Multimedia personal computers take a giant leap forward today, finally reaching the video quality levels associated with high-end $2000 consumer televisions. ATI Technologies Inc. is proud to announce and ship the THEATER™ 550 PRO video processor that delivers superb TV reception and Personal Video Recording (PVR) functionality for PCs through products such as add-in PC cards, motherboard-down solutions and notebook computers.

THEATER 550 PRO continues the THEATER™ family tradition of industry-leading video reception achieved by ATI’s consumer Digital TV division. THEATER 550 PRO integrates five discrete functions into one powerful chip to create a “PVR-on-a-chip” that revolutionizes video quality for PCs, allows for the creation of new small form factor computers and reduces production costs. Products featuring THEATER 550 PRO will be created by leading PC manufacturers including Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd., Info-Tek Corp., Micro-Star International Co., Ltd, Sapphire Technology Limited, Tul Corporation and YUAN High-Tech Development Co. Ltd.
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THEATER 550 PRO integrates:
- Next Generation 12-bit Video Decoder that features 3D Comb Filtering for NTSC and PAL and 5-line 2D Comb Filtering that delivers absolutely unrivaled video quality;
- Next Generation Hardware Video and Audio Encoder with new features such as Advanced Noise Reduction;
- PCI Express X1 and PCI interface on a single device to allow PC companies the ultimate flexibility in form factor designs;
- Digital IF Demodulation that improves video quality and reduces the overall solution cost by eliminating the need for expensive tuners; and,
- Worldwide multi-standard Audio Decoder.

Consumers will benefit from the THEATER 550 PRO in a variety of ways including Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition. When combined with computers based on Windows XP Media Center Edition, THEATER 550 PRO delivers a PC that rivals the best television sets and consumer PVRs.


Source : ATI