Thank you all for your input and knowledge. I have read different reviews stating turning electronics on and off shortens their lifespan (not as bad as heat, though), but I never considered the spikes in turning them on and off. I guess one could use a car as an example with the spike - when you sta...

Thanks for the quick response to my suggestions. I figured I was probably asking a lot since I noticed that neither Linux or Windoze offers the greatest power management interfaces. Still, I thought I'd throw it out there. As far as my electric bill is concerned, I have no idea if there is a signifi...

First off, thanks for a great solution for a home network. I spent several months trying to setup OpenSUSE, Vuze, a printer and Samba with very little success. Afterwards, I had very little use for the machine; you have given me a great tool to use for several purposes. Thank you so much. I was tryi...

I haven't tried it yet, but I believe Boxee will accomplish what you're after. If you want more flexibility and control, you can look at MythTV. Again, I haven't tried these yet, but I will just as soon as my governor gives me back all the money he's taken away in the form of work furloughs.