Building a HTPC can take some good PC knowhow but it can payoff majorly in the end. I run SageTV with a PC client in my bedroom and a HD100 extender in my theater and it works very well. I am able to record any HD channel from my cable provider and watch it anywhere in the house, even pausing one room and continuing in another. I can also placeshift my entire DVD, music, and TV collection and watch it on the road. SageTV is hugely capable and infinitely customizable which can make it a bit complicated at times, but if you are technically inclined and don't mind another hobby I really enjoy my setup. I would suggest you start your search on a system agnostic (unlike the sageTV forums which will push you towards SageTV) website like
MissingRemote.com and they can help you set up any system you like.
