Introduction
In this article I'm going to give a quick overview of three readily available smart set top boxes which can be used to extend the functionality of your existing TV.
The Boxee.
Something strange is happening in the world of IT and gadgets - The idea that you always must be online and logged into some service even if you're not doing anything online. The Boxee is another step in that direction. You've purchased the boxee, brought it home and now....you have to register with D-Link before you can use it. Sure you can link it to your Facebook account, and no doubt there are those who relish the idea of sharing their viewing habits with that person you met on whilst trekking in the himalayas, but it's not really for me. Obviously you need to be online to access online services but registered with the manufacturer? Anyhow, I digress.
During the setup I fell in love with the remote! What a great idea having a keyboard. It made entering all the setup details so much easier, yet because it's on the flip side the main remote is simple and uncluttered. (One minor niggle about it is that the Caps, Sym and Alt keys only exist on the left hand side of the keyboard.)
I then plugged in an external hard drive and clicked to add a local data-source. The Boxee scanned the drive and lo and behold the media appear in the Library. I repeated the same process to access a windows share and away it went and scanned the directory. I'm not sure it could be much simpler. Suppport for both Linux and Windows shares are included.
I've never used AirPlay before and was surprised to find an Apple technology supported on an none apple device. The implementation isn't quite a seamless as Apple's but it worked well enough to have music streaming from an iPhone to the Boxee.
Content streaming from providers is supported through use of Apps with Apps available for most of the main providers. There were so many Apps sometimes it was difficult to local the correct one.
AppleTV
The AppleTV's design is simple and stylish in a minimalist kind of way - I only wish it were still available in arctic white.
Again the setup was fairly straightforward with all keyboard functions taken care of using the onscreen virtual keyboard. Once configured you're greeted with the reassuringly familiar standard Apple App's screen layout. Services like Netflix, YouTube and iPlayer work via the built in Apps. Apple have a great eye for detail, little things like the reflections of the Movies cover artwork, just make the device feel more polished than the other two.
The styling on the remote is great but I just get this feeling that it's so slim it's going to disappear into the sofa never to be seen again.
Since AirPlay (formally known as AirTunes) is an Apple technology the AppleTV supports it and does it without any problems.
The problem with the AppleTV is its lack of support for anything other than main content providers and iTunes. No support for windows or Linux shares no usb port means you can't plug a usb hard drive in. The best it will do is connect to a iTunes library running on another machine.
WD TV Live
No problems getting the WD TV Live configured. It can be attached either using a network cable, or wirelessly. Access to content providers is in the services section where there are a wide range of Apps to provide access to the likes of YouTube and iPlayer.
The WD TV Live's remote isn't the best looking especially when compare to the looks of the Apple Remote, or the functionality of the Boxee's. But it does the job.
External media can be accessed using local devices (attached to the USB port), SMB/NFS shares, or a media server. This was all fairly easy to set up, however you only seem to be able to give it the server, not the mount point on the server, so I end up with both folders appearing within Videos and the same for Music.
Of the three the WD TV Live's interface seemed the least polished. I felt it was a little clunky at times and I was just left with the feeling that it was a very thin veneer over what is essentially a file explorer.
Conclusion
Despite my dislike Boxee's registration requirement, I think overall I'd have to say my preference is for the Boxee, with second place going to the WD TV Live, Apple having a more polished feel, but being much more limited.
In this article I'm going to give a quick overview of three readily available smart set top boxes which can be used to extend the functionality of your existing TV.
The Boxee.
Something strange is happening in the world of IT and gadgets - The idea that you always must be online and logged into some service even if you're not doing anything online. The Boxee is another step in that direction. You've purchased the boxee, brought it home and now....you have to register with D-Link before you can use it. Sure you can link it to your Facebook account, and no doubt there are those who relish the idea of sharing their viewing habits with that person you met on whilst trekking in the himalayas, but it's not really for me. Obviously you need to be online to access online services but registered with the manufacturer? Anyhow, I digress.
During the setup I fell in love with the remote! What a great idea having a keyboard. It made entering all the setup details so much easier, yet because it's on the flip side the main remote is simple and uncluttered. (One minor niggle about it is that the Caps, Sym and Alt keys only exist on the left hand side of the keyboard.)
I then plugged in an external hard drive and clicked to add a local data-source. The Boxee scanned the drive and lo and behold the media appear in the Library. I repeated the same process to access a windows share and away it went and scanned the directory. I'm not sure it could be much simpler. Suppport for both Linux and Windows shares are included.
I've never used AirPlay before and was surprised to find an Apple technology supported on an none apple device. The implementation isn't quite a seamless as Apple's but it worked well enough to have music streaming from an iPhone to the Boxee.
Content streaming from providers is supported through use of Apps with Apps available for most of the main providers. There were so many Apps sometimes it was difficult to local the correct one.
AppleTV
The AppleTV's design is simple and stylish in a minimalist kind of way - I only wish it were still available in arctic white.
Again the setup was fairly straightforward with all keyboard functions taken care of using the onscreen virtual keyboard. Once configured you're greeted with the reassuringly familiar standard Apple App's screen layout. Services like Netflix, YouTube and iPlayer work via the built in Apps. Apple have a great eye for detail, little things like the reflections of the Movies cover artwork, just make the device feel more polished than the other two.
The styling on the remote is great but I just get this feeling that it's so slim it's going to disappear into the sofa never to be seen again.
Since AirPlay (formally known as AirTunes) is an Apple technology the AppleTV supports it and does it without any problems.
The problem with the AppleTV is its lack of support for anything other than main content providers and iTunes. No support for windows or Linux shares no usb port means you can't plug a usb hard drive in. The best it will do is connect to a iTunes library running on another machine.
WD TV Live
No problems getting the WD TV Live configured. It can be attached either using a network cable, or wirelessly. Access to content providers is in the services section where there are a wide range of Apps to provide access to the likes of YouTube and iPlayer.
The WD TV Live's remote isn't the best looking especially when compare to the looks of the Apple Remote, or the functionality of the Boxee's. But it does the job.
External media can be accessed using local devices (attached to the USB port), SMB/NFS shares, or a media server. This was all fairly easy to set up, however you only seem to be able to give it the server, not the mount point on the server, so I end up with both folders appearing within Videos and the same for Music.
Of the three the WD TV Live's interface seemed the least polished. I felt it was a little clunky at times and I was just left with the feeling that it was a very thin veneer over what is essentially a file explorer.
Conclusion
Despite my dislike Boxee's registration requirement, I think overall I'd have to say my preference is for the Boxee, with second place going to the WD TV Live, Apple having a more polished feel, but being much more limited.
About the Author:
Learn more about Leading Smart Boxes. Stop by Tim Gaskins's site where you can find out all about Online TV Equipment and what it can do for you.
