Hasta La Gadget!

The streaming media player bubble isn’t over. A new contender called Veebeam hopes to make customers reconsider how they want to get their daily fix of web video.

Veebeam wirelessly hooks up your PC to your TV so you can watch The Daily Show, Hulu, Netflix movies and The Big Bang Theory on a giant screen rather than a 22-inch monitor. The Veebeam player streams media in high-definition–780p or 1080p resolution–at speeds that can be up to four times faster than Wi-Fi.

Veebeam is competitively priced against Apple TV and the Roku box. A SD version of Veebeam costs $100, a HD version comes for $140. But for that price, Veebeam can do more than many of its peers, says Patrick Cosson, vice-president of marketing for Veebeam. Veebeam showed its product at the DEMO Fall 2010 conference Tuesday.

“Apple TV is a walled garden,” he says. “Most people’s basket of entertainment media consumption is broader so they need a platform that gives them that,” says Cosson.

It’s not a new pitch. Companies such as Google, Boxee and Netgear have been trying to tap into the growing pool of users who are now turning to web video for their entertainment.  In May, Google launched Google TV, a new set-top-box platform based on Google’s Android operating system that will have access to Flickr, gaming sites such as Club Penguin, music sites such as Pandora and traditional cable programming.

Other companies such as Roku and Boxee have been slightly less ambitious, promising just an easy way to stream web content from the PC to the TV. Boxee, though, is available only as a software program but the company has said it’s partnership with D-Link will result in a Boxee box this year.

And there’s Apple TV. Though long characterized as a “hobby” by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Apple launched a new version of the device earlier this month. Apple TV now integrates Flickr photos, allows rental of TV shows from ABC and Fox and lets users stream media from their iTunes library.

“Apple TV is a 720p solution,” says Cosson, “while we can stream at 1080p so you can advantage of that HD TV.”

Veebeam uses wireless USB to stream content from the PC to the TV. Wireless USB is more powerful for point-to-point connectivity than traditional Wi-Fi because it offers more bandwidth and less interference, says the company. Veebeam estimates 420 Mbps speeds for wireless USB.

Customers have to plug the Veebeam box to their TV and attach the USB antenna that comes with the device to their laptop.  Users can switch between the ’screencasting’ mode for sharing websites or photos and the ‘play-to’ mode for video.

Though services such as Boxee have had problems with Hulu–Hulu blocked Boxee at least thrice over two years–Veebeam is confident it can fly under the radar.

“It’s impossible for Hulu to block us,” says Cosson. “We take a series of little pictures of your computer and project it out to your TV so Hulu doesn’t know that the content is on the TV. They think its on the browser.”

That in a nutshell explains Veebeam. It’s a wireless USB hub in a pretty chassis. It doesn’t connect directly to the internet –it just streams what is on your laptop. Still, at its price it could be a cheap and painless way to get video from your notebook to your TV screen.

See Also:

• 7 Ways to Watch Web Video Without Google TV
• Boxee’s Software Gets a Box … Sorta
• 5 Ways the Cellphone Will Change How You Listen to Music
• Netgear Set to Take on Apple TV with Updated Media Player

Photos: Dylan Tweney/Wired.com

Expect to see some changes to Boxee when its $199 D-Link-built Box ships in November, as Lead Apps Developer / Community evangelist Rob Spectre tells NewTeeVee that among them will be a new Webkit based browser. The current Mozilla based browser is clearly useful for some quick & unblocked Hulu viewing, but still doesn’t render many sites properly. According to Spectre, HTML5 “absolutely should be the future for the browsers you use on your TV,” with competition from Google TV we can see why he’d say that, and it should be ready to stream video from even more sites that don’t build Boxee apps. The desktop versions of the software will get the new browser in version 1.0 after the Boxee Box is released, so make sure your comparison charts are appropriately updated.

Boxee’s new browser is built on Webkit and HTML5 ready originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a long, long time since we first got our hands on the Boxee Box QWERTY remote. Since then the device went through something of an existential crisis before suffering a sad delay. Now we have some encouraging news for its planned November release date: the QWERTY remote has hit the FCC. Called simply the “Remote controller” (model numbers DSM-221, DSM-22), it looks to have passed with flying colors, the FCC celebrating by ripping it to bits and photographing every piece of exposed silicon. Want to see the cruel results? We have a taste after the break, but for the rest of the grisly photos you’ll have to hit that source link.

Continue reading Boxee Box QWERTY remote hits the FCC, its innards splayed asunder

Boxee Box QWERTY remote hits the FCC, its innards splayed asunder originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Boxee Box, a set-top box created in partnership with D-Link to host Boxee’s web video streaming software, is facing a setback.

The release of Boxee’s hardware has been pushed back to November from the earlier target of June.

“The original plan was to have the Box out by the end of Q2 (i.e. just about now), but that time-frame proved overly ambitious,” Boxee CEO Avner Ronen wrote on the company blog.

Boxee showed the gadget at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. The company didn’t reveal pricing for the device but said it estimates it to be around $200.

The delay is likely to pit the Boxee box squarely against Google TV. Google announced a set-top box platform based on the Android operating system that would integrate cable TV programming with web video. Google has partnered with Sony, Logitech and Intel to create the hardware that it says will be available in retail stores this fall.

Till its partnership with D-Link earlier this year, Boxee seemed content to offer its software as a free download to users. Most Boxee users install the software on their computers and hook the PC to a TV. Boxee’ software can also run on Apple TV.

But a software-only application does limit Boxee’s reach as it can be intimidating to users who don’t want to get their hands dirty with the set up.

Ronen says Boxee has set some ambitious goals for itself.

“Our vision is to make the Boxee experience on a set top box as good as (and where we can, better than) the one you already know on a PC,” he says. “The goal is to play HD videos from the web or a local network in 1080p and use hardware acceleration whenever possible.”

Boxee also wants to offer a TV browser experience that can handle Adobe’s Flash 10.1.

“Not to mention making all this happen for an affordable price and on a quiet device that will not feel obsolete 12 months after you buy it,” says Ronen.

We will have to see if Boxee can really pull this off.

See Also:

• Boxee CEO: Google TV Could Boost or Crush Us
• Hands-On With the Boxee Set-Top Box and Remote
• Boxee Plans to Offer Paid Content
• Boxee Unveils Public Beta, ‘Boxee Box’ Hardware
• Google Introduces Google TV, New Android OS

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Tech companies are in a race to redefine the TV experience by combining web video content with traditional programming. The goal: to control your living-room screen by creating an experience where using the remote to view BoingBoing’s latest video on your 52-inch plasma is as easy as playing the last episode of Lost from your Tivo, or clicking over to a live broadcast from Yankee Stadium.

Google announced a new set-top-box platform called Google TV last week. It will be based on Google’s Android operating system and will have access to Flickr, gaming sites such as Club Penguin, and music sites such as Pandora and Rhapsody.

With Google TV, the search company enters a crowded space where big companies such as Apple and Microsoft and scrappy startups such as Boxee and Roku have been trying to make headway for years.

Where Google TV hopes to score is in its ability to integrate cable programming with web video. Most other alternatives only offer access to free TV channels or select cable shows.

The first Google TV products, including a Sony TV running the software and a Logitech set-top box, are expected in the fall.

But you don’t have to wait for that — especially if you don’t care about cable TV.

Here are seven alternatives to Google TV that are already available.

Boxee

Boxee’s media player is probably the cheapest way to get a streaming-media player: It’s free. (Assuming you already have a computer, that is.) Add to that a great interface and access to some high-quality content, and Boxee is a strong competitor to Google TV.

Boxee organizes content into five buckets: movies, TV shows, photos, music and apps. So from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to Jersey Shore and Joost, neat, square-shaped icons present a lineup that’s easy to navigate on the big screen.

Boxee integrates with Netflix, so it’s easy for Netflix subscribers to use Boxee to play movies instantly. It also takes music and movies from your computer’s hard drive and pours them into this interface so it can be found easily. Just download it to your PC, and hook up the machine to your TV through the HDMI port.

Boxee even has an iPhone app that lets you turn your iPhone into a remote to control the software.

It is available as a software-only download. Soon, you should also be able to buy a dedicated Boxee hardware box with the software preloaded. The Boxee box is made by D-Link and will be Wi-Fi enabled. It will include an ethernet-connectivity option, 2 USB ports, SD card slot, remote and a keyboard. The Boxee box is expected to be priced under $200 and available by fall.

WIRED Easy to watch online video on TV, user-friendly interface and navigation, free software.

TIRED Stability can still be an issue though crashes are less frequent now, playback of shows can sometimes be choppy, frequent skirmishes with Hulu.

Roku

Roku’s media player is targeted at those who want web content on their TV but don’t want to get their hands dirty with the setup.

The Roku set-top box is the definition of plug-and-play and offers a choice of free and premium channels. Customers largely use the device to stream movies from Netflix and Amazon.

It also offers some free channels include Twit.TV, and TechPodcasts.com, along with access to Flickr.

But in a world where its rivals are innovating fast, Roku can be very limiting. Basic web integration is now a part of most Blu-ray players, and Netflix is available through other options such as rival Boxee for free, or the Xbox 360. Why buy a Roku player for $80?

WIRED Set-top box is simple to configure and use, good HD-quality content.

TIRED Limited choice of online video content, no subtitles in movies, video quality can be inconsistent.

TiVo

TiVo’s digital video recorders are a must-have for anyone who cannot bear to miss Monday Night Football or a single episode of FlashForward. It’s also the original digital video recorder, giving you the ability to record and watch TV when you want.

While cable companies have marginalized TiVo by integrating DVR capabilities into their cable boxes, the latest version of TiVo has some unique features that make it worth a look.

TiVo has updated its DVRs to lets users access on-demand video from Netflix and Amazon, or watch endless videos from YouTube.

There’s also the ability to stream music and photos from online sites and transfer recorded shows to your iPod, iPhone or PSP.

Of course, all this comes at a price. TiVo Premiere starts at $300 and requires an annual service fee of $130.

WIRED Smooth interface that’s the hallmark of TiVo, recording capability is a must-have for TV addicts.

TIRED Pricey, no Wi-Fi, no browser.

Yahoo Connected TV

Millions of users access Yahoo services such as news, finance and Flickr through their PCs or phones. Not surprisingly, Yahoo has been working to extend its tentacles into the TV market.

Yahoo Connected TV, introduced last year, uses the concept of “widgets” to put services into boxes that can be sorted and organized by users. Apart from Yahoo’s own services, Yahoo offers widgets from Amazon, Blockbuster and broadcasters such as CBS and Showtime.

Yahoo says it will let developers create widgets to run on Connected TV. Yahoo has partnered with companies such as Samsung, Sony and Vizio to put the Yahoo Connected TV software inside TV sets. So if you have one of these sets, you can take advantage of the Yahoo-enabled features.

So far the company claims about 3 million TVs featuring this software have been sold since it was introduced in March 2009.

But depending on TV makers could be the flaw in Yahoo’s strategy. Sony has already moved into Google’s camp, promising to offer Google TV inside some of its TV models later this year.

Also, there’s no PC option. If consumers can’t download and run Yahoo Connected TV from their PCs, it’ll be difficult to sell them on the idea. After all, how will they know what they’re missing?

WIRED No separate box to clutter your living room, widget-based approach is easy to use.

TIRED Poor distribution; no browser, so you can’t go where you want.

Microsoft Windows Media Center

The Windows media player has been around so far and gone through so many iterations that it’s easy to forget that Microsoft was the first major tech company to see the potential of getting into the living room.

Media player offers access to TV shows, music and movie trailers. But Windows Media Center is the company’s real deal for the living room. Media Center lets your PC act as a DVR if you have a tuner card, listen to FM and internet radio stations, watch photos from your disk and even connect with Netflix on the big screen. And you can sync all your content with a Windows phone or a Zune if you use the Media Center.

Microsoft’s counting on its biggest strength to bring Windows Media Center to PC users: the Windows operating system. The program is included in Windows XP Media Center Edition, premium editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.

But there’s one big thing missing: the cool factor. And Media Center hasn’t inked partnerships or aggregated TV content to the extent that an Apple TV or a Boxee can offer.

WIRED Available with most versions of  Windows OS, so no additional software downloads.

TIRED User interface isn’t sleek, very limited TV content.

Apple TV

Apple has been seemingly firing on all cylinders for the last few years. Apple TV, introduced in 2007, is a rare flop.

The digital media receiver never reached the ubiquity of an iPod, nor did it become the gold standard for its category like the iPhone.

At $230, Apple TV isn’t cheap. But it lets users watch HD movies and TV shows through deals that Apple has struck with the studios. You have to pay to buy or rent most shows, but you can view YouTube content for free.

Despite its early lead, Apple TV falls far short in what users get for the price. Apple’s closed system means users are locked into iTunes to purchase movies. So if you want to run Netflix or Amazon video, you have to get Boxee on your Apple TV, which we think raises the question: Why not just get Boxee?

WIRED Great interface that blows away competition, beautiful integration with iTunes, good shows and movies for a price.

TIRED Back to iTunes for managing content, no direct access to Hulu, Netflix, not a dream Apple product.

Netgear Digital Entertainer

Streaming video players are so hot that even Netgear, otherwise known for its modems and routers, put out a box called Digital Entertainer.

Netgear’s internet-TV-player box makes online video, photos and music accessible through the TV, even for those who don’t have a PC. The player connects to the home network and the internet by ethernet or wireless USB adapater. The box includes upto 500 GB of storage for movies, music and photos.

But the streaming media player at Netgear may be even more of a hobby than at Apple. The company offers two versions of its box, priced at $100 and a whopping $400, and neither has exactly taken the market by storm.

WIRED Feature-rich, record and play TV shows if your PC has a TV tuner, works without the need to hook up a PC.

TIRED Ugly box, buggy, interface is a nightmare, pricey.

Updated to include Windows Media Center instead of Windows Media Player

Photo: Niall Kennedy/Flickr