From here, you can surf the internet, search for a TV show/movie or access the settings. The browser can be accessed at any time by simply hitting the ‘Options’ button. Last but not the least, we have the ‘Files’ tab that let you browse for media either from a local drive that’s connected or the network. You can browse through categories or simply search for the one you want. ‘Apps’ lets you browse the 200+ apps and install them on the Boxee Box. Unfortunately for us, Netflix is not available here, so there’s no chance of even renting movies if you wanted to. ‘Movies’ lets you access free to air movies from MUBI, which mostly include foreign films (no major Hollywood films), most of which I never heard of. The TV shows will show up if you search for them, but you can’t watch entire episodes, only clips or snippets that are there on YouTube or Vimeo. However, you can’t view current shows like - The Big Bang Theory, Community, etc as they will only work if you’re in the U.S., which is unfortunate. ‘Shows’ lets you access clips from YouTube videos and other video streaming sites, provided you’ve installed the app. ‘Watch Later’ queues up all the shows that you mark as favorites or ‘watch later’, so for instance if you’re searching for a show and stumble upon other interesting videos that you’d want to watch, simply mark them and they get added in the queue. The ‘Friends’ menu lets you add other Boxee users, so you can see what they are currently watching. The interface is very easy and straightforward, you use the D-pad to navigate and the centre button to enter a menu, while the ‘Options’ button is used to move one step back. Boxee will also check if there are any updates available and will update it accordingly. Boot up time of the Boxee Box is quick and on first use you’ll have to create an account and sign in, which is simple enough. Some popular apps include YouTube, TuneIn Radio, Vimeo, TED, Revision3, CollegeHumor, to name a few. The apps cover all popular categories from Entertainment, Gaming, Music, Lifestyle to News, Radio, etc. The main appeal of the Boxee Box is the number of supported apps, which currently stands at 205. There’s no internal storage or provision for adding a hard drive. That’s pretty much what powers the box and some memory for installing the apps. This is from their line-up of embedded systems specifically designed for performing video decoding. FeaturesThe Boxee Box is powered by an Intel Atom CE4110 SOC processor. The keys are rubber coated for better grip and durability. The navigation buttons have a good response and so does the keypad. This makes typing URLs a lot easier when you want to surf the net. However, the best accessory has got to be the remote, which has standard navigation buttons on one side and a QWERTY keypad on the other. D-Link bundles a HDMI cable, as well in the box, which is nice. Other ports include a LAN jack, HDMI, Optical audio-out and stereo-out. The Boxee Box comes with two USB 2.0 ports that are capable of reading NTFS partitioned hard drives. The power button is placed on the top and there’s a SD card slot on the right.Īll the connectors are placed at the rear, along with the ventilation holes. The bottom area is covered by a green rubber lining for better grip. The box has a matte finish throughout, except for the side with the logo, which lights up when powered on. I, for one, quite like it and the compact size, as well which will go well with your HDTV in the hall. This unique and quirky design is a hit of miss, either you’ll like it or you won’t. At first, it looks as if it’s been damaged or broken, but don’t worry, that’s how it’s meant to look like. Let’s take a closer look at it, shall we? Design and BuildThe unusual design of the Boxee Box will certainly grab your attention. It’s essentially a media player just like the WD TV Live Hub, but with one crucial difference, it runs Boxee’s interface, which is a free and open platform piece of software with very good developer support. The Boxee Box, another very popular media player in the West has finally made it to our shores thanks to D-Link who make the little device. Newer HD media players also support apps with the WD TV Live Hub being a perfect example. Smart TVs have already penetrated the market offering streaming video and audio services through apps. With broadband becoming more common place in households and faster Internet speeds getting more affordable, streaming services are on the rise.
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