Upgrading from Windows XP Media Center Editon to Vista

I am interested in upgrading to Windows Vista, but I do not know if I really
should, or if I even can. I have a Dell Windows XP Media Center Edition PC.
I have a TV tuner installed, and a bunch of photos in the galleries. I do
not have much information on the computer, and I can simply put all my
pictures and documents in one of those USB memory cards. So the loss of
information would not be a problem for me if I have to have everything
erased. My question really is if you think it would be worth it for me to
upgrade to Vista, and if it really is that much different than Media Center
Edition? Also, during the install, do I just boot up my computer, put the CD
in the CD drive, and run the installer, or is there something different I
have to do?

-Byron