Filed under: A couple of weeks ago, Wanda and I signed up for the Time Warner HD DVR package to go along with our new HDTV. Although we were very fond of our media center, I decided to try the HD DVR for the following reasons:
- It tuned HD content.
- I assumed it was easier to maintain than an actual computer connected to the TV.
- The media center took up more room, and I thought the slim DVR would look nicer in our cabinet.
Ultimately, we ended up cancelling it and just reverted to our trusty HP media center. Here’s why:
- The user interface was lousy. It looked like something that was designed in the 1980′s using CGA graphics. We also thought it was much less intuitive than Windows Media Center Edition.
- The extra HD channels I received over the ones I already got over the analog service were non-impressive.
- The remote sucked.
We now have our HP Media Center hooked up to it, and we like it much better. We hooked it directly to the TV via the monitor port, and the resolution is quite impressive (as compared to a composite connection which we were using before). It doesn’t tune HD, but we don’t really get any HD content we’re interested in anyway, and even if we were, we could switch to the normal tuner for that. Windows Media Center is definitely one thing Microsoft got right. Easy to navigate, intuitive interface, and simple remote with all functions a few clicks away.
Sorry about your experience, to each his own. I love mine, but sports hd content is amazing, and that’s primarily what I watch.
I’m tempted to check out the MCE, especially now that I can use my xbox 360 (not yet acquired) to record HD content with MCE.
With a widescreen hd tv, what shows do you watch if you don’t have the hd package? If content isn’t hd, it’s also probably not widescreen, and then it’s just regular tv which actually can look worse on an hd tv depending on the programming.
Perhaps it depends on the manufacturer/model of the television, however, our HD TV does an excellent job in zooming in regular content (4:3 ratio) to fit the wide screen (16:9 ratio). Actually both the TV and MCE allow for zooming in the content with very little to no distortion! I love that there are plug-in’s available for the MCE to allow for a true media PC. The MCE is a wonderful compliment to the TV.
Wow, I’m amazed that it actually does so with little or no distortion. I’ve not seen the MCE so I can’t say myself, but I’d definitely love to see it in action.