I have had 2 previous AIW's and wasn't terribly impressed by them.
But this new standalone solution looks pretty cool.
Has HW mpeg2 encoding and a HW comb filter...
Thought Zion and others doing capturing would be interested in this.
review @ http://www.ocmodshop.com/default.aspx?a=251
PowerColor Theater 550 Pro Specifications
The ability to watch the best TV quality on your PC
Real-Time Hardware MPEG2 Encoding
Powerful 12 bit video engine
Hardware 3D Comb Filter
Hardware Noise Reduction
External S-Video/Composite input support
TimeShifting and scheduler recording
Listen to Stereo FM Radio
16MB DDR Memory
Low-profile design
PowerColor Theater 550 Pro Details
Unparalleled integration
Video decoder
Worldwide stereo audio support
IF demodulation
DVD quality MPEG-2 encoder
PCI & PCI Express x1bus interfaces
Features never seen before on the PC :
12-bit Video decoder with hardware 3D Comb Filter
Hardware Noise Reduction
Digital 12-bit IF demod
First PCI Express TV chip
Additional features :
FM Radio
Closed captioning and Teletext support
Integrated anti-aliasing filters
Sharper video capture is achieved through an industry leading 2D 5-line comb filter.
Professional quality 3D comb filter which is used to separate the luminance and chrominance components of video. The 3D filter works best on still areas of video because it is able to scan ahead a frame and determine whether the image has changed or not. It then uses this information to properly separate the luminance and chrominance parts of a composite or TV tuner signal to eliminate color bleeding or other artifacting.
The THEATER™550 PRO’s digital audio architecture delivers 100% synchronized audio and video. Audio and video streams are processed in together in the chip and sent out packaged as a MPEG stream to the system for storage or playback. Say goodbye to bad lip synch!
High horsepower chip ensures that frames are never dropped and smooth and fluid video is recorded, providing an ideal PVR experience.
Bright bursts in white or color levels occur due to fluctuating signal strength and cause video to suddenly brighten and then darken. The THEATER™550 PRO prevents this problem from occurring by using a 12-bit analog to digital converter which converts and smoothes out the analog signal, along with Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuitry.
Most analog video sources, whether from cable TV or antenna are very noisy with snow and other distortions. The THEATER™550 PRO has been designed to tackle this real-world video and has a dedicated engine to intelligently remove noise, yet still achieved sharp edges and fine textures.
The THEATER™550 PRO combines all the features of a TV tuning PVR card into a single chip complete with high-end THEATER™quality