experience than Personal Cinema.

Both cards are small

Chaintech up close

NVIDIA’s Personal Cinema team did not give up however, instead they went back to the drawing boards. In order to compete with ALL-IN-WONDER, NVIDIA knew they had to address Personal Cinema’s greatest weakness: its software. NVIDIA’s Personal Cinema software tended to be difficult to install, was buggy at times, and had a cumbersome interface. NVIDIA partnered with InterVideo rather than Gemstar, whose WinDVR software just wasn’t as powerful as the Gemstar/Schedule+ combination ATI utilized for television viewing and recording, nor was its interface as polished – recording television programming was a real chore.

Now NVIDIA is back with its third generation Personal Cinema (although you could argue this as second generation), which can be found in the newer GeForce FX 5200 and GeForce FX 5600 cards. NVIDIA has incorporated a new RF remote which shares the same DNA as ATI’s REMOTE WONDER, and updated its software offering to InterVideo WinDVR 2, which sports a new interface and a new partnership with TitanTV, a web-based electronic programming guide that has its sights set squarely on Gemstar GUIDE PLUS+. Can this new combination defeat ALL-IN-WONDER for supremacy in the digital entertainment market? Read on to find out!