I will definitely look in to Myth and Sage. I'm pretty handy with computers and quite comfortable with UNIX command line stuff.

Here are a few questions I have after some poking around:

With a computer monitor, is this an inexpensive way to get HD? I'm just not ready to shell out a couple of grand for a new TV.

What tuner card to get? Seems like the pchdtv hd-3000 and the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250 (or 350) are common choices. I can't figure out whether the Hauppauge are HDTV tuners or not.

There is a new Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500 that has dual tuners, but it seems to be targeted to Windows MC exclusively. I haven't been able to figure out if this one will work with a Myth or linux Sage box, or if the dual tuners are HD or not.

What does one use for a remote control? Is a $200 universal remote going to be mandatory for one of these things to be truly usable?

Is Myth as capable (or more capable) than Sage? Is ease of installation all you get with Sage? What does one do for program listings in either case?

The thing that seemed coolest about Tivo was that it would record suggestions based on your viewing preferences and ratings. I have no idea how well this actually worked, but I really liked the idea of it. Do either of Sage or Myth have similar functionality?

Thanks everyone for the insight.