Boxee Box coming Q2 2010, D-Link revealed as hardware partner
By Ross Miller 
posted December 7th 2009 8:41PM
posted December 7th 2009 8:41PM
D-Link/Boxee Partnership Statement
In front of a packed house at their Boxee Beta Unveiling event in Brooklyn this evening, Boxee revealed that D-Link has been named first choice as the hardware partner to release a Boxee branded device for the living room.
Boxee is the best way to enjoy content from the Internet or a computer on a TV screen. With the Boxee Box™ by D-Link®, the two companies have created the easiest way to bring this experience into the living room, allowing people to watch tens of thousands of movies & TV Shows, organize and play their favorite home movies and photos, and play great music from their home network or from Internet sources like Pandora.
"By pairing Boxee's innovative social entertainment platform with D-Link's technology we're able to create a solution that introduces people to what TV should be. Additionally we're bringing a new level of social interaction to the living room," said Daniel Kelley, senior director of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc. "We can't wait to bring this product to market and are looking forward to demonstrate the Boxee Box by D-Link at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January."
"We are happy to be working with D-Link as a hardware partner because we share the same vision for creating solutions to help anyone get the most out of technology," said Andrew Kippen, vice president of marketing for Boxee. "D-Link has great reach and together we are able to offer consumers an attractive inexpensive solution to bring the Boxee experience directly onto the TV."
The Boxee Box by D-Link, which has already won a Best of Innovations award from the Computer Electronics Association, reinterprets what TV should be, delivering all the movies, TV shows, music and photos from a user's computer, home network and Internet to their HDTV with no PC needed. Additionally, Boxee's core social features make it easy for friends to discover new content from each other through social networks like Facebook, Twitter and more.
In addition to its many software features, The Boxee Box by D-Link makes it easy for consumers to connect the device via HDMI, SPDIF, RCA Audio. The box has 2 USB for expansion and can quickly connect to a home network using both Wi-Fi (802.11n) and wired ethernet.
The Boxee Box will be available through D-Link's network of etail and retail outlets in the first half of 2010. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is still undetermined.
In front of a packed house at their Boxee Beta Unveiling event in Brooklyn this evening, Boxee revealed that D-Link has been named first choice as the hardware partner to release a Boxee branded device for the living room.
Boxee is the best way to enjoy content from the Internet or a computer on a TV screen. With the Boxee Box™ by D-Link®, the two companies have created the easiest way to bring this experience into the living room, allowing people to watch tens of thousands of movies & TV Shows, organize and play their favorite home movies and photos, and play great music from their home network or from Internet sources like Pandora.
"By pairing Boxee's innovative social entertainment platform with D-Link's technology we're able to create a solution that introduces people to what TV should be. Additionally we're bringing a new level of social interaction to the living room," said Daniel Kelley, senior director of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc. "We can't wait to bring this product to market and are looking forward to demonstrate the Boxee Box by D-Link at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January."
"We are happy to be working with D-Link as a hardware partner because we share the same vision for creating solutions to help anyone get the most out of technology," said Andrew Kippen, vice president of marketing for Boxee. "D-Link has great reach and together we are able to offer consumers an attractive inexpensive solution to bring the Boxee experience directly onto the TV."
The Boxee Box by D-Link, which has already won a Best of Innovations award from the Computer Electronics Association, reinterprets what TV should be, delivering all the movies, TV shows, music and photos from a user's computer, home network and Internet to their HDTV with no PC needed. Additionally, Boxee's core social features make it easy for friends to discover new content from each other through social networks like Facebook, Twitter and more.
In addition to its many software features, The Boxee Box by D-Link makes it easy for consumers to connect the device via HDMI, SPDIF, RCA Audio. The box has 2 USB for expansion and can quickly connect to a home network using both Wi-Fi (802.11n) and wired ethernet.
The Boxee Box will be available through D-Link's network of etail and retail outlets in the first half of 2010. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is still undetermined.
I don't know whether to accept it as a work of art or just stare in disbelief. Either way, hope it's out when expected and not put off like so many things nowadays.
@(Unverified)
I think if you can stack this, a Playstation 3, an Xbox 360 and a Wii, one on top of the other without falling over, you'll somehow unlock the secrets of the universe.
@(Unverified)
it looks like this thing was dropped on its corner during design and they just integrated the crushed side into the final product
That so looks like it'll fit perfectly in your A/V stand, not, I can see they'd wanna make something interesting looking to stand out but I think many people including myself would prefer a simple rectangular unit like most players are now.
Still I can't wait to see how it stacks up to other similar players out there.
@pballinuyasha
I agree. I mean, where exactly would you sit this thing?
@pballinuyasha
Completely agree. Just put in a simple rectangular box, and make sure the build quality is top notch. If you need to gussy up, round off some of the edges and added a little glossy black. This reminds me more of a gaming console, and I already have one of those... I don't need my tv 'area' being loaded up with these 'stand alone' units.
@pballinuyasha I couldn't agree more... I have the AT&T Femtocell and those hollow legs at the bottom aren't worth the space it takes up. I wish the PS3 was rectangle too.
@pballinuyasha
My thoughts exactly. Nifty looking sure, but where on earth would this fit? On top of the... hmmm. Underneath the...
At some point someone on the design team must have brought it home and been dumbfounded.
@pballinuyasha Judging by the size of the HDMI/RCA(!) ports, this thing is actually pretty small.
@Alan Strangis
Please don't forget my main point is integrating it in with your other stuff. Most of which will normally stack nicely.
Don't get me wrong I'm not really knocking the design, it's just a tad impractical at any size.
@pballinuyasha what ever happened with sticking to the tried and true formula of making audio-video equipment all share the same footprint?
I have a VHS/dvd, cable tv bx, and dlink media player all stacked up with a 32" flatscreen standing on top of it. They all share the same shelf space and look nice in a stack.
This won't fit anywhere near my TV.
Seriously, how come all these slick little atom ion computers are coming out, marketed as HTPCs? Whatever happened to making them look like the shuttle m2000, which fits nicely into your entertainment center?
@tmarks11
LOL! I just want to say what you said is my point. I'm guessing you missed the sarcasm in my first line.
Just so you don't have to scroll up I'll quote a line from my first post.
"myself would prefer a simple rectangular unit like most players are now." The English is poor with how I cut it out but the point is made.
@pballinuyasha
looks like it would stack fine, so long as its on top.
and with looks like that, i would be more than happy to have that box atop all the rest.
(did all you guys complain about samsung's slim-line bluray player too?)
i wonder if the boxee box is wall-mountable.... that would be awesome.
Its more than likely Broadcom powered, XBMC just added such support.
You mean ARM? Doubtful. That's not being done by the whole team, just a forum member. I'm sure it's probably a Linux build running on an Atom
@EGOvoruhk
No, s/he means the GPU. Broadcom's working on a semi-secret GPU that'll do full HD Ion-style. It's expected to be in the next gen AppleTV.
@JerkyChew You sure? I don't think XBMC enabled support for any secret GPU
@EGOvoruhk XBMC and boxee most definitely added software support for a specific Broadcom designed video decoder. So yes, Broadcom. Not ARM.
@EGOvoruhk I say that because of this:
http://xbmc.org/trac/changeset/25415
No way would D-Link use some PC-based hardware. They have to make this thing as cheap as they can to profit from it. The Boxee Box is just like all those other multi-format devices we've seen lately, like the WD TV Live, or most Blu Ray players and cable boxes. None of those run on PC hardware, they all use Broadcom chips to do the heavy lifting.
@SikSlayer That Broadcom video decoder is for x86 systems. They use it in some Atom netbooks, and that's why it was thrown in. I understand about the other products, but as it stands right now, XBMC is only available for PC based systems (Well, except for PPC, but Boxee doesn't do that). Even though they may seem similar, the Boxee Box is nothing like those other mutli-format boxes. This is going to be more of a super cheap HTPC than anything else
@EGOvoruhk Well, there's a forhead-slapping moment. I totally forgot about netbooks that had the broadcom chip. Had I remembered that, I'd have agreed with you from the start.
...great.
They have a nice suitable GPU that's in ALL OF THEIR OTHER PRODUCTS and Apple decides it needs to go out of their way to get something else to put in to their next generation of AppleTVs. Their old line was nearly an ION already.
in before a bevvy of "boxxy" comments.
@TendoMan OMG, ya beat me to it !
Trawl !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdiz0k0Rudw :P
yea... $200 for the box, $2000 for the glossy black table...
I'll say it.
It's ugly.
@aront I couldnt agree much, Damn, its ugly!
@aront
OMG, How can you, a low life bourgeois call Boxxy [^_^] , the Queen as ugly?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16JutKkzXLU
You better apologize or "Somebody's gonna get hurt real bad" !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NpusncC8Wk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVlX9Ve5Rv4
Erm...that's like spending $199 on an Acer AspireRevo, but with the AspireRevo, you get a hard drive built in, a mouse and a keyboard, plus you can use it to surf the internet or work on your google docs.
Just saying...it feels like my own path is going to be the HTPC route with Boxee installed on it, if this D-Link device is priced in the same ballpark.
@gerrrg
The AspireRevo can't do HD flash like Hulu or YouTube. I'd assume that since Boxee's putting their name on it that this box can.
@gerrrg Yeah I agree. Its much more flexible and probably cheaper than buying a bunch of separate devices and wiring them all together... upgradable and customizable software was the whole point of the computer revolution, why not bring that to the TV?
@gerrrg
I agree completely. I have an Aspire Revo running Boxee (under both Ubuntu and Windows 7) and it works fine. I fail to see the value-added here. Now, if it were $100, ...
@JerkyChew Once Flash 10.1 ships it will do GPU offloading on the Ion and it WILL be possible to play fullscreen HD Hulu and Youtube videos at normal frame rates. Anandtech and others have tested the beta and it looks to be true. No idea when it will actually ship of course, and the current beta looks kinda sketchy so it might be a while. But eventually that Revo box WILL be able to handle HD Flash.
@idsardi but LPCM multi channel doesn't work without windows yet.
It's like... a Borg reject.
Based on the ethernet port size, this thing isn't very big. So its not like the loss of spatial efficiency from those crazy angles would impact your media.. place.. thingy.
Also, I have no idea what the hell this Boxee thing is. Is it like, a nettop meets htpc thing?
@Akhen It's basically an advanced set-top box.
This looks really good. If it's $200 as expected, I might actually buy one.
I'm really happy about the RF remote. I think getting the remote correct is very important to any media center box. I think it is a large mistake that you can't stack other A/V items on top of this though. The SlingBox is a unique looking box, but at least it is square on top for stacking.
It remains to be seen what kind of processing power this will have. If it is an Atom / ION solution I worry that it will have a hard time with flash based sites like Hulu.
@romanamor What other device out there would stack well on top of a Sling Box?
I think this is actually kind of nifty looking, but it won't fit in well with anything else.
Forgot to mention, we can play Topple with other devices on top of this!
That is the stupidest design evar. It looks good as a piece of 'modern' art, but as practical box? No.
so basically a nettop without the os....yet
The big question: Will it run as an HD capable MythTV front end? If it'll do Myth in 1080 (which means it'll do H.264 Blu-Ray rips) and play HD YouTube and Hulu, it's a game changer. If not, it's just another HTPC.
@JerkyChew Neither. It probably doesn't even have a PC-compatible CPU. Its a cheap media box, running Boxee, which is a software application. If you want to run Myth TV, by something else. This isn't that.
I'm not trollin'. I'm boxxy you see [^_^]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bMLrA_0O5I
For the uninformed;
Know YOUR Meme's !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16JutKkzXLU
what does it do exactly? besides sit there looking boxee
so, unless you've got an HDMI port it's pretty much useless? it'd be nice if they could've put some component/composite on there, not everybody has a new TV.
@(Unverified) I'd love to have a VGA port, at least :-/
That's looks amazingly good. Imagine the faces on people when I say it's the media center!