ATI Theater 650 Pro lansert!

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ATI Serves Up New Technology To Watch Sports And New Fall TV Programs On PCs In High Definition

New TV Wonder™ 650 and TV Wonder™ 200 feature the new Catalyst Media Center™ for superior PVR performance

MARKHAM, ONTARIO, Aug 21, 2006 (CCNMatthews via COMTEX News Network) -- Enjoy new ways to watch major sporting events plus the new fall prime time TV season on your PC thanks to new solutions from ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX:ATY)(NASDAQ:ATYT). Available today in North America, TV Wonder™ 650 and TV Wonder™ 200 offer new easy-to-use features for Personal Video Recording (PVR) on the PC.

 

With TV Wonder 650 you can receive free over-the-air high-definition broadcasts and improved quality analog TV programs enhanced with amazing Avivo™ image quality. TV Wonder 650, with a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of USD$129, includes an easy-to-use High Definition PVR to record content in a variety of formats: DivX, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and WMV9.

 

TV Wonder 200, with an MSRP of USD$59, offers high quality analog TV viewing and video capture. With TV Wonder 200, you can watch, pause and record up to 125-channels of live TV broadcasts or digitally capture video content from your VCR or camcorder to preserve in a video library or burn to DVD. Both TV Wonder 650 and TV Wonder 200 are complemented by ATI's new Catalyst Media Center™ software application featuring easy access to top notch media PC features.

 

"More consumers are embracing the media PC evolution than ever before. With today's announcement, these enthusiasts can enjoy new entertainment value featuring ATI's high quality TV-on-the-PC PVR solutions," said Paul Lypaczewski, Senior Vice President Marketing and General Manager, Desktop, ATI Technologies Inc. "The Media PC is now a standard fixture in home theaters; extending the entertainment experience with truly innovative features. For example, with TV Wonder 650, we're taking ATI's cutting-edge HDTV technology, that powers popular HDTVs, to transform the PC into amazing entertainment consumer appliances."

 

TV Wonder 650 features outstanding picture quality thanks to the Theater™ 650 chip that includes a motion-adaptive 3D comb filter and noise reduction capabilities. Theater 650 Pro offers exceptional digital TV support for free over-the-air HDTV broadcast reception. The add-in TV tuner board enhances many multimedia applications including Microsoft Windows® XP Media Center Edition, and the forthcoming Microsoft Windows Vista™ operating system.

 

With a 125-channel TV tuner, TV Wonder 650 features hardware MPEG-2 encoding to offload intensive PVR functions from the main computer processor to deliver high quality capture that is easily transferred to DVD. TV Wonder 650 also features motion compensated noise reduction, edge enhancement, FM radio reception, and much more.

 

Catalyst Media Center, ATI's next generation PC multimedia application, combines the best of ATI's long-standing digital entertainment expertise with a new interface designed for the novice as well as die-hard ATI multimedia fans. Key features include:

 

- Full PVR functionality - Stop, pause, and rewind live TV on the PC

 

- Combines with ATI graphics cards to deliver an outstanding 3D user interface

 

- MulTView® functionality(1) - Record and watch two shows at the same time, or watch one show in a picture-in-picture window while watching another full-screen

 

- Advanced video compression and conversion settings - Record or convert to DivX, H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMV9

 

- Capture video from VCRs or camcorders

 

- ThruView™ - Translucent video window over other desktop applications

 

- Multifunction/triple-function tuner support - Access analog TV, digital TV, or FM stations with one card

 

- Advanced electronic program guide (EPG)

 

(1) MulTView requires the use of two ATI TV tuner cards

 

TV Wonder 650 and TV Wonder 200 are available now in North America and are scheduled to be available in Europe later in the year.

 

About ATI Technologies

 

ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics, PC platform technologies and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world's foremost graphics processor unit (GPU) provider and is dedicated to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top and digital television, game console and handheld device markets. With fiscal 2005 revenues of US $2.22 billion, ATI has more than 3,700 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY).

 

Important Information Regarding Forward-looking Statements

 

Certain statements in this news release, including but not limited to the performance characteristics of the TV Wonder 650, TV Wonder 200 and the launch of products containing Theater 650 Pro, may be considered "forward-looking". Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations for user requirements and preferences and, accordingly, entail various risks and uncertainties. Risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include the potential for unforeseen hardware or software conflicts or issues and the impact and timing of new products or technologies. We therefore cannot provide any assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize. We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties affecting our business and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement is contained in our filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities, including our 2005 Annual Information Form and 2005 Annual Report filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Our Form 40-F and other filings we make with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are available on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

 

Copyright 2006 ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI and ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice. ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX:ATY)(NASDAQ:ATYT)

 

For media or industry analyst support, visit our Web site at http://www.ati.com.

 

SOURCE: ATI Technologies Inc.

 

For media inquiries:

ATI Technologies Inc.

John Swinimer, Senior Public Relations Manager

Consumer Products Division

(905) 882-2600, Ext. 8456

[email protected]

Other ATI Contacts:

High Road Communications

Sarah Vella, Account Supervisor

(416) 644-2270

[email protected]

For investor relations support, please contact:

ATI Technologies Inc.

Zev Korman, Investor Relations

(905) 882-2600, Ext. 3670

[email protected]