ATI All-In-Wonder PCI Express X600 Pro

If you are looking to add a TV tuner card to your computer, there are a broad range of choices currently available, ranging from economical solutions to high-end cards that offer more advanced capabilities.  However, if you are looking for a TV/Video card combination, there are fewer choices, namely NVIDIA's Personal Cinema, S3's OmniChrome and the more popular All-In-Wonder series from ATI.

The All-In-Wonder series has been around for a very long time, with ATI pioneering the concept well over a decade ago.  What was initially a novelty to some has evolved into a strong product line that offers a complete solution right out of the box. Combining a video card and TV card onto a single PCB allows ATI to build a compact product that works seamlessly together as a single slot solution.

Today, we are going to take a close look at the latest All-In-Wonder, and ATI's first PCI Express model in this space, the All-In-Wonder X600 Pro.  This is more than a move from AGP to PCI Express though. ATI not only redesigned the card with a smaller, refined TV/FM tuner, they also went back to the drawing board with how the model handles its myriad of inputs and outputs.  Let's take a look and see what makes this card so different from its predecessors.

Specification of the ATI All-In-Wonder X600 Pro A Familiar Face with a Twist

System Requirements Intel Pentium 4 / Celeron™, AMD Athlon or compatible with available PCI Express x16 slot 128MB of system memory (256MB or higher recommended) Installation software requires CD-ROM drive DVD playback requires DVD drive Interactive Program guide requires Internet connection for listing updates Remote control receiver requires available USB port † 1GHz minimum processor speed for MPEG-2 video capture Graphics Technology RADEON X600 Visual processor unit VPU Memory Configuration 256MB of double data rate DDR memory Operating Systems Support Windows XP (Home or Pro) Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1 (or later) Display Support VGA connector for analog CR TS-video or composite connector for TV/VCR DVI-I connector for digital CRT or flat panel Drive two displays simultaneously with independent resolutions and refresh rates YPrPb output adapter (optional) which enables output to HDTV-ready televisions (North America only)

TV Tuner Requirements TV signal from amplified antenna or cable. Version included for: NTSC (North America, Japan, and Latin America*) MulTView™ requires additional ATI PCI TV WONDER™ card, compatible motherboard and soundcard, *Features vary from country to country and depending on the television standard. Note that Latin American countries using the PAL M and PAL N standards including Argentina and Brazil are supported by the NTSC version. New and Uniquely Designed Connectors These innovative modular input and output blocks are completely flexible and can be joined together to allow users to place the input and output connections in a variety of easily accessible combinations. DVI-I 15 pin VGA Stereo audio, S-video, and composite video inputs and outputs†† External stereo connections to sound card's line input and output Dolby digital stereo audio output (S/PDIF) YPbPr output adapter connection to HDTV, (available in North America only)††† Warranty 3-year limited warranty

All-In-Wonder X600 Pro Installation Manual & Quick Setup Guide Setup/Drivers CDs Pinnacle Studio 9 Mediator 7 Modular Input and Output Blocks YPbPr HDTV Adapter Input/Output Dongle

The bundle that accompanies the All-In-Wonder X600 Pro is inherently different from previous versions.  The most noticeable difference is the type of connectors included in the package and the lack of a Remote Wonder, which was included in several previous editions of the All-In-Wonder.  To connect the antenna for TV and Radio as well as the input and output blocks, ATI now uses a customized dongle.  This allows them to funnel all of these connections down to one single connection on the card itself.  We like this idea, which also gives them the added benefit of not sacrificing a monitor connection to accommodate the other inputs.  The other item that's missing is a DVI to VGA adapter which has now been designated an "optional" item.

The Input and Output blocks are much more desirable over the previous designs.  The Input block (purple cable) offers both S-Video and Composite inputs as well as Audio inputs.  The Output block sports the same combination of outputs along with separate S/PDIF, Audio and Line outs.  Also note that the green audio out connector is a pass-through, so it falls in line with your computer speakers, utilizing the same port on the sound card.  Additionally, each block has nubs on one side and sockets on the other so they can interlock with the other.  This makes it a bit easier to keep things tidy, which can be hard with each connection filled.