I just downloaded Nvidia's new ForceWare drivers for Windows Vista. Hopefully, the new drivers will fix the problems that users of Nvidia graphics cards have suffered through on Windows Vista.
By far the most frustrating part of my Vista experience has been Nvidia's semi-functional drivers. The problems have ranged from severe (videos will go blank if you toggle between full-screen and windowed mode), to major (you couldn't set custom resolutions for display on your TV if you're using Vista as an HTPC), to minor (buggy control panel wouldn't tweak color settings correctly).
Nvidia cost itself a ton of customer goodwill by shipping semi-functional drivers with Windows Vista. If these new drivers fix the limitations and bugs, I suspect they can begin the process of winning customer loyalty back. At some point soon, I'll get a video card that supports HDCP, the digital content protection standard established by Hollywood to restrict your fair use rights. When I do, I'll consider ATI's offerings, which I never would have even considered if Nvidia hadn't dropped the ball on Vista.
Update, 4/18/07: I have installed the drivers and they are a major improvement. The WMV video playback issues have disappeared and the ability to tweak the color palette is now fully functional. However, the drivers still do not have the ability to change over and underscan for output to HDTV's, a feature that has been in place for quite some time with XP drivers. This is obviously a critical feature for HTPC usage and Nvidia needs to get it working ASAP.
© Jed Lewison