Re:MythTV would save the builder $70 (Score 1)

You are hardly the typical slashdotter then. Using knoppmyth you could be up and running in literally 1 hr. I have used Mandrake and Suse both, and could get those distros up and running in only a few hours. Plus, there is plenty of good documentation on the mailing list, and IRC channels if you need any help.