htpc os

[taintedplay]

so i have a small htpc for home theatre ONLY. it currently does not have an operating system. is xp the best to get? or is there some linux distro thats good? (i have very very little experiance with linux, and my mom has to be able use it enough to start a movie)

 

[Brinson]

Linux MCE or Mythbuntu.

Linux MCE is designed to be controllable entirely by a remote control.

 

[synergy]

Vista Ultimate has MC built in. XP support is going away shortly, so you would be better with Linux or Vista.

 

[taintedplay]

ideally i want linux becuase i dont want to have to buy vista, and its a pain, i just want a streamlines basic os. no extra frills or anyting. does linux mce do that? and is it easy enough for my mom (most anti tech person ever) to use?

 

[veedubfreak]

I run vista home premium and it works just fine.

As far as "mom usage" goes, you turn it on, click the media center button on the remote, and its all point and click.

 

[taintedplay]

this computer is pretty old, so would xp be better since i doubt this can run vista too well. so its xp vs a distro

 

[veg1992]

Just use any version that has Windows Media Center, or you can go online and download MediaPortal, which is pretty much a better, free version of WMC (works on almost any OS)

 

[Puddle Jumper]

The Windows 7 RC has media center and is free for a year.

 

[Brinson]

Linux MCE is a bit difficult to setup (all automated, but takes a while), but is super easy to use once setup. Its interface is similar to using Tivo.

 

[Harper]

XP support is going away shortly, so you would be better with Linux or Vista.

That is what MS would like to think. However considering that Xp has been current for about 7 years, MS is going to have a hard time just turning off support for it. (like windows 98se)