First post, please bear with me. I have searched this forum, and many others to find many possible solutions but nothing addressing my specific questions.
I just put together my first attempt at a HTPC. It has an Intel i3 550, ASUS P7H55-M PRO mobo, 4GB of PC800 DDR3 RAM (cheap), and a LiteOn BluRay drive. It is in a mATX case with included 300W PSU. I am currently running Win7 Pro to trial this setup with WMC.
My question is if anyone would recommend a Linux distro that I can use instead of buying a license for another copy of Win7? I know a (very little) bit about Linux from trials with dual booting Ubuntu but my wife knows nothing about the OS. We will be using the system for Netflix, DVDs, BluRay, Pandora, and a little web surfing. No gaming so I plan to use the native graphics. It would be nice to have a system that could load a media center on startup, have wifi remote control possibilities (we both have android based smartphones), and will work well with Windows as I do have the computer on the same home network with my desktop and laptop.
In summary: Is there a Linux distro with media software that I can teach my wife how to use the HTPC easily?
Will this system be easy enough for a noob to install and configure to work with the hardware above and my home network?
I just put together my first attempt at a HTPC. It has an Intel i3 550, ASUS P7H55-M PRO mobo, 4GB of PC800 DDR3 RAM (cheap), and a LiteOn BluRay drive. It is in a mATX case with included 300W PSU. I am currently running Win7 Pro to trial this setup with WMC.
My question is if anyone would recommend a Linux distro that I can use instead of buying a license for another copy of Win7? I know a (very little) bit about Linux from trials with dual booting Ubuntu but my wife knows nothing about the OS. We will be using the system for Netflix, DVDs, BluRay, Pandora, and a little web surfing. No gaming so I plan to use the native graphics. It would be nice to have a system that could load a media center on startup, have wifi remote control possibilities (we both have android based smartphones), and will work well with Windows as I do have the computer on the same home network with my desktop and laptop.
In summary: Is there a Linux distro with media software that I can teach my wife how to use the HTPC easily?
Will this system be easy enough for a noob to install and configure to work with the hardware above and my home network?