ATI Radeon HD 5450 focuses on HTPC features

AMD has just announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 graphics card which delivers a state-of-the-art HD multimedia and game experience at a value price. The HD 5450's passively-cooled, ultra-quiet features is every HTPC builder’s dream. The home theater experience is enriched with features such as HDMI 1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio for the ultimate media PC. According to the source the SRP is $50.


(source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/04/ati-radeon-hd-5450-focuses-on-multimedia-features-neglects-gami/)

HD 5670 brings Dolby True HD and DTS HD to the sub-$100 market

Finally it comes - a budget card that can bitstrem Dolby True HD and DTS HD for about $100. According to Engadget, the Radeon HD 5670 can boast Direct X 11 and Eyefinity support are for a suggested price less than one Benjamin Franklin. But for HTPC users, low cost solution for bitstreaming HD audio to your amplifier for decoding is what has been lacking so far and the wait is over now.  

(source: http://www.engadget.com/)

AMD ATI Radeon HD 5800 capable of bitstream Dolby True HD and DTS-HD

(source: http://www.amd.com/)

ATI's new HD5800 series is ALREADY on the consumer market. According to AMD, the ATI Radeon™ HD5800 Series graphics processors are the most technologically advanced and feature rich GPUs AMD has ever created. AMD releases two new cards so far, i.e. HD5850 and HD5870, both cards are equipped with UVD 2 video engine, independent video gamma controls, Blue-Stretch processing for effectively brighter whites in video, and dynamic video range support. 

But for the htpc users, most importantly the HD 5800 series now supports Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio besides the aged DD and DTS surround sound output with up to 8 channels of 192kHz / 24-bit audio. Hope the entry-level series, e.g. HD5300 (?) will be available soon then I can grab one.

Asus Bravo 9500 - home cinema Must-Have

 (pic taken from http://www.trustedreviews.com)

If you are a die-hard movie fan and like to watch films in a total darkness environment, then this Asus Bravo 9500 should be one of your Must-Have toys. The Bravo 9500 is a GeForce 9500 GT graphics card comes with all the necessary horse power for your HD content. But I believe the main selling point here is the accompanying light sensor of the card- With this card you can enjoy the cinema alike darkness without having your eyes strained! Imaging if this thing pairs with the Philip's 56″ Cinema 21:9 LCD TV!