Sage has already beat Microsoft at delivering their platform on Windows Home Server. When you consider SageTV allows all your network PCs to access LiveTV and SageTV Media Center via Sage PlaceShifter and now this HD Media Extender product...you have to consider them a serious alternative to Media Center. I use to think SnapStream would be the ones to give Media Center a run for its money but that platform has slowly died. I think largely because they have no hardware extender option. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer Media Center's interface and application support to any of its competitors. But Microsoft needs to get on the ball and show something. They spend too much time touting it as a entertainment platform and build storefronts in Media Center when the extender options are too expensive and too few to choose from. Maybe thats not entirely Microsoft's fault but they haven't been very successful gaining partner support. If I were Microsoft, I would add Media Center Extender capabilities to Zune. That way when Zune is docked, it can act as a Media Center Extender (sharing the same UI we are accustomed to in Media Center). That and a Media Center Extender client for Windows is what I want and expect to see a CES 2008.
Chris - Moderator:No CableCARD in Sage's future....
It's now shipping... Early reviews here: http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/223704.aspx and here: http://www.shspvr.com/reviews/sagetv_hd_extender/sagetv_hd_extender_index.html
Looks like a winner...
Mike