Digital Home Thoughts: Windows Media Center Without Windows Thanks To Reycom

"We love us some Windows 7 Media Center, but we recognize that using a HTPC for a DVR isn't for everyone. For some there is no replacement for a dedicated set-top box, which is why we were so excited to hear that Windows Media Center was coming to embedded devices."

Boxee and Roku and AppleTV oh my! Microsoft has been in the media center market since the XP days and the Windows Media Center included in Windows 7 is pretty impressive. I like the idea, however, the $499 price tag is pretty tough to swallow. When Boxee boxes can be had for under $200 and other devices like AppleTV and third party media players are in the $100 range, the $499 price tag is very discouraging. While this one appears that it might be able to record, without CableCARD support, it means that it will be a mess of cables and IR relays to get it to do so. I would rather have a much more polished solution.