Re: XP vs MCE2005

["Mark Harrison (Groups)" <mph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

gigtekmediacomputers wrote:

>
>A number of posters have been making comments about MCE2005 that I
>thought could do with a bit of clarification.
>
>MCE2005 is basically Windows XP Pro with the domain joining facility
>removed. Underneath it is still XP Pro. With the difference in price
>between MCE2005 and XP Home OEM of less than £20 (inc VAT) there is
>no reason not to get MCE2005. If you are building a new PC and you
>decide to just use the standard XP interface you still have the
>ability to change to MCE in the future should you want to. If your
>hardware can run standard XP it will work, it is just the MCE
>interface that needs the tougher hardware spec.
>
>With Showshifter, Meedio (both of which I bought and used before
>MCE) etc costing anything up to $80 to add to XP surely it is worth
>getting MCE in the first place. I know you can get
>shareware/freeware front-ends as well but most will need a fair bit
>of time and energy in configuration.
>
>Any other thoughts?
>
>
Assuming you start from the basis that you will install an MS Operating
system, then I think your logic is impeccable.

The only thing I would, however, say, is that the difference in price
for the system builder between MCE2005 and Linux is about £99 inc vat (a
typical OEM price for MCE2005 which anyone is entitled to get when
buying a hard disk or motherboard.)

Whether the £99 is well spent compared to the hassle and time of
installing linux, choosing a playback engine of choice, and eventually
getting them to all work together obviously depends on whether you
already have linux skills, and whether you consider the voyage of
discovery into the black mass that is linux to be worthwhile for its own
sake.

On that basis, whether it turns out to be £99 or £79 is probably going
to be irrelevant, so yes, go for MCE2005.

I personally reckon that the future is in a video equivalent of the
Rio/SliMP3/Exstreamer... the XBox is getting pretty good at that, and
the Hauppauge is, if nothing else, cheap :-) For the meantime, however,
PCs are still the obvious choice for anyone who wants to expand
capability in the future.

Mark