FAQs

What does NVIDIA bring to the Media Center Edition experience?
The advantage that NVIDIA brings to the Media Center experience is in four key areas—better video, photos, games, and performance.   NVIDIA works closely with Microsoft, PC manufacturers, and system builders to make a suite of NVIDIA products available—from GPUs to TV tuners to software technologies—that are designed to enhance the digital entertainment capabilities of Media Center PCs.  It is because of this that NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6 Series and GeForce FX GPUs were among the first hardware technologies to receive “Designed for Media Center Edition” certification from Microsoft.  The NVIDIA advantage is best experienced on Media Center PCs equipped with GeForce 6 Series GPUs with NVIDIA’s Video Processing Engine technology—a key driver of high-definition TV and video playback, which is a key new feature of the Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system (OS).  With GeForce 6 GPUs, consumers can experience unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for all video content on any display.

Who are your customers?
NVIDIA works with PC manufacturers and system builders throughout the world to make our products available to consumers.  A sample of our partners included major consumer brands such as Dell and HP, and system builders such as Alienware, Cyberpower, I-Buypower, VoodooPC, and more.

How are you working with system builders?
NVIDIA has a robust program in place for system builders to deliver hardware bundles ideal for PCs based on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.  The NVIDIA Media Center product suite contains key hardware and software technologies, including GeForce GPUs, NVIDIA NVTV™ tuners, and more, and provides system builders with a one-stop shop for the key components needed to build a stellar Media Center PC.  (Note:  If you are a system builder and would like to learn more about the Media Center product suite, contact your NVIDIA representative or visit the NVIDIA nDemand Web site (for system builders and channel partners only). 

What are the NVIDIA Media Center Extensions and where do I get them?
The NVIDIA Extensions are custom control panels that let users access NVIDIA settings from Media Center with their remote control.  For more information on where to download them and the features and benefits, please visit the NVIDIA Media Center Extension website.

How do I access the NVIDIA Media Center Extensions?
Select More Programs and then NVIDIA settings.

How does NVIDIA improve television viewing?
NVIDIA NVTV single-tuner and dual-tuner cards enable superior TV reception and recording by using a method to encode MPEG-2 video directly in the hardware.   Hardware encoding allows for crisper, clearer picture quality.  The addition of a dual-tuner product to the NVIDIA NVTV family provides consumers with even more flexible TV viewing and recording options, by adding the ability to record two different TV shows at once or watch one show while recording another.  In addition, an easy-to-use wizard makes setting up a high-definition or digital TV a breeze.
 
Does NVIDIA technology power any of the new portable devices based on Media Center Edition?
The capabilities of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs go beyond desktop PCs.   Notebook PCs equipped with NVIDIA GeForce FX Go GPUs deliver the same quality experience as their desktop counterparts with the added flexibility for users on the go.  NVIDIA GeForce GPUs and DVD decoder are also compatible with the portable edition of Media Center Edition 2005 and can be beneficial to consumers looking to transfer content from their desktop to their portable devices without a downgrade in quality. 

How many of the new PCs featuring Media Center Edition 2005 will ship with GeForce 6 Series GPUs?
NVIDIA hardware and software technologies currently power the majority of PCs based on Media Center Edition today.  We expect this track record to continue as we continue to work closely with Microsoft, PC manufacturers, and system builders to deliver the caliber of products that take advantage of the broad range of capabilities Media Center Edition has to offer.  

How important is Media Center to NVIDIA’s business?
Microsoft’s Media Center Edition continues to present NVIDIA with an incredible opportunity to further expose the broad range of multimedia capabilities enabled by our GPUs.  Consumers are looking for ways to do more with their PCs.  By raising the quality bar for the multimedia PC and opening up the OS to the system builder community, Microsoft has taken an important step to influence all IHVs who support and are dedicated to expanding the PC supply infrastructure.

What is ISF Certification?
Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) certification will guide consumers to the very best hardware for a Windows XP Media Center based entertainment systems.  Systems with ISF certified hardware deliver smooth high definition video playback, superb color clarity, and quiet operation.  The ISF certification means that the products comply with the industry's strictest audio and video quality standards, ensuring the best entertainment experience in low noise and heat entertainment platforms.
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Is NVIDIA doing anything to enable small form factor PC designs?
NVIDIA has invested significant design engineering time to ensure that we have a full line up of low-profile graphics cards and TV tuners available to system builders and PC manufacturers dedicated to transforming the PC into a consumer electronics-style device. At WinHEC 2005, NVIDIA launched the second generation living room PC reference design which will enable system builders and OEMs to assemble more powerful living room PCs at compelling price points. The designs feature a richer feature set, consume less heat and power, and are a physically smaller and quieter addition to a consumer's living room.
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Created October 12, 2004