The flip side has a full QWERTY keyboard, which is designed to make it easier to search for shows and other content. This layout is fairly straightforward, but we sometimes couldn't tell which end was up in a dimly lit room. One side of the black bar houses a D-pad, Play/Pause button, and Menu button. While the Logitech Revue with Google TV ships with a full keyboard and touchpad, Boxee tries to keep things simple with its two-faced remote. Under the hood is a 1.2-GHz Atom processor-with support for 1080p video playback-and 1GB of RAM. For such a relatively lightweight product, it takes up a fair amount of vertical space. If it wasn't for the current stability issues, it'd displace XBMC as the default software on my HTPC.Unfortunately, the awkward shape and bulkiness of the Boxee Box doesn't make it the most friendly device for stacking in your entertainment center. I've generally expressed a preference for XBMC in the past, but the Boxee beta has really won me over. Given the high ambitions of its developers and their relatively strong track record so far, I'm optimistic that they can make it rock.Īs some readers may already know, I've been switching between Boxee and XBMC ever since Boxee was first introduced. Instead, I'll say that it holds the possibility of being the best if it can transcend this rough patch and deliver on its considerable potential. These issues are largely forgiveable for a beta, but I think it's important to note that the beta designation-which has sort of lost its meaning for many technology enthusiasts-is definitely deserved in this case.Īfter experiencing all of the good parts of the latest and greatest Boxee, I want to be able to say that it's the best media center application that I've ever used. An unscientific poll of Twitter indicated that I'm not the only user who is frustrated with the program's tendency to sometimes crash and freeze. When I tested the beta on Mac OS X, I didn't suffer any playback problems but I still experienced the same general lack of stability. It provides direct access to Boxee's main sections-photos, movies, television shows, files, and applications-which were previously tucked away in a sidebar. The new streamlined home screen looks much smoother and more intuitive than its predecessor. The program's user interface has undergone a significant transformation that simplifies navigation and makes Internet content easier to access. I conducted extensive tests of the Boxee beta on my HTPC, which runs Ubuntu 9.10. The latest update has elevated Boxee's status as a contender for lord of the living room, but it still falls short of making it a true set-top champion. The program also has extensive support for playing audio and video content from popular streaming media Web services, including Hulu. One of the distinguishing features of Boxee is that it has an integrated social networking service that allows users to share what they are watching and see recommendations based on what their friends are watching. It is based on the open source XBMC media center application. It has a television-friendly user interface that can be seen easily from a couch and operated with either a remote control or conventional input devices. The update brings significant improvements to the user experience and delivers an impressive degree of aesthetic refinement, but the program lacks stability and will need more work before it is ready to conquer the living room.īoxee is a multimedia player application that is designed primarily to be used on home theater PC (HTPC) systems. This month Boxee announced the availability of its public beta release, a major new version of the popular media center software.
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