Dan Liberman, who was an IT guy before he started Infinite Sight and Sound in Fairfax, Va., says he's currently testing a control system based on Windows Media Center, and that makes him nervous.

"It uses embedded XP and it's very stable, so it's possible we could use it for a control system," he says. "But its very unlikely I'd accept anything Windows-based as a media server. I've worked with Windows for a long time, and I don't want to be answering support calls at 2 a.m."

Jennings says he doesn't get those calls, in part because he's careful to pare his WMC systems down to the essentials - removing extraneous software and installing top quality video cards and other components. He also makes sure each WMC box is set to optimize itself every day at 3 am, installing updates and rebooting to avoid memory leakage and instability.

Fuze Media Systems takes this philosophy even further - stripping out the best parts of Vista Media Center and wrapping its own proprietary software around it for its FuzeBox Media Appliances.

"Media Center computers try to be all things to all people," says Bob Silver, VP of marketing and sales for the San Jose, California firm. "They pack in a lot of different things people may or may not want to use. That presents problems."

Inside each FuzeBox you'll find Vista's photo engine and its DVR ("the best in the business," says Silver). But Fuze uses its own software to deliver multizone music and home automation controls. Instead of performance-sapping anti-virus software, Fuze uses packet sniffers to ensure network data is clean before it enters the system. It adds better memory management software to avoid memory leaks, and periodically refreshes certain processes behind the scenes. Fuze also replaced the traditional Vista interface with a simplified version optimized for a handheld remote.

And instead of spreading low-cost Windows extenders throughout the home, Fuze uses powerful thin client PCs it calls FuziMinis to deliver content to each screen. It's a more expensive approach, but one that leads to better performance and fewer support calls down the road, says Ted Archer, Fuze's director of marketing.

"At the end of the day, when someone buys a home with a Windows Media Center built in and they run into problems, they're going to call the builder," he says. "And that's the last phone call the builder wants to get."

Archer hopes that by taking the best parts of Windows Media Center and leaving the rest, Fuze can convince builders and dealers that affordable plug-and-play systems are simple and reliable enough for prime time.

Jennings says that though he still encounters builders who are skeptical of Windows-based home automation, the changeover is inevitable.

"I think five years from now it will all be plug and play," he says. "You're gonna have to be a dinosaur to install systems that require programming."

Windows Media Center Inside

Windows Vista Ultimate Media Center is finding its way to several high-end systems available only to custom integrators. Here's what's new for 2008.

Alienware HD Media Server. The latest home media product from Dell-owned Alienware features up to 4 terabytes of storage, HD recording and output at 1080p, internal cable card, and Dolby 7.1 preamp audio. www.alienware.com

Niveus Denali Limited Edition Media Center. Niveus's latest media server garnered a CES 2008 Innovations award for its rich feature package, which includes video scaling up to 1080p, 2 terabytes of storage, and Pro Audio 7.1 chipset. Newest versions support multiple Cablecard tuners, allowing up to four simultaneous streams of HD video. www.niveusmedia.com

Russound Smart Media Consoles. Russound is unveiling six new SMCs based on Intel's Core 2 Duo processor, all featuring DVD drives, 7.1 audio, DVI-I ports, and Life|ware automation software preloaded. www.russound.com

Dan Tynan is a frequent contributor to Hanley Wood's DIGITAL HOME Online. He writes "Gadget Freak" for PC World and "Our Digital Life" for US Airways Magazine.