What is your take on MCE?

[ingeborgdot]

I have never installed MCE on a computer before. I was wondering what people think about it. The people I am making the computer for will be working with video, music, pictures etc. Is MCE better than pro for that? I am adding a tuner also for video capture and to be able to watch tv etc. Please get back about your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Seekermeister]

I only installed MCE recently, so I don't know too much about it, but from what I could tell, it's lifecycle support has expired. I really don't think that you can do much with MCE that you couldn't do with XP Pro.

 

[ingeborgdot]

I guess I mean with MCE you have a remote and tuner that need to be compatible with it. Also the way it organizes things and the way it works with tv etc is different I know.

 

[Shawn]

I love it. I have an SD tuner and an HD tuner and I can record all of my shows then play them back on my 32" HDTV. My tuner came with a remote so I can rewind, fastforward, etc from my bed. I couldn't live without it now.

 

[Seekermeister]

I have a PVR150, and it's remote works just as it did on XP Pro, so I don't know what advantage that a MCE remote would have.

 

[ingeborgdot]

An mce remote has to be used with and mce tuner is what I know. The remote that came with your pvr150 works best with what you have because it was made for it.
Shawn, what tuner did you get?

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: ingeborgdot
An mce remote has to be used with and mce tuner is what I know. The remote that came with your pvr150 works best with what you have because it was made for it.
Shawn, what tuner did you get?

The mce remote will work with any tuner that mce supports (including Seekermeister's PVR 150, which is what I use). It comes with its own usb IR receiver if you buy it OEM. Personally, if the people you are building the computer for will be using it connected to a TV, I'd buy the MCE remote & receiver, ditch the remote and buy and program a Logitech Harmony for use with it.

For the uses you listed, MCE is perfect. It incorporates all those features in an interface navigable with a remote, integrated TV guide, recording scheduler, etc. It is an excellent PVR/home media setup.

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
I only installed MCE recently, so I don't know too much about it, but from what I could tell, it's lifecycle support has expired.

No it hasn't.

I really don't think that you can do much with MCE that you couldn't do with XP Pro.

See above.

 

[Varun]

MCE is really a very nice product. You don't even need to use the TV part, although I have dual tuners and love it in my home theater. Everyone that comes to my house falls in love with the easy to use interface and a very well put together product. It's easy enough that anyone can pick up the remote and know their way around in seconds.

I would recommend the Microsoft remote though - it is likely the best remote I have ever used, and of course is set up perfectly for MCE.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16880100851

Considering the tiny surcharge over XP Home, and the fact that it comes with every XP Pro feature except Domain support, I wouldn't install any other OS on a new build.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Both these products I am looking at come with the MCE remote.

 

[loup garou]

Oh yeah, here is MS's "what you can do with MCE" site, I'd recommend checking it out.

 

[Kappo]

If you want to buy the remote seperately