Been using our new Windows Media Center 2005 Gateway computer and I have a few things that I like, but a few things I do not like at all:

• No HDTV support yet (more on this shortly). I knew this with the purchase going in, but I had hoped the playback quality would be better than it has turned out to be through our HDTV.
• DVD playback on HDTV through Media Center is subpar. Our $79 DVD player with progressive scan plays DVDs cleaner and clearer through my HDTV than the $1500 Media Center playing through the same TV!

Apparently, I’m not the only one with HDTV disappointment, check out what Ed Bott has to say:

As for HDTV, I agree with Thomas that this is a stumbling block for adoption of MCE. After all, the same early adopters who are drawn to Media Center are also going to lust after HDTV performance and resolution. But the cable and satellite companies really hold all the cards on this issue. If I want anything other than over-the-air HD, I have to use a PVR from my cable company or buy DirecTV with Tivo. There is no other way to get the HD signal from the cable box or satellite decoder to a third-party PVR. And that’s the way the cable and satellite companies want it, because it means they have lock-in.

It is just a matter of somebody making and selling a graphics card with with HD inputs and outputs and our existing Media Center will be HD enabled and ready (but add a $200-400 graphics card and it drives the price up near two grand for an HDTV PVR solution) … in the meantime I sort of feel currently like I have an overly expensive TiVO wannabe — without the monthly subscription fee, yes — and lowend DVD player. Honestly, I’m thinking about boxing the sucker up and taking it back and paying the 15% restocking fee (200 bones) … buyer’s remorse is clearly setting in and we haven’t even owned the machine a week. In Ed Bott’s comment section I read Thomas Hawke talking about how fantastic his DirecTV with HDTV TiVO is:

I own the HDTV TiVo and despite the cost, it is simply fantastic. I should receive a commission check from DirecTV as I’ve had many friends buy a unit after watching me demo mine. With 4 tuners, 250 gig drive, etc. etc. the unit is a triumph for home media. Once again I couldn’t believe how beautiful CSI Miami looked last night (the episode from 3 weeks ago that I’m just getting to now). This unit is less expensive than the MCE machine.

Starting to think that this might be the option I would like to go instead as I was very fond of DirecTV when we had them for years and it’s less expensive monthly than HD cable. I will give my Media Center purchase a little more time to stick.

• Cable moans and groans — switch from Satellite or not?
• We’re thinking about nuking cable and Netflix
• Update on (maybe) ditching cable for satellite
• Windows Media Center 2005 the Nordstoms of digital media?
• Premium HDTV cable support in Media Center by end of 2006
• Replace TiVo with Media Center PC?