XBMC v1 [shedir]

Well it's been a long time coming. From XBMP,which I still keep on the xbox HD, to today has seen shitloads of development from a very dedicated bunch.
XBMC v1.0 is without a doubt what you're looking for!
A bit big on the install side, with zillions of files in the visualisation section which I haven't investigated yet. But by christ it works fantastically well.
SMB just worked. Same line I put in other versions which didn't, but it works. It does say 'access denied' the first time I connect the to PC, but works straight after that. Anyways.
Interface is clean and sleek.
The real treat though is within the movies. Open the menu and you can adjust the gamma, brightness and contrast.
I don't remember seeing that in any of the previous XBMC version. Perfect for those camcorders which just overdo the brightness ;)
In short, for the enlightened with chipped xboxes get it installed now.
The 120gb HD I put in my xbox is a little noisy when running, nothing major. XMBC has a spindown which you can set. Set to 1min and bosh, things silent as it streams over the network.
Black screensaver is perfect for selecting a shitload of mp3s and set em off. You'll forget your TV is on.
Not tried comics over it but I think that'd be a fuckup as most of mine are zipped rather than jpgs. Still we'll see.
It's now exactly the sort of home entertainment manager you're after. I'm already dreading the day mine breaks.