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The boxee box


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http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/boxee-box-officially-announced-under-200-flash-10-1-support/

the boxee box has officially been announced. honestly? i can't build an htpc with those features for 200$. i'll be buying one.

what about you? has anyone else been following set-top htpcs lately? there's some cool stuff available. considering this'll do facebook, twitter, pandora, hulu, just about any streaming audio, video, or picture content, AND look good at the same time...it's perfect.

/necrobump update:

boxee box releases in nine days. it's available at amazon, with some features listed on-site there.

link here.

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the boxee box is an htpc/media entertainment center that plays all types of video, audio, and links with several major websites. it replaces a computer being hooked up to the tv full-time.

rama, this is perfect, really. ps3 needs you to manually decode most of the more esoteric forms of video (like matroska) and isn't the most graceful streamer of music either. oh, and this has full 10.1 flash support, whereas the ps3's browser sucks donkey dick. a modded original xbox can't handle good HD video without occasional hiccups, and it doesn't support hulu or the website features. a laptop's nice, but you've gotta hook it up every time (not to mention most laptops don't like 1080p streaming that much, there are few that'll work without being a lot of money). and a desktop won't support any tv through a digital output (a la hdmi) without 'recognizing' it every time you turn the tv on, which'll screw up multi-monitor support and everything every time you change the channel on the tv (i know this for certain, my tv screws up my three monitors every time). 200 for seamless integrated media support? that's even better than one of those netbook media centers running XBMC or something, and this has gigabit internet, integrated .11n wireless, sd card support, optical audio out, and lots of installable apps to sweeten the deal.

this is a stunning item that i'd easily pay 300 for, and it's only 200...with a full qwerty remote!

ps: connor, check this out for more information about the boxee box.

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Whatever happened to simply converting video files to file types comfortable to the user..?

I do that for free for that matter; From Matroskas to flvs...

Heck I occasionally rotate videos on my PSP nowadays.

i have two terabytes of videos. go ahead, feel free.

not to mention that conversions ALWAYS reduced quality, both audio and video. this is all besides the point that i don't really have anything that's able to play those files on my tv - the only thing in the house that can play true 1080p is my desktop...which is, as i mentioned before, too far from the tv to make it worth it.

another interesting thing about the boxee - since it accesses my home computer differently than most network-only devices, i can take it to a friend's house and stream stuff from my home computer flawlessly.

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Haters gonna hate, Brad. This thing looks heck of awesome. I've spent hours just trying to get subtitles to show up on MKVs streamed to the 360 (still aren't working actually, haven't bothered to try again), or 5.1 audio on the PS3. If I watched streamed stuff on a more regular basis, it'd easily be worth the $200 not to have to deal with that sort of sh...enanigans.

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Haters gonna hate, Brad. This thing looks heck of awesome. I've spent hours just trying to get subtitles to show up on MKVs streamed to the 360 (still aren't working actually, haven't bothered to try again), or 5.1 audio on the PS3. If I watched streamed stuff on a more regular basis, it'd easily be worth the $200 not to have to deal with that sort of sh...enanigans.

I don't hate on it, heck if it was priced at $50 or $75 I would see some value in having it handy; but aside from a niche perspective I doubt I'd see much use for it.

Though the thought of streaming my petabyte-plus of media through my ps3 sounds rather awesome in my mind...

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It's definately useful for someone who's pretty much a couch potatoe when it comes to computers, entertainment, and the internet. As for myself, I do more creating than watching when it comes to the digital, so if I did buy it, I'd save it for occasions when I have people over (unless there's some interactive gaming-type features to it (doubt it)).

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until you get to the part where you have to actually wade through all of it on your ps3

If I can have it display my content just as how they changed the way pictures can be shown on a grid placing the images in thumbnails, I'd be set as I actually keep all my content organized.

Except for the really rare stuff like the entire discography of Susumu Hirasawa or the entire discography of Danny Elfman in which case I'd have a hell of a time looking into my "Treasure Chest" folder. :lol:

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for people who don't use google (there's a religion where google's the antichrist, no joke):

this is an htpc/streaming media pc. it allows you to stream videos from youtube, hulu, and other free online sources as well as from your PC. it also streams music from pandora, last.fm (without the shitty 360 interface or nasty ps3 browser), and your computer as well. it outputs in full 1080p with full 7.1 surround sound (most computers and gaming consoles can do one but not the other), and features support for third-party subtitles, virtually all major media formats, and a qwerty-enabled remote to dispense of the hassles of a wireless keyboard/mouse setup. it also features an impressive stock of downloadable plugins and applications to extend user connectivity and general usefulness.

tbh, if you don't know what an HTPC is or why you'd use it as opposed to the totally borked 360 streaming interface or the feature-barren ps3 media center option, then you'll probably not purchase it. as someone who deals extensively with digital media (sooooo much cheaper to purchase than hard copies), this is ideal for me. plus, it's impossible to find anything - ANYTHING - that'll stream full 1080p in HD with HD sound for under 350$ while still offering connectivity to the web (aka, not the 360 or ps3). and this is 200$. sign me up!

edit: i forgot the biggest feature - you don't have to leave your tv hooked up to your pc, meaning that long cross-room cables and the noise induced from long cabling runs are gone, too. not to mention you don't have to deal with the hassle of having your tv reset your monitors every time it's turned on.

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  • 9 months later...
No extra money here, and my netbook does HDMI video out to a television already. I like the product, but my asus 1215n does the job of portable home theater just fine for me.

does the 1215 do 1080p? i don't remember.

my wife's laptop is terrible, and can't even do standard definition without a bit of dropped frames. only reason i'm looking at this.

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