Like the
All-in-Wonder X800XL card, the All-in-Wonder X1800XL features a small tuner;
the Microtune 2121 to be exact. Because of the small size, power consumption is
also reduced when compared to the original large silver tuner. One thing about
the Microtune 2121 that I like is that it is quicker to change channels than
the Philips tuner. Without the change to the Microtune 2121, ATI wouldn’t be
able to make these higher end All-in-Wonder cards possible as there wouldn’t be
enough room to pack all the features that the line is known for.
Besides
television, the card will also function as an FM radio tuner. The included
software from ATI will let you record, timeshift, and playback FM recordings.
If you’re going to be using the card with another PVR program such as BeyondTV,
FM support is there so you’ll be able to listen to the radio in those programs
as well.
Driving
the multimedia capabilities from ATI is the Multimedia Center 9.10. While a
capable piece of software, it is starting to show its age in comparison with
other software suite such as Sage, BeyondTV, and Windows XP Media Center 2005.
Eazylook has helped provide a better user experience with a nicer UI but the
software still falls short in my opinion to others. The good news for Windows
XP Media Center 2005 users is that this card can be used in that OS as both a
tuner and a video out card. Setting up is pretty simple with the drivers
installed as MCE 2005 automatically found the tuner and I was watching Live TV
quickly and easily. Performance and picture quality were quite good as well.
The card
is one of the longest cards out there. It’s even longer than the GeForce 7800GT
card that I own. On a few of my boards, the length of the card encroached into
the space where the memory clips where making it hard to access them. At least
the card was still a single slot solution so it won’t overflow into the slot
next to it.
Connections
on the card itself consist of a coaxial plug, an FM antenna plug, the AV I/O
connector, and one DVI connection. Unfortunately, those with dual monitors and
DVI connections will have to use a VGA converter as the secondary monitor’s
connection is limited to VGA on the output adapter. To be honest, there’s no
room on the bracket with the TV and radio connections unless ATI decides to go
the All-in-Wonder X800XL route and move those connections to an external
connector. Even then there might not even be enough room for two DVI
connectors.
The All-in-Wonder X1800XL packs many of the same peripherals as the recently
released All-in-Wonder cards. Besides the card itself, the great connection
blocks are included. These stackable boxes allow for VIVO connections such as
S-video, composite, RCA stereo, and component connections. The popular Remote
Wonder Plus is also included for those wanting to control the multimedia
functions from far away. The remote works on via RF so no line of sight is
needed and the range is pretty good as well. You can read more about a version
of the Remote Wonder from our review. The plus remote is a lot thinner and
packs a few more buttons as well then the original Remote Wonder.
Installation
of the card consisted of inserting it into an available PCI-E slot and then
connecting a six pin power connector to the card. There wasn’t a Molex
converter in the packaging and unless my review sample was incomplete, I
suggest checking your power supply and purchasing a converter cable if one is
not available.
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