Those of you that have followed my articles in the past know that I'm a Linux fan.  I appreciate it's flexibility and potential.  I also enjoy a challenge and I don't mind doing a little digging to solve a problem.  When it came time to hatch a HTPC system for the home, I naturally went with MythTV.  In fact, I've been using MythTV for almost 5 years now.  In that time the system has grown to include several clients, multiple tuners, gigabit ethernet, and several generations of hard drives.  It has also weathered the transition from fuzzy SD to crisp HD.  You can pretty much say that I have run into just about every HTPC obsticle and have come out victorious (knock on wood).

So, why would someone who has "mastered" MythTV ever consider moving on to a different platform?  I've asked myself this question many times now, so being the Engineering type, I decided to break down the benefits and downfalls of each system to help me decide my fate.  Read on to see how things shake out.

First off, I am a realistic guy.  Just because I know how to use a tool does not mean it is always the best one for the job.  I also know that the HTPC market is extremely fluid.  A year from now, the landscape may be heavily altered resulting in a completely different outcome.  So, with these things in mind, let's start with the punches.

FEATURES:

The bread and butter of every marketing campaign is the ubiquitous feature list.  When HTPCs were first coming onto the scene, it wasn't unusual for each software package to have some major features that the others didn't.  Now that time has passed, the various platform feature sets have settled to encompass the fundamental requirements of a HTPC.  They each may go about it in a slightly different fashion, but the basics are all there.  So, what then becomes important are the fringe features.  That is, how fleshed out are all the extras which come together to make it a true HTPC experience.  The fundamentals are:

• Timeshifting of TV (Scheduled or Live)
• Electronic Programming Guide
• Media Library (Audio & Video)
• Clean 10 ft GUI Navigated Via Remote
• Rock Solid Stability

Of course, there may be other "mandatory" requirements depending on your personal tastes, but I feel these are the main five.  So then, let's go down the list of built in extras for each platform.

Note 1 - Requires a 3rd party plugin

COST:

No matter the depth of the feature list, everything eventually comes down to the question of price.   Just how much will this media bliss set you back?  Make sure to take into account both the software costs (OS and HTPC applications) as well as the associated hardware costs.  In my experience, any system based on Linux will have a lighter hardware requirement than a Windows box, so figure this into your budget.

Sage software is currently $79.95 for a full license and $29.95 for client only licenses.  Sage offers an additional hardware cost savings if you have plans to utilize a Sage HD extender instead of a standard HTPC client.  Bundle a HD extender with a full license to save another $30.  Of course, if you just want to test drive the software, Sage offers a free 21 day trial.

Myth balances this by having zero software costs because it is an open source application.  However, if you live in the US, you may need to pay for listing data.  This currently runs $20 per year with a free 7 day trial.  Depending on your configuration, it may not take very many years of listing data fees to match the Sage license costs.

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