I'm considering making a tech jump and setting up a home media server, and would appreciate any comments anyone has about the available technology out there.

Here's what I plan to do:

1. Record TV, either from DirecTV or cable, up to HD resolution. I'd prefer a recording interface that's simple and reliable, similar to TiVo or ReplayTV (i.e. automatically receive program guides and automatically adjust recording a series if it airs a different day of the week). Recording software that supports live pause, instant replay, and skip forward of broadcasts is essential.

2. Host my music collection, and stream it out to remote audio receivers around the house. 802.11g would be preferable. Capturing internet music streams would be a bonus.

3. Burn DVDs for archiving. The DVD burner should be an upgradeable peripheral (i.e. not built into the unit) so I can upgrade to HD DVD once the standards battle shakes itself out.

I'm leaning toward having the server run Linux, but if anyone's had any experiences with Windows XP MCE, I'd love to hear them! I'm not really interested in using this server for handling photos and run slide shows...