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If you are familiar with the All-in-Wonder series of ATi graphics cards you may be surprised to learn that this is a Hercules graphics card, not an ATi-branded product.
ATi has followed nVidia's lead and left the manufacturing and marketing of the graphics card to a number of partners. In this case, it's Hercules. The current high-end ATi graphics chip is the Radeon 8500, so that explains the model name of All-in-Wonder 8500DV.
In addition to the graphics card itself, you get loads of hardware. There's a break-out box that connects to a dedicated socket on the card via a decent length of cable.
The box has an audio cable to connect to the speaker socket on your sound card. You also get a radio (as opposed to infra-red) remote control for the TV tuner functions for when you're not sitting at the keyboard.
The monitor connector on the back of the graphics card is DVI but an adapter is included to convert the socket for conventional monitors. There is also a socket to plug in a TV aerial and finally a FireWire port for connecting up fast peripherals.
Plugging everything together doesn't take too long so you can be up and running fairly quickly. The longest part of the process is setting up the software, which includes Ulead Video Studio 5SE for video editors, as well as all the usual ATi tools.
The key to the 8500DV is the break-out box; it plugs into the back of the card and provides easy access to the connections without having to poke around at the back of the computer.
The box has a row of sockets down each edge, one side for inputs and the other for outputs. You get the full range of composite video, audio, S-Video and FireWire connections, so you should have no trouble connecting your video camera to your PC.
Once you have spent some time editing video and transferring the result back to your camera, you can sit back and watch TV.
The TV-out connection allows a normal TV to be plugged into the PC for playing games or using the integrated TV tuner and remote control to manage your television viewing.
The 8500DV has a feature you will be unlikely to find in a VCR called time-shift recording. In effect this allows you to pause a live TV broadcast and carry on watching where you left off.
The programme is recorded to the hard disk as soon as it is paused and carries on recording even when you resume watching from where you left off.
In our 3D Mark 2001 testing, the All-in-Wonder 8500DV is approximately 25 per cent slower than a standard 8500 graphics card. This is no surprise as the TV tuner adds a great deal of complication to the design.
Hardcore gamers will resent this drop in performance but most others will appreciate the extra functions. Although there are a number of graphics cards on the market that out-perform the All-in-Wonder 8500DV, it certainly has enough performance for most gamers.
Of course, its major strength is the video editing connectivity for which you are paying quite a hefty premium.
If the unique nature of the All-in-Wonder 8500DV appeals to you, then nothing else will do. When you're not working with video, it makes a fine gaming graphics card too.
Price: £350 (inc. VAT)
Contact: Hercules 01268 531222
www.hercules-uk.com
Also consider: Hercules 3D Prophet All-in-Wonder 7500
A reduced-function version of the 8500 at a lower price. £250. Not yet reviewed.
See also:
Feel the power of the RT.X100 and check out the price of the 'lite' RT.X10. 25 Oct 2002
One of the best cards around, the Parhelia offers superb image quality - at a price. 16 Aug 2002
Outstanding in more ways than one, the Ti4600 will attract the enthusiast. 15 May 2002
The All-in-Wonder Radeon 8500DV covers all multimedia bases from TV to sound. 15 Mar 2002
A superb graphics card boasting video recording, DVD movie playback and faster 3D games. 11 Feb 2002All Graphics Cards
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