I am one of those fools that have tried every type of extender for MCE ever made – from the v1 extenders to the xbox360 to the v2 extenders. Currently I am using one of the v2 extenders and an xbox360. Both have their weaknesses but I would have to say I prefer the xbox as I am having too many issues with the Linksys extender:
-ugly interface
-slow interface
-poor remote range (~5 feet)
-remote cannot control my TV
-random freezes requiring reboot
-humming sound (with lots of base) over digital connection to my Logitech 5.1 sound system
By comparison the xbox360 is a joy with only the following weaknesses:
-noise
-power consumption
-poor integration (cannot automate jumping between dashboard and MCE interface)
So that started me thinking about extender PC’s again…
If all the media is stored in a location where it can be shared (say WHS), why whould a PC with the same interface (MCE2005, VMC) as the main HTPC not work? The only reasons I can think of would be to watch live TV and schedule recordings. Am I missing anything?
To cover live TV, simply install a tuner card in the second PC (assuming access to the source(s) – maybe this is the big sticking point?). And if Ian Dixon could have written the mceBackup app, then it would surely be possible for somebody with talent to write an application to merge the scheduled recordings made from 2 or more PC’s into one scheduled list for the main HTPC to record?
I would be interested to hear some opinions based on different setups. In my house, since MCE became fully integrated, my wife refuses to watch live TV. So I would not even need access to live TV for extenders, but as I only have OTA, it would be easy to install a tuner in extender PC’s and just run coax to the separate locations. Based on the poor execution of the v2 extenders, mine is not being used at all. We rather go to the main HTPC or if that is in use, do something else instead of watching TV/listening to music etc.
I’m thinking a Shuttle barebones with graphics card and tuner card would do the trick nicely.
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