The DVD player in my entertainment center is dying. I'm considering a project that would turn one of my computers into an all-in-one entertainment center to replace my VCR, DVD and CD players, as well as run something like MythTV for the cable. I would like this output to be sent to my coax TV, rather than a monitor.

- I understand that the Hauppage cards are well supported in Linux, and with MythTV. Is there a specific card I should look for? For instance, I noticed that many of the Hauppage cards are "WinTV" versions, and am concerned they may work much like WinModems, without an internal processor, or with a limited driver support in Linux? I would appreciate clarification on this issue.

- Is there a distro that is specifically designed for media center, perhaps like MS Media Center Edition?

- What about remote control capabilities? Can each of the DVD/CD/Cable parts be operated via remote control?

- What other considerations are there?

Any distro should be able to run MythTV. I would suggest something like Debian Testing.

MythTV can be used to play DVDs, CDs, MP3... as well as TV. Since MythTV has remote control capabilities using lirc, you can play anything using your remote.

I have a Dvico Fusion card, which works very well, as does its remote. You can check out linuxtv.org for more info on supported cards.

--Ian