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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.
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
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.
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
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.
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 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.