Low End Mac
Search LEM 
Donate · Amazon.com · iResQ · Advertise
Other Cobweb sites: Low End Living · Reformed.net

Home Profiles Articles Groups Deals News Software Mac Help News Feed

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

My Turn

ATI, Where's My All In Wonder?

- 2002.10.02

My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your submission to Dan Knight .

Okay, I admit it, I am a PC user who has fallen in love with Macintosh computers thanks to OS X. My PC, running Windows 98, has always been a fast and stable machine. It works, but OS X works better. I already have an iBook, and my next computer will be a Power Mac dual G4.

Over the course of several years, I have custom sculpted my PC into a very nice multimedia and content creation machine. When someone asks me what's the most important, best, or most useful piece of equipment in my PC, without hesitation I answer: "My ATI All In Wonder video card. It does everything."

Like all ATI video cards, my three year old AIW offers superior DVD playback.

Some friends of mine spent close to $400 to buy a TiVo. I spent about $120 on my All In Wonder (AIW). I can do everything they can do, and the setup is a snap.

I used to have the TV in my office turned on to CNN so I could listen to the news as I surfed the Web or did other tasks on my computer. No more. I use the cable TV jack and have CNN running in the background (as my screen saver no less - wicked keen!) while I work.

Using the capture feature, I've screen captured pictures from several of my favorite TV shows, and not only have I used them to help "convert" friends to watching these shows, I've also dropped them into Photoshop and had fun teaching myself some photo manipulation techniques.

The built in FireWire on Macs is a fantastic thing, but in my house, the camcorder is not digital. Because of the breakout box that comes with my AIW, I can easily import analog home videos for editing and later burning to video CDs. I can also export my final movies to video tape for those members of my family who do not have computers.

About two years ago, Maximum PC magazine designed and built a PC designed to replace all the equipment in a typical living room entertainment center. The AIW made that machine possible by replacing the VCR, DVD, TiVo, and the game console.

But when I use a Mac, I lose all of that. I will have to buy different (non-ATI) products to get the same functionality my AIW gives my PC. I think there's a USB widget that will let me turn a Power Mac into a TiVo, but I just don't trust USB to have the bandwidth for good video capture. My other options are capturing on my PC and networking it to the Mac, or a blood curdlingly expensive Matrox professional video capture card. Grrr.

The Macintosh has traditionally been a powerhouse multimedia and content creation machine. The best "prosumer" content creation machine and the ultimate consumer multimedia and content creation card belong together. It's a match made in heaven - and could put millions of dollars in ATI's pocket.

If nothing else, get a move on it before the folks at nVidia wake up and realize that with one product they could kick ATI out of the Mac market forever.

Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.

Recent My Turn articles

Links for the Day

  • Mac of the Day: PowerBook 2300, Aug. 1995 - The only Duo equipped with a PowerPC processsor run at 100 MHz.
  • Group of the Day: MichiMac is our list for Mac users in Michigan.
  • September 9 in LEM history: 98: The LCDs are coming - 99: PowerBook G3 WallStreet 13.3" display issues - 02: Building a fast, reliable network economically - Using 2 mice at once - 03: Mac virus writers return from extended cruise
  • Support Low End Mac

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

  • Best iPod touch Deals, 09.03. Used 1G/32, $199; 3G/64, $300; refurb 3G/8, $149; 3G/32, $230; 3G/64, $339; close-out 3G/8, $174; 32, $249; 64, $339; 5G/8, $223; 32, $288; 64, $383.
  • Best iPod nano Deals, 09.03. Used from $79; refurb 5G/8 GB, $99; close-out, $129.54; refurb 16 GB, $149; close-out, $158 to $160; 6G/8 GB, $144; 16 GB, $172. Shipping included.
  • Best iPod shuffle Deals, 09.03. Close-out 2 GB, $49; 4 GB, $65; new 5G/2 GB, $49. Shipping included.
  • Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 09.02. 1.6 GHz single, $200; 1.8 dual, $300; 2.0, $350; 2.3, $400; 2.5, $500; Quad, $730.
  • Best MacBook Air Deals, 09.02. Used from $969; refurb 1.86 GHz/120 HD, $1,249; 128 SSD, $1,349; 2.13, $1,549; new 1.86 GHz/120 HD, $1,428; 2.13 GHz/128 SSD, $1,707.
  • Best Mac mini Deals, 09.01. Used 1.25 GHz G4, $250; 1.5 Core Solo, $325; 2.0 Core 2, $439; close-out 2.66, $699; 2.53 Server, $819; new 2.4, $669; 2.66, $849; Server, $949.
  • Best iBook G4 Deals, 09.01. 12" 1 GHz Combo, $200; 1.33 GHz, $250; 14" 1 GHz, $285; 1.33 GHz, $320; 1.42 GHz, $448; SuperDrive, $500.
  • More deals in our archive.



Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

  • Mac of the Day: PowerBook 2300, Aug. 1995 - The only Duo equipped with a PowerPC processsor run at 100 MHz.
  • List of the Day: MichiMac is our list for Mac users in Michigan.
    • Channels
     Power Macs
     iMac Channel
     iBook/PowerBook
     MacInSchool
    Computer Profiles
     iMac
     Power Mac
     PowerBook/iBook
     Performas
     Mac Clones
     Older Macs
     Lisa • NeXT
    Editorial Archive
    Mac Daniel's Advice
    Email Lists
    LEMchat (uses AIM)
    Online Tech Journal
    Consumer
     advice, reviews
     guides, deals
    Software
    Apple History
    Best of the Web
     Best of the Mac Web surveys
    Miscellaneous Links
      Used Mac Dealers
     Video Cards
     Mac OS X
     Mac Linux
     Macspeak
     RAM Upgrades
    About Low End Mac
    Site Contacts

    Open Link

    Support LEM

    Affiliates

    The Apple Store
    iTunes Store
    MacMall
    iResQ
    ExperCom
    eBay
    Amazon.com
    PayPal
    PCMall
    PC Zone
    Crucial Memory

    Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed price quotes and advertising information, please contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.