Show Idea: Set Top Media/Internet Boxes Overview

[kilroyperrywinkle]

Okay, I'm "one of those guys" who has for almost 5 years been running an old school XBOX setting under his SDTV with XBMC running on it. I stream all my content from my computer to the xbox and its been nothing but awesomeness...

Now...

I want Hulu! Netflix on demand! But it doesn't look like XBMC is going to be getting those codecs/functionality.

And anyway, I want to update my rig, get something more flashy, get something that when I do go HD (yes I'm stuck in the past) it will look good, something that will look good on my old SDTV, and I want something for around 200-300 bucks.

Any ideas? I really don't have the cash for a HTPC, and I don't want some jet engine in my living room blowing my hair back just so I can watch The Office.

There's so many products out there, I just don't know which are actually good, that will be just as functional 3 years from now...

Should I get a cheap laptop and run it to the TV?

Perhaps AppleTV and hack it so I can run a full copy of OSX on it?

I saw those new Dell mini PCs, could they be the answer?

I'm sending this into the show too, but I thought I'd put it out there. I can't be the only one who's doing/done this lately....

Thanks!

[academik]

Hey Kilroy,

Send me(andrew [at] stagetwoconsulting d0t com) your email and I'll send you an invite for boxee.

boxee is an offshoot of XBMC that adds online content, auto-discovery of media and metadata as well as social networking. Use us to watch ripped DVDs, clips from CNN or YouTube, recommend things to friends on boxee, twitter, facebook, etc. You can also listen to music on your computer, or on the web from Muxtape, NPR, and Last.fm... You can tap into any RSS/XML feed and if there's an API you can create a hook for it. We're also working with all the major networks to include their content on boxee (Hulu, ABC.com, Fox.com, etc.)

We're currently on Mac & Linux right now, but we'll be adding Windows in a few weeks. Plus just like XBMC we're open source and free so people can share, customize, and extend til their hearts are content.

-andrew

[kilroyperrywinkle]

Whoa...

First response out of the gate and its a doozy...

Amazing! Email is on the way! Thanks Andrew! Sounds awesome!

[nithsong]

i've got a CRT TV here in my living room, w/ some RCA inputs & s-video.

i'm about to hack my old XBOX (waiting on the usb dongle) ... and i'm also about to get a microATX pc w/ a shuttle-type case. my options are wide open to linux or WinXPMC, and hearing about boxee makes me think i should definitely put boxee on both.

so, i've got a few questions,
1. if a hacked XBOX has unix, then can boxee run on it?
2. for my microATX pc (probably w/ WinXPMC, what's more convenient: wireless keyboard, or remote? if remote, which one?
3. has anyone tried using the s-video port on their graphics card to an CRT TV?
4. what's the easiest way to get a boxee invite?

Thanks!

[kilroyperrywinkle]

i've got a CRT TV here in my living room, w/ some RCA inputs & s-video.

i'm about to hack my old XBOX (waiting on the usb dongle) ... and i'm also about to get a microATX pc w/ a shuttle-type case. my options are wide open to linux or WinXPMC, and hearing about boxee makes me think i should definitely put boxee on both.

so, i've got a few questions,
1. if a hacked XBOX has unix, then can boxee run on it?
2. for my microATX pc (probably w/ WinXPMC, what's more convenient: wireless keyboard, or remote? if remote, which one?
3. has anyone tried using the s-video port on their graphics card to an CRT TV?
4. what's the easiest way to get a boxee invite?

Thanks!

1. Uh... according to Andrew (Andrew please correct me if I'm wrong...) Boxee has a lot of bells and whistles on it that are just too labor intensive for ye olde xbox to handle.

2. I dunno...

3. Yes. I have done it. It sucks. All the text on the icons and such for windows is so tiny its unreadable. The screen resolution is just too tiny for it to be usable.

4. Ask Andrew, he might if you're nice enough (eg mow his lawn, clean his house) he might send you one. (Or you could be as awesome as me.)