Project #1 Building my own PVR

So, I've had this project in my head for a while.

This will achieve a few goals:
1) My wife has demanded we get a Tivo in order to save time in our lives and to not be ruled by the networks' schedules. I'm cheap and think I can do it for less material cost (not factoring in the possibility of this becoming a time-sink, of course)
2) I want to reconnect with the digital media technology space after living in the email and spam space for the last three years. What better way to see the current features and challenges than to try and build first-hand?
3) I need a linux project. I've been working almost exclusively in the windows environment for almost 10 years now, by necessity, not by choice. the nerd in me secretly yearns for the good old UNIX and X-windows days. This is a good forcing function to finally install and use linux.

So here is the first decision: Do I build a Freevo or MythTV system?

Welcome to the scOutpost

Hello! this is the first posting of the scOutpost, a blog that is designed to document the searching for, tinkering with, and evaluation of new end-user technologies. There are so many new and interesting hardware and software products and services available, many of them open-source, with "some assembly required". The documentation and user reviews often don't capture the real investment in time and energy required to get the thing working.
I'll let other blogs and writers make neat literary allusions and witty references. You'll see none of that from me...well maybe some wit depending on the time of day. I'm not a prolific writer, and it still blows my mind as to how some bloggers can write so much on a regular basis. I'm more of a data guy than a words guy, so in place of profound statements, you'll see quanititave analysis or stats.
As far as the level of technical writing, I think I'll err on the side of the novice rather than assume a technical audience. I've got a technical background (which has become a bit rusty over the past few years), but want to critically evaluate these technologies for usability for broader adoption. Anyway, we'll see how this goes. Feel free to comment!