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Tivo vs. Windows Media Center?

M

MDesigner

Platinum Member
My gf and I are looking into getting a TV-recording solution. Tivo is, of course, one option. Media Center looks pretty sweet too though.. I was wondering how these two compare. With Media Center, can I build my own PC and install it on there? Microsoft's web site says you have to buy a special PC that's built to meet WMC's requirements. Well... why don't they just tell us the system requirements (video capture card, etc) so we can build our own damn PCs? sheesh...

Anyway... any advice? Thanks!
 
Windows Media Center looks great, and I have been looking into building one for a while. As there are many cool things that it does support and it works pretty well (under what I have read)

There are a lot of features it lacks, If your using it for a Home Theater setup and 5.1 is important for you, forget it. I have a Sat system and get movies in 5.1, I would like to use the PVR features. I would lose them. Also there is NO support for HDTV. SO, it has some major HT limits in my eyes that made me trash the project.

Tivo is older, tested and works. I had a UltimateTV box (same idea), and it was awsome, there is nothing like pausing live tv.

Feel free to drop me a line if you need any help...
 
I don't know if it still holds true, but the Windows XP version that has WMC is only available through system resellers like Dell, HP, etc. In other words you can't buy the software to use WMC on your own custom build PC as it only comes loaded on machines build by those companies above. Pretty lame is you ask me, but that?s M$ for ya.

You don't have to have WMC to make your own Tivo box though, there are a few companies that make Tivo like software. I'd give you the bookmarks for a few of them, but I am in the middle of a reformat. I'll post them later on if no one else chimes in with some.
 
PSX is coming out at the end of the year too (or early next year).

"A version with a 160-gigabyte HDD will sell for 79,800 yen ($719) and be able to record up to 204 hours of television, the company said. It will also sell a 250-gigabyte version for 99,800 yen."

-Yahoo News.com

I think it'll be cheaper in American, probably around 400 bucks or so.
 
If you have to ask....you should probably get the TIVO. Any way you cut it, a HTPC is going to need "fiddling." Especially if you'll be relying on a Microsoft product. Otherwise, all you need is a pc, XP, a capture card, and a lot of time on your hands. But, if you're computer savy, an HTPC is great because its so much more flexible than a TIVO. But, if all you want to do is record/playback shows, then go the TIVO route.
 
As has been mentioned, the only way to get WMC of XP is to buy a PC with it installed. Microsoft has a very specific list of hardware that WMC works with. They simply do not want to support a million consumer's computers who use a million different (unsupported) devices and configurations. Much the same way Apple operates. You buy an Apple OS, and you have to run it on their machine. End of story.

Now, having said that, you can make a HTPC with Windows XP Pro or Home and a few 3rd party applications. There are guides available all over online, hit up google to find a few. If you are savvy enough to install your own hardware and/or build your own PC, you can do a HTPC without issue. Really, all WMC has over XP Pro is the fancy integrated menu system for the HTPC options (which does look nice, but it's not needed, with the proper 3rd party tools).

If you want something that can do more than record TV (like, play DVDs, act as a MP3 jukebox, play PC games on your big-screen TV, etc) go the HTPC route. If you want a simple, one-function TV recorder, go the TiVo route.

\Dan
 
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