Slashdot Mirror
Boxee 1.5 Will Be the Last Supported Desktop Version
DeviceGuru writes with excerpts from the article: "Boxee released [a beta of] version 1.5 of its free multimedia streaming software for Mac, Windows, and Linux desktops today, but simultaneously announced that it will cease offering the Boxee desktop software after January. Thereafter, the company will limit its focus to devices such as the D-Link Boxee Box, which faces stiff competition from multimedia streaming TV set-top-box products such as the Roku players, Google TV, and Apple TV. Hopefully, the XBMC project, on which Boxee's software is largely based, will carry the ball forward for desktop users. Speaking of which, the first preview release of XBMC 11.0 Eden was just released."
Time to move to XBMC.
However, if they actually DO update Boxee for Linux it will be the first time in a long time. They haven't even bothered for a while.
As someone who currently owns a bricked Boxee Box, I'm somewhat pleased they're finally focusing on just the Boxee Box, because that thing seriously needs some love. It was really cool for the first month or so when it worked, but the forced firmware updates brick Boxee Boxes left and right (according to the forums). The browser is absolutely terrible and isn't supported by Hulu, the "mouse" on the remote is one of the worst things I've ever used (try using arrow keys to move one pixel at a time).
They have a lot of work to do if they want to be in the media center market.
you mean something like http://cetoncorp.com/products/infinitv-4-pcie/ ? record up to 4 HD channels at once if you have a cable card from your cable tv provider
I can't be the only person that thought of this.
I just recently started using Plex when we bought a new LG TV that happened to have a built-in Plex client - and I must say it's pretty slick. So, even with Boxee, it would seem like there are still going to be readily available free options for people.
People don't cycle through televisions all that quickly, but with smart TV functionality becoming more prevalent it's probably just a matter of time before all these add-on boxes die off. Heck, even my beloved Tivo became a lot less interesting after we bought the TV - we still use the basic DVR functionality, but all the "value added" features (e.g. Netflix, Pandora, home media viewing) became redundant. The TV itself offers them now - and it does them better.
#DeleteChrome
Well nice going Boxee, you've just alienated THE MAJORITY OF YOUR FANBASE that ignore the expensive glorified trinkets w/ HDMI cables sticking out of them in favor of self-built microATX, laptop, or straight-up desktop setups. Either way, perhaps something better will come out of it. IIRC Boxee used entirely different backends for each platform...
Support for the ceton card was recently added to mythtv (trunk). So there's work on it.
And the HDHomeRun Prime has worked with linux since day one. So has the DCR-something or other from Hap-screw-their-shitty-name.
The only restriction is DRM Encumbered channels. If you're on Time Warner Cable - that's all of them. If you're on comcast, it's just the premiums (hbo, cinemax, showtime, starz, encore). If you're on verizon fios, I read that everything is marked as Copy Freely - so no DRM to deal with.
So?
You are welcome on my lawn.
Well the cable co's f* up cable card there used to be quite a few tv's with it but now I think alot of old one's can't do SDV makeing them some what useless in some systems.
Also getting the cable co have a cable guy / phone people who know about cable cards is very hit or miss and then some times it's odd stuff like some times the cable card is not setup up in right node / headend or other odd issues that the cable co boxes that have cable cards don't seem to have or it seems the phone people just don't know how to stuff they can do with cable boxes..
XBMC is some really great software, I'm glad support has lasted this long. It's what I use on my TV PC, it's easy to setup, and does exactly what it's supposed to do. It's got some great plugins that allow live streaming from various sources, supports any format I've thrown at it, it's a DLNA server, supports various network protocols for indexing and streaming, supports many remote control devices, it's available for all major OSes and works great on all platforms. I'm extremely happy with it.
Twinstiq, game news
No, I can't understand why I should care.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I think the answer is "it depends what you want to do." I had the opportunity to purchase and review 9 different media streaming devices. This is what I came away with:
WD TV Live HD: Has a wonderful interface for streaming services like Youtube and Pandora, and it does DLNA very well. Very good support for music without playlists (many DLNA streamers just want to play single tracks or tracks on a DLNA-shared playlist). But I couldn't get one to negotiate a 1080p connection with my bog-standard 1080p Toshiba TV despite switching cables and several different firmware revisions on two different units. I also found that navigating the user interface was slow and occasionally non-responsive.
Seagate has a very similar set of products. I only took a cursory look at a cheap FreeAgent Theater, found that it errored out when I tried to stream something from my DLNA server and set it aside.
Roku XD: Streams the stuff it streams. Doesn't technically do DLNA or allow access to local network content, though there is a DLNA-like application you can run on a Windows machine to sorta stream some content. I was really unimpressed. But at least it does 1080p.
Popcorn Hour C200: DLNA client, DLNA server. Has a local drive bay and USB ports to add storage. Supports every audio and video format known to man. Will auto-rip content if you put an optical drive in it. Has a great collection of free streaming services and network connectivity options... and a dreadfully slow user interface and no access to any sort of premium streaming options.
Boxee: I actually like the UI and social hooks. I like the variety of support for network connectivity and the overall speed of the UI. But oddly enough, it doesn't do UPNP or DLNA, something I ulimately confirmed with DLink. It has excellent file format support, a decent user interface for network browsing and for music playback, and I love the remote, but there are enough weird drawbacks that it feels like an unfinished product, especially at $150 or so. I'll also say that the Windows version of the software would regularly spike an i7-2600 to 100% CPU utilization across all cores, all by itself.
LG Smart TV Upgrader (Sony and several other companies sell identical devices): Accesses premium streaming services just fine. Supports Plex, as of the most recent update; the one at my parents' house can stream movies from my apartment 700 miles away. Fuss-free DLNA support and it kind-of manages SMB support as well. Dirt cheap, but the UI is ugly, slow and somewhat non-intuitive. Music support is particularly crappy and the remote is not that good either. Still, for $50, they do what I want them to to do.
Vortexbox: I set up a Vortexbox, thinking it would be an STB solution. It's a DLNA/AFP/SMB server that auto-rips stuff to FLAC or MKV and makes it available to other systems on a LAN. It's meant to be appliance-like. It worked OK for its intended purpose, but to my annoyance the install scripts assume there's only one storage drive and don't make provisions for expansion, meaning that it's basically a less-functional version of a Popcorn Hour C200.
PS3/Xbox360. Theses things can be used as streaming clients with obnoxious control devices and poor user interfaces. I'm sure it's great if you're used to it, but I found them lacking.
The great unknown for me is the Logitech Revue. They're cheap now, and I understand that they're essentially Android 3.1 devices. I would assume that I can get any sort of premium streaming on them, since all that stuff works on my Android phone, and I should have my pick of third-party media players if I don't like the ones it ships with. I don't know about the actual TV integration, but I don't really care about that aspect either.
At the end of the day, I liked the LG Smart TV Upgrader better than the others. I had too many problems with the WD TV Live HD and the Boxee needed to cost about half what it does in order to be competitive. Maybe this new focus on the hardware will fix some of the issues.
-- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
Digital Restriction Management indeed...
DRM is the reason Netflix isn't available o Linux.
DRM takes the customer as the enemy so there can't be FOSS DRM. (pirates don't suffer from DRM)
DRM hardware chips enable device makers to leverage the free work of the FOSS community without actually giving anything back.
Without allowing people to use their computer as they want.
DRM hardware is what enables TiVos and Roku boxes to function.
I have no doubt DRM hardware is the reason Boxee is leaving desktop users out in the cold.
DRM is the reason XBMC can't play blueray discs or Netflix.
It's the reason device makers manage to monopolise the market, by rising the cost for small players and making it impossible to play nice for independent and home-made players.
Without DRM there would be a revolution in Media players and Media Centers, In fact there is already one, it's just either illegal or nearly frozen.
Ultimately DRM attacks the wrong end of the distribution chain. IDIOTS! I WANT TO PAY FOR THIS STUFF, what are you afraid I might do with your stream? Post it online? There is no need! IT IS ALREADY ONLINE! I can stream it from anywhere in the world into the very same media center you don't want me to use to consume your damn service.
Imbecile Mother Fuckers.
But... the future refused to change.
Roku is the worst? I "cut the cord" in 08, been doing everything thru Xbox XBMC ever since.
Relatives were looking for a cable alternative but i thought a xbmc would be too complicated so I bought them a Roku LT for Christmas. For $50 it's pretty amazing, came with crackle and pandora, added Netflix and they were just in shock at all the content available for only $7 a month. Dead simple to use, makes an iPhone look complicated, and the hd video quality looked better than I had hoped. Can you explain why the Roku is the worse?
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Put a cablecard into any mATX case (there are several that look like TiVos) along with win 7 HP and tada! Easy Peasy. Windows media center frankly kicks ass as a DVR, I've been running my cable into it since Oct 09 and its as simple and easy as one can get. I can tell it to record a show or record a series with a single click, it automatically downloads two weeks worth of scheduling and keeps itself updated (I have mine set to 7AM, it turns the PC on from sleep, updates and then goes back to sleep) and makes it butt simple with homegroups to share with the rest of my machines.
So just do it yourself friend, it couldn't be simpler. modern boards come with fricking pictures so you don't even have to Habla English to put together a PC, there are plenty of nice mATX cases that are perfect for HTPCs, you can use one of the new AMD E-350 boards (which last I checked are like $90 from Newegg) if you want it ultra low power with hardware decode or for $10-$15 more depending on which HSF you choose you can get a Phenom I quad ( just go to Starmicro.net and pick one out) for $55 and an AM2+ board is beyond cheap. then just load it out any way you like with regards to RAM and HDD, hell if you don't mind a standard black case (I've built a couple of them and they look quite nice in a slot in the entertainment center and most of the customers i'd found would rather have more power than a baby case) you can go nuts and get a 6 core for $300 after rebate with everything you'll need and more than enough power to transcode any format you wish. You could even slap in a cheap refurb HD4830 or HD4850 along with the wireless X360 controller and make a pretty kick ass game machine. I have a customer that went that route and all his friends just drool when he fires up Batman:AA or Just Cause II on that fat 50 inch TV. Go DIY and you save a ton and can have it YOUR way with what YOU want.
As for TFA....uhhh....who cares? XBMC isn't going anywhere, and you also have MediaPortal and of course WMC to go along with it, so it isn't like we don't have a wealth of choices here. If anything I'd say its never been easier to go HTPC, there is a ton of software, you can get cases in any shape and style, if you stick with AMD you can get insane horsepower for dirt cheap, for those of us that want to use our PCs for TVs or DVRs life is good.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
I was under the impression that the Boxee Box was going to be an open platform only to find out that it wasn't so I sold it about a month later and got two AppleTV2's, for the same price and installed XBMC on them. I've never been happier with this combo. ATV2 is just enough hardware to play 720p smoothly which is all I want. You don't need 1080p unless you have a 60" set and you're watching it within 8 feet which I don't. http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html It uses about 8 Watts, has 8GB of solid state versus the 1GB on the Boxee Box. Content metadata, playback settings and thumbnails are all stored in a central location along with all my media. I can also watch my PVR content because of the MythTV support. I haven't seen any media centre come close to doing what XBMC does.
ayottesoftware.com
I tried out several software suites for my HTPC and ultimately ended up with XBMC.
There's enough free content that if you're a casual TV watcher you can get away without it. There's a "free cable" plugin that pulls in a bunch of channels, along with hulu free (of course, who knows how long that will exist).
I use amazon prime to get all the "free" prime movies/shows and that is another ton of content.
Unfortunately blockbuster isn't working but I believe Netflix does on windows ( don't have that ). It's silverlight.
There are tons of handy plugins. Anything from adult plugins (pr0n) to academic earth.
I drive it all from my harmony remote, audio passthrough through video hdmi out to receiver.
Once I get mythtv going to record football I'm going to (finally) cancel comcast. I hope that one day HBO / Showtime will smarten up and offer modular monthly subscriptions, instead of requiring you use a federated login based on your cable/dish provider. Lame.
XBMC is flexible/hackable enough to make me happy since I can make most anything work, but presents media simply enough my computer illiterate girlfriend can drive it all. Win.
Will not abandon users for corporate gold like the Boxee goofballs.
I hope the Boxee guys dont think they can go closed source, 90% of their product is XBMC still under there. they need to rewrite all of that before they can go the corperate overlord route.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I've been VERY interested in an Internet based set-top box solution for many years now. As someone who likes movies a lot, but DOESN'T watch almost any network TV (sitcoms, reality TV episodes, cop/crime dramas, etc.), I've never gotten my money's worth paying for monthly cable or satellite subscriptions. I do, however, already have a fast broadband connection that I use enough to justify its monthly expense. Therefore, one of these boxes and a cheap subscription to something like Netflix streaming would appear to be ideal.
Unfortunately, whether it's XBMC, Boxee, AppleTV, or you-name-it? ALL of the current solutions are incomplete, primarily because the broadcasters and movie industry still isn't ready to fully embrace the digital age. As much as we all like to slam the recording industry for their backwards ways, it's an odd fact that they're probably the first of the bunch to come to grips with reality and co-operate with the change to digital media distribution. (Heck, they even want to give the late Steve Jobs a Grammy for iTunes!) Right now, the book publishers, for example, are years behind the record labels -- still fighting to keep public libraries from lending out some of their material via e-readers, pricing periodicals downloaded digitally at too high a price, snubbing authors who opt to publish digitally with companies like Amazon, etc. etc.
The movie and broadcast industry are in a similar place ... still desperately clinging onto a dying business model. The public wants/expects on-demand streaming of the video content they'd like to watch, when they want to view it. The industry wants/expects viewers to go out and purchase the content one show or movie at a time on physical plastic platters (DVDs), or alternately, to pay monthly for pre-selected content to constantly stream in over a cable or satellite link and artificial limitations be placed on the recording or copying of said content.
Until this changes, we keep seeing a cat and mouse game; networks trying to block the viewing of their available web content when using a GoogleTV, constant update patches required for Plex so it can continue to "scrape" popular web sites for info on downloaded movies or TV shows properly, artificial limitations placed on which devices can and can't view Hulu's content, etc.
In fact, I heard rumors that the AppleTV even had to deal with a Netflix vs. Hulu spat where Apple was forced to pick one, because they refused to BOTH be offered as options on the unit together.
I can understand Boxee's move, if they really feel they can make the Boxee box a better product by focusing strictly on it, vs. trying to support all sorts of other misc. PC hardware out there. But it's a risky move, IMO, from the standpoint that competitors like Plex seem to offer essentially all of the same functions and features, but are working deals so they come pre-installed on new TV sets out of the box, as well as $5 software downloads for GoogleTV bases products AND free downloads for Macs or PCs. What can Boxee do to differentiate themselves enough so people will still buy their proprietary set-top box?
I've owned a BoxeeBox for nearly 1.5yrs now and a there are a few remaining issues which keep it from being great. And that's more a compliment than a bitch... As one who is more interested in a solution for Locally-stored Content (say, 80% local and 20% other), it's pretty good, no doubt, and almost does everything I need. Almost. So please, D-Link, take this opportunity to get it together and FINISH the BoxeeBox. What you/we have now is analogous to a Beta release, at best. Fix the known issues, add the most requested features - and I'd buy 2 more for home, and would've given away two more for Christmas (I gave away to Roku boxes instead).
I really wanted for Myth to work for me. It is just too much of a pain to set up. The OS install is easy. The MythTV software install is easy. The problem is when you get to the video capture and remote control setup. I don't know if it has gotten any easier, but there seems to be a lot of compiling, command line configuration, and finger crossing. I found the only benefit it had over XBMC was the live television capabilities. Once I cancelled Dish, XBMC covered 100% of my needs with dramatically easier installation.