Make it a linux box and that 1gig should do ya better than a Microsoft solution. Just check the hardware you will add with your distrabution and the hardware mfgr's you use have linux drivers. The Differences in DRM alone should be reason enough for you to make Linux your media center of choice.

We recently bought a new dell computer that came with windows media center. We have it hooked up to the tv along with an xbox 360, cable box, hd, stereo and a dvd/vcr player - and a Tivo.

I have the capability to record on the computer but I just don't trust it. It's consistantsy varies. Although I think my husband finally worked the bugs out I just can't let go of Tivo. It's ability to record so many things that I don't have to remember to tell it to do - and although I think I can do it with media center in a similar way - I just love Tivo so much I must continue to pay them - I guess. Now that I type it out it seems a bit hard to justify.

I do know that the quality of recording is better on the tivo on our big screen tv - but that might just be a recording setting on the computer.

If you're going Linux, I'd suggest NVidia gfx cards - they have better driver support.