Hi all and thanks for your time and patience,

I'm the microsoft customer linux wants to win over to end microsoft's reign. I just built a computer for my livingroom entertainment center. After reading a lot of threads I realized the lazy microsoft customers(ME) don't want to work or learn anything. We want to install the OS and go. No "this doesn't work" or "that doesn't work" or "I need help understanding", just install, mabe adjust preferences and watch movies or listen to music. Please sell me on a 64 bit Linux OS that is easy and has all the programs and codecs geared toward entertainment. An awsome player might be nice too. :-)

Thanks,
Arieswolf

Unfortunately linux is generally not for the "plug n play" consumer unless it's an embedded device. If you use bleeding edge hardware you may just end up bleeding, that said you will get tons of good free support and resources should you wish to learn and build your own home theatre system and there are plenty of choices regarding software.

Linux people are usually so busy building and improving stuff that the documentation may suffer or the installation may not be idiot proof and may require thinking or asking questions, usually someone will have written an article for setting up program X on system Y though.

We respect people who pull their own weight by contributing or at least have a go at something rather than just saying "It doesn't work, help me"... so well done for taking the first step

In regard to your question, you may want to start with MythTV on any current linux OS, the distro isn't really relevant but you may get more help with a more popular one. MythTV is very mature so should give you the least number of problems. Once you have a working system you can decide whether it does what you want and if not go looking for something else.

Good luck

Thank you for reading and responding. You are a senior member and that is why I posted here and not in newbie. I figured I'd find more knowledgeable people with a lot of linux expirience. I would love you to answer my question now that you were subtly condescending wondering if I'd notice or understand. Now that that is over, which distro of linux do you recommend. Not just any, I've read many different ones and they were geared toward different things. There was an Ubuntu version that was loaded with audio video programs, but for raw and editing. I want basic, clean, and fast for high quality video playing and good music playing. This is strictly for movies, music, and light internet browsing. I have a different comp for gaming and my laptop is pretty much for browsing or documents. So please, what do you really think?

Apologies, condescension wasn't intended .. I was merely trying to suggest that there are those who won't help themselves and those who will, those that will are appreciated.

Distro choice is a personal thing, there are really too many factors that contribute to it. A linux distro is just some person or group's taste in how they want a linux OS to look and feel. Their choice could have several motives .. "Have the smallest footprint", "Be a mobile Penetration Testing platform", "Have all the latest tools", "Be a stable server platform" .. and so on. Maybe you should think of it like trying on clothes, they all look similar but you'll know when you're wearing one you're happy with.

A distro is just a different grouping and presentation of the same software so try a few and find one you're comfortable with.

Again, thank you. I knew we'd make headway. This MythTV is that a player? and is it just the average or...

Its probably quicker to point you here for a feature list, you'll also see some of the plugins on the lhs of the page.

If you want a distro that comes with all the codecs pre-installed and that is aimed towards the Linux beginner try Linux Mint. It comes in different editions, for example with the Mate desktop, which should work fine on older computers, or with the Cinnamon desktop, which is the main desktop for this distribution, but a bit heavier on system resources.

Zorin, is awsome for newbs!!! looks feels and taste like, well in my case, windows. After the initial updting with the first time I ever used a terminal, it's been mostly flawless and simple to use. This is what would really convert most window and apple users. thank you guys for your input. I was hoping for more than 2 people to respond but I'm way happy.

JaseP does face-palm...

If you are building a one-off HTPC, then Any distro with MythTV will do... That said, MythTV has a steep learning curve surrounding its Broadcast, Satellite, and Cable TV support,...

If it's only playing back already ripped movies over an HTPC, then XBMC will do,... (again, supported by many Distros). Better yet,... Roll your own with SAMBA and VLC...

If you want the ultimate in home automation and Multimedia/Telehpony integration,... Then it's without a doubt, LinuxMCE...

That said, the learning curve with LinuxMCE is extremely steep (ironically harder for Linux types to master than those not experienced with Linux, because of its monolithic and appliance-line nature... But with LinuxMCE, you're talking home automation integrated with telephony and multimedia... Basically, thing the system core of the Starship Enterprise, minus the voice interface...

There are a couple distros that make XBMC the primary interface:

OpenElec
XBMCbuntu