[Cube] G4 Cube as HTPC or media machine?

[Scott Strungis]

Hi folks,

I am trying to evaluate the suitability of my Cube as an HTPC.  It's in
the living room now and is being used for DVDs, CDs, iTunes, MAME, DLed TV
shows, and light websurfing.  It's connected to my set with a converter
box that goes from VGA to Component.

When it comes to DLed TV shows, I can manage lo-res stuff, but any Hi-Def
streams that I grab up can't be played full speed with VLC, Xine, or
MPlayer.

This is a stock Cube with 512 megs of RAM and a Geforce2 card.

Has anyone tried any sort of DVR work with their Cube?

I am sort of at the point of upgrade, or buy new...A Mini, or a homemade
Intel based box for Myth TV or somthing of that sort.

Thanks,
Scott Strungis