Boxee just reinvented the box. The Boxee Box is no longer just a media streamer, thanks to the just-released Boxee Live TV. The little USB ATSC tuner integrates OTA HDTV and basic cable seamlessly into the Boxee Box’s menu system, and I found it’s as wonderful as it sounds. The little box is now the cord cutter’s best friend (if it wasn’t already). → Read More
SOPA protests are everywhere today. The Internet is collectively up in arms about the proposed legislation. Major sites are shut down, banners are everywhere, but that’s online. Boxee is taking the fight to living rooms.
Turn on a Boxee Box today and you’ll be greeted with three large black boxes that clearly state STOP SOPA. There’s no way to miss them. Featured videos generally occupy the prime real estate on the home screen. But not today. Today they direct viewers to a Vimeo video (embedded below) explaining the downfalls of Protect-IP. → Read More
Boxee Box owners, get ready for even more content. The SlingPlayer app is available for your downloading (auto-playing video warning) and ready to catch content slung from a SlingBox Solo or Pro-HD.
This simple app allows big things. When paired with the appropriate SlingBox, Boxee Box users will be able to remotely control and access a cable box, DVR or satellite receiver. This turns the Boxee Box into a content consuming monster. → Read More
Boxee Box owners who are also paying Spotify users, rejoice, for the two have been combined into one sweet music streaming app.
Boxee users with a Spotify Premium subscribers ($9.99 per month) can now enjoy on-demand access to Spotify’s millions of available tracks directly on their TV. → Read More
Talk about timely. Boxee’s Avner Ronen just posted the worklist for the next Boxee Box firmware, which is schuduled to drop in May. Among other fixes the browser is getting a major update that seems to address many of my concerns. Also, Boxee Box support for the iPad app is coming. May can’t get here soon enough. → Read More
I’ve thrown big props towards the Boxee Box lately calling it the best media streamer for cutting the cord. It’s a solid device that provides a memorable user experience. That’s rare these days but the Boxee Box nails it, which is why I give it so much credit. But it’s not perfect. I seriously believe that the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Still, there’s room for improvement and I pray that Boxee addresses these four issues in the next update. → Read More
I hit a nerve. I seriously believe cord cutting is all about alternative services and not the hardware. Clearly others think different. My last post concerning the movement focused on three main areas with hardware only one small portion of the overall post. Why? All roads lead to Netflix and DLNA servers anyway. Nearly every box can run Netflix along with at least a dozen of other streaming services. I featured my favorites — the do-it-all Boxee Box and the dead-simple Roku — in the last post, but as so many commentors pointed out, there are a lots of other options.
I agree! There’s more than a few ways to cut the cord. So here we go, the six best devices listed in order of relevance that will help cut your household’s dependence on pay TV. → Read More
Smooooooch! That’s Avner Ronen of Boxee Box wishing all the Boxee Box owners a happy Valentine’s Day with a big wet Netflix kiss. The streaming media service just hit box and will certainly makes some Boxee Box owner’s day with ability to browse the Netflix streaming catalog right from the box. Netflix was supposed to hit the Boxee Box by the end of 2010. That’s what the official website said even up until last week. Then it was supposed to hit in January. Clearly that didn’t happen. Boxee was getting its fair share of flack over the delay thanks to the constant cycle of missed deadlines. → Read More
Sigh. The Boxee Box launched with much fan fair in November. At that time, the promise was Netflix and Vudu would hit the box by the end of the year. A major firmware hit the device in December, but the app support wasn’t included. New Years came and went and then suddenly, Vudu hit the box in late January with the fleeting promise Netflix would come by the end of the month. Well, it’s February 1st and my Boxee Box is still missing Netflix. Now Boxee says there are security concerns. Sigh. → Read More
Everyone likes the Boxee Box, even Viewsonic is adding Boxee inside their new TVs. It just that, most of the other streaming media boxes have Netflix — even Apple TV. When Boxee CEO responded to complaints about Boxee’s lack of Netflix he said, “[they] are working hard to get Netflix out the door.”
So what’s new with the update? Read on after the break. → Read More
A cryptic Tweet from Boxee points to a new firmware version rolling out in the next few hours, one that probably promises Vudu and Hulu content on what Matt calls “his favorite box.” Matt here: Nevermind John. He meant to say Netflix, not Hulu. → Read More
The Boxee Box is great, but not perfect. The company just rolled out the first major firmware update that address many of the common complants. Owners can now specify whether local or Internet files take precedent over the other, making for a much more user-centered feel. If you have a bunch of files stored on a NAS that are watched regularly, you’ll probably selecte the ”Mostly my own files.” But if you got the Boxee Box to watch online content, the “Mostly stuff from the Web” option is probably for you.
The update solves a bunch more updates and bugs though. Click through for the complete rundown. → Read More
While the interface wasn’t on our list of no-nos in our Boxee Box review, there’s always room for improvement. Boxee has announced in their forums that they’ll be updating the box’s firmware with a few changes that should make it smoother overall.
Here’s what’s going down… → Read More
With all the new Internet TV boxes and services sprouting this holiday season—from Google TV and Apple TV to the Boxee Box, Shufflr, and beyond—there is a lot talk about people cutting their cable cords and just getting all of their TV from the Internet. That is not going to happen anytime soon until the best TV shows and movies become available online at the same time as on TV, but the direction is clear. Today at the SAI Ignition conference in New York City, Boxee CEO Avner Ronen declared, “Resistance is futile.”
Ronen was responding to the question of when will there be something worthwhile to watch on the Web. Getting Web video to your TV is becoming increasingly easy, but there are so many restrictions on the best video (network TV shows and Hollywood movies) that it is still not worth watching on the Web for anybody but geeks. Ronen himself admits that his modest goal is to get “from geeks to early adopters.” → Read More
Welcome to Death/Star, a new show we are testing on TechCrunch TV. It’s a product review show with a twist. My co-host, CrunchGear editor John Biggs, and I give our opinions on three hot products. In the inaugural episode we cover the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tablet, photo-sharing app Instagram, and the Boxee Box.
To spice things up, we try to go beyond the traditional thumbs up/thumbs down to predict whether each product will end up in the graveyard (in which case we mark it for death) or become a bona fide hit (in which case we give it a star). Hence, the name: Death/Star. A surprise guest appears at the end and punks Biggs (the look on his face is classic). → Read More
More and more households are cutting the cord and opting for legally or otherwise obtained content. This opens up a whole new world of potential holiday gifts! You could get your significant other any number of available media streamers to fancy HTPC remotes to even a subscription to various media services. But there’s no need to aimlessly wander the aisles of Amazon in search of the perfect gift. We’re rounded up the best in this category for you. Consider it one of your stocking stuffers from us. → Read More
Sigh. This is getting a bit much. Turns out there isn’t much to watch on Google TV after all. Google TV is apparently viewed by big media as the devil, as the horned one himself and the only way to counter its/his takeover plans, is to disallow access/worship. And so, just like that, Viacom joined the ranks of News Corp, NBC Universal, Disney, and CBS in their stance of blocking the evil Google TV units access to its online content. This leaves Time Warner and its subsidiary Turner Broadcasting System as the lone media company still playing nicely with Google TV.
So where does this leave Google TV? Sony and Logitech are heavily promoting their wares rocking the platform and there’s a rumor circling that Samsung is about to announce a Google TV-powered HDTV. But without access to these online sources, the platform is nothing more than a glorified Netflix and Amazon streamer — and an expensive one at that. → Read More
The Boxee Box is about the hottest media streamer ever made. It has issues, but it’s still really impressive and most of the bugs should be squashed soon. Anyway, Dell is hawking the Boxee Box for $200 like everyone else, but with the right coupon code, — V69?N67T203R2H — you can get it for $180 with free shipping. Yep, we love you. [via Dealnews] → Read More
Google TV is a mess. Apple TV is a joke. Using a Roku is about as exciting as cleaning my gutters. I like the Boxee Box, but my wife doesn’t understand why; she doesn’t get it and that says something. Downloading torrents or NZBs is time consuming and only a small portion of the population actually has the know-how and hardware to do it. Sorry. Cord cutting is a lost cause.
Listen, I’m all for canceling Comcast and joining the ranks of the cord cutters. I hate Comcast so much. If Comcast had a large, fluffy mascot, I would punch it in the face. That’s saying something if you know me. But the fact remains that there is simply no way to replicate Comcast’s or any other cable provider’s service right now. If you want to watch TV, you have to pay for it — but you can still complain along the way.
Cable is damn expensive and so through various media streamers, game systems, and services, I’ve tried just about everything to replace it, but nothing gives you the same experience and service as *shock* cable — or satellite — TV. → Read More
This may seem silly to mention, but seriously, check out the official Boxee Box community for tips, tricks, and a fair amount of bitching. Instead of spending hours (or minutes) Google’n and searching random sites, this one forum should be able to answer most anything about the Boxee Box → Read More
