I have attempted to build an HTPC already. I am a computer guy, and it just seemed like there were too many problems. It has been about a year since my last try, but the Sony DVR I bought seems to have very few problems in relation to all the problems I had with the HTPC. I tried using Windows media center with an ATI HDTV Wonder tuner card. I had to use hacked drivers to get both the NTSC and ATSC tuners working. After that, I could never get the guide to match all my channels. It seemed that there were always a couple of channels that had no guide info, or were just wrong. Also, the stupid thing was too loud, even though I put ultra low rpm fans, quiet HDs, etc, into it. I couldn't find an acceptable keyboard that actually worked across my living room. There were a lot of options, but they all either felt good to use, and dropped the connection, or were total crap for the feel and worked fine. I deal with computer problems and bugs everyday in my job, and I just didn't feel like having my "relaxing" home theater setup be extra work. I just want to sit down and have it work without thinking about it. Oh, and I can't use a cablecard or sat dish and record HD in a PC yet, either. I mean, my local channels are just fine and all, but there is other good content on pay movie channels that just looks great! Heck, if I can't DVR a show, then I probably can't watch it. Who has time to actually sit down when your movie or favorite tv show is on...
