Yes, you read that right… TiVo isn’t enough for me anymore… So I’ve turned our desktop into a home media center (centre?). Well, thats not strictly true, I jammed a TV Tuner card into it and made it a secondary DVR, but it’s the thought that counts.
The real reason behind this is sometimes it’d be nice to watch something else while Robyn watches her freak shows on TiVo, and I’d also like to record as much of the World Cup while we’re away in the UK as possible without causing a meltdown in our Now Playing list. But now I’m undecided what software to use, sure, I’d like something like Windows XP Media Center, but at the same point, I’d rather not replace the entire OS just for the sake of having a fancy application. I’ve already tried MediaPortal which looks and acts like a Media Center clone, but I was having trouble getting it to show a picture, never mind trying to set up the EPG, and lets face it, what use is a DVR without a program guide?
Right now I’m using a trial version of BeyondTV 4, and it’s pretty nifty, the only downside is the lack of other media support and the eventual price tag ($70) once the trial runs out. Once that runs out I might try to get MediaPortal up and running again, or if anyone with a similar setup can offer up some recommendations (alas it’s Windows based, so no MythTV before anyone says it) that would be most appreciated.
Comments
2 responses to “Because TiVo Wasn’t Enough”
center, you were right the first time
Still stands