The trouble is, is distinguishing what you really want to watch and understanding the channels they are on, and then mapping that into the packages they offer for subscription. As usual it's done in such a way where the average subscriber needs to buy a lot more in terms of packages, than what they really need.
Aside from my family, I watch a few things, mainly football, movies and US TV shows. The rest of what watch on Sky is just a circumstance of couch time.
Therefore, I approached Boxee with the usual geek-like salivation of yet another box to add to the home network, but also a curiosity as to whether I could meet my viewing demands. The last requirement was for it to be polished and simple enough to use for my family.
So for the last week, I've been playing around with this thing. A quick look at the device itself.
What I liked about Boxee box
- Generally good design Box is small and neat, connectivity options are reasonable ok. Could have done with gigabit NIC and 5Ghz wireless N, but these are not deal-breakers.
- The UI is the sort of thing, you love or hate. I'm not big for it. Not sure, why, but I appreciate it's easy to use.
- Performance-wise, this is a media streamer and relies on a fast internet connection to make it fly in relation to the content.
- The apps idea is good one. Only a few I'm interested in such as Netflix or Vudu. Hulu is still not available (yet). The apps which call upon the internal browser to stream content are quite poor in their execution.
- In terms of usability, alongside the UI, the reversible-remote is a great idea and executed ok. Could be better in terms of the tactility of the keys and how to access all keys quickly when typing it passwords or URLs, but you can get by.
Detail you need to pay attention to
- A good VPN connection for access US licensed content. Boxee uses PPTP and there are lots of good providers to get you set you up in no time
- A credit card account and contact details from the US. Otherwise, Netflix and VDU are a no-go and this where it's can get useful.
- Lots of ISP download bandwidth. When you make your VPN connection and run a speedtest, understandably, it's not the same as when you're on your home ISP connection. Therefore FTTC and larger pipe cable users will be better suited to Boxee and the experience possible.
So what did I try?
Remember, it's about football, movies and US TV shows.
- Football using the FoxSoccer.TV streamed service. OK quality and useful that it covers MANY live streams, including all the premiership games on a Saturday afternoon for example.
- Movies with 1080p. Signed up with Vudu. Nice app, easy to use and quality of movies is very good. But price ay $5.99-$7.99 per movie. Netflix is the alternative and charges $5.99 per throw.
- US TV Shows. Again VDU deliver HD content between $1.99-$3.99. If you want an all-you-can-eat sort of package, then it's Hulu. Unfortunately, we're still awaiting for it to be an app on Boxee, despite it being on every other media console going in the U.S. I expect it will be $7.99 for the Hulu Plus plan.
- Of course, if you get your HD content (movies and TV shows) via downloads from say, unofficial sources. Then of course, Boxee will pick them up on your home network, add IMDB metadata to them and play them all with aplomb.
- Lastly, there is Navi-X, the XBMC-like content aggregator. It scrapes a wide variety of sources to present largely free content from again unofficial sources. Playback and quality is variable. Definitely a geeky thing.
Final thoughts
Spend £160 on the device, and add $21(£13) for a 3-month subscription to a VPN connection from a good service provider. FoxSoccer.TV is $20 (£12) per month. Vudu and Netflix charge on a per content piece as described. Of course, there are other content providers for free on the US boxee streams, but they tend to be limited in use and are often, laden with advertisements.
Gut-feeling, while this has been an interesting experiment, Boxee wil not replace Sky TV for now. It's a supplement and with added cost, give me more options on what I want to watch particularly on the footy side and getting access to US movies and TV shows. For example, just using my Mac, I can now access footy on a Saturday afternoon and watch US shows whenever I fancy it. Playback on iOS devices have additional subscriber costs from apps which I'd need a US-based iTunes account to get.
All in all, it's still a geeky niche product for me and not ready for the front-room and it may not get to that stage in the family home. However, it has a number of uses not only in terms of what I've mentioned but certainly for content from the darker side of the net ;-)
Do you configure the VPN connection from within Boxee or your router?
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteBoxee only in the Settings | Network section. This is nice since in my household we use URL blocking for the kids using OpenDNS on the main router.
ah, cool. I knew you used OpenDNS. I was wondering how it worked as there are no VPN settings in my router. I suspect many routers are like this. Unless you are prepared to go the OpenWRT route. Glad to see Boxee have included this feature. I wonder if people outside the UK can use this feature to get to the BBC?
ReplyDeleteYep, how advanced the router's functionality will determine whether VPN functionality can be used and how easily you can switch to other VPN locations. I think it's better to have that functionality on the Mac, PC, Android or iOS device. It's particularly useful from overseas hotels or office locations. It's exactly the reason people can access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world either through PC or Boxee or any other type of platform with VPN capability.
ReplyDelete