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Boxee Box Anticipation Thread - Page 4

post #91 of 3635
8/21/10 at 10:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Yeah, why would anyone think they can install XBMC on the Boxee Box, has it been hinted that it can be done

The Boxee Box is going to be hack friendly. It's in the nature of the developers. It might just be loading as an app off of the SD card slot initially but that will be a start.

http://revision3.com/hak5/ces2010-part1
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post #92 of 3635
8/21/10 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmoney94 View Post

Talking about Boxee,have you guys seen this media player.
NUU media player

http://www.nuumedia.com/player.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK0pb...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jpY2...eature=related

$300 is pretty hefty. For that price it better have full BD navigation from BD ISO files.
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post #93 of 3635
8/21/10 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

$300 is pretty hefty. For that price it better have full BD navigation from BD ISO files.

This looks like going off topic, maybe the starter of this topic should start a new thread. That said, I hope I am not missing something here wrt Nuu Media Player, but how is this any different from a glorified ION nettop (specs say Atom 330 with Nvidia ION, last gen Atom) with a specific software wrapper around it? Granted, it brings ease of use with a proper software wrapper around it.. but it will be at the cost of a big penalty in power compared to dedicated streamers, and in the HTPC land, there are more powerful units coming up and also available right now.. with a power envelop lesser than that of an ION nettop. (Wasn't the Myka ION nettop something similar..? And it allowed users to dual boot into Windows or Ubuntu too..)
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post #94 of 3635
8/21/10 at 3:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakmal View Post

This looks like going off topic, maybe the starter of this topic should start a new thread. That said, I hope I am not missing something here wrt Nuu Media Player, but how is this any different from a glorified ION nettop (specs say Atom 330 with Nvidia ION, last gen Atom) with a specific software wrapper around it? Granted, it brings ease of use with a proper software wrapper around it.. but it will be at the cost of a big penalty in power compared to dedicated streamers, and in the HTPC land, there are more powerful units coming up and also available right now.. with a power envelop lesser than that of an ION nettop. (Wasn't the Myka ION nettop something similar..? And it allowed users to dual boot into Windows or Ubuntu too..)

You just beat me to it!!! This is basically an HTPC, not a dedicated media player
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post #95 of 3635
8/21/10 at 6:27pm
dbone1026,
I have the same problems were all my movies do not show up. Also, having a problem where my recordings of sporting events do not show up under "TV Shows" or "Movies". However, if you click on "Files" all missing movies and sporting events are there and playable. Boxee Box needs a generic "Videos" section.
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post #96 of 3635
8/21/10 at 7:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by APorter View Post

dbone1026,
I have the same problems were all my movies do not show up. Also, having a problem where my recordings of sporting events do not show up under "TV Shows" or "Movies". However, if you click on "Files" all missing movies and sporting events are there and playable. Boxee Box needs a generic "Videos" section.

I am missing two tv shows and about 35 movies, and without going through each one individually I won't know which ones are missing. Also, it appears that not only is local metadata/fanart not used, but there is no way to edit once Boxee scrapes Hopefully I just missed the way to do so, but that would seem extremely odd that the user cannot change when Boxee is wrong (in my Case for my X-Men tv shows they are being classified as Mr Bean by Boxee). Strange stuff!!!
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post #97 of 3635
8/24/10 at 7:51pm
I love WDTV plus with youtube feature but searching is too painful using on-screen keyboard. searching for a movie from local HHD or searching for a youtube video takes alot of effort.

that is why I love to see Boxee Remote. I watch a boxee iphone remote app and it is so cool. since boxee physical remote is RF which makes universal remote useless but iphone app is an alternative, using guesture without looking down. but I am not sure if it allows search feature with iphone software keyboard.

does Boxee software allow you to search for local movie and youtube movie?
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post #98 of 3635
8/25/10 at 6:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

I am missing two tv shows and about 35 movies, and without going through each one individually I won't know which ones are missing. Also, it appears that not only is local metadata/fanart not used, but there is no way to edit once Boxee scrapes Hopefully I just missed the way to do so, but that would seem extremely odd that the user cannot change when Boxee is wrong (in my Case for my X-Men tv shows they are being classified as Mr Bean by Boxee). Strange stuff!!!

How do you add the content that it has missed? I just ran Boxee on my test video folder and it only came up with eight titles(6 correct). IS there a way to add the ones it does not recognize? I see how to search if the title is wrong, but I don't see how to get it when it doesn't even pick up the title. On the titles that are wrong there is a box labeled "Wrong Video" that allowed me to search for the correct title.
If I remember correctly, Xtreamer got 12 or 13 and the PopBox got 15 or 16.
All the titles are BD ISOs.
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post #99 of 3635
8/25/10 at 6:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

How do you add the content that it has missed? I just ran Boxee on my test video folder and it only came up with eight titles(6 correct). IS there a way to add the ones it does not recognize? I see how to search if the title is wrong, but I don't see how to get it when it doesn't even pick up the title. On the title that was wrong there is a box labeled "Wrong Video" that allowed me to search for the correct title.
If I remember correctly, Xtreamer got 12 or 13 and the PopBox got 15 or 16.
All the titles are BD ISOs.

Good question, still looking for the answer to as well!!!

From digging around Boxee site it looks like you cannot add shows manually. If they do not show up you need to contact the Boxee team:

Quote:


Local TV Shows and/or Movies not are not being resolved, or have the wrong meta data.

* First, make sure you your media files are named according to Boxee's media naming specifications.
* Boxee does not offer a way to correct missing/incorrect media.
This feature will be re-added in a future build. In the meantime, you can use this form to submit incorrect TV Shows and this one for incorrect Movies.
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post #100 of 3635
8/25/10 at 6:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Good question, still looking for the answer to as well!!!

From digging around Boxee site it looks like you cannot add shows manually. If they do not show up you need to contact the Boxee team:

Thanks.

It seems like Boxee will work better with names that I create for a title, while the Xtreamer and PopBox are the opposite. They work better with the default names for the titles I ripped but have problems when I create the name myself.
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post #101 of 3635
8/25/10 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

How do you add the content that it has missed? I just ran Boxee on my test video folder and it only came up with eight titles(6 correct). IS there a way to add the ones it does not recognize? I see how to search if the title is wrong, but I don't see how to get it when it doesn't even pick up the title. On the titles that are wrong there is a box labeled "Wrong Video" that allowed me to search for the correct title.
If I remember correctly, Xtreamer got 12 or 13 and the PopBox got 15 or 16.
All the titles are BD ISOs.

I've been trying to figure how why some movies are not getting put in the "Movie" category. Can you see the missing movies if you look under "Files"?
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post #102 of 3635
8/25/10 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by APorter View Post

I've been trying to figure how why some movies are not getting put in the "Movie" category. Can you see the missing movies if you look under "Files"?

I can, but it looks like it's a file browser when I go to that section

EDIT: I just noticed a section called "Unresolved Videos". I do see those ISO files in there.

EDIT: And I see this is where the videos can be corrected. You go to the "identify video" section from each unresolved video file, type in a name to search and once you find the correct title, it can be added to the movie list.
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post #103 of 3635
8/25/10 at 10:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

Are there plans to add BD ISO support?

I would have been all over something like this six to nine years ago. It would have been a great alternative to all the SDI players I owned in the early 2000's. But I stopped watching DVDs in 2005 so I would really need BD ISO support now.

Why is BD ISO support currently missing from the feature list?

Six to nine years ago? While local content support is obviously large part of this device, it's obvious that net-based content plays just as big, if not a bigger role on this device. Six to nine years ago none of that content even existed, so I think you're not really 'getting' this device.
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post #104 of 3635
8/25/10 at 10:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raistlin_HT View Post

Six to nine years ago? While local content support is obviously large part of this device, it's obvious that net-based content plays just as big, if not a bigger role on this device. Six to nine years ago none of that content even existed, so I think you're not really 'getting' this device.

My use for media players is mainly for movies, then Tv content, then internet applications.
That is why six to nine years ago I would have been all over it. Since nine years ago I was still big into watching DVDs and had only just started recording and archiving broadcast HD content.

although even fifteen years ago, when I first started using the internet in it's curent form, there was content to watch. and by the end of the 20th century I was watching alot of content on my PC from many sources. the content has been out there for a long time, it's just evolved into what you see today.

It is much better quality now then it was in the 20th century. But I was way ahead of the curve when I got a 1mbs connection(one way cable modem-1mbs down/33k up over dialup) in 1997 and a 5mbs connection(2 way cable modem-5mbs down/1mbs up) in 1998. So I was able to download anything there was with ease in the 20th century. And still today I have a faster connection than most people with FiOS, allowing me quicker access to alot of content than people with a slower connection and/or bandwidth caps will have issues with.
just like people still on dialup in 1998 did not have access to what I did with a 5mbs connection.

anyway I was messing around with the Boxee software on my PC this morning that I had installed last month and I had not messed with it in a while. So I figured I would look into it some more while I was waiting for the guy from Critter Control figure out what to do about the bats that got into a cavity by an air duct.

So I had it scan my test video folder and I was also looking at some of the aggregated online content available.
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post #105 of 3635
8/25/10 at 10:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

No, this is a new distribution system the studios are setting up. I posted a thread on it earlier today in this forum since it will impact media set top boxes the most.

What the studios want to do is provide you with a digital locker that lives online and controls streaming of all of the content you 'own'. You would never have an actual physical copy of the media, but would rather stream it to any one of a number of 'Ultraviolet approved' devices for immediate playback on a TV, mobile device, etc.

They are moving this into position with support of all the major players other than Apple and Disney... I have a feeling that Apple has their own push in this area centered around the ATV.

In any event, they are maneuvering to either kill Blu-ray or marginalize it, probably due to their anger over Blu-ray DRM being cracked so quickly and ultra high quality pirated copies of their content available for quick and easy download all around the world. You can also bet that if they get a fast foothold on this then the days of players that can play .iso and .mkv will have their days numbered.

This is why I am hopeful that Boxee can make a real splash late this year and get a solid foothold with a lot of consumers. Boxee has a real opportunity to make ripping ones own video library as socially acceptable and popular as ripping ones music collection became in the late 90's.

Ultraviolet will coexist with physical media for quite some time, assuming it takes off at all.

Streaming-only simply isn't viable in most markets, including large ones like the US.

1) Audio/videophiles while a minority, still represent a large enough market (particularly in terms of dollars since they typically purchase more content and CE devices) that they will be catered to for quite some time. The highest-end services do not compare to BD, and most others are quite far below it. Crap, even dedicated broadcasts aren't a substitute.

2) More importantly the needed broadband userbase simply isn't there. While the announced numbers may make it seem like it's there, 'broadband' is a loose term. Most reports use 1.5mbs as their criteria. That's not enough to stream decent SD, let alone any HD at all.

3) Even discounting the above bandwidth constraints, many users have data usage limits that would make streaming as their only media consumption method untenable. Worse still the telcoms and other providers are actually moving more and more away from unlimited or large caps, not towards. For example, Verizon currently has unlimited data plans on their CDMA network. Even though their upcoming LTE network will offer tons of more bandwidth, they have already announced they will not offer unlimited data and are moving to the tiered service plan that is becoming prevalent.


Could those things resolve themselves? Certainly, but also certain is that it won't be in the short-term. I suspect BluRay (or its replacement) will be on the market for quite some time before cloud-based services are a realistic replacement. By quite some time, I mean longer than DVD has been on the market. Physical media isn't going anywhere.
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post #106 of 3635
8/25/10 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

My use for media players is mainly for movies, then Tv content, then internet applications.
That is why six to nine years ago I would have been all over it. Since nine years ago I was still big into watching DVDs and had only just started recording and archiving broadcast HD content.

I understand. My point is that this device isn't necessarily targeting that use-case as its priority, or it at least isn't the only priority. If this was a local-content-only device, such omissions would be unforgivable, and it would go the way of many recent media streamers like the MS media extenders. That isn't the case however. Obviously you, and I suspect a number of other people are not the target audience for this device.


Quote:


although even fifteen years ago, when I first started using the internet in it's curent form, there was content to watch. and by the end of the 20th century I was watching alot of content on my PC from many sources. the content has been out there for a long time, it's just evolved into what you see today.

It is much better quality now then it was in the 20th century. But I was way ahead of the curve when I got a 1mbs connection(one way cable modem-1mbs down/56k up over dialup) in 1997 and a 5mbs connection(2 way cable modem-5mbs down/1mbs up) in 1998. So I was able to download anything there was with ease in the 20th century. And still today I have a faster connection than most people with FiOS, allowing me quicker access to alot of content than people with a slower connection and/or bandwidth caps will have issues with.
just like people still on dialup in 1998 did not have access to what I did with a 5mbs connection.

Certainly there has been content available since the Internet's inception, that isn't what I was referring to. I'm talking about dedicated streaming services and social networking services (many being realtime).
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post #107 of 3635
8/25/10 at 11:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

As I point out in the 1st post, the Tegra 2 chipset being used in the Boxee Box is a dual core 1ghz cpu. This is more powerful than the cpu in the Tivo Premier, Dune Prime 3.0, A200, C200 or any other mass production set top boxes.

So, my belief is that the hardware should be more than capable, as long as they are able to get the firmware up to snuff.

To be fair, the devices you cite for BD ISO playback (though why is TiVo listed? Can it stream BD's?) have dedicated HW for media playback to my knowledge. At list the Popcorn stuff does.

That said, the Tegra 2 chipset is known to be capable of BD playback in terms of bitrate, etc. Whether it's designed to pass HD audio is another story. I don't recall if that's been announced. The PC-centric processor manufacturers have been pretty slow to adopt the optional feature-set of HDMI 1.3 unfortunately (bitstreaming, deepcolor, etc). Hopefully this will be different.


Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Yes, when I talk about a media player I am talking about can it handle high bitrate content, can it handle hd audio (bitstream and downmix), can it handle disc structures (BluRay and DVD). These are BOTH hardware and software related (i.e. the hardware has to support and then through the sdk the features have to be unlocked). Since there are no Tegra II players out there right now, the approach you have to take is, prove it to me Boxee that you can do all these things. The Boxee folks can talk the talk all they want (would you expect anything less) but until this box is in the hands of reviewers/consumers I would take everything with a grain of salt

There is no reason to couple hardware and software when talking about whether the Tegra 2 hardware itself is capable of BD playback (and it is BTW, at least in terms of bitrate). Whether BoxeeBox will is obviously a different story.
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post #108 of 3635
8/25/10 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
Certainly if Boxee surprised all of us with things like HD audio and BD ISO support it would rock the CE streamer market in a way that no other product has as it would represent the first box to marry high quality online content with high quality user generated content. It would really be in their best interest to do so to, as it is likely that the new Apple TV coming out in a couple of weeks as well as the Google TV both will be very closed in regard to user content accessed through a local network... however, adding BD ISO and lossless audio support to the XBMC underpinnings is much easier said than done, not to mention license issues, angering studio executives, etc.

If such a Boxee Box came onto the market, then I would absolutely be in line to buy one or more (10?) of them, as I could use them not only for myself as a common platform in my home but also would be very comfortable giving them as gifts to friends and family.

Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so we shall all have to wait to see what they wow us with having had all of this extra time to prepare the software. The hardware though looks totally up to snuff!
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post #109 of 3635
9/1/10 at 4:50pm
As expected, Boxee Box will be $199. Read here.
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post #110 of 3635
9/1/10 at 5:05pm
Is there an official launch date?
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post #111 of 3635
9/1/10 at 5:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post

Is there an official launch date?

"November 2010".
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post #112 of 3635
9/1/10 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

"November 2010".

I had heard November but I had not heard about a specific day and date for the launch. I don't even see a page on Amazon yet.
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post #113 of 3635
9/2/10 at 11:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brajesh View Post

As expected, Boxee Box will be $199. Read here.

Will the Boxee Box have direct access to Netflix and/or Hulu+ ? I know there is an app for Mac's and Windows' systems, but I can't seem to find an announcement that this will also be the case for the media player.

philip
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post #114 of 3635
9/3/10 at 5:38am
Netflix, yes I believe. I recall seeing UI screenshots showing Netflix (but, PopBox did the same & we know how that turned out). With Hulu, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even now with Boxee for the PC, there's a hack to access Hulu via it. Since Boxee Box will support the latest version of Flash, I think it'll be possible to access Hulu (either directly if they've worked out a partnership or in some hacked way if not).
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post #115 of 3635
9/3/10 at 5:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brajesh View Post

Netflix, yes I believe. I recall seeing UI screenshots showing Netflix (but, PopBox did the same & we know how that turned out). With Hulu, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even now with Boxee for the PC, there's a hack to access Hulu via it. Since Boxee Box will support the latest version of Flash, I think it'll be possible to access Hulu (either directly if they've worked out a partnership or in some hacked way if not).

You can download the Boxee software and try it on your PC. It also has netflix there too.

EDIT: Boxee on the PC must be just accessing it how you access netflix with a PC. SInce I did not have to go to Netflix and activate a device.
But for the actual Boxee Box I would expect that it works like the other devices that have Netflix.

EDIT: this is weird. It just said I needed to deactivate a device to play NEtflix with teh Boxee software. But typically devices won't even let you try to play Netlix content unless the device is activated. I guess it's a glitch in the Boxee version I'm using.

EDIT: It must be running through the PC netflix connection. Since the content is showing up as SD while my other Netflix devices, like TiVo, xbox, etc the content that is available in HD for streaming is showing up as HD. Unless I'm mistaking the low quality 720P stream for SD. I guess I need to see how it looks without running it through my DUO video processor.
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post #116 of 3635
9/3/10 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronwt View Post


You can download the Boxee software and try it on your PC. It also has netflix there too.

EDIT: Boxee on the PC must be just accessing it how you access netflix with a PC. SInce I did not have to go to Netflix and activate a device.
But for the actual Boxee Box I would expect that it works like the other devices that have Netflix.

EDIT: this is weird. It just said I needed to deactivate a device to play NEtflix with teh Boxee software. But typically devices won't even let you try to play Netlix content unless the device is activated. I guess it's a glitch in the Boxee version I'm using.

EDIT: It must be running through the PC netflix connection. Since the content is showing up as SD while my other Netflix devices, like TiVo, xbox, etc the content that is available in HD for streaming is showing up as HD. Unless I'm mistaking the low quality 720P stream for SD. I guess I need to see how it looks without running it through my DUO video processor.

I see the Netflix app for Boxee on the Mac and Windows. Is there one for Linux? I don't think you can assume that everything available on a computer will be available on a media player.

Acess to Hulu comes and goes. It would be nice to know exactly which services will be available for the Boxee Box. The shipping date is closing in. I have this funny feeling that the video content providers are getting increasingly nervous that they are losing control of their pricing model. It hasn't helped that Boxee has taken so long to come out with their hardware, and D-Link is hardly a main force in the media world. Content licensing is complicated and even large companies like Apple and Microsoft seem to be having a hard time getting a fair shake from them.

If Boxee were to have access to all the major content at a reasonable price then the cable companies would complain and their video partners would listen.

It's really getting too complicated to figure out. Maybe it's time to return to the theatre and other live performances. The ad thing is unbearable on tv and that seems to be the foundation of everything.

Philip
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post #117 of 3635
9/3/10 at 4:03pm
Thread Starter 
You get ads at the theaters too. I love sitting through 15 minutes now of trailers before the feature begins, paying $20 for a popcorn and soda... maybe if I could get a beer there and not have to listen to the inane babbling of teenagers I would have a different opinion.

The Boxee Box is not really offering anything 'new' that anyone is aware of that is not already offered on another box. It just makes it easier to get access to internet content that is already out there as well as a users own content.

Now it is true that some internet content licenses make specific definitions for 'home computer' and the Boxee might not fit the bill there... so it is possible that we get Netflix and Youtube for example, but not Hulu.

As far as the content providers, I have no love or sympathy for them. I would feel better if there was a direct distribution model. The studios are the same jerkoffs that have;

1. Fought VHS tooth and nail and the format eventually made them billions.
2. Fought DVD tooth and nail (they wanted DIVX) and the format eventually made them billions.
3. Fought tooth and nail for BD to be hobbled and handicapped... and it has gone on to make them billions.
4. Fighting tooth and nail to handicap, hobble and price fix downloads... as well as saddle them with even MORE DRM... I'm sure though that eventually they will have to cave to market pressures and we will be able to download a BD quality copy of a movie for as little as $10 although I'm sure they will load their 20 minutes of spam and other garbage in there anyhow.

It's always amazed me that you can pay $15 or so for a music CD which contains no promos or ads of other music on the disc... you are simply buying the artist recording... whereas it is somehow acceptable to pay the same $15-$20 for a DVD or BD and be treated to ads ads and more ads that in some cases you can't even skip.

This pretty much hits it on the head;



Basically, the studios treat their paying customers like criminals and wonder why they then go and download this stuff.

Myself and millions of others are chomping at the bit for a high quality, DRM free version of our favorite films, in high quality HD audio and video with a standard codec and for a reasonable price. That, however, is the studios worst nightmare.
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post #118 of 3635
9/3/10 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

You get ads at the theaters too.

I meant live theatre as in musicals, plays, etc ... I didn't realize there were ads in movie theaters. Given the price, having to put up with your neighbours babbling and so on this makes it sound more like a horror outing.

I am not optimistic that the video, or even book publishers, will get it during my lifetime. I am looking forward to the Boxee Box. It will take the place of my Kodak player which I will miss ( but unfortunately few others will).

Philip
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post #119 of 3635
9/3/10 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

This pretty much hits it on the head;


I started with a small laugh to a big one. good one!!!
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post #120 of 3635
9/4/10 at 7:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

You get ads at the theaters too. I love sitting through 15 minutes now of trailers before the feature begins, paying $20 for a popcorn and soda... maybe if I could get a beer there and not have to listen to the inane babbling of teenagers I would have a different opinion.

........

For several decades,
trailers before movies has been one of the things I've looked forward to when seeing a movie at the theater.(at one point we were seeing 50 to 70 movies in the theater a year, but now it's more like 15 to 25) As is also the case with the rest of my family. The more the better. What I don't like are the product advertisements before the trailers are shown. But if it helps keep the ticket prices down, then I have no problem with it.

HDnet has those trailer shows on every week. I've been recording those for years. Even when I started recording HD in 2001, many of the things I kept were HD trailers for upcoming movies.
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