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BOXEE LIVE TV (A CUT THE CORD OPTION) THOUGHTS? COMMENTS?

gregg75

gregg75

So you buy the system and then you see local TV in HD for FREE (after buying system).
I'm not a tech person, but from a viewer standpoint it "sounds" interesting.
DEBUTS IN JANUARY 2012.........the switch is on.

http://www.boxee.tv/live
 
You can watch local TV in HD for free by just putting up an antenna (assuming you live within range) and either installing a converter (if you have an NTSC TV) or connecting the antenna direct (if your TV has a digital tuner built-in).

What the Boxee does is download Internet TV signals to your TV. A PC, properly configured, can do the same thing (as well as many other things a Boxee cannot do).

Before you take the big jump I would strongly suggest you check out a Boxee installation. Internet movies and TV shows are highly compressed and will not likely show flawlessly on your digital TV as does a DVD. You may also have to upgrade your broadband connection to handle the data traffic.
 
For Web-based TV options, I'd personally recommend a Roku over Boxee or anything else out there at the moment. Roku has more than 300 "channels" of content, many of which are either free or very low-cost.
 
OTA TV is a good option unless you're like me and live in a dense city. I live in Chicago, 3 miles NW of Willis Tower and get no DTV signals at all. You need an outdoor antenna, which is not an option for a lot of city people.

And interestingly enough, if I take my laptop and go to an area with clear site and a silver sensor antenna, I get all the UHF full power channels, but can't get any low power DTV stations. And as it gets darker, for some reason I lose the DTV I can get in the day on the laptop

DTV signals certainly are interesting the way they work
 
gregg75 said:
Never heard of Roku...........so I went there. http://www.roku.com/roku-products?gclid=CMzUxIXrvKwCFQLj7Qod0EifoQ#2
I see streaming options, but nothing like live TV, network or cable tv channels.
Click to expand...

Going back to your Boxee link I read the following:

A lot of TV shows and movies are online, but some things are still best enjoyed in the moment. Boxee LiveTV delivers live sports, local news, special events, and shows from your local broadcast stations (like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC)* via an HD antenna - it means way more stuff to watch on a Boxee device with no monthly fees... so why spend so much on cable TV?

Note the bolded text (mine). There is no such thing as an "HD antenna" but that aside, it appears Boxee is merely taking OTA signals from your local area and including them with selected signals from the Internet. There seems to be some duplication and unneeded complexity here. A simple digital receiver card in your PC (which would be connected to an antenna, either outside or inside as your circumstance permits) would likely be cheaper and less complicated than Boxee and a lot more versatile.

You can connect your PC to your TV via analog or HDMI connections (your PC would need an HDMI output port to enable HD) or you can connect wirelessly if your TV has the capability.

I don't know the cost of Boxee but if it is anywhere near the cost of a mid-range desktop I'd go the PC route and have additional capability that a computer provides.
 
Well, actually, it's $179.99 MSRP, so a bit cheaper, and ready to plug in. Kinda neat that it's also your ATSC tuner, actually.
 
hubcity said:
Well, actually, it's $179.99 MSRP, so a bit cheaper, and ready to plug in. Kinda neat that it's also your ATSC tuner, actually.
Click to expand...

The only question I would ask now is ... is the Boxee a freeform browser or is it locked into specific sites for video etc.? I personally would not buy any device that cannot access all sites on the Internet as business alliances change constantly and what's here today may be gone tomorrow.

And....if you don't already have an HDTV there are now lots of units out there with built-in browsers. No need for an intermediate box.
 
Does Boxee actually offer any "channels" that are legitimately worth watching? I have seen these internet TV services in the past and they usually reek of foreign language and old B&W shows and movies.
 
landtuna said:
hubcity said:
Well, actually, it's $179.99 MSRP, so a bit cheaper, and ready to plug in. Kinda neat that it's also your ATSC tuner, actually.
Click to expand...

The only question I would ask now is ... is the Boxee a freeform browser or is it locked into specific sites for video etc.? I personally would not buy any device that cannot access all sites on the Internet as business alliances change constantly and what's here today may be gone tomorrow.

And....if you don't already have an HDTV there are now lots of units out there with built-in browsers. No need for an intermediate box.
Click to expand...

Actually, another look at their site reveals that Boxee Live TV is an add-on device, so tack on another $50. It's also an app-driven Internet interface, so no browser, it appears. Looking less and less desirable - I have an Apple TV and I rather like it (especially for the price, which is something I never thought I'd say about an Apple product.)
 
I have boxee installed on a laptop. It does include many channels of foriegn language and old public domain stuff such as Crackle and Archive.org. But it also has most of the network shows and cable shows. What it does is put the shows that are already being streamed on various websites and puts them in one location so you can search in alphabetical order or by genre. It also has paid services such as Netflix and movie rentals by Vudu. It comes in handy if you miss a show, you can find it on Boxee instead of going to the original networks website. You'd be surprised just how many shows you can get including entire seasons. The quality is pretty good on a laptop screen, but you need a good broadband connection or you may have buffering or drop-outs. Most shows play best in 480 quality, but 1080p is also available. The only bad about it is if you download it on your computor, you need a newer model. An old computer or a less powerful one has choppy video, even on broadband.
 
You know now you can get all your local full power stations also with this new $50
plug in adaptor (and an antenna)? I believe that's what they are offering.
 
[size=10pt]Digital TV signals are very weak and cannot possibly go three miles.[/size]
(I've given up arguing) ::)
 
gregg75 said:
You know now you can get all your local full power stations also with this new $50 plug in adaptor (and an antenna)? I believe that's what they are offering.
Click to expand...

I think it's strictly a convenience feature, so you can have your OTA channels selectable under Boxee. Whether it's worth $50 is up to you. But it still needs a good, directional antenna like all DTV reception requires.
 
kenglish said:
[size=10pt]Digital TV signals are very weak and cannot possibly go three miles.[/size]
(I've given up arguing) ::)
Click to expand...

If you can't get DTV for three miles, its not the station. You must be using rabbit ears or one of those so-called "HDTV" antennas which are complete crap. You need a real antenna for DTV. If you live in an apartment or around trees and buildings, you have my sympathy. If you live near a large city, you should at least get "something" over the air. It all depends on your antenna, connections and where you place it. If you can't use an outside antenna, put it near a window on the side facing the direction of the transmitter, or high as possible such as in an attic.
 
I can see where the Boxee box converter might be useful if it could pull in weak low
power stations that seem to baffle a regular antenna. But, as you say it is probably
just a convienance thing.

My guess would be that less than 10% of viewers even have an antenna or switch
back and forth between antenna-cable-satellite.......which can greatly improve your
viewing choices.
 
flytrap said:
If you can't use an outside antenna, put it near a window on the side facing the direction of the transmitter,
Click to expand...
Did that. Worked really well at first.
flytrap said:
or high as possible such as in an attic.
Click to expand...
Too much squirrel damage. And I don't dare open that ... I don't know what it's called, but it's not a door.
 
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