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View Full Version : Boxee Box Review; I Still Have No Idea What is the Big Deal


Lee Yuan Sheng
11-17-2010, 04:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://mattapps.com/2010/11/14/boxee-box-in-depth-review-a-200-powerhouse' target='_blank'>http://mattapps.com/2010/11/14/boxe...-200-powerhouse</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The highly anticipated release of the Boxee Box is finally upon us!&nbsp; Since its debut at CES in January 2010, the thought of a relatively cheap consumer electronics device that could take the place of a typical media PC was indeed attractive.&nbsp; While most likely initially targeted at those already quite familiar with the Boxee (or XBMC) interface, it is likely the sub-$200 device will bring an entire new market of casual over-the-top video users into the foray."</em></p><p><em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1290006852.usr15670.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></em></p><p>So it is a small appliance that streams video from a computer to the TV. Given the hype, I assume it does it in a seamless way that blows all other products out of the water. Given I have not watched anything on the television in over ten years, this product misses the mark for me. The review is very favourable though... again I'm going to assume this is the product to get for its type?</p>

Jason Dunn
11-18-2010, 06:00 PM
The thing that makes the Boxee Box special is that it combines the best file format support - being able to play just about anything, including DVD ISOs and Blu-ray ISOs - with a user interface that's friendly and simple to use. It also pulls in various online video services if you live in a country that's supported. In the USA, by the end of the year it will have Netflix, and Hulu Plus is coming - in other countries, there's less online stuff, but it will links up with various online TV streaming services - in Canada for instance I see all the TV shows that my local stations stream. It's pretty cool, though I won't use it.

For me, it's all about the ISO playback - I want to rip all my DVDs and play them back on my big-screen TV, so it's great for that (though there are some bugs in the ISO playback that they're working on fixing).