Probably multimedia geeks are already awared that NVIDIA has launched a new version of Personal Cinema multimedia set at CES this year. Frankly speaking, the company has actually just revised what it offered about a year ago and now unveiled it again in an attempt to become more or less popular in the segment, as the first Personal Cinema experience was far from being successful.

Among the features of the novelty NVIDIA stresses our attention on the following:

• Direct to CD/DVD recording of digital media;
• Watch, control and record live TV;
• Simultaneously watch DVD movie and record TV program feature;
• Digital media hub for easy connectivity (outer “box” we are familiar with since the first Personal Cinema);
• Advanced RF remote control: Designed and preprogrammed for advanced functionality, including mouse capabilities, this wireless remote arms consumers with an easy way to command their PC CD/DVD player, TV tuner, PVR, and MP3 player from anywhere in the home.

I was a little bit upset because I have not found any mentions about hardware capabilities of the TV-tuner what is simply weird, as it is the most important part of the Personal Cinema.

According to NVIDIA’s web-site, the first versions of the new Personal Cinema will be equipped with the GeForce4 MX440 powered graphics cards. I wonder why there are no options, as this solution is definitely a very outdated one given that the NV31 and NV34 are coming.

The most interesting detail about the new Personal Cinema is the remote controller NVIDIA decided to offer. The radio-frequency remote controller resembles… ATI’s RemoteWonder that is supplied with every All-In-Wonder multimedia graphics set! Take a look at ATI’s RF controller, glance at NVIDIA’s present RF solution and compare both with rather poor original Personal Cinema remote controller and come to a logical conclusion that the step to change the remote was logical enough.

It looks like NVIDIA designers really liked ATI’s RemoteWonder as they even decided to copy its layout on their own product. Since there are a few differences in the design of both, I do not think that all of this is just a coincident, as both companies may outsource the hardware to one third-party.

The new Personal Cinema kits will be available in early February in the USA.