Media center build software compatibility/OS

[paulstung]

I'm thinking of building a mini Itx build but have no idea how to go about it, regarding the os side of things. I want to do it on the cheap so far I'm looking at a Gigabyte GA-E350N AMD Hudson M1 DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £48, in a Lian li PC-Q07B £30. The psu, and ram I already have. My question is, what is the best option for an Os. Can I just install something like XBMC, or Plex or do you need a full OS as a back bone so to speak ?

I don't really want to fork out for a copy of W7 if I do need a full OS, so if that is the case is there any freeware options ?

 

[tinytomlogan]

Plex you do need an OS but it's epic. You installation an app on your TV or just use the inbuilt dnla server

 

[paulstung]

Plex from what I have read since the post does seem the way to go, I'm just in the middle of looking into linux. I have never used it so a full learning curve. Or I could go the lazy and cheaper route and get a mini android tv this one ( MINIX NEO X5 Android 4.0 Dual-Core 1.6GHz Quad-Core GPU 1GB/16GB Mini PC Android TV Box with WiFi Bluetooth ) from reviews seems great for the price.

 

[sheroo]

I've been using windows media center for years. It does most things very well indeed, however microsoft are not developing it anymore. If you add the mediabrowser plugin & use media center studio you can tweek the look & feel of the interface and its pretty darn good. You can also use tunerfreemce for catchup services as well. Note to self - look into plex...