First Impressions:
Of all the published data shown on the previous page, the system requirements area is of most interest, as it indicates a few things worth noting. First, is that you do not need to have Windows XP Media Center Edition, since AVerMedia has made software available for download that let's this run on 'standard' Windows XP (Home or Professional).
The next thing worth noting is the requirement to have an analog tuner 'pre-installed'. Not sure why you would need that, other than the fact that the AVerTVHD MCE A180 does not include one. Many ATSC tuners on the market are actually dual tuner cards, providing both ATSC and NTSC tuning, but not this one.
Another thing worth noting is the graphics card requirements. The fact that PCI and AGP are listed, but not PCI-Express makes you wonder how old this card (and its specifications) are. HDTV tuners may slightly pre-date PCI-Express graphics cards, so it is possible that the specifications for this card are several years old.
Finally, let's consider the 'package includes' section... As we will see in the coming text/images, the listing of just one item is not a typo. The AVerTVHD MCE A180 is intended for OEM sale, and as such the sample arrived in the simple white box shown below. Nothing more than a black and white label on the box is provided to identify the product, and minimal details are provided. The contents of the box are just about as spartan, and the below right image shows everything you get. There is a warranty card, the tuner card, and a couple sheets of egg-crate foam to protect everything. No manual, no driver disk, no remote control...
 
As you can guess by the product name and from the details in the above left image, the card is touted as being for Windows XP Media Center Edition. Visiting the AVerMedia website for drivers is a requirement no matter what operating system you want to use, and doing so reveals they not only have a set for Windows XP MCE, but also for "standard" Windows XP Home / Pro. This is a good thing, since I currently do not have an MCE system, so all testing will be done on Windows XP Pro.
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