It's not that the Boxee Box won't have Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Vudu, it's that somehow, these apps aren't on the box yet. It's hard to grasp how a product that has been hyped for a year and is manufactured by an established partner could be missing so many services at launch. There is a social aspect to Boxee, too-it's easy to follow friends and see which videos they choose to share. Boxee stores shows and movies you mark as favorites, and pushes new ones to your account, but this is all done in "the cloud". Then you can start populating your account with media, none of which can be stored on the box itself-there's no integrated storage. If you have no Boxee account, you'll be prompted to create one-they're free. You'll also need an Internet-connected computer handy when setting up the box-there's some basic account info that you'll need to enter at Boxee's Web site, but it's a one-time thing.
Boxee plus install#
Once you've established an Internet connection with the box via either Wi-Fi (the box supports 802.11 b, g, and n) or Ethernet cable, you're ready to install all those updates. That said, it's nearly impossible to screw up.
Boxee plus update#
Getting the Boxee Box up and running isn't complicated, but it's tedious because you must update the firmware, which involves multiple downloads, installations, and reboots until there are no more updates. Eventually, you learn to hold the remote with the tips of your fingers along the edges, but it's awkward. We witnessed Boxee reps, who've logged far more hours with the box, have the same problem. Inevitably, you occasionally press one of the buttons when you're trying to type on the QWERTY pad-this occurred several times during testing. The playback and navigation buttons on the flip side of the remote are situated almost exactly where you rest your fingers when typing with your thumbs.
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The keyboard's rubber keys feel great, and typing on it is, initially, a breeze…until you realize the remote's fatal flaw. How clever of Boxee to use both sides of the remote-why isn't that the norm? One side is a QWERTY keyboard with numbers, symbols, and arrow navigation, while the other has a Play/Pause button, four directional navigation buttons with Enter in the middle, and a Settings/Menu button that doubles as the Power control when held down long enough. The unit ships with a power adapter and an HDMI cable-another thoughtful inclusion lacking in most of the competition's packages.Īlso included is the essential-and at first, seemingly excellent-remote control. When the unit is powered up, the Boxee Box by D-Link logo lights and appears behind the surface of the front-facing panel. There is also an SD/SDHC memory card slot on the right-hand panel for cards up to 32GB.
Boxee plus tv#
The back panel houses a modest but useful set of connections-HDMI, Ethernet, two USB ports, Optical (S/PDIF) out, and analog stereo RCA outputs-a notable inclusion for those with analog stereo receivers (and one that is woefully absent on the Apple TV and Google TV products). Measuring 4.6 by 4.5 by 4.5 inches (HWD), it's glossy black plastic, with a neon lime green rubber underside.
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Unlikely to blend with your home theater components like the Apple TV or the Logitech Revue, the Boxee Box is shaped like, well, a square box, sitting on an angle, with some corners cut away to create the appearance that the cube is embedded in whatever surface it sits upon.
Boxee plus full#
It took a full year for the Boxee Box by D-Link to morph from an exciting concept to in-store product, and in that time, we've become familiar with its unique design.
Boxee plus plus#
We will revisit the Boxee Box rating once Hulu Plus is added. Since our review, Boxee has added support for Netflix and Vudu. It's saved, however, by a quality user interface and robust file support-ideal for those who, um, "find" free movies on the Web.Įditor's Note (): One of our major complaints with the Boxee Box was that key content including Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu Plus, all which were promised at launch, weren't available when the box went on sale. But it was hobbled at launch by a lack of some video service apps that the company claims are on the way. The box is based on the free Internet-based Boxee service, which rounds up videos from the Web and puts them in an easy-to-search user interface on your HDTV. Along with the Roku XDS ($99, 2.5 stars) and the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Disc Player ($399, 4 stars), these are the Boxee Box's chief media hub competitors, each offering a unique take on the Wi-Fi-connected set-top box.