![]() So, our home network was pulling bandwidth already. ![]() Now, my two kids, having had enough of being forced test subjects during Dad’s crazy TV gadget reviews, had retreated elsewhere for some Call Of Duty: Black Ops action. Moreover, when I’d actually play content, I’d often get buffering. What’s with those missing thumbnail images? I repeatedly found Boxee to be very slow in loading these, as I browsed. I was offer a list of popular shows, presumably as viewed by other Boxee users in general: I started exploring the Boxee TV menu, to understand how that worked. Lots, as it turns out, though it might be less about “on demand” viewing and more about discovering something interesting among the offerings. In the end, I started wondering if there was any TV content I could watch with this new device. Try to use that, and you get a “Coming Soon” message: Vudu is listed now, a pay-per-view streaming movie service. Even searching the Boxee box brought up nothing. Buy the box, and you’ll discover nothing about Netflix is mentioned, that I could find. That’s especially important given that the Boxee Box web page for potential buyers of the product lists Netflix as a “featured content partner” now. I’d have preferred if the Boxee Box displayed these channels now, with a message that they were to come (as with Vudu, below). The Boxee Blog has a post that explains more about this. As for Netflix, it’s coming - as is support for the Hulu Plus service (that’s Hulu on a monthly-subscription basis). In my Roku: My First Day Review & Impressions article, I explained more about how each of these services gives access to a wide-range of television and movie content. Most notable is what’s not there: Netflix, Amazon or Hulu. Just below the main menu options are some featured applications/channels. Once logged in, you get a home page as shown below tthat allows you to see what your friends on Boxee are sharing, shows you’ve selected to “Watch Later,” browse or search for TV shows, movies, use applications or display multimedia files: The Missing Channels: No Netflix, No Hulu, Not Yet ![]() It only took about five minutes, and then I got a prompt to either login using my existing Boxee account or to create a new one. The brand new Google TV and Roku devices I’ve used did the same. The Software Setupĭespite being a brand new device, Boxee immediately wanted to do a software update, as soon as I turned it on. I went with wired, so as to eliminate wireless issues during my testing. You can choose to use either wireless or wired internet connections. Plug them in, connect to your TV, and you’re off-and-running. ![]() The box comes with a power adapter, as well as an HDMI cable. The front has some simple navigation buttons, and it can control the volume in some videos you watch. The only downside is that the remote has no backlighting, so you won’t be typing much in the dark. This is what you should have done for your Google TV controllers. It incorporates a keyboard on the back:ĭespite the keyboard, the remote is small enough to hold in your hand. On the flip side, I absolutely love the remote control. Then again, I have an incredibly crowded TV stand now, yet I managed to fit it in. You’re not going to be able to stack any other devices on top of it, and it just feels like an awkward shape to fit in among other devices you might have. There’s a picture of it it at the top of this review from the Boxee site - each side is about the size of a hand. It’s more like a misshapen triangle, where part of the cube has been lopped off, making it lean back. The Boxee Box is a $200 device that’s currently being sold only through Amazon. Friday night was Boxee Box testing night. I followed the same approach with Boxee as well as Apple TV (a review of that soon: short story, Roku seems much better). I just plugged it in and tried to see how well it worked to let me watch some TV shows via the internet. I knew some of what Google TV could do, having been at the launch event - but I hadn’t been briefed or looked at the final product in depth, before I used it. My approach with these devices has been to review them as if I know nothing about them, in the way a consumer might approach them, puzzled by the choices they saw on the shelves of an electronic store. If you’re one of those ready to scream at me about why the Boxee Box is awesome, hang on to those thoughts for a moment. I know that Boxee has legions of fans who have been using the software version for ages. That may improve when Netflix & Hulu Plus support finally comes. If you’re already a fan of the Boxee software service, the device might be worth it. As part of my Life With Google TV series, I’ve been looking at other internet-to-TV devices.
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