A close friend is one of the product managers for MCE, and 1.0 is...a bit lacking. There is a 1.5 release due in approx. June (code-name "Harmony" but you didn't hear it from me) that evidently makes the PVR functions much better, adds support for 16:9 screens, and fixes a bunch of stuff. He says it's pretty sweet and isn't given to unecessary superlatives, at least in private.

-alan in sitges