By now many of us have had the opportunity to experience internet video content on our home television sets via a particular source. Be it an Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Blu-Ray DVD Player, Apple TV, HDTV built-in internet module, or simply connecting our computer via a VGA cable right to our TVs, just to name a few. The Boxee team has now introduced a new, innovative way, to enjoy any internet media content, right on our television sets. Available via a various different connection methods, with more in development, Boxee puts the user in control of what to watch at their [the user's] convenience. It’s your own Media Center with limitless possibilities!
The Boxee Box by D-Link
Instead of having to surf the net via a web browser, and go from site to site, searching for video content, Boxee makes it possible to find it all in one place, using a remote control, from the comfort of your couch. Not only that, but Boxee takes it to the next step by allowing the user to also access all of their media content, not only from a local source, such as a hard drive, media server, or a computer, but also from any other source on-line, such as Picasa and Facebook, where a user has personal content. Simply put, Boxee is an internet media platform for your television set.
The way it works is simple! One simply downloads the Boxee software from www.Boxee.tv onto any computer, and voila, the world wide web is the limit! Of course how the computer is connect to the TV set will defer, and there are a number of options available. This post by Jason Cypret covers the currently available options and their costs. D-Link is currently working on a release of The Boxee Box, which will make it even that much easier and amazing. The Boxee Box will be released sometime in the second half of 2010. The Boxee team is currently in the testing stages of the Boxee Box. Keep in mind that Boxee is still in beta testing, and the Boxee team’s main focus is improving functionality. It can only get better!
The Boxee Home Screen - Providing Access to All Media
The Boxee Music section provides access to all music user has available on their computer. Even media downloaded from iTunes can be accessed via Boxee and enjoyed on a TV screen.
The Boxee Music Screen - Providing Access to Users' Music Files
The TV Show Library is one of my favorite features on Boxee. It allows the user to search for any show ever made. If it is available somewhere on the internet, Boxee will find it and allow user to stream it on their TV. If multiple sources are avaialbe, Boxee will provide a recommendation of which source is better, but offer all options to user. For example, the show Glee can be streamed from Fox or from Hulu.
The Boxee TV Show Library Screen - Providing Access to All TV Shows Available on the Internet
The Boxee Applications give users access to hundreds of media related applications. Have a Facebook account? One can access pictures of their personal and friends’ Facebook pages. Netflix members can also enjoy the instant play option from Netflix, right through Boxee, although currently the quality gets a bit distorted. Of course, not to forget YouTube and Google Videos, both also available as an application on Boxee. These are just to name a few of the hundreds of applications available. Even The Guild, an internet show series about a group of gamers, is available as an application. Need music? We are all familiar with Pandora radio. Boxee allows streaming of Pandora radio right on your TV sets! There are just so many possibilities!
The Boxee platform is open source. This is great because it allows anyone with content to develop their own application and submit it to Boxee for approval. Once approved, that application will become available to all users. This reminds me of the Android market. Look how far that has come in a short period of time. All of this is very exciting to see where the future takes Boxee. I can bet money that it will soon be a topic that many people are discussing.
The Boxee Applications Screen - Providing Access to Hundreds of Applications with Internet Media Content of Some Sort
Another great option available on Boxee is to add any content user surfs upon, while browsing the internet, to their Boxee queue. This is executed by simply allowing Boxee to put a little button right on the browser’s link bar that reads “Add to Boxee,” and whenever media content of interest is found, one simply clicks the button and that content will be found in the Boxee queue. This is useful when one doesn’t want to take that particular moment in time and view the media, but would like to quickly and easily find it at a later time.
MacBook Pro TV Connection
I am very glad to have Boxee available to me. I urge everyone to try it! For those that feel they are not savvy enough to be able to set this up, no worries. It is as simple as it sounds. I used my MacBook Pro and connected a couple of cables, one of video and one for audio. The MacBook Pro requires a Mini Display Port to DVI adaptor, after which I connected a DVI to HDMI cable that runs right to the back of the TV. Then I used a stereo connection kit, which is a cable that plugs into the headphones outlet on the MacBook Pro, while the other end splits into two RCA [left and right] jacks that I plugged right into my stereo receiver. This connection basically expands my desktop to include my television display. It allows for high definition. It also works with gaming, giving me a large monitor to play on. The money invested for this connection was about $95, and well worth it.
Boxee Remote on Android
Need a remote control for your Boxee? Nothing is simpler. Currently both the iPhone and Android Phones have an application that turns that phone into a remote for Boxee. The phone must be connected to the same wi-fi network as the computer running Boxee, in order for it to work. When the Boxee Box is released, a really nice remote control will be available that also has a qwerty key board on the back of it.
As stated earlier, Boxee is still in the beta stages. Even so, it works extremely well. Currently there is no charge for any of the services available on Boxee. With Hulu currently planing a subscription service, things may change in the future. I can see that the quality of media only improves on Boxee in the future. With that said, I would be willing to subscribe to Boxee for a reasonable fee – especially if that includes access to Hulu without an additional subscription. Although, there is nothing like a free service that provides so much. However, all business are there to make profits, and Boxee needs revenue from somewhere [besides the Boxee Box when it is released], in order to keep improving. I will support them with their decisions – unless a better alternative becomes available.
