Wait for Vista's Media Center

If you're looking for a Media Center PC, my advice is to hold off this holiday season and wait for Windows Vista. The Vista version of Media Center includes a number of enhancements over the version in Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005, including compatibility with CableCARD TV solutions. Also, don't forget that the version of Windows Movie Maker (WMM) in Vista can edit (and transcode) recorded TV shows, as long as they're not CableCARD DTV/HDTV-based or protected content such as that shown on HBO.