Great news, everybody: The Boxee Box plays everything. The UI could really use some user customization options overall anyway. However, the Boxee Box is just a few days old right now and the company is no doubt taking in all the feedback and will likely retool somethings in future releases. It’s a few extra steps to reach content storied either locally on an SD card or on a network share. The latest software update moved the focus from local content to online content. Long time Boxee users turned Boxee Box owners are screaming right now in the official Boxee Box forums. Will the Boxee Box work the same way in a month that it does today? Even Boxee doesn’t know that. This is the one area that should make potential buyers pause. The $9.99 a month Hulu Plus service is launching on the platform shortly, but the subscription-based service (with the same video ads) only offers a tiny fraction of the free, ad-supported library. Big media will decide the Boxee Box’s future. Fancast does, but the powers that be could shut off that feed just like they did on the Google TV leaving the Boxee Box somewhat dead in the water. Hulu doesn’t work on the Boxee Box like it does on the desktop platform. Can’t say that for Google TV although the two platforms could end up in the same sinking boat. Navigation is a bit of a pain though, as the Boxee remote doesn’t have a touchpad or any sort of natural controller scheme besides a 4-way navigation pad. This says that there’s a good chance more episodes will be added to Boxee interface in time. Clicking on the one available episode launches the Fancast page in the Boxee Box browser where you’re free to navigate to the other available episodes. Now, as long as the shows are available on, you can watch them.īack to The Office example. Download the Boxee desktop and then imagine the same amount of shows with less episodes each. The amount of available shows on the platform is impressive even if they only have a few episodes each. At least Star Trek Enterprise and MacGuyver are available in their entirety on both platforms, but don’t expect to get caught up on any modern show. There are three Family Guy episodes to the desktop’s nine and so on. This trend continues with How I Met Your Mother with only two episodes available on the Boxee Box with six on the desktop version. At least it’s the latest one, but there are 11 episodes available through the desktop Boxee. Select The Office on the Boxee Box and one episode is available. This creates two problems in that there isn’t an HD button on Fancast, meaning the video quality is poo, and two, there simply aren’t as many programing options. Hulu’s self-described evil overlords clearly hate consumers and so the Boxee Box is forced to use Comcast’s Fancast site instead. The difference between the desktop and standalone platforms is very noticeable in the available content area. It’s by no means a deal breaker or even annoying, but it’s not nearly as fluid as the PC version. Unlike the desktop version, which is smooth as TCBY yogurt, there’s an itsy-bitsy bit of lag on the Boxee Box. Either way, it feels super-sized in a way. The interface is slightly retooled to better fit within the 10-foot interface rules, but the result makes it feel either a bit dumbed down or less cluttered - I have decided which yet. Well, it looks and feels slightly different. ![]() ![]() A major feature set could be disabled by media companiesĪs soon as I turned on the Boxee Box, it hit me.Works with online content (right now at least).That said, it is without a doubt the best stand-alone media streamer on the market and will only get better. It’s still worth your time, but don’t expect to replicate the same experience of Boxee installed on an HTPC. Sadly, the Boxee Box isn’t a true, ready-made Boxee HTPC. People love Boxee because it is one of the best options for watching any sort of video on your computer. Disney, News Corp, NBC Universal, CBS, they all work – not through Hulu but Fancast, and this is could be a problem (more on this later). The Boxee Box brings broadcast shows along with web video to your HDTV through the magical Internet tubes. It’s still Boxee at the core and that’s all that matters. It’s not the mind-blowing experience you get from the desktop app, but the dead-simple setup compounded with the clever dual-sided remote makes for a superb user experience. I unboxed the device yesterday and have spent pretty much every moment since poking around and I’m impressed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |