Just some small comments..
I don't think I argue against FF (btw, my main vdr box has two Nexus-s in it), more along the lines of argue for other/better options of the current times. Sure, FF was a great choice for it's day but that day has moved on in my opinion. Maybe it was never intended that VDR become a real media center but clearly there's a big need for it more & more every day. I would take it as a compliment that people's first choice is that VDR becomes an up-to-date solution for tv/media!
As I understand it, there will be at some point a new FF but the price will be out-of-reach for the average user. When the option becomes spend money on a single FF card you can use with an old piece of junk pc, or spend the same money on an updated pc with far more capability then the solution is clear... For my money anyways.
Believe me, a lot of people were happy to hear that VDR was _finally_ going to support things like hdtv/h264, mpeg-ts recordings, etc. because it means there's light at the end of the tunnel and we might not be forced away from VDR afterall. Even if the wait has been painfully slow. I'm sure all of us would prefer VDR to have a bright future instead of already be past it's prime.
In a way the whole thing of bringing VDR to current/future needs reminds me of my grandmother.. She's a writer and insisted on using an old crappy word processor. She turned her nose at the idea of replacing it with a computer even if it was a far more capable option. Eventually she was convinced to give the computer a try and has since never looked back.
Ok, carry on. ;)