This past year something very cool happened on Microsoft's Xbox platform - it introduced Netflix into the UI. Very cool stuff if you haven't tried it. Any of the content available from within the web interface of Netflix to "Watch Instantly" could be viewed on the Xbox.
While watching SEVERAL class B movies and shows I wouldn't normally watch, we have moved to this type of entertainment almost exclusively.
There were only two missing pieces to this puzzle. First, I wanted to be able to watch content purchased on the same platform. Second, I wanted to have the ability to record and watch content that was sent over-the-air - or live TV.Media Center answers those problems - very well.
Microsoft's streaming solution seems better than Apple's. I hated waiting for things to sync back and forth between the Apple TV and the server in the office, and it's very frustrating having to go downstairs in your underwear to reset iTunes because the Apple TV didn't connect to the server properly. Live TV streamed over the network is also a bonus; forget about running coax to every room in the house, it only needs to be run to the media center's tuner cards.
I have a very hard time putting a full-fledged PC/Mac in my entertainment room - even if it's a mini-whatever. They get hot, you need the necessary peripherals, and forget about having to show Grandma how to operate your media center when she comes over to watch the kids. It's all about integrated simplicity.
Needless to say, I've canceled my DirecTV membership, and cable membership. I don't miss much programming offered with those networks, and I'm not spending a fortune in Apple's marketplace every month.
Did I mention that Netflix offers a wide variety of HD content - including most of the major network's famous TV shows? Is this a media "paradigm shift?"
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