Hasta La Gadget!

Boxee TV has a new firmware update making its way out to its connected set-top boxes this week, which includes a number of big improvements including the addition of DLNA streaming. Spotted by GigaOM, the update also adds 3D streaming of content from Vudu, the video streaming service from Walmart, and changes to its TV guide and notification settings.

Boxee TV is the follow-up to Boxee’s original hardware, the Boxee Box. That first-gen device actually had DLNA streaming while the Boxee TV shipped without it. The addition of DLNA means that the Boxee TV can now play back media over a local network from a computer or drive running DLNA server software, and can also play content from select Android devices and from a number of iOS apps. Photos, video and music can all be shared via the DLNA streaming protocol. It’s like a non-Apple-specific version of AirPlay, and it’s a very handy addition to Boxee TV that considerably increases its general usefulness.

The Boxee TV also now gets on-device DVR management, which is a big improvement over the old system where you can to schedule recordings via a website on a separate computer. In other words, this whole update seems to have been about ironing out the kinks and making sure the Boxee TV fully delivered on the generally good impressions it received when it launched late last year.

If you’re in the market for a set-top streaming device, the update makes Boxee TV a good option for consumers who might be looking at either an Apple TV or the new Roku 3, but who want a DLNA-capable device to handle streaming of their own media collection. Like both of those devices, the Boxee TV retails for $99.

Boxee has some fairly grand plans for its Boxee TV set-top box, and it’s now set to get a sizeable boost from the biggest retailer around. According Bloomberg News, the device will be available at more than 3,000 Walmart stores in the US starting tomorrow, where the retailer is also said to be setting up displays to demonstrate the device and provide marketing materials. As Bloomberg notes, the deal comes at a fairly critical time for Boxee, which sold some 120,000 devices in the past year compared to 1.4 million Roku boxes and 5.3 million Apple TVs. It also comes on the heels of another attempt by Boxee to win over customers, with it announcing just a few days ago that that it’d be handing out free Boxee TVs to some early adopters.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Boxee TV heads to Walmart shelves in time for the holidays originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AllThingsD  |  Bloomberg  | Email this | Comments

If you like the idea of the Boxee TV, you’ll be glad to hear that Boxee is handing units out like so much Halloween candy… as long as you live in the right areas, that is. Those who’ve signed up for product notifications and live in the cloud DVR coverage areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, DC can get a free Boxee TV just by filling out a survey. They’ll even have the privilege of getting their units ahead of everyone else. Boxee hasn’t said if any new sign-ups will qualify, though it can’t hurt to try the source link and potentially get a welcome treat.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Boxee hands out free Boxee TVs to its most eager cloud DVR fans originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Boxee  | Email this | Comments

Meet the Boxee TV: A $99 TV tuner/DVR aimed squarely at cord cutters and casual cable TV subscribers. It packs a DVR with unlimited storage, dual ATSC/QAM tuners, and several key apps including Netflix, Vudu, Pandora and YouTube. But most important, it’s built with Boxee’s DNA, which guarantees a class-leading user experience.

The Boxee TV is the company’s third major product release. The Boxee HTPC software hit 2008, which was followed by the Boxee Box made in partnership with D-Link in 2010. Boxee has since moved on from both products, putting development on both in a sort of holding pattern where the company will address issues but will no longer provide product updates. It’s all about the Boxee TV now, although the company doesn’t see the Boxee TV as a replacement for the two year old Boxee Box.

The Boxee TV attempts to address a large void in the TV segment: DVRs for cord cutters and casual cable subscribers. The D-Link-made set-top box can pull in over-the-air HDTV signals and unencrypted cable signals. The dual tuner setup also allows it to record two channels at once. Built off the lessons learned with the Boxee Box’s Live TV dongle, the Boxee TV includes every feature found in a traditional DVR. Best of all, like TiVo, it’s not tied to the cable provider and even works with over-the-air signals. But, also like TiVo, there is a monthly charge to use the cloud DVR of $14.99 a month. Yeah, that’s a lot.

The Boxee TV offers a novel approach to the DVR. Referred to by Boxee as the No Limits DVR, the Boxee TV is the first DVR that offers truly unlimited storage that also allows for remote viewing — for $15 a month. With the Boxee TV, owners can watch anything stored on their DVR from a mobile or desktop device. This is a stark departure from the traditional DVR that utilizes local storage to hold recordings.

The Boxee TV hits a major retailer in November, but the company is systematically rolling out access to the No Limits DVR to better manage scaling and customer support. The cloud DVR will only be available in the following markets at launch: NYC, LA, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Washington DC and Philadelphia. Boxee’s Avner Ronen tells me this accounts for 30% of the consumers in the US and that the company will open access to additional markets based on demand starting in 2013.

However, the cloud DVR is just part of the magic of the Boxee TV. The box utilizes Boxee’s fantastic user interface for the live TV programming guide and also includes a host of apps.

Boxee TV is not a Boxee Box replacement. To the company, they are different products aimed at different demographics. Avner tells me “The Boxee Box was built by geeks, for geeks” and then awkwardly follows it up with “The Boxee TV is made by geeks, for…people.”

For instance, the Boxee TV does not support as many file types or containers for local video streaming as the Boxee Box. The new unit also doesn’t have as many apps as the older model (including a web browser) although the Boxee TV does pack the major ones likes Netflix, Pandora and YouTube. The Boxee TV’s remote also lacks the QWERTY keypad found Boxee Box’s remote, though it does have dedicated buttons for Netflix and Vudu. On the flip side, the Boxee TV includes an ATSC/QAM tuner and access to the cloud DVR. Plus, it only costs $99 rather than the Boxee Box’s $199 MSRP.

We played with the Boxee TV a bit at the company’s NYC office this week. The UI is a tad sluggish but looks great. The EPG is fantastic. But the company wouldn’t let us play with several key features including the DVR, remote viewing or the apps. Look for our few review in the coming weeks.

Boxee recently stopped active development on the Boxee Box. It is now on a maintenance development cycle. Boxee will continue to support the Boxee Box and release bug patches, but the startup has shifted its limited resources to the Boxee TV. And this isn’t the first time the company has seemingly turned its back on older products.

Boxee has caught a fair amount of flack for its development cycle as users and owners have accused the company of abandonment. When the Boxee Box came out, Boxee quickly spun down development of its standalone HTPC software. And now with the Boxee TV, it has done the same thing with the Boxee Box, a product some users still report as buggy and incomplete. However, as a longtime Boxee Box owner myself, I put the Boxee Box in the same category as the iPad in terms of user satisfaction. It’s not perfect, but still a fantastic product and the best media streamer on the market. My family uses it daily.

It’s hard to argue against Boxee’s results though. Sure, the company has moved quickly from one product to another, but it’s on the verge of releasing its third product, and more telling to Boxee’s success, its second hardware product. Boxee also finagled a major retail partner for the Boxee TV, which will be announced in the days to come. Boxee’s lone downfall is that it tends to over-promise and then under-deliver. In 2011 following the Boxee Box’s release, the company promised a three month update cycle — it followed through, but only for several updates. Now the Boxee Box is effectively treading water, although, again, I’m fine with the product as-is.

So far the Boxee TV is shaping up to be every cable cutter’s dream device. Nearly every box on the wishlist is checked: it’s relatively inexpensive, packed with features not found on competitors, and uses a fantastic UI. The only downside is the crazy-high $15 monthly surcharge for the No Limits DVR, which is also only available at launch in certain markets. Still, Boxee is onto something big here. There are plenty of people ditching expensive pay TV for streaming services and this little $100 box offers a lot more functionality than a Roku or Apple for a lower price. Like the Boxee Box before it, the Boxee TV is set to disrupt a growing market.

Boxee is taking pre-orders on its website now and the unit will hit a major retailer in November.

Click to view slideshow.

The Boxee Box — that sucker had a ton of hype behind it, but things don’t always work out. After two years of fighting Roku, Apple TV and, to a lesser extent, Google TV for market share, Boxee has drastically rethought its approach. The $99 Boxee TV marks a new chapter for the company with a focus on live TV and a streamlined consumer experience. Baked right inside the matte plastic case is a dual tuner capable of pulling in unencrypted basic cable channels and over-the-air HD broadcasts. There’s a slick guide to help you navigate but, most importantly, the slimmed down software sports DVR functionality. The Boxee TV has no internal storage, however, instead all your recordings are stored online in a “No Limits” DVR. For $15 a month you’ll be able to save as many shows as you want and watch it on your TV or on your computer, tablet or phone through an HTML5 webapp. The DVR service will be rolled out to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington DC to start, with other markets set to come online in 2013.

The selection of apps is not quite as robust as it is on the legacy Boxee Box, but CEO Avner Ronen has settled on a quality over quantity approach. Netflix, VUDU, Pandora, YouTube and Vimeo will come preinstalled on the Boxee TV and other apps will follow. But we wouldn’t expect to see Know Your Meme or PornHub on there anytime soon. Some of the other losses are a little harder to swallow for fans of the original hardware. The move from Intel to a Broadcom SOC means the streaming options for locally stored media are much less robust. There’s DLNA support, but many other networking protocols have fallen by the wayside. The beloved QWERTY remote has also bitten the dust, replaced with a much simpler device that sports dedicated Netflix and Vudu buttons. Even the distinctive “sinking cube” design has been replaced with a basic rectangle that’s barely distinguishable from other settop boxes. You can sign up for more info at the Boxee site where you’ll also be able to preorder the Boxee TV ahead of its November 1st launch.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Boxee TV delivers dual-tuners and cloud-based DVR for $99 November 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments