In the US, D-Link has unveiled plans to build the Boxee Box a dedicated media player running the Boxee streaming media software. Locally D-Link is pushing hard for a simultaneous release in the US and Australia, slated for the second half of 2010, says D-Link Australia marketing director Maurice Famularo.
What is Boxee?
Boxee is streaming media software designed to run on Windows, Ubuntu, Mac OS or a modified Apple TV. The software is designed to stream photos, music, movies and television shows from your local network or the internet, including services such as Hulu, Joost, Netflix and Pandora.
Using Boxee in Australia
Of course Australians can't access much of this content without running a Virtual Private Network to mask their location, but D-Link Australia is working hard to ensure Australian Boxee Box owners have access to content and aren't treated as second class digital citizens.
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| Customisable Web video feeds, DLNA streaming, and 802.11n: D-Link's Boxee Box |
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| Round the back: Two USB ports, SD slot, Ethernet and analogue and optical digital outputs |
Regional agreements restrict which content the Boxee Box can access outside the US, but D-Link Australia is currently in discussions with several content providers - including the ABC and Network Seven regarding access to the iView and Plus7 Catch Up TV services. A Movies on Demand service is also planned, although Famularo says this may not be available when the Boxee Box first goes on sale in Australia.
By combining local streaming media playback with access to a wealth of online content, Boxee Box promises to be the ultimate streaming media box - combining the best features of the Apple TV and the WD TV Live - the two favoured streaming media players in PC Authority's recent Labs round up (see April issue of PC Authority).
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| The Boxee Box remote, flips to reveal a QWERTY keyboard |
Boxee Box - the specs
The Boxee Box offers a HDMI video output along with analogue and optical digital outputs. It features Ethernet and 802.11n wifi, along with two USB ports and an SD card slot - letting users play content from removable media, network devices and the internet. Famularo was unable to confirm whether it will support DLNA networking.
The icing on the cake is a remote control which flips over to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard - a nice touch likely to intrigue those who are already running Boxee on other devices.
The IPTV train - Sony's IPTV service, Apple TV, PS3
D-Link and Boxee's move into the Australian market is well-timed, with local Catch Up TV services maturing and vendors such as Sony launching its impressive IPTV service - raising mainstream awareness of the technology. Pricing is obviously critical, considering that by mid-year you should be able to buy a Sony Blu-ray player for under $500 that includes access to the new IPTV service. Similar services will also come to the PlayStation 3. Meanwhile you can buy an Apple TV for $329 and then easily hack it to run the Boxee interface.
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You can use Boxee to stream all your media files, but the clincher will be whether D-Link can secure a decent Movies On Demand service for Australian users
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The clincher - Movies on Demand
One advantage of hacking an Apple TV is that you still retain access to the Australian iTunes store - the country's best source of legitimate movie and television downloads.
This really cuts to the heart of the matter. Access to Catch Up TV is attractive, but it will be the Movies on Demand service that makes or breaks Boxee Box. This relies less only the quality of the streaming video and more on the range of movies available.
Sony is working on a Movies on Demand channel for its IPTV service, and it has the clout to strike good deals with the movie houses. If the Boxee Box's movie service is as disappointing as TiVo's current CASPA service - or heaven forbid the woeful Bigpond Movies service - D-Link will have an uphill battle selling the Boxee Box into the Australian market.
Interested in buying a network media player for streaming video to your TV? We've tested 9 players in the latest issue of PC Authority.