Netflix Available on Boxee Box at Long Last

d-link-boxee-box.jpgTo show its love on this special Valentine’s Day, Boxee Box announced it will now allow Netflix streaming in the US and Canada. Boxee dealt with some delays — Netflix was supposed to be available to the Boxee Box by the end of 2010, and then it was supposed to be available in January –, but Boxee Box owners can finally breath a sigh of relief.

In an e-mail from Boxee, the company said it was bummed it couldn’t get it out sooner, but that it’s “happy to have the Netflix app just in time for Valentine’s Day so our users can have a date night with their Boxee Box (and hopefully a significant other).”

The user interface of the new Netflix app is the same as the one recently released for Google TV and Sony’s PlayStation 3. It allows users to search and browse the entire catalog.

Automatic firmware updates will roll-out later this week, but owners can force the download now by updating the firmware manually. 

[Update: The Netflix service will cost $7.99 a month.] 

How would you change Logitech’s Revue with Google TV?

Remember Google TV? It’s still kickin’, but El Goog still has quite a few content distribution quibbles to solve before it can be taken seriously — at least in our estimation. Logitech was one of the first outfits to buy into Google’s scheme to take over the television, with the Revue first out of the gate to provide Google TV access to existing sets. We had our fair share of gripes with the box, and while it definitely enabled quite the unusual videocall in a prior episode of The Engadget Show, we were never convinced said fun was worth the price. Enough about us, though — how’s your Revue treating you? Has it revolutionized the way you consume television content? Anything you’d change about it? Tweak the user interface? Broaden compatibility? Change up the keyboard? Let us know in comments below — something tells us Google’s still listening up for input.

How would you change Logitech’s Revue with Google TV? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mediaroom rumors could put Microsoft IPTV on the fast track to success

We’re hearing rumors today that Microsoft’s already hardworking Mediaroom could be putting in overtime in the near future. According to ZDNet, not only is Microsoft working on a Mediaroom client for Windows Phone (aka Rome), but it’s also got a Silverlight-for-Mediaroom project (aka Taos) in the pipeline, with a possible Silverlight-for-Mediaroom STB (aka Santa Fe) also on the way. As if it didn’t already have a heavy workload, the platform is also up for a possible tie-in with Windows Media Center (aka Monaco). All this comes on the heels of chatter that the software giant is considering a new Xbox 360 TV service, incorporating Mediaroom, and news of a Silverlight SOC that could be worked into an STB like Santa Fe. All code names and acronyms aside, it looks like Microsoft is gearing up to give Apple and Google some serious internet TV competition, which means Mediaroom’s going to have say goodbye to happy hour and hello to some serious all-nighters.

Mediaroom rumors could put Microsoft IPTV on the fast track to success originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S Hoppin hops to South Korea, includes TV dock for big-screen fun

South Korean carrier SK Telecom is billing its new Galaxy S Hoppin from Samsung as a “smartphone that can also serve as a set-top box,” but in reality, it’s basically an Android phone just like any other in Sammy’s stable with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display — the big difference is that it comes bundled with a dock that cables up to your home television and lets you watch streaming video off of the company’s new Hoppin entertainment service either on the road or in the comfort of your La-Z-Boy. Movies will run anywhere from 1,000 to 3,500 won — 89 cents to $3.12 — which isn’t bad, all things considered. The remainder of the phone’s specs are standard fare at this point: 1GHz Hummingbird processor, Android 2.2, a 5 megapixel cam, WiFi, and Bluetooth 3.0 round out the package. Look for it to launch this week.

Samsung Galaxy S Hoppin hops to South Korea, includes TV dock for big-screen fun originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XBMC comes to the new Apple TV, we go hands-on (video)

XBMC on the new Apple TV

So you jailbroke your new Apple TV, only to realize that there’s not all that much to do at the top of Everest except rest and enjoy your accomplishment, eh? No need to trek back down the hill — there are a great many minds at work to leverage your new-found power into something truly useful. Like what, you say? Take a gander above. An second-generation Apple TV appeared at our doorstep this weekend with XBMC on board — decoding our 1080p HD content, complete with hardware acceleration, on Apple’s ARM silicon, and with only occasional choppiness.

If your sense of self-entitlement is wondering what took so long, don’t. We’re told that this isn’t a simple port, as the new Apple TV doesn’t share much with its older brother, and is an entirely different animal to develop for. The bulk of the work has been done, though, and as you can see in the video above, once you launch XBMC from the new Apple TV it is the same great experience you’ve come to love. The difference is, this time, the hardware you’re running it on costs just $99. This tiny box is finally beginning to feel magical… now, we’re just waiting on a simple installer so we can load it up ourselves.

Update: And just like that, the wait is over. If your jailbroken second-gen Apple TV is ready and you have the foggiest idea what “apt-get” does, you can install XBMC right now. Find instructions at our more coverage link below.

Continue reading XBMC comes to the new Apple TV, we go hands-on (video)

XBMC comes to the new Apple TV, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Wavi Xtion motion sensing control system demoed at CES (video)

ASUS may not be anywhere close to ready for its Wavi Xtion to hit retail shelves (we’re hearing Q2 of 2012), but that didn’t stop our brethren over at Engadget Spanish from stopping by for a hands-on demonstration at CES. We’ll spare you the details on how it works, but in practice, we learned that it’s quite similar to Kinect. Not shocking considering that PrimeSense is behind both boxes, but the primarily difference seemed to be the reaction time. ASUS’ solution wasn’t quite as snappy as the Kinect, being slower to recognize and translate motions in testing. Of course, we wouldn’t expect a product that’s 18 months out from mass production to be completely on top of its game, but feel free to head on past the break to see exactly what we mean.

Continue reading ASUS Wavi Xtion motion sensing control system demoed at CES (video)

ASUS Wavi Xtion motion sensing control system demoed at CES (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung shows off Google TV companion box and Blu-ray player

So, the word is that Samsung was planning on showing off Google TV at its presser, but switched things up at the last minute and stuck to its first party Smart TV offering. Still, that didn’t stop two Samsung Google TV boxes from showing up at the show floor, a Blu-ray player and a standalone “companion” box. They both look pretty svelte, and the companion box is particularly smaller than the standalone Logitech and Sony boxes. Samsung’s explanation of the showing was the idea that Samsung was “capable” of supporting other platforms, though they didn’t have any promises of a release, a release date, or a price range. We also saw a Samsung Galaxy S running the Google TV controller app, which isn’t much of a stretch, and there wasn’t any sort of physical remote or keyboard on display. Basically, Samsung is showing the bare minimum of a Google TV offering, which seems to be sort of appropriate with Google TV’s current feature set, if you want to get all “deeper meaning” about it.

Continue reading Samsung shows off Google TV companion box and Blu-ray player

Samsung shows off Google TV companion box and Blu-ray player originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway Media Console with CableCARD and Windows Embedded Standard 7 hands-on

Microsoft’s working hard to get people believing in its Windows Embedded Standard platform as a real set-top box contender and one of its vanguard devices is the above Gateway Media Console. It’s still a concept product in the Acer / Gateway labs, but what it promises to deliver makes us wish it hurries up and makes the leap to retail nice and quickly. Based around a Sandy Bridge Intel CPU, this machine runs Windows Media Center and gives you access all the internet-connected content that you can enjoy on your Windows 7 Home Premium-equipped PC, but it also boasts a InfiniTV 6 CableCARD tuner that permits up to six HD broadcast TV streams at a time. Those can then be networked out throughout your house — whether over a wireless or wired connection — and then recorded on whatever laptops, desktops or other Windows devices you have lying around the house. The end result is that the kids can be recording a pair of channels upstairs in their bedroom while you watch the football game in the living room and your mother-in-law enjoys whatever she’s into down in the basement — all coming in from the same, single coax cable plugged into the Media Console. There’s a hidden optical drive as well and Microsoft tells us this thing could range between $500 and $700 when it does eventually make its way out for sale.

Gateway Media Console with CableCARD and Windows Embedded Standard 7 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco announces Videoscape IPTV platform and products

As expected, Cisco held a quick CES presser today to launch its connected TV initiative, which it’s calling Videoscape. It’s pretty ambitious stuff — Cisco’s goal isn’t to kick out a single consumer-focused set-top box, but rather to build out an entire video network architecture in conjunction with service providers that allows customers to view any authorized content on any device on any network. That means that in addition to the actual Videoscape set-top box for your TV, there will also be apps for everything from Android and iOS to game consoles and Macs and PCs — in the end, Cisco thinks your standard premium cable subscription will serve content everywhere, negating the need for supplemental services like Hulu and Netflix. There’s also a Videoscape Media Gateway that can serve up local content across all your devices — the company demoed sharing a quick Flip video with family members just by plugging the camera into the Gateway.

Obviously rebuilding entire cable systems around pervasive content delivery won’t be easy — Cisco says “video is the new voice” when it comes to disruptive industry shifts — and the only partner announced today is Telstra. To really gain momentum the company will have to sell its vision to huge companies like Comcast and Time Warner, who are already working on their own projects. We’ll see what happens — it makes sense for a networking provider like Cisco to take this sort of end-to-end approach, but there’s a lot of action in this space right now, and we don’t think anyone has the luxury of time.

Cisco announces Videoscape IPTV platform and products originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs

Thanks to a couple of carefully planned slips over in South Korea, hardly anything about LG’s CES 2011 is apt to take you fully by surprise. But if you just so happened to disconnect over the holidays, we’ll break it all down below to ensure you remain firmly in the loop.

  • For starters, the outfit seems pretty darn proud of its new SmartTV platform. Hinted at last month, this system enables HDTVs, Blu-ray players and other sources to access all sorts of streaming media, apps and even provides users with a way to surf the web. Four main sections are given — TV Live, Premium Content, TV Apps and a Launch Bar — and for TV models, owners will control things with a wave of the hand (read: Magic Remote). SmartTV picks up where NetCast left off, offering access to Vudu, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, NHL Gamecenter, NBA Game Live and MLB.tv. This here functionality is baked into quite a few of the outfit’s 2011 HDTVs, but should own an older model…
  • Then there’s the all-new SmartTV upgrader! The ST600 is a minuscule set-top box that aims to transform any TV into a SmartTV. So long as your set has an HDMI input, you’ll be able to access the content mentioned above. But, of course, it’s on you to source your own Magic Remote.
  • If it’s an all-new TV you’re after, the company is also revealing its 2011 LED and LCD HDTV line. Nary a one is different than those we heard about last week, but at least you can now rest easy knowing that the LW9500 and LW7700 Nano Full HD 3D models will indeed see a stateside release this month. The best news here is the use of polarizing glasses — none of that headache-inducing active shutter mess. There are 13 new LED LCD models in all, with nine of ’em shipping with the SmartTV platform embedded. Unfortunately, LG’s not dishing out pricing information on these bad boys just yet.
  • Not so keen on picking up an LCD? Plasma still lives, you know! LG’s rolling out its 1080p Infinia PZ950 and PZ750 lines here at CES, with both available in 50-inch and 60-inch class sizes. Both lines come equipped with the SmartTV platform, a gesture-based Magic Motion remote andl as a free Android / iPhone app if you’d rather use your phone as a remote. The 50- / 60-inch PZ550 is saddling with NetCast 1.0, but it — along with the PW350, PZ950 and PZ750 lines — can handle 3D imagery. Sadly, LG’s also straying from providing pricing details on these.
  • Wrapping things up, the company is debuting its 2011 line of networked Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The BD690 supports 3D BD playback and ships with an inbuilt 250GB HDD and the SmartTV platform. The majority of LG’s line also includes WiFi, DLNA streaming support and a MusicID feature by Gracenote that enables consumers to play a song from a movie of TV show by mashing a single button on the remote. The BD670, BD650, BD640, BD630 and BD650 are also seeing the light of day, with the latter being LG’s first portable BD deck.
  • Finally, LG snuck in an image (seen above) of a 3D mobile TV prototype. We’ve no details whatsoever to go on, but you can rest assured we’ll be scouring the show floor in search of just that.

For more information on all of the goods here, head on past the break for the full releases. Don’t expect to find any pricing information, though.

Continue reading LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs

LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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