Unless Boxee improves the firmware and fully supports formats which can be hardware accelerated by the CE4100, we wouldn't recommend purchasing the unit. Luckily for Boxee, some points in the cons list can be fixed with firmware updates. Inferior web browsing experience to Google TV Boxee is reliant too much on the file extension to determine the container, while other streamers tend to look at the header for this purposeĦ. Priced too high compared to other media streamersĥ. Non-availability of premium content partners at launchĤ. Green firmware at launch - multiple stability/compatibility issues and many bugsĢ. A bug regarding AAC multichannel decode was immediately acknowledged and a quick fix was committed for availability in the next releaseġ. Engineers are on the lookout in various forums (not only Boxee's but also AVSForum). Can easily replace a entry level HTPC with respect to local media streaming featuresĥ. Convenient remote control, small hardwareģ. The list below summarizes much of what we’ve said in this review:Ģ. Doing the latter would require a reworked remote however as you’d need a better way to move the mouse cursor. The photos browser needs a performance improvement and I’d like to see the web browser’s performance improved to the point where it could be a real alternative to Google TV. I’d also like to see improvements in the auxiliary features. Boxee is at least responsive to the bugs that have been reported thus far, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re buying into a platform that needs work. The biggest drawback to the Boxee Box as a HTPC ultimately comes down to bugs once again. You can’t build a similarly capable HTPC with better power characteristics than the Boxee Box (simply because Intel won’t sell you a CE4100). The Boxee interface is sensible and quick to navigate. You get the sort of features from a higher end HTPC, without having to deal with any of the software configuration on your own. But parting with $199 for a product with bugs, even knowing they'll get fixed, is a tough sell.Īs a network/local streaming box, Boxee is easily an entry level HTPC. At $99 I'd live with the bugs until they got fixed. At least Boxee has the excuse that it isn’t a multibillion dollar company (which is more than I can say for most others who ship buggy hardware). I don’t believe these are hardware issues, just the type of software bugs you encounter when dealing with a project of this complexity. In recording the demo video for this review I encountered three system-resetting crashes, not to mention countless others over the past week+ of testing. The box clearly needs work in the optimization and stability departments. My complaints on the web video side are mainly about performance and bugs. I wish everything worked like South Park and you were always dropped into a full screen view of the video. Boxee does compromise on the display aspect which is disappointing (but understandable). You don’t have to worry about where the shows come from, just pick what you want to watch. At a high level, I believe Boxee has come very close to the perfect balance between the two extremes.Ĭontent aggregation and organization is done very well. Make it too difficult, and you end up with a platform that’s unsellable. Make it too easy and the content owners will crack down on you. What we’re missing is a simple way to view all of the content on your TV.īoxee is tackling an admittedly very difficult problem. If you just don’t mind visiting sites like Hulu and Comedy Central you really can get by without paying for cable TV these days. Networks are putting the majority of their content online in an ad supported form. We’re on the cusp of the internet TV revolution.
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