Are you going to update your HTPC to Windows 8?

I haven't had a chance to play with the MCE functions of it yet(if anything is actually different), but I don't feel any compelling reason to upgrade just off the basic Win8 stuff.  Outside of it being okay for a tablet, nothing about Win8 really makes me want to switch to it on any of my machines.

Being a SageTV user,  I may have a need to move to a different Media Center program at an undetermined time in the future.  That is when I would most likely consider going to Windows 8 and switching to WMC.

However, that doesn't preclude setting up Win8 on a test machine or looking into a Win8 tablet (when available)

I'll probably build a new HTPC with Win8 and a new mobo in my present chassis, bring over my tuners, and migrate slowly as I finish watching the copy-protected recordings made with my now naked Win7 HTPC mobo. Even so, ultimately taking my Win7 machine out of service will be a wrench since I have many 'keepers' recorded which are protected with DRM. Not least a complete set of my daughter's House of Anubis on my WHS.

What I'd really like is an upgrade path which allows me to move all my recordings to my WHS, archive the DRM information, perform a clean install of Win8 on a new machine, and then import the Win7 DRM information so that I can watch the Win7 HTPC recordings on my WHS. I know that will never happen as it is a means to break the DRM and theoretically play back the recordings on as many machines as I like, unless MSFT augment the DRM solution to include a phone-home one-copy authorization.

Frank.

I can't help but think the same thing but I hope those who claim it's snappier have the wisdom to know the difference. 

Well, in my day-job I have to install test builds of Windows onto a variety of systems. And no, I don't work for MSFT but I have access to many incremental builds. Some of those target systems are clones of relatively simple or relatively busy 'real life' Win 7 systems with a mish-mash of common and uncommon applications. I can assure the poster that yes, with a great deal of tweaking and knowledge of what is happening under the skin I could perhaps achieve an upgraded performance similar if not identical to a clean install. That would take many hours and knowledge that I don't have. Without intimate knowledge of every application I don't think anyone could. Plus, there would still be remnants hanging around on the mass storage that might confuse further application installs if the installers check for now irrelevant files. Bottom line is that is just faster, easier, and ultimately more reliable to go for a clean install if you are able to since that will give you a system which is both faster and less prone to future issues.

Definitely can't wait for XBMC 11 and Win8 - I think finally the HTPC has grown up.

As nice as Win7 is, it's just not made for large screens and for simple remote commands to access your bits and pieces.

I don't understand why SageTV users would switch to WMC - it stopped being updated long before Google euthanized SageTV. Unless MS is saving a big MC reveal for RTM, I don't see anything that changes the equation from where it was in July 2011.

One reason I would move away from SageTV is no more free guide updates.

Another would be a need for additional clients or extenders.

When I setup my first real HTPC, I went directly to SageTV.  I never tried WMC, not sure I would stay with WMC either, might give Media Portal a try. 

For now all is working and no real complaints concerning SageTV.