MythTV is a complicated product, but gives you more features than any other TV recording solution. You can have a house with one Linux PC connected to some tuners and a TV, or you can add extra PCs, laptops, or UPnP hardware clients to browse your recordings, play your music and videos, et c.
All without paying a cent to Microsoft, or having to update the OS or virus scanners every few months. As long as you are willing to dedicate a PC to running it, and are comfortable with Linux or are willing to use a dedicated distribution like KnoppMyth or MythBuntu, then this thing will revolutionize your home!