I have a ps3 with media server capabilities and a PC with hdmi options to plug into my tv.
Lately I have been looking into getting a boxee box though i cant say i know too much about them. I like the idea of a better tv interface but is it really that much different then my ps3 media server?
Keep in mind i am in canada so some US only apps for the boxee box are probably not available.
@BradBrains: it'd certainly use less power than a PS3, but I don't know that it would be a better experience, at least it might not be enough of a better experience to spend the money on
I got one awhile ago because trying to play anything of reasonable quality on PS3 media server was a full blown bufferfest.
It will play pretty much any format you can throw at it. You can either hook up an external usb drive to it or stream it over your network. You can tell it specifically where to look for media and if it's correctly named the box will automatically sort it/add info/box art. As for apps it has the stuff you'd expect but also whiskey media apps. I use it everyday to watch Giantbomb stuff on my TV. You can even watch live stuff on the app. It's not a perfect device but it's generally slick and hassle free.
@BradBrains: I love mine. For local content I feel like it's the best stand alone device short of building your own HTPC. As mentioned above it will pretty much play any codec/container that you throw at it. The apps are pretty good, the ones that are actual stand alone apps are great from a UI perspective. Not to fond of the "Apps" that are just shortcuts to a web page in their Boxee Browser. Though iOS Boxee App does help with the Browser though as it gives the pointer analog controls.
I began my streaming mania on my PS3 as well, and I well remember the hoops you had to jump through to get it to work, and soon knew that I needed a better solution.
I've now owned a Boxee Box for over a year, and I'm a huge fan. It gives you a beautiful interface for streaming with a high WAF, and as previously mentioned will play about any file type you throw at it. I have to mention the one current drawback - it does not work with with HD audio streams (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-MA). If you only care about more standard audio streams like regular DTS and the like, it works like a charm.
If it had a Hulu Plus app and an Amazon VOD app, it would be perfect. As it is, it's my primary media player for my 200+ ripped DVDs and Netflix.
How has the Boxee Box been for UK users? How is the movie streaming experience, as I'm currently thinking about buying one and want it so that I can have ANY movie or TV show (including american tv, like HBO and AMC etc) at my fingertips within two minutes of pressing ok/confirm payment.
And please bare in mind when answering my question, I want to cut the cord, so is it a good replacement that replaces and improves greatly over the set-top-box way of watching the tv?
The Boxee Box fascinates me because Will, Norm, and Jeff have all stated they really like these devices. My experience, however, has been consistently poor. It stutters and frequently buffers when playing back anything, *.mkv or *.mp4. It's the same story with wired and wireless connections, but the PS3 will work flawlessly with PS3 Media Server and others. The Boxee Box also fails to identify videos. I painstakingly renamed every file to match Boxee's recommendations, but it still sometimes dumps files into the Unidentified folder.
I must have some bad hardware because I can't match-up my experiences with anyone else. I would really like to use it, but I haven't had the time to dedicate to troubleshooting.
If you've ripped a bunch of DVDs and Blu-rays, the Boxee Box is pretty much the best thing on the market. If you're looking for streaming video, it's not so hot.
I've got a pretty big library of DVD, TV, and Blu-Ray and the boxee box has handled all of well. On thing that made the experience that much better was creating .nfo files for all of my movies. This allowed me to add the cover art that I wanted and not just what boxee pulled automatically. It took a long time to get it all done but my movie collection looks awesome now. One thing that i've noticed is that as i've added more and more to the library the boxee box can tend to get a little unstable. I'm not sure how much of this is a network issue and how much is a boxee box issue.
Heres my story.
I have a ps3 with media server capabilities and a PC with hdmi options to plug into my tv.
Lately I have been looking into getting a boxee box though i cant say i know too much about them. I like the idea of a better tv interface but is it really that much different then my ps3 media server?
Keep in mind i am in canada so some US only apps for the boxee box are probably not available.
Any help would be great. Thanks
@BradBrains: it'd certainly use less power than a PS3, but I don't know that it would be a better experience, at least it might not be enough of a better experience to spend the money on
I got one awhile ago because trying to play anything of reasonable quality on PS3 media server was a full blown bufferfest.
It will play pretty much any format you can throw at it. You can either hook up an external usb drive to it or stream it over your network. You can tell it specifically where to look for media and if it's correctly named the box will automatically sort it/add info/box art. As for apps it has the stuff you'd expect but also whiskey media apps. I use it everyday to watch Giantbomb stuff on my TV. You can even watch live stuff on the app. It's not a perfect device but it's generally slick and hassle free.
@BradBrains: I love mine. For local content I feel like it's the best stand alone device short of building your own HTPC. As mentioned above it will pretty much play any codec/container that you throw at it. The apps are pretty good, the ones that are actual stand alone apps are great from a UI perspective. Not to fond of the "Apps" that are just shortcuts to a web page in their Boxee Browser. Though iOS Boxee App does help with the Browser though as it gives the pointer analog controls.
Just need a Amazon Instant Video app.
I began my streaming mania on my PS3 as well, and I well remember the hoops you had to jump through to get it to work, and soon knew that I needed a better solution.
I've now owned a Boxee Box for over a year, and I'm a huge fan. It gives you a beautiful interface for streaming with a high WAF, and as previously mentioned will play about any file type you throw at it. I have to mention the one current drawback - it does not work with with HD audio streams (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-MA). If you only care about more standard audio streams like regular DTS and the like, it works like a charm.
If it had a Hulu Plus app and an Amazon VOD app, it would be perfect. As it is, it's my primary media player for my 200+ ripped DVDs and Netflix.
How has the Boxee Box been for UK users? How is the movie streaming experience, as I'm currently thinking about buying one and want it so that I can have ANY movie or TV show (including american tv, like HBO and AMC etc) at my fingertips within two minutes of pressing ok/confirm payment.
And please bare in mind when answering my question, I want to cut the cord, so is it a good replacement that replaces and improves greatly over the set-top-box way of watching the tv?
The Boxee Box fascinates me because Will, Norm, and Jeff have all stated they really like these devices. My experience, however, has been consistently poor. It stutters and frequently buffers when playing back anything, *.mkv or *.mp4. It's the same story with wired and wireless connections, but the PS3 will work flawlessly with PS3 Media Server and others. The Boxee Box also fails to identify videos. I painstakingly renamed every file to match Boxee's recommendations, but it still sometimes dumps files into the Unidentified folder.
I must have some bad hardware because I can't match-up my experiences with anyone else. I would really like to use it, but I haven't had the time to dedicate to troubleshooting.
Does Boxee have a Netflix app in the UK? If it does, I can't find it.
If you've ripped a bunch of DVDs and Blu-rays, the Boxee Box is pretty much the best thing on the market. If you're looking for streaming video, it's not so hot.
I've got a pretty big library of DVD, TV, and Blu-Ray and the boxee box has handled all of well. On thing that made the experience that much better was creating .nfo files for all of my movies. This allowed me to add the cover art that I wanted and not just what boxee pulled automatically. It took a long time to get it all done but my movie collection looks awesome now. One thing that i've noticed is that as i've added more and more to the library the boxee box can tend to get a little unstable. I'm not sure how much of this is a network issue and how much is a boxee box issue.