boxee box by d-link
Latest
Boxee delays Netflix integration again, cites security requirements as the culprit
We hoped Boxee would surprise us at the eleventh hour and announce it had finally added Netflix to the service -- technically making good on its end of January deadline. Instead, the company's blog is now reporting that the service is "anticipated soon." Apparently, the service is running fine on the device in the company's offices -- which, mind you they said back in December too, -- but it still failed to satisfy Netflix's security requirements. While that sounds like a big thing to miss in our books, a comment by Boxee's VP of Marketing, Andrew Kippen, suggests the company just discovered the issue only an hour before midnight. This marks the second time users have been asked to re-adjust their expectations for when the big red box might pop up on their favorite media manager, but to Boxee's credit, we were glad to see the company come right out with the situation instead of leaving us all on pins and needles. Now, let's just hope this whole incident gets sorted out pronto, so we don't have to break bad news to our Watch Instantly lovin' hearts ever again.
Vudu movie streaming app is (not) live on the Boxee Box - update
There's no official confirmation from Boxee's blog or Twitter account yet, but owners of its Box are experiencing a fully activated Vudu app with the SD, HD, HDX and 3D streams the service is famous for. The only glitches reported so far seem to have been cleared up by just restarting the device so hopefully whatever delayed its launch past the planned 2010 window is entirely resolved. There's no firmware update needed, so give it a shot if you haven't already, especially since Vudu's still offering a free flick for all new signups. With Netflix streaming still an unreachable dream for its Box (unless one also happens to own practically any other media streaming device on the market) we hope the company rewards its developers with a long, long break of at least five minutes before sending them back to work on our Watch Instantly access. [Thanks, Parris] Update: VP of Marketing Andrew Kippen has let us know that while the app was released to a few hundred testers "by mistake" it's been taken down so they can finish testing before it is eventually released "with much fanfare." Sorry Boxee devs, no five minute break for you today!
Boxee Box owners can be thankful for their first firmware update
Just a couple of weeks after its debut, the Boxee Box is getting its first software update today. While it might not address all the concerns raised in our review, this edition does include fixes for notable issues like 1080i playback problems, WiFi connectivity and issues handling certain audio and video files. The Boxee Blog has the full (long) list of tweaks and additions, while CEO Avner Ronen promises the company plans to release screenshots and a list of usability/UI issues still to be addressed next week. Other upgrades before 2010 runs out of time should include the Netflix and VUDU apps, so when the question of "what are you thankful for?" comes up, just say "build #1.0.1.16319," which your Box should find automatically within 24 hours, though the impatient can prompt for an update manually.
Boxee Box review
It's a little strange that the Boxee Box by D-Link feels like a late entrant in this year's crowded smart TV market -- the core Boxee software has been around forever, and the Box itself was announced way back in January at CES. But a platform switch from NVIDIA's Tegra 2 chip to Intel's Atom-based CE4100 platform cost Boxee and D-Link valuable time, while the Boxee software went through a dramatic UI transformation from the beta to 1.0. What's more, Boxee's gone from being an upstart rock'n'roll rebel to a legit market player, with a Netflix deal on the books and -- wonder of wonders -- an agreement to bring Hulu Plus to the Boxee Box sometime next year. That's a lot of changes, and, quite frankly, a lot of hype -- Boxee's dedicated fans are expecting the small company and its asymmetrical Box to show up no less than Apple and Google. So have Boxee CEO Avner Ronen and company pulled it off? Is the Boxee Box the ultimate connected TV device? Or has a punk rock media revolution turned into just another polite New Wave streamer? Read on for the full Engadget review to find out!%Gallery-107418%
Netflix and Hulu Plus coming to the Boxee Box
Some big news out of the Boxee Box launch event just now: Netflix and Hulu Plus are both coming to the asymmetric streamer. There's no timeline on Hulu Plus -- Boxee told us talks have just begun -- but Netflix should be live by the year, and that's a major requirement if Boxee is going to be competitive with the various other connected TV devices on the market. It's also nice to see the Boxee / Hulu relationship finally thaw out, but we'd guess there's no chance regular Hulu will work in the Boxee browser now, and we'd bet the rest of the networks block it just like Google TV as well. That's okay, though -- adding Netflix and Hulu Plus to the Box's insane codec list, Webkit browser with Flash support, and Vudu integration should still make it pretty easy to get anything you want on your TV. Now if only we could get our hands on a review unit.
Live from the Boxee Box launch event!
Sure, the Boxee Box has been teasing us since CES, but it's finally here, new Intel-based chipset and all. We're live at the huge launch party, and Boxee CEO Avner Ronen and crew always have a few surprises in store, so join us after the break for the full blow-by-blow!
Boxee, RoxioNow integration means premium movie options on the way
We'll probably be able to add some new content partners to the Boxee list shortly, now that the media streaming company is teaming with Sonic Solutions. Best known as the company behind the online movie stores for Best Buy and Blockbuster, that predictably means Boxee users should be able to easily purchase and/or rent movies from Sonic's partners in the future. So far the blog post only promises RoxioNow integration by the time the Boxee Box launches, lucky there's a little more time for that to happen, huh?
Boxee Box delayed until November
We were starting to think something was up with the Boxee Box as Q2 started to fade away without any word on the scheduled launch, and unfortunately we were right: Boxee has just confirmed to us that its hotly-anticipated media streamer will be delayed until November in the US and Canada. Boxee says the original launch plan has proven to be "overly ambitious," and that the delay is purely software-related -- the Tegra 2 based hardware we saw at CES will remain the same. If we had to guess, we'd say at least part of the delay can be attributed to Adobe, since Flash 10.1 just went final yesterday and Boxee is depending on it as a core feature, but either way, the company's goal to provide the full PC Boxee experience complete with full-res 1080p video playback from virtually any local or remote source on a small embedded platform is an ambitious one -- we've got our fingers crossed, let's hope we hear good news from Avner Ronen and crew come November.
