Windows-the only way for HD, BluRay, and Netflix (Score 1)

I've been using Windows Media Center since the XP version in 2005. Used it in Vista and now 7. I used a Creative TV tuner and its bundled software since 2000. All the while I tried other solutions: BeyondTV, Myth, ATi Hydravision's thing, Arcsoft Total Media, Sage TV, and others, but kept going back to MCE. Windows Media Center is the core and there are a ton of really useful tools to make the most of it. Video cards with HDMI and 7.1 sound piped through the one cable to the A/V receiver is nice. Use Arcsoft Total Media Theater for BD playback. Don't bother with Cyberlink or anything else. Nice media center integration. If you don't need to do HD TV recording, stick with Vista media center. Use LifeExtender for effort free and nearly perfect automated commercial removal. Orb.com has a great service for streaming live and recorded tv to your work computer, smartphone, or other rooms in the house. Using an Xbox360 as a media center extender is handy. Gyration makes a sweet media center remote that also is IR programmable/learning for your TV and Receiver, has a gyroscopic mouse, and operates on RF to a USB dongle for controlling the computer. They also have one w/ a little LCD display for pulling up your music w/o having to turn on your TV. Gotta use Slysoft AnyDVD HD. I also use it for my DVD and BD ripping needs. Ripping BluRay discs takes up SO MUCH SPACE. I have 3 TBs of BDs now =\ Windows broadcasts all your music/movies/photos to all connected computers over the standard protocol and works well as a server...and you can run VMWare if you want even more serverability. MyMovies is a nice DVD/BD Cataloging piece of software that integrates fully into WMC. It will automount BD ISO rips w/ DaemonTools too, so its nice if you plan on doing a BD library on your HTPC. There are also Internet TV plugins available for WMC.