media pc, part 2: software

OS
I feel comfortable with Windows, and I didn't want to take any risks, so I used Windows XP Home w/ SP2. I had read comments from many users who were experiencing various compatibility issues with Windows MCE, so I avoided it.

Media Interface
Specialized software streamlines the user experience, making media PCs very much like using a digital cable interface. MythTV was for Linux, so it was out of the question. BeyondTV looked nice, and was easy to use. Too easy, though; it didn't allow the user to fine-tune various important settings. I reviewed several other products, but I've since forgotten what they were called. In any case, I didn't feel that they hadn't matured enough to be low-maintenance in a long-term installation. In the end, we chose SageTV, which provides good video quality, and allows you to customize the product to a satisfying extent. SageTV also has a great support base of users, some of whom have developed some very useful add-ons.

Video Decoder
NVidia's decoder is the favourite among HTPC enthusiasts, because of its picture quality. For $20, the basic version provides video decoding, but the decoder will only translate audio into stereo (2 channels). For anything more than 2.0, you'll need to buy NVidia's 'Gold' decoder. I didn't want to spend the extra money until I was certain that it would be worthwhile.