“How much would you be willing to pay for the ability to record 300hrs of TV?” the Boxee survey asked, offering a choice of $5 per month, $10 per month, $15 per month or “Not interested” as possible responses.

Currently, the $49 Live TV adapter allows Boxee Box owners to tune in to free-to-air TV broadcasts and watch them in real-time. However, while there’s an SD card slot and external drive support on the Boxee Box, the tuner dongle doesn’t permit recording of content; instead, viewers are expected to use streaming catch-up services, such as Hulu and Netflix, if they missed the show first time round.

The Boxee team said it was evaluating the possibility of DVR features and that, if it proved viable, would have more to announce later in the year. It seems a free upgrade to do that isn’t the company’s priority, though, which could come as a frustration to owners of the STB.

This shouldn’t be a surprise; we knew as of late last year that this was going to happen. The company has chosen to focus on its hardware box called the Boxee Box rather than computer clients. Boxee’s VP of marketing Andrew Kippen confirmed on Monday the company was going through with its plans to end support for computer clients despite complaints from some of the early adopters of the service.

Presumably, the company is hoping that some of these early PC adopters will move to the Boxee Box hardware so they can continue to use the service. I would imagine that many of these people would be looking for alternative solutions for their media center software needs. Gigaom predicts that the big winners for those still looking for media center software for their computers will be XBNC and Plex.

Unfortunately, there’s no DVR/PVR support, so live TV really is live; you can’t even pause a live show and resume later on, as you can on a TiVo or other DVR. However, you do get social networking integration into the channel guide, with indications of what your friends are watching, and a new Facebook Timeline app for Boxee can automatically share your viewing habits on your wall.

It’s also possible to customize the channels, removing those you might never watch, renaming them if they’re less than intuitive, and reorganizing them so that flicking between favorites is more straightforward. The unified interface, meanwhile, blends together live and on-demand content – similar to how Google TV approaches viewing – and can jump between a broadcast show and other episodes if they’re available online.

Boxee Live TV comes with a new version of the Boxee Box OS, v1.5, with a new UI, boosted search, better filtering in the streamlined library view, integration with Rotten Tomatoes reviews, and control over social account integration. The update will be pushed out automatically to owners over the next 72 hours, though you can force an update by selecting Settings > System > Check for new version of Boxee.

The Boxee team says they’re looking into the feasibility of adding DVR support in a future update, and will have more details later in the year. The Boxee Live TV tuner is $49 in the US and Canada.

The app is available for download on Macs running Snow Leopard or newer OSes, Windows XP or later, and Linux boxes running 32-bit Ubuntu 11.10 or later. The 1.5 release marks the final desktop version of Boxee, and will be pulled after late January rolls around, when the interface arrives on Boxee’s own hardware with the Live TV Tuner add-on.

Boxee explained that the decision to put the desktop app to rest was an expectation that TV was increasingly more likely to be driven by dedicated TV hardware, as opposed to makeshift rigs composed of computers hooked up to television sets. SlashGear readers, what’re you thoughts on this topic? Feel free to leave thoughts in the comment section below.

[via Engadget]

The SlingPlayer for Boxee Box app requires a Slingbox SOLO or PRO-HD, and the company warns that – as ever – you’ll need at least a 600Kbps connection for a SD stream or a 2Mbps or higher connection for an HD stream. Unlike the smartphone/tablet apps, however, this Boxee Box integration isn’t a paid download, and will be added free instead.

The new functionality is part of Boxee’s attempt to position its platform as a replacement to cable TV subscriptions and the like, with a TV tuner for local live TV access coming in January. Of course you might want to pair your Slingbox with a paid cable/satellite subscription, but this new streaming support may allow you to trim it down to a single sub rather than multiple ones.

The Boxee Box is priced at $179.99.

Instead, the company says it is focusing on live TV at present, putting broadcast content alongside the existing IPTV from Hulu Plus, Netflix, Vudu and others. That could change if enough people demand it, however; Boxee says “if we get enough users asking for DVR then we could take advantage of that other USB input on the back of the box and let a user connect a drive for recordings.”

Boxee Live TV will only be available in the US and Canada initially, and those running a software installation of the app rather than the Boxee Box won’t be able to use it either; third party tuner support is also non-existent, so you’ll have to invest in Boxee’s own $49 dongle. The Boxee Live TV tuner can be pre-ordered here.

Full functionality is yet to be confirmed, but Boxee users will be able to share their viewing habits with friends through the Boxee Box’s social networking features, presumably including on Facebook and Twitter. Unencrypted basic cable channels will also be supported, though not premium content.

However, extra hardware will be required, and not all of the current smart TV functionality users have come to expect will be included. A USB TV tuner will be necessary, since the Boxee Box lacks its own integrated tuner, and there do not appear to be recording or time-shift features, meaning it’s seemingly not possible to record an individual show or series for later playback.

Of course, Boxee would argue that, as it supports Netflix and other IPTV services, there are alternative ways to access content rather than simply recording them from live broadcasts. There’s no timescale for the Boxee Live TV functionality to be released, nor confirmation of which tuner hardware vendor the company might be working with, but the guess is that it will be ready by the holidays.

The number of films on the FyreTV network is said to be in the 15,000 range from about 100 different adult studios. The FyreTV app will be offered on the Boxee store if adult apps are enabled. There is already an adult app category for Boxee users and videos directly from some adult studios have been offered previously.

Considering the FyreTV box required a rental at $9.95 monthly with some free VOD minutes offered I would bet there were few takers. The app on the other hand should do much better than the dedicated box. Parents worried about this app will need to block adult apps. It’s not clear if the Boxee app is free or a paid download.

[via Gigaom]

The Boxee Box for iPad update now shows a new remote control at the lower right hand corner of your screen that lets you control videos you send to your Boxee Box from your iPad. The process of sending media files to your Boxee Box will also now resume where you left off for any files you played through the Boxee Media Manager.

Additionally, the Boxee Box service now has an option to select video quality when you stream files. This is helpful for those with bandwidth issues and provides more consistent streaming when you’ve got a weak WiFi connection.

[via Boxee]

What you can’t do is create or manage Spotify playlists, something Boxee reckons is best left to computers and tablets. You’ll need a Premium Spotify account in order to use the Boxee Box integration, priced at $9.99 or €9.99 per month, and of course a Boxee Box to access it on. They’re currently running at around $180 online.

Spotify previously announced a deal with Western Digital to put the music service on the WD TV Live range, joining an existing line-up of hardware from partners including Sonos and Onkyo. More details on Spotify here.

But all that talk of big companies seems to leave out smaller firms that have some unique ideas but don’t seem to be able to get ahead.

[Image credit: Dark Dwarf]

Take, for example, Boxee. That company is by no means a household name, but it has attracted a cult-like following in tech circles. The only trouble is, when it tried to make a mark in the set-top box market, it failed to do so. And now, if one asks the average consumer if they’ve ever tried out a Boxee Box, most will say they’ve never even heard of it.

Of course, some might say that Boxee, and so many other small companies’ troubles in the home-entertainment space have to do with the fact that their products aren’t all that appealing. Those folks argue that any company has a chance to make it big in the technology space as long as they come up with a product that’s compelling and delivers to consumers what they’re looking for.

But is that really the case? The industry is littered with the remains of small companies that had really neat ideas but for one reason or another, failed to reach the heights. Boxee has a really great service and I felt that the Boxee Box was a solid product. And yet, it’s the Apple TV that gets most of the attention in the set-top box space.

Turning to the gaming market, we find two major firms — Sony and Microsoft — battling it out. Nintendo, while not as big as those firms, is a giant in the gaming space. Where is a new, upstart company that has something really unique to take on those three? Some might say it’s OnLive, which could be a compelling argument. The only trouble is, OnLive is still dwarfed by those companies, and like so many others, isn’t all that well known in the mainstream.

Although the technology industry has always had high barriers to entry, I’m starting to wonder if they’re only getting higher. Why is the Kindle Fire the only tablet, other than the iPad 2, that people are getting excited about when so many other slates, on store shelves now, deliver many of the same compelling features? Why is the Apple TV the chosen set-top box when many other products can do so much more?

As we look around the industry, and especially at all the gadgetry we have running in our homes, we quickly find that it’s the big companies that reign supreme. And all the other small firms — with great products are not — are left to hope for the scraps.

It’s an unfortunate development, and something that I hope changes in the future.

But to be quite honest, I don’t think it’ll happen.

During CES, Viewsonic showed off a 46-inch TV running Boxee’s media center software powered by an Intel Atom processor. The collaboration would have been a great move for Boxee, which was hoping to move beyond set-top boxes. But it looks like those dreams will be dashed for now as Viewsonic explains that the decision is based on the current market conditions.

‘Smart TV’ has not achieved the consumer acceptance or market expectation… that was forecasted over the last couple years. In addition, consumer spending for Smart TV’s in general has experienced a significant slow down as the economy has slowed. Our current strategy is to stay involved with the various technology developments and consider them in the future as they become available.

Boxee responded saying that “the Viewsonic opportunity has been pushed to the side for the moment to concentrate on other opportunities.” So it’s not clear if the project is off the table entirely, but Viewsonic sure seems to be focused on other opportunities at the moment. The company just launched three new tablets at IFA 2011, including two budget-friendly Android tablets, the ViewPad 7e and ViewPad 7x.

[via GigaOm]

The addition of MOG means access to the millions of songs through the service, which is similar to Spotify and Rdio. MOG emphasizes that songs are streamed in high-fidelity at 320Kbps, which they claim is higher audio quality than any other music streaming service. Boxee Box owners will now get to use this service to stream music to their TVs and home theater sound systems while album art is displayed with 1080p HD image quality.

MOG boasts a collection of 11 million songs and costs $4.99 per month for an unlimited plan and can be accessed from any mobile device with a web browser. And now its available through the Boxee Box, which costs $199.99 and offers many video and music streaming options through services including Netflix and VUDU.

[via Boxee]

Existing playlists on the service can be accessed from Boxee, and those created on your HTPC can also be played on mobile devices and your PC. There are public playlists and charts, too, if you’re feeling short on inspiration.

Grooveshark costs $9 per month after the free trial, which covers not only Boxee access but streaming music to your phone. Apps are available for Android, webOS, Symbian and BlackBerry, as well as jailbroken iOS devices.

Meanwhile there’s Boxee Box 1.2, the latest firmware release, which adds NFS and AFP support, boosted HTML5 handling in the browser, OS X Lion compatibility as a source for video files, and – among other things – experimental AirPlay support. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can now stream directly to their Boxee Box using the Apple technology.

There’s also a new Boxee “Watch Later” bookmarklet, which allows you to queue up online videos you encounter while browsing so as to later watch them when you’re in front of your Boxee Box or iPad. Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr integration is also supported. Full details of the new software here [pdf link].

Media control! That’s the name of the game. Home theater enthusiasts, as they’re called, aka the folks who take the time to set up a full video and audio network for themselves in their home, will be pleased to find that this new remote allows you to search and share with social networks using the Boxee software on PC or Mac, also allowing you access to every other bit of Boxee features you’d normally expect with your Boxee Box. And it’s no normal remote. With the included nano-sized USB adapter, you’ll be able to use RF signals that will stop the need for pointing directly at the receiver, aka the thing you’ve been doing for years with infrared TV remotes.

You’ve got a keyboard on top, a touchpad, menu and play buttons underneath, and a lovely smooth surface all around. Rock some sweet media in full HDTV 1080p with a remote – and the software will be completely free forever. Well played, D-Link! You’ll be able to pick this remote up for $49.99 now at several online retailers, and the software update making this device work will be out this fall.

On the other hand, you can get the remote on Amazon today for $39.99. Sounds like a win to me. On the other hand, if you’ve already got a Boxee Box, you could just get the iPhone remote app.

Boxee says that the effort to build the Boxee Box involved writing on a new OS and handling a different setup process, security, and a new browser had to be written. The task of writing all the software for the Boxee box was “enormous” for a small staff and at a point all the staff had to be focused on the Boxee Box to hit deadlines. The work on the Box meant the computer software didn’t get the update it needed and users wanted.

The update will come this fall and Boxee says that the update timeline for the software will be more up to speed with the Box updates in the future. Boxee does admit that the updates for the download software will still lag behind updates for the Boxee Box though.

The update scheduled for May will include an improved on-screen display with better video controls, a faster loading web browser with enhanced scrolling, favorites, and history. The languages supported by Boxee’s Box has expanded to include core European languages Hebrew, Russian, Swedish, Arabic, and Turkish.

But perhaps most anticipated of the May update, is support for Apple tablet devices with a Boxee for iPad app. This would let users stream content from their Boxee Box to their iPad. The update will come to certain users first for testing, with full roll out coming soon after that. We’ll keep you updated

[via Boxee]

Two new investors have joined the fray, Pitango and Softbank, while several existing investors have increased their stake. The previous round of funding was 18 months ago, and raised $6m. Boxee has promised more US and international content sources will be made available, and that the extra cash will allow them to roll them out quicker as well.

Meanwhile, bugfixes and tweaks will also be faster, and the company is taking on more staff. Among the openings is Senior User Experience Designer, who will in part be responsible for Boxee’s push into tablets.

Official statement:

I’m happy to announce that Boxee has just closed a $16.5M round of financing.

New investors looking for a piece of the action:
Pitango [Tel Aviv] – Led by Isaac Hillel from Pitango who will join our board.
Softbank [New York City] – Led by Jordy Levy.

Previous investors coming back for more:
General Catalyst
Spark Capital
Union Square Ventures

Funding / Company Snapshot
Our previous round of financing was $6M and at that time we were 12 employees, our software was in alpha and the Boxee Box was a dream. Fast forward 18 months and we are a different company. 34 employees, ver 1.0 of the software and the Boxee Box is available in more than 30 countries.

We are more hungry and driven than ever. Less naive, but dreaming even more ambitious dreams. We are also recruiting, so if you are a Boxee fan and passionate about what we’re doing then maybe you can join us in either NY or TLV. Check out our jobs page.

The new funding will help us focus on 3 main things:

Product – The new round will enable us to grow our development team, building new functionality while continuing to squash bugs. We will add more movies, TV shows, and video while at the same time making it easier to discover and watch them. We have ideas on both fronts and are excited to get to work. We would also like to see Boxee handle all the video on a TV with no need to switch inputs.

More Content – We recently added Netflix and Vudu to the Boxee Box. There are many more sources of content on our ToDo list in the US and internationally. Every new content source makes Boxee more valuable so we’ll be upping the speed with which they’ll be coming on the platform.

More Partners – D-Link is already shipping the Boxee Box, Iomega is working on a Boxee NAS device and ViewSonic is working on a TV based on Boxee. We plan to sign up more device and distribution partners, giving users more options and more ways to get Boxee.

We are really excited to welcome our new investors and thankful for the continued support of our existing investors. Most of all we’re happy that we get to continue to improve Boxee for our users.

Adding Netflix capability is big with its massive library of content and more than 20 million members.  With VUDU previously available and now Netflix, Boxee Box owners won’t need to leave their couches very often.
 
The Box will update the software automatically within the next 24 hours, or owners can manually update the device themselves. Netflix on the Box will be different from the PC/Mac versions of Boxee as it has the brand new Netflix UI. There are also more discovery options such as unique Netflix recommendations. HD movies are also available.

[Via Boxee]

Boxee doesn’t have a timeline for the release, but according to marketing lead Andrew Kippen the company is meeting with Netflix on Wednesday and hopes to have “a better idea” at the end of this week about what’s happening. The issue appears to center around DRM, and how secure Netflix believes its feeds are when they reach the Linux-based Boxee Box.

Netflix support, meanwhile, is coming later this month, and there’s a full list of bugfixes and enhancements below. You can either wait for your Boxee Box to update automatically, or you can trigger the firmware update via the settings page.

Enhancements:

Settings to control de-interlacing and video filters configuration
Support for language selection in subtitle/audio
Forced subtitle automatic selection during MKV file playback
An option to ignore the prefix in the sort order for movies/albums/artists which start with ‘The’ and ‘A’ (big one!)
Enhancements to Browser performance
Browser opens in lower resolution to allow easier reading of text
Browser is zoomed into Video by default for non auto full screen websites
Direct launch of website when defining full URL in the search bar
Preselecting the current chapter when opening chapter selector for MKV/BluRay

Bug Fixes:

HTTPS support for the browser
4:3 Videos Stretched to 16:9
MKV Chapter Time is Displayed Incorrectly
Audio dropouts in DTS-HD audio
Improved WTV support
3gp playback errors
Improve BluRay titles loading time
Allow larger subtitles time offsets
Audio re-buffering when entering commercials in TV episodes.
Viewing “Info Menu” while watching 24hz videos cause temp reversion back 60hz
With playlist over 999 items, track numbers overlap repeat icon in OSD
TV Shows no longer show as watched and can’t set to watched/unwatched
Crash at manual resolve if the user rapidly presses the menu/back button whilst the OS tries to apply details to files in a folder
When choosing from search suggestion list -> update the search editbox
Embedded fonts ignored on MKV playback with embedded SSA/ASS subtitles
SSA/ASS Subtitles position and font
Overlapping text when network settings changed
Empty state for App Favorites appearing for empty third-party repository
Crashing while resolving metadata for movies from UPNP
Listview mode is not preserved when returning from an artist selection
In certain cases video freezes when selecting play after pausing
Playing a video and after several times of pausing and skipping the video freezes and audio continues
Boxee remembers wrong PGS subtitle track in MKV file after leaving and then resuming playback
All subtitles (PGS) appears as ‘unknown’ for some BluRay titles
Crash when attempting to identify media via UPNP
Some .mkv and .m4v files with 2.35:1 AR are playing back vertically stretched to 1.78:1
Hang and video freezes or black screen when Pause Resume and or seeking FF/RWD during playback
Hang on WMV Stream Seeking
Crashed on shutdown and restarted automatically
Scrolling in Files Browse list results in partial control of Files menu and also crash
SMB credentials are not saved on reboot
When deleting an item from the watch later list the focus location of the last item is not remembered
Music tracks which are longer than an hour appears as “01:00:…” on the OSD
Rear channels on AAC 5.1 are not played properly w/ LPCM 5.1 out
Prompting user for credentials that are not used in accessing shares
Can’t access network share due to Window Live on Windows 7
large flash videos stop playback when reaching Boxee file system limit
Reconnecting to disconnected shares disables selection in the Movies database view
Subtitles is disabled in the playback OSD for local content
No video only audio while playing certain m4v files
Flash video audio drops out for long length online videos
Disconnects from OSX SMB sources
Occasional loss of focus on main menu
Unidentified files in File Source with “Movies” in path name are being identified as a title called ”Movies”
Crashed on shutdown and restarted automatically
Scrolling in Files Browse list results in partial control of Files menu and also crash

Being able to view webpages and content from the Internet on your TV is amazingly useful, especially if the computer IS your TV. Boxee will likely have the ability to expand via OTA updates so there is much more in store for us than what will be covered during CES. ViewSonic plans to release Boxee quarter 2 2011.

ViewSonic Collaborates With Boxee and Intel; Demonstrates Integrated Smart TV Solution at CES

ViewSonic Showcases Industry’s First Internet-Connected Smart TV Solution Running Boxee Software With Intel® AtomTM Processor CE4100

LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire – January 6, 2011) – CES 2011 — ViewSonic Corp. (South Hall 30873), a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today unveiled its first connected TV featuring Boxee, software that brings intelligent capabilities to the smart TV experience. The new TV is powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor CE4100, a system-on-chip designed for CE devices such as Blu-ray players, set top boxes and digital TVs.
An award sweeper at last year’s CES, Boxee provides access to a wide array of shows, movies, video, music, and photos from the Internet and their home network allowing you the freedom to watch whatever you want, whenever you want as well as providing social networking features enabling users to exchange recommendations with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Buzz. For the first time, Boxee is available integrated onto a smart TV enabled device from ViewSonic. Through this partnership, consumers will have access to preferred content via a personalized account. Whether viewing TV, movies, Internet video favorite apps, or personal content from your PC, Boxee’s software enables users to access content by category, title, or source rather than by channel — including entertainment media from Netflix, Vudu, CBS, Pandora and more — simply type the name of what you want to watch and hit play.
“The CE4100 delivers processor performance for the smart TV experience, which offers rich content and application choices through integrated broadcast and Internet viewing and interaction,” said Wilfred Martis, general manager, retail segment, Intel Digital Home Group. “With the ViewSonic solution, consumers can easily access and enjoy Boxee’s ever-expanding content library on TV.”
“Consumers are watching more videos online, and are looking for technologies that enable them to watch content on their big-screen TVs instead of their PCs,” said Jeff Volpe, vice president and general manager for ViewSonic Americas. “We are leveraging our front-of-screen display expertise to provide consumers with the first and only TV to integrate the Intel Atom processor CE4100 with Boxee’s award-winning media search and streaming software.”
ViewSonic’s integrated smart TV solutions utilizing Intel and Boxee technology will be available in Q2 2011.

Meanwhile, the iPad Boxee app is almost fully baked, and will include the ability to send currently playing content on the Apple tablet to your D-Link/Iomega/Mac/PC with the touch of a button. The app will also allow access to videos on a user’s Watch Later list as well as from your Feed (shared from Facebook / Twitter), as well as supporting directly streamed videos to the iPad from a PC/Mac.

As with the D-Link, the Iomega TV will be powered by Intel’ Atom CE4100, which means 1080P HD video support along with Adobe Flash 10.1. Three hardware SKUs will be on offer, either diskless ($229) or with a 1TB ($299) or 2TB ($349) drive pre-installed. Ports include HDMI and a digital audio output.

Of course, you can also access cloud-based storage, as well as use the Iomega TV as a NAS on your network with either wired or WiFi b/g/n connections and DLNA streaming. A dual-sided remote control with a QWERTY keyboard is also included, and Boxee expect the Iomega TV to hit retail in February 2011.

The KinEmote hack turns the Kinect into a gesture controller that allows the user to navigate the menus of a Boxee device and the XBMC media portal using nothing but hand gestures captured by the Kinect. The hack will also work with any other OpenNI compliant camera according to the maker.

The KinEmote hack was created by a couple of geeks called John Simons and Joel Dodd. You can download the software needed to do this in your own home right now. If you try it out let us know how it works.

The Boxee team is now apparently working on the next firmware version, with not only bug fixes but usability and UI tweaks; more details on those changes are promised for next week. The company expects “a couple more” firmware releases before the year is out, together with Netflix and Vudu support for the STB.

Bug Fixes and Improvements:

Media Playback

• 1080i playback in Web browser caused black screens for Web and local content
• Some HD .avi content playing at low frames-per-second
• Failure to seek in specific Blu-Ray .iso over a network share
• Case sensitivity issues in .iso filename extension
• Stuttering while playing some Blu-Ray content
• No video, audio only while playing some .m4v content
• Failure to render .ass subtitles after changing overscan settings
• Failure in opening .rar files containing subtitles
• Playback and overscan issues when switching to and from fullscreen of online content
• Rear channels on AAC 5.1 are not played properly w/ LPCM 5.1 out
• Flash video audio drops out after ~1 hour in certain online videos
• Select subtitles from hard-drive, screen does not work
• MPEG1 video inconsistent play
• Re-buffering during playback of HD-Audio
• Video stuttering and losing audio (white noise) when resuming playback on a specific title in a blu-ray folder/ iso file
• HGTV OSD Controls don’t work and counter stuck at 00:00
• MPEG4 movies occasionally have green line at the side and/or purple line at the button

Wireless Connectivity

• Wireless signal levels display (showing one bar when in fact 3 bars should be displayed)
• Some WiFi encryption schemes were not supported
• First time WiFi setup takes excessive time
• Boxee does not accept ‘$’ in passwords for WiFi
• Wrong message displayed when WiFi password is wrong

Network Shares

• Repeated credentials request for non-secure network shares (SMB)
• Unable to access network share when Window Live is installed on Windows 7
• Intermittent crashes when failing to open networked media
• Frequent disconnects from Mac OS X network shares (SMB)
• Not reconnecting to disconnected shares disables selection in the Movies database view
• Prompted for username/password when accessing different shared folders on same computer via SMB

Other

• Empty screen appears when filtering shows by Channels > TED, Engadget, when geo lock is enabled
• Faulty DNS configuration when using VPN causing a Boxee network disconnect
• Not returning to the selected item library screens after item selection
• Leave/stay prompt shows up multiple times for some online content
• Searching for applications with spaces in their titles (i.e. funny or die) doesn’t show the application in the results
• When creating a new user, username textbox is not visible when the email contains the word ‘boxee’
• Repositories screen buttons activation and adding toggle state is wrong
• Web browser screen size was wrong, not compensating for overscan
• “Resume from” does not always show
• Browser Loading progress bar does not go away
• Weather location and timezone are not always set up correctly
• Boxee weather application doesn’t use the Temperature Scale configured at Settings > General > Location
• Asian fonts display in the browser
• ‘Friends feed’ from Facebook is not ordered correctly
• TV OSD does not always work
• Browser Loading progress bar does not go away in certain cases

Improvements and additions

• Support .mkv with header compression
• Support switching from PC black level to video black level
• Default overscan is now 3% on all borders
• Add a global subtitles toggle, set to off by default
• Support for showing the last letter typed in password fields
• Support local thumbnails: .tbn support / folder.jpg
• Enable external subtitles for Blu-Ray and DVD iso/folders
• User selectable slideshow for the screensaver

Interestingly – though unsurprisingly – several of the components are shared between the Boxee Box and Logitech’s Revue Google TV STB. That includes the RF wireless chips for the nifty Boxee remote (which has a D-pad on one side and a compact QWERTY keyboard on the other); we’re hoping that means someone with a mind for hacking can figure out a way to get the Boxee remote working with the Revue.

In fact the only thing that comes in for criticism is the big lime green rubber base plate, which is difficult to remove and then even harder to re-apply. More on the Boxee Box – and the company’s impending deals with Hulu Plus and Netflix - here.

Netflix support is expected before the year is out, while there’s no public timeline for the addition of Hulu Plus. Unfortunately it sounds like this is for Boxee Box users only, rather than through Boxee’s free software.

Otherwise it’s the same mixture of Webkit-based browser, extensive codec support (MKV, SSA, PGS, AC3, VC1, TS, H264, FLV, ASS, AVI, OGG, ISO, M2TS, VOB, SRT, AAC, FLAC) and Full HD 1080p video that we’ve been waiting for, and while it may not fit neatly under our TV we still want one. You can order the Boxee Box here.

Individual titles – including new releases and older content – will be available from $2 per movie, for 48hrs access.  There’ll also be some special features and extra content on offer, and plenty of SD-resolution movies as well.

The updated Boxee software for PC and Mac will arrive in November, with the standalone Boxee Box by D-Link also getting VUDU access at the same time.  That’s expected to ship on November 10, and is currently up for pre-order at $199.

Press Release:

VUDU Streaming to Boxee on Your Mac and PC

Users Can Now Watch the Latest Hollywood Blockbusters on PC, Mac and the upcoming Boxee Box by D-Link

San Francisco, CALIF (October 28, 2010) – VUDU is coming to the Boxee platform in November, bringing its best-in-class streaming movie experience to millions of PC and Mac users. Simply by installing Boxee’s free media center software, users gain instant access to VUDU’s massive movie collection anywhere they have a computer and an Internet connection. VUDU will be available on the Boxee platform downloadable on Mac, PC, and the Boxee Box by D-Link.

VUDU delivers the highest quality movie watching experience with a huge collection of titles, including the best indies and Hollywood hits, with new releases available to rent as soon as they hit the market and thousands of titles available for just $2 for 2 night rentals. Boxee’s free media center software gives viewers access to VUDU’s immense movie collection in standard definition. The Boxee Box by D-Link lets viewers experience the cinema-like quality of VUDU’s full HD and HDX library delivered directly onto their televisions in 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.

“We’re thrilled to offer our existing customers a new way to enjoy the VUDU service and to bring VUDU to a whole new community of movie watchers. Boxee allows VUDU to deliver our best in class streaming movie experience to anyone with a Mac or PC, through a simple and free download. ” said Edward Lichty, General Manager, VUDU. “VUDU is the best way to get high-definition Hollywood movies in full surround sound to the connected home and Boxee is a state-of-the-art multimedia platform with the power to play it.”

Boxee lets users play most popular media file formats from a home network along with ad-supported and premium TV shows and movies, videos, and music from the Internet, with support for full 1080p and 5.1 surround sound. With tens of thousands of movies and TV shows, access to the most popular web series, and applications from MLB.TV, NHL GameCenter LIVETM, Pandora, and FunnyOrDie, Boxee is a great way to bring entertainment from different sources into one place. Additionally Boxee has been built from the ground up to be social so users can easily share recommendations about their favorite movies with one another via Facebook and Twitter on Boxee.

“Boxee is all about giving the user what they want, and that means everything from the most viral video on YouTube to the acclaimed international films, and VUDU gives Boxee a deep library of incredible movies,” said Avner Ronen, CEO and co-founder of Boxee. “The fact that Boxee Box users will have access to the largest selection of HD content through Vudu in the highest quality available today really sets us apart from our set top box competitors.”

VUDU will be available as a free download from boxee.tv for your PC, Mac and Linux computer, and on the Boxee Box by D-Link this November.

Important Links

http://www.vudu.com

http://www.vudu.com/boxee

http://www.boxee.tv

http://www.boxee.tv/box

http://www.boxee.tv/download

Meanwhile the UK, European, Australian and New Zealand pre-orders should also start shipping “on or shortly after” November 10, according to the Boxee Blog.  The box will mark the debut of Boxee 1.0, a new version of Boxee software that will initially be available only on the Boxee Box and will later roll out to Mac, PC and Linux.

D-Link and Boxee announced last month that they were dumping NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset in favor of Intel’s CE4100.  At the time, the team said the second-gen Tegra couldn’t cope as well with H.264 HD video as it was able to with high-profile VC-1.

Press Release:

Boxee Box by D-Link to Ship November 10

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA–(Marketwire – October 20, 2010) – Today, D-Link and Boxee announced the upcoming Boxee Box by D-Link will begin shipping on November 10, 2010 to customers who pre-order the Boxee Box through Amazon in the United States or Best Buy and Future Shop in Canada. The Boxee Box will be generally available through the company’s vast network of retail and online distributors on November 17, 2010.
“We’ve seen amazing demand for the Boxee Box across all of our pre-order partners in the US and internationally,” said Rod St. Michel, vice president of consumer sales at D-Link. “Consumers are looking for the right product to get their favorite TV shows and movies onto their TV from the Internet and their home network, and the Boxee Box is the friendliest, and most consumer-ready product currently available.”
The award-winning Boxee Box, first unveiled in December 2009, received critical acclaim from the industry and is highly anticipated by consumers. The product is the first media device capable of playing most popular media file formats from a home network along with free and premium TV shows and movies, videos, music, and photos from the Internet, with support for full 1080p high-definition (HD) and 5.1 surround sound.
With tens-of-thousands of movies, shows and apps available*, the Boxee Box gives users unparalleled access to on-demand entertainment and newfound control over their TV:
TV on Your Schedule. Nearly 40,000 TV episodes available from your favorite networks, ready to watch any time you want.
Huge Movie Library. Enjoy a vast range of free movies and new releases in stunning HD from premium movie services.
Plays All Your Digital Stuff. Access videos, music, or pictures from your computer or home network.
Tailored to Your Couch. Internet TV should be more than just Internet on your TV. The Boxee Box and two-faced QWERTY remote are designed to transform the Internet into something you’ll love watching on your HDTV from the couch.
See What Your Friends Are Watching. Follow what your Facebook and Twitter friends are watching, and share your favorites too.
Give Your Wallet a Break. Why pay for stuff you don’t watch? The Boxee Box lets you watch tens-of-thousands of popular TV shows and movies — you choose what you pay for!
Try Boxee Now. Unlike other devices, interested buyers can try the Boxee Box’ software for free before they buy the device. The software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users at Boxee’s website — http://boxee.tv. Since the software’s launch two years ago, Boxee has added well over one million users. When you want to shift the viewing experience from your PC to your HDTV, the Boxee Box by D-Link automatically imports your account, bringing your favorite TV shows, apps, and friends with you.
Pricing and Availability
The Boxee Box by D-Link will begin shipping on November 10, 2010 for customers who have pre-ordered from Amazon in the United States and Best Buy or Future Shop in Canada. Additionally, pre-orders taken in Australia/New Zealand and other countries across Europe will begin shortly thereafter. Pricing for the US and Canada will be $229 MSRP with an average street price at about $199. Prices may vary in other regions.
Pre-Order Links
US: http://amzn.to/boxeeboxbydlink
Canada — Best Buy: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/boxee.aspx
Canada — Future Shop: www.futureshop.ca/boxee
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0043EV3MS/
Australia/New Zealand: www.dlink.com.au/boxeebox

What’s coming as no surprise to anyone who’s paid attention to the evolution of the Boxee Box, you won’t be finding any NVIDIA Tegra 2 inside. A game changer for some, perhaps, but the Intel CE4100 should be good enough for those who just want to enjoy their media. Check out the image gallery below of all the candid photos.

[via Engadget]

Update: Boxee has been in touch to let us know that, while the MRSP of the Boxee Box will be $229, it’ll be up for preorder – and have a street price – of $199.

If the Intel CE4100 sounds familiar, that’s because it’s at the heart of the Google TV box that Logitech will be bringing to market as the Logitech Revue.  It’s able to churn out 60fps 1080p H.264 video, while the rest of the Boxee Box specs remain the same: Flash 10.1 with GPU acceleration, HDMI and digital optical outputs, various USB 2.0 and analog audio ports, and a memory card slot.

Boxee says it’s still working with NVIDIA and might consider the Tegra 3 whenever that hits production lines, but right now Intel are the ones scampering to the bank.  If you want a Boxee Box of your own, check out Amazon and Best Buy later on today.

Spectre is the Lead Application Developer, as well as the Community front-runner for Boxee, and he had some time to talk with NewTeeVee, and point out a few tasty morsels. First of all, the original Mozilla-based browser was doing pretty well for itself, but it was still having some troubles rendering a few websites out there properly. The solution? Switch over to a Webkit-based browser.

Spectre goes on to add that he believes that HTML5 should, without any doubt, be the browser you utilize on your TVs. If you’ve got your hands on the Desktop version of the software, you’ll get the new browser when Verzion 1.0 launches some time after the Box sees market release. Good news for all who use Boxee — the platform is about to get a lot better.

[via NewTeeVee]

Boxee reckons that people will want to be able to watch anything from their computers on the TV, and they are right for the most part. Perhaps the biggest thing that the Boxee Box has over the Apple TV in the minds of the makers and many consumers will be the open nature of the Boxee device.

Boxee will let you play whatever you want on its Box in 1080p resolution and it is an open device. We all know that anything Apple is far from open. In the end, Boxee reckons that there is room left for the updated Box in the market despite the fact that it will be $100 more expensive than the Apple TV. I think we will have to wait until November when the new Boxee Box launches to find out if that is true.

Video after the cut

In charge of the unboxing – and getting pretty enthusiastic about it – is Boxee’s Zach Klein, who joined the company in September 2009 to lead product management.  There’s not a huge amount of new information here, but it’s great to see the company one step closer to release; check out our hands-on with the Boxee Box by D-Link from CES for more information.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/13398124[/vimeo]

[via ARM Devices]

In fact, not only will they be able to access the content – RoxioNow is used by Blockbuster, Lionsgate and Best Buy for their streaming multimedia services, among other companies – but they should be able to do so on more than one platform.  Boxee eventually intend for users to be able to buy content on, say, their Boxee Box, and then watch it on any RoxioNow compliant home or portable device.

No word on what sort of content we can actually expect to see, but we’re guessing new film releases and TV shows will be in among the mixture.  Similarly, it’s unclear as to when the RoxioNow functionality will be added to Boxee.

Boxee Box by D-Link demo:

Press Release:

Boxee to Team with Sonic Solutions on Premium Content Streaming

Collaboration Will Deliver New Capabilities to More Connected Devices
NOVATO, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Sonic Solutions® (Nasdaq: SNIC) and Boxee today announced an alliance to provide consumers new options for accessing premium content on a range of next-generation, connected devices. As part of the collaboration, Boxee would license the RoxioNow™ entertainment platform in order to power premium entertainment storefronts through its Web-to-TV desktop application, as well as upcoming set-top boxes, TVs, and mobile devices running Boxee, pending device review by content providers.

“RoxioNow offers a comprehensive solution that will enable users to access premium entertainment services instantly through Boxee,” said Avner Ronen, CEO, Boxee. “With RoxioNow-powered digital entertainment services, we continue our efforts to expand the variety of premium content we can stream instantly to anyone with a broadband connection.”

“Boxee is leading the charge to bring the creativity and flexibility of the web to the TV, and is another example of how our RoxioNow technologies and infrastructure can enable a wide array of companies to quickly develop and launch premium content services,” said Dave Habiger, president and CEO, Sonic Solutions. “We continue to help a diverse range of companies launch compelling entertainment services and form ongoing relationships with their customers.”

The RoxioNow platform serves a broad range of premium content to a growing, multi-manufacturer ecosystem of home and mobile electronics including PCs, connected TVs, set-top DVRs, Blu-ray Disc players, smartphones, and mobile media devices. The platform enables retailers and consumer electronics companies to participate in the entertainment supply chain, add value to product offerings, and form ongoing relationships with customers. “Powered by RoxioNow™” stores enable consumers to instantly rent and purchase high-quality entertainment on their favorite device and, through the RoxioNow online entertainment locker, the flexibility to playback content ordered on additional consumer electronics. RoxioNow powers digital entertainment delivery for a range of companies including Best Buy, Blockbuster, and Lionsgate and is available on a broad variety of consumer electronics devices.

The angular set-top box is the latest second-gen Tegra based device to have seen a delay.  However, Boxee’s Avner Ronen has declined to confirm that the 1080-capable SoC is the cause of the hold-up; on the Boxee blog, he states that “the delay is due to all parties involved. everything is interwind [sic], so hard (and not productive) to lay the blame on just one party.”

He goes on to suggest that it’s a combination of hardware and software not being ready in time.  The Boxee Box will play GPU-accelerated local and streaming video content at up to 1080p, using USB external storage rather than an internal hard-drive, and supporting Flash 10.1.  No word on pricing at this stage.

Boxee Box by D-Link hands-on:

As for the types of payment supported, Boxee’s content providers will be able to choose from subscription or pay-per-view models, and it will be up to them which media is offered free and which carries a charge.  Boxee suggests that could include archive content or “DVD extras” style background media.  Credit card, gift card and Paypal payments will be supported.

Boxee Box by D-Link demo:

The Best of R3 Media

Google Shares First Quarter Earnings, Plus More: Despite the fact that manufacturers are still releasing some top-notch Android-based handsets, were you curious as to the current state of Google’s mobile Operating System? Well, it doesn’t look like you have anything to fear. According to Jeff Huber, the Senior VP of Engineering over at Google, Android is currently up 70% from last year, and the Android Marketplace is now home to some 38,000 applications. That’s a pretty big increase. What’s better, though, is the fact that there are reportedly 60,000 Android-based phones sold every day around the world. That equals some pretty amazing numbers, if you ask us. [via Android Community]

iPad’s Camera Accessory Kit May Have Some Tricks up its (Figurative) Sleeve: Apparently, the iPad’s Camera Accessory Kit is going to be able to do some audio out. Which means that if you’re in the music industry, you’ll be able to connect some audio equipment to your Apple tablet, and do your business from that 9.7-inch touchscreen. And, while that’s a bit of a surprise for most, we think the bigger surprise would be if the same accessory kit would be able to power a device (like a MiFi) while you were on the go. We’re already keeping our fingers crossed. [via Everything iPad]

Will the Droid Incredible by HTC Support 802.11 b/g/n WiFi?: With the official announcement of the Droid Incredible by HTC, Verizon Wireless was kind enough to make sure that an officially official specifications sheet was listed with it. In that sheet, support for 802.11 b/g WiFi was listed. But, according to a leaked Info Center document, the Droid Incredible could in fact support 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. That would make a lot of people happy, and, considering it’s not every handset on the market that supports the “n,” it would indeed give the Droid Incredible another notch against the competition. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

Sony Splits VAIO In Two: Sony must have figured out that competing with Apple in the premium demographic really isn’t working out for them, especially in the United States, and apparently they’ve concocted a plan to get themselves a better name and reputation around the world. At least when it comes to their VAIO line of computers. Revealed today by Ryosuke Akahane, the company’s business deputy President, the company will keep the top tier for themselves, where they will continue to construct premium models of the VAIO computers. The second tier will allow third-party manufacturers, or contractors, to put the VAIO name on their models. Akahane promised that the quality of computers would be similar, but that the technology would generally always be better (at the start) in the top-tiered lineup. We’ll have to wait and see how this works out for the Japanese juggernaut. [via Electronista]

Google Proves They Care About the Environment: When you think about saving the environment, you think about the ways you’ll cut the grass in your yard, right? Well, what if you had the kind of yard that Google has up in Mountain View? That’s a lot of grass, we’ll assure you, so that would take up some gas in all of those lawnmowers, for sure. So, just as they did last year, Google is bringing the goats back to the large campus, making sure they get all the grass trimmed by a more natural methodology. Just ignore the transportation costs, to get those goats there, but hey, they’re saving the environment. [via TechCrunch]

SaskTel President and CEO Confirms June Launch for New iPhone: Who out there still thinks there’s not a new iPhone coming out soon? Well, if you’re one of those people, maybe this confirmation from the President and CEO, Robert Watson, of SaskTel will assuage you of your worries. He says that he’s already got his wireless carrier in line to launch the new iPhone (iPhone 4G, iPhone HD, whatever you prefer for now) on July 1st. That’s in line with SaskTel’s switch from CDMA to GSM, so don’t go thinking this confirms a Verizon Wireless iPhone. He goes on to say that it’s a good thing that Apple is launching their new iPhone in June, because basically he can’t wait to get in on the good stuff. We can’t help but agree. [via AppleInsider]

Boxee Thinks You Should Make their iPad App: But, only if you’re qualified, and want to work for Boxee, that is. The company is currently looking for someone that will take the role of their lead iPad and iPhone App Developer, so if you’re in the market for a new job and you’ve got the necessary skills, you should go take a look. As Boxee puts it, they consider the “other screens” just as important as the TV for enjoying video, so they want to make sure they cover all their bases. Or screens, if you will. [via Boxee]