There are two specification sets listed on those sheets, one for the 16MB version of the All-In-Wonder 128, and one for an as yet unreleased 32MB version of the same card (which should ship in June/July).
For the 16MB version of the AGP model which we're looking at today, the specs end up translating into a very satisfying experience under any application. We particularly found the DVD acceleration as well as the card's video encoding options strong enough that we feel they break new ground as far as quality and ease of use.
In analyzing the depth at which a user can capture or record video using the All-In-Wonder, the amount of available hard drive one has to devote to the task can vary from very little in size all the way up to the maximum space possible.
Here's an exact list of compression routines and available options that the card allows:
CAPTURE FORMAT FRAME SIZE MB/MIN MIN/GB
Raw (uncompressed) YUV9 320x240 151 6.6
Raw (uncompressed) YUV9 640x480 595 1.7
VCR 1.0 320x240 85 11.8
VCR 1.0 640x480 333 3.0
VCR 2.0 320x240 33 30.6
VCR 2.0 640x480 99 10.1
MPEG-1 with layer 2 audio 352x240 25 40.3
MPEG-2 with layer 2 audio 640x480 46 21.8
As is evident by the compression time scores we measured, the All-In-Wonder 128 allows for a myriad of different disk space/image qaulity ratios to fit almost any configuration the user requires.
We particularly found the MPEG-2 with MPEG layer 2 audio setting at 640x480/30fps to be an ideal mix of quality/space for our own Digital VCR recording needs, it provided a very sharp image on a 1024x768x32bpp desktop with relative ease on a Celeron 300A. It also only required 3GBs of storage space to hold up to an hour's worth of video capture footage.
Got less HD space to devote to images? Knock the resolution down to 352x240x30fps and you're looking at holding up to 40 minutes of video per gigabyte of HD space. Not bad considering the images produced at that resolution were amazing, nearly rivaling the MPEG-2 compression clarity at 640x480x32bpp we mentioned previously.
The driverset and control layout for the All-In-Wonder 128's video capturing is as simple to change and modify as we've ever seen for a product of this type. Every conceivable option is clearly labeled and performs as you'd expect it to when enabled, and choices that aren't easily understood by the neophyte are understandable through the intuitive image representation for the option itself.
Excellent work here by ATi, the All-In-Wonder 128 is a product that hits the ground running as soon as its installed. A nice change from the normal learning curve we're used to from other cards in this market segment.
