Thomas Hawk: HD Tivo vs. Microsoft's Media Center Edition Review

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Thomas Hawk: HD Tivo vs. Microsoft's Media Center Edition Review

Thomas Hawk has a lengthy review of a new HD Tivo vs. Windows MCE. He's been a TiVo user early on, then used a Media Center PC hooked to a plasma for a couple years before upgrading recently to a Hughes HR10-250.

He compares and contrasts all the little differences between what you can do with an MCE box vs. what you can do with an HD TiVo box and in the end the TiVo wins hands down for the incredible picture quality:

I pushed play on my forgotten old friend that wacky peanut shaped Tivo remote. This was something. And right there at 9:12 p.m. in my living room was the most beautiful picture with the best sound I had ever experienced in my life.

by Matt Haughey August 5, 2004 in News

Comments

Uhm, unless I missed something... isn't this like comparing an indy car to a regular car? It's painfully obvious that the indy car will be faster.

It should also be no surprise that an HDTV PVR beats the pants off an SDTV PVR.

Although there were some interesting points regarding the stability and noise of his windows MCE...

I for one, hope that redmond/someone/anyone does come up with an HDTV "solution" for MCE, although I'm not holding my breath.

With that said... I want one (hughes hdtv tivo) =)

rampy

Posted by: rampy at Aug 6, 2004 7:33:21 AM

Thanks for the comment.

Yes indeed, this may be a little like putting a regular car in an Indy car race. However, Microsoft's the one that put their car in the home media race not me. They are the one that wants to be a player here.

I don't feel too bad about the comparison given Microsoft's unwillingness to even discuss the HDTV issue. I don't understand the value of secrecy in this arena when a competitor already has a product out. Heck, Tivo announced their HDTV unit in January 03 -- almost a year and half before they actually came out. This leads me to believe that HDTV ain't coming anytime soon from Redmond.

If I had it my way I never would have bought the HDTV Tivo and instead would be watching HDTV on my MCE machine right now but that did not happen and at this point it's probably too late as I'm totally in love with the HDTV Tivo and (particularly after having spent the money) would not now pay to upgrade my MCE machine or buy a new HDTV MCE.

Tom

Posted by: Thomas Hawk at Aug 6, 2004 12:14:14 PM

I think the "Indy car versus regular car" is a pretty good analogy. With the Indy car you get speed and handling. But don't forget that with the regular car you get all the options in the world like a stereo system, sunroof, leather seats, etc etc! My point is that with MCE you get an entire computer capable of doing pretty much anything your heart desires for a comparable price (and no monthly fee). MCE has some pretty cool plugins available and is infinitely expandable. I've mentioned this before in similar discusions, but try playing Doom 3 or managing your finances on your HDTivo.

That being said, I'm not claiming that MCE is a better solution by any means but I disagree with people who just write-off the HDTivo as "better".

Aaron

Posted by: Aaron at Aug 7, 2004 9:14:15 AM

Is it just me , or is everyone dismissing the fact that HDTV is not a matter of software (ie Tivo OS or MCE) but rather the hardware. I'm sure MCE will support HDTV Tuners just fine when they are out for your PC. eh?

Posted by: JOe at Sep 29, 2004 6:08:25 PM

MCE supports HDTV now. You just need an update.

Posted by: Luis at Jan 31, 2005 10:04:28 AM

Yah, this is BS. MCE wins hands down if

1. You don't have a HDTV
2. Recording two shows at once is enough for you
3. You buy a MCE that meets the form factor you want (they do exist)
4. You buy a remote you like (if even necesary)

This review should have been, "Review of Tivo vs. MCR for myself and niche users"

I'm sure I could buy a top of the line MCE and find older Tivos that don't compare.

Posted by: Ed at Oct 22, 2005 7:26:52 PM

Thomas Hawk: HD Tivo vs. Microsoft's Media Center Edition Review

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