🚀 go-pugleaf

"J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@cox.net> wrote in message
news:uKv$YLAPIHA.4272@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl
> Arny Krueger wrote:
>> "Romeo Rondeau" <eveyone@ease.com> wrote in message
>> news:FAn7j.77129$YL5.8985@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net
>>> Arny Krueger wrote:
>>>> "David B." <brooks.dj@nomail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:uO0Gx22OIHA.4912@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl
>>>>> Do you even know what Media Center is/does?
>>>>> It's been around for 5 years and is used by many
>>>>> people as a PVR/cable box replacement, does a great
>>>>> job, it's also available in Vista.
>>>>
>>>> Compared to running any of the PVR software packages
>>>> that are sold with video tuner and capture cards, it
>>>> really doesn't seem to do anything that is terribly
>>>> unique.
>>
>>> It does look cool on an HDTV, and that's what it was
>>> designed to do :-)
>>
>> Yes, but the PVR software/hardware does the same stuff.
>> If you're in the market, ADS cards come with what seems
>> to be the best software. I picked up a pretty functional
>> HDTV package for XP by ADS from Amazon for about $60.
>>
>> If you want to expunge what the PVR software does to
>> your system from
>> your system, you just uninstall it. So far I haven't
>> found that it creates any big black holes while
>> installed, other than creating a lot of I/O when you are
>> recording or playing video, or when you are
>> time-shifting.
>>
>> One other thing is that the third party software that
>> comes with the TV tuner and video capture cards seems to
>> have a fair amount of cross-vendor compatibility. For
>> example, I've inter-operated PVR software and cards from
>> ADS and ATI.

>> If you run Windows MCE your tuner/capture card needs to
>> provide special software for running with Windows MCE.
>> I've run cards that came with MCE drivers with other
>> vendor's PVR software. So MCE reduces your options.

> However if MCE came bundled with the machine then why pay
> extra for a third party package?

The third party package doesn't cost squat. I picked up an ADS HDTV/video 
capture card on Amazon for like $60-70.  I think it was cheaper than the 
cheapest HDTV card that I could find that would work with MCE, and not by 
just a little.

> MCE was never sold as a consumer product, the only way
> you could get it was with a machine or as an OEM System
> Builder product, so there's no scenario of going out and
> buying MCE to get PVR functionality.

Yes, there's no retail version of Windows MCE. Thus MS forces people to 
learn how to spell Torrent if they want to build their own hardware.

> And none of those third party packages let you view the
> secured HD content on cable--for that Vista is the only
> game in town.

On Comcast, AFAIK the only way to watch secured HD content is to have one of 
their boxes, or a device that takes one of their cards. I know of no PC 
accessories that take a card.

I've heard about secured HD content, but I know of no providers who are 
actually delivering it nationwide today.