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Boxee vs. Zinc vs. Hulu
For those with a Windows PC and some time for TV, DeviceGuru writes "Which is the best Internet media streaming application for a media-center PC? Boxee, Zinc, or the new Hulu Desktop? A post at DeviceGuru.com reviews these three media streaming platforms and draws some interesting conclusions. Key pros and cons are tabulated and numerous screenshots are included. Interestingly, despite lots of Boxee hype, Zinc already has a number of valuable features that Boxee is scrambling to add to its next version, due out in the fall. On the other hand, Boxee boasts far more third-party content-access applications support."
Since stupid rights managements mean they're only usable in one country.
Wasn't Zinc just proved to cause loss of smell in people? Then I guess you wouldn't be able to tell if it stinks or not!
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
"For those US residents with a Windows PC and some time for TV"
There, fixed.
As a non-US resident, Mininova is still the best bang for the buck to me.
For some it doesn't matter. For example, if u are on linux, then it boils down to Boxee and... Boxee. (Assuming that crappy table in "conclusions" switched OS Support columns)
If you are outside US, then again, it limits your choice.
So, this might be relevant, but only for people living in US and using Windows.
Also, there are Linux only solutions, like for example MythTV, can't say about selection of videos there thou... I guess its small.
I prefer Plex over all of those. Surprised it was not included.
Why settle for a bunch of DRM streaming that they will pull the run out from under you at any time. Most of the content is available to be recorded or you can rent. Either it will not have commercials or MythTV will automatically skip them. You get to pick what happens.
Hulu Desktop is nothing more than a dedicated browser for the Hulu website. It gives you a flashier interface, smoother video playback, and [in my experience] better buffering. It's entirely Flash-based.
That having been said, I've switched over to it exclusively for my Hulu viewing. One less program running (IE) is a huge benefit on my less-than-stellar Celeron when playing full-screen video.
It does not, however, display your media library, or in any other way act like a Media Center application.
Cheers!
A small comparison of interest:
Windows: Public School. Mac: Private School. Linux: Homeschool. Assembly: Unschool.
I have really been liking Zinc - very smooth operation, plus it looks so cool. Since I can use Zinc to access Hulu (and it does a pretty good job of runing Hulu - maximizing when it can, letting me pause and skip and so forth with the remote) and so many other sources, I see no need for Hulu Desktop. My Media Center bliss is nearly complete... If only it would aggregate Justin TV (a nice source which could really use a UI makeover)
This is not a self-referential sig.
Since none of them support OS X unless you have an Intel processor, I'm ticked at them all. XBMC DOES, but so far I can't get it to stream Netflix OR Hulu (there are ways, but they require you to have another computer and to purchase Playon...FAIL).
Look, I'm not going to shell out hundreds of dollars just to have a media center computer. I happen to have some older hardware that is suitable for the task. PPC support makes sense because I think a fair number of people are walking the same path. So until Boxee gets off their collective butts and decides to support PPC, I'll pass.
"We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
Nice overview Rick.
For myself, I'm still finding that Apple TV and iTunes are the best combo. The new Apple TV firmware upgrade 2.4--http://practical-tech.com/entertainment/apple-tv-2-4-well-worth-the-download/--in particular has really made the Apple TV more useful than ever. Apple doesn't whisper a word of it, but the code's really been cleaned up and the result is a much more efficient media box.
The list of my problems with that combo--starting with the simple fact that it's proprietary as proprietary can be--is longer than my arm. Still, for me it's the best choice.
Steven
Other than the livetv part, there isn't much to love in mythtv. Mythvideo is *horrible*. It doesn't have much in the way of automatically finding and acquiring metadata around your local media. The navigation menu assumes one big flat folder with everything in it. While it does work with directory trees, you end up having to click through that to get the video. Boxee really shines here -- it separates TV series from movies, and for tv shows, groups them according to season. This was exactly what I wanted. When you add new media, in myth you have to go an select scan from the setup screen while boxee is always watching for new media and it just shows up under the recently added section.
While the alpha does crash every now and then (the 0.12 has improved a lot for me) what I'm struggling with is the need for the fglrx -- the LTS fglrx support on my ati 9500 pro was horrible (freeze the screen, took 5 reboots to get stable from power on) -- I'm currently on 9.04 with xorg from 8.10 and that's been working out quite well now.
Media Center Software:
Streaming Content Services:
so .. apples to apples next time?
"What's the use of a good quotation if you can't change it?" - Doctor Who
The summery first talks about the PC and then about a platform. Which is it?
For the PC I prefer MPlayer-plugin with Firefox. As a platform I use my Linux hosting and as a player I use http://www.gdd.ro/gddflvplayer.html
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Actually Boxee falls down here even harder unless you are using
the Browse view in which case you are using it in the same way
that you would be using MythVideo. Separating movies from show
and then throwing them in a big pile isn't really an improvement.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Y'see this? Y'see this?!?! This is why we can't have anything nice!!!!!
www.isoHunt.com
Dude, it is "Vietnam II". Accept it and move on. You can't win a religious war unless you are willing to go full genocide. Sorry, that is just the way it is. You DO realize the Shia and Sunni have been killing themselves for ...what? 800 years now? They have been killing each other for longer than the USA has been a country, and you think you can stop that?
The ONLY way Saddam was able to keep those three groups in line was by digging mass graves and putting anyone who looked at him funny in them. You could stay there for 100 years, blowing cash that we don't have like a hooker with a stolen CC and racking up dead Americans and Iraqs and in the end? They'll just keep on coming. And five minutes after you finally accept it is "Vietnam II" and pull out the Shia and Sunni will go right back to killing each other as they have for centuries. It was and is nothing but a waste of American lives and money. Where have we seen this before? Oh yeah, Vietnam. Except in Vietnam we actually had a better chance of winning than we do now. Give it up already.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.