PoconoPCDoctor's Journal: For a Media PC - Knoppmyth or Vista Home Premium?

I home today, courtesy of President's 1 and 16, and so have a little more time to think about the next step in my newly transplanted PC, which is now parked in an Antec media case under the HD plasma tv. I would like to have more control over recording tv shows than is allowed through the cable TV's DVR, so I am faced with a choice.

Although I'm fairly certain that most Slashdot readers would think this a no-brainer - Mythtv or a variant like Knoppmyth is the the way to go, I also have the option of downloading an upgrade to Vista Home Premium, which includes the latest version of Windows Media Center.

For the record - I am an extreme commuter - 5 hours a day is consumed by my daily trip to and from the Big Apple, so there is precious little time to delve into Linux to get a functional media center pc. I have only used a couple of distros - yes, a Linux noob am I.

Still, I'd be interested in hearing the merits of Knoppmyth over using Vista Home Premium, with the emphasis on ease of installation. While I realize some preparation is required for either installation to go smoothly, like selecting compatible tuner cards, I think I am like many consumers when it comes to things technical - I just want them to work!

$159.00 for Vista Home Basic does not seem like a lot of money to get an OS that was five years in the making, and one that (in my humble experience with Win2K and XP AFTER a service pack or two) works reliably and does what I need it to do.

BTW, I am not concerned about DRM - so please address the ease of installation issue only.