My Favorite Tech: Boxee
Why go out to the store to get the latest DVD when you can save time and money by staying home. We are moving into a world where the next big thing in movies and television is streaming. Streaming is a semi new way of connecting your tv to the internet and playing almost any movie, or TV show.
I surfed the Internet to find what met my needs. With so many good products to choose from this was a tough decision.
After exhaustive research, the clear answer was to buy the Boxee. Out of all of the streamers out there, this one you probably have never heard of. So let me break down why I chose Boxee by first looking at the ones I decided against.
Apple TV: The reason I did not chose it is because I did not want to limit myself to just buying stuff from iTunes. It is a very good product but it forces you to use the apps, and media that Apple wants you to. Price starts at $99.
Google TV: Well, Google TV was my second choice because it is a very good streamer with lots of great apps. The problem was I did not want a streamer that was just like a computer connected to my TV. I wanted a streamer that was very intuitive and very easy to use. When it comes to TV streamers, simple os best. Pricing starts around $230.
Roku: I had a Roku for about five days before selling it on ebay. I did not like the interface, number of quality apps or the support. Maybe in the future they will improve upon these things. Price starts at $49.
So, why Boxee? Because it has the easiest and user-friendly interface. Boxee also supports the most formats of all the media streamers. They also have some great apps. Instead of getting a huge keyboard like you do with Google TV, you get a small controller with a keyboard on one side, so that you can easily type.
The greatest part of all of this:
You don’t even need to buy the Boxee box. You can run the free software on a laptop, iPad, old desktop or many other products. You can also use an old computer to run the software on.
If you would rather purchase the Boxee: prices start at $180 on Amazon.
Erik Hoffman is a web designer and computer consultant. He has run a computer consulting company for the past four years where he enhanced businesses by designing and developing user-friendly websites that have helped companies reach targeted revenues.