How to manage your movies in boxee

With Boxee now available for Windows , nearly any computer can push streaming and downloaded content onto a TV. Here are five tips and tricks that add content and convenience to the social media center, for newcomers and veteran users alike.

Boxee Alpha Lands on Windows

Windows/Mac/Linux/Apple TV: Now your friends can actually try out Boxee. The open-source app that…

Queue & store media for later with Boxqueue & dropBoxee

You come across cute, funny, and genius videos and songs all the time, but you’re probably at your desktop rather than in your media room. These two clever apps utilize the open nature of Boxee, RSS, and drop.io ‘s file service to provide a passageway between “That’s awesome!” and your Boxee setup. Boxqueue’s bookmarklet can be clicked while viewing any compatible media file, and dropBoxee just views the video, music, or pictures you or anyone else has uploaded to a “drop.” That saves you the trouble of manually transferring files to your Boxee sources, and makes it easy to, say, grab pictures from an in-law’s computer for a slideshow you’re prepping for later (true story!) (Note: Yes, that’s a double entry in the screenshot, but that’s more human impatience than Boxee error).

Add more repositories

Subscribe for 2 years and get an extra 1-month, 1-year-, or 2-year plan added to your cart at checkout.

Just as with a Linux distribution, Boxee only grabs new apps and updates from a single repository by default, but it can be expanded to grab plug-ins and apps from anybody’s servers. One of the neatest we’ve seen are from the folks at BoxeeHQ , which offers video from PBS, GameTrailers , “unofficial” video streams from the This Week in Tech network, and a few more. Jake Marsh’s feed offers TV Library , a, well, work-around app that grabs videos from all sorts of sources around the web, even if, say, a certain NBC/Fox/ABC-sponsored video site is suddenly acting all protective. Those feeds are dir.boxeehq.com and dir.thejakemarsh.com , respectively, and you add them from the “Add Repositories” link on the App Box screen.

Feed your Boxee with RSS

One of the easiest Boxee features to overlook is its RSS capabilities—mainly because you manage it from your Boxee.tv account, rather than inside the app. Sign up for an account at Boxee’s site, then hit the “My RSS” link. From the entry box, you can paste in video, music, or even BitTorrent RSS feeds from favorite YouTube channels, blogs or Twitter feeds that often embed or link great content, or other providers of great content. Head to Video, select the “My Feeds” app, and you’ll see your feeds listed and ready for playing—at least in most cases. Not all RSS feeds are compatible with Boxee, but a good number of the ones you can find on video sites probably are.

Get better media recognition with TvRename

From Boxee’s “Local Media” menu, you can add any folder and all its sub-folders and files as a source of movies, TV shows, music, or pictures. Once you do, there’s a good chance Boxee can comb through IMDB and the TheTVDB and auto-magically organize your files into thumbnailed show/season/episode collections, complete with episode descriptions. You can help it along, however, by naming your movie files the way IMDB names the movie (as in, Lord.of.the.Rings.Return.of.the.King.avi instead of LOTR3.avi ), or one of three conventions for TV episodes ( Mad.Men.S02E05.mpg , Mad.Men.02×05.mpg , and Mad.Men.205.mpg would all fly).

Got waaaay too many files to be mucking around with manual renaming? Try an auto-renaming app like TVRename , which uses the same TVDB backend to give your files more traditional naming conventions and sync them better with Boxee. It definitely beats manually browsing through your files and trying to remember just which episode you left off on.

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A tool for multimedia streaming on your local network

Boxee Media Manager is a simple tool designed to facilitate the access to multimedia files stored on your hard drives in order to play them on your mobile devices. The program allows you to retrieve the media files from a specified folder and broadcast them to other devices.

The Boxee media center is a useful application designed to improve your multimedia experience by accessing local resources and Internet broadcasts from a single interface. However, you can also watch movies on your iPad or laptop by streaming the content on the local network.

This application is designed to monitor the folders that contain the streamable content and make them available to your mobile devices. You only need to install it on the computer that stores your images, songs and movies.

Although the program does not include any documentation, the interface is rather simple and allows you to select the locations that you want to share with your remote device. You can select multiple folders and removable storage devices that contain media files.

A similar interface can be accessed from an Internet browser in order to view the available files. The web-based interface can be accessed from any computer or tablet connected to the network by using the server IP address.

During our tests, the program ran in the background and required insignificant resources for monitoring the local folders.

If you wanted to watch the videos from Boxee or your hard drive on another device, this program provides you with an easy to use alternative. You can also use it to share your audio or video files with other computers from the local network.

The Boxee users that own multiple computers and have their resources scattered across the LAN can take advantage of the streaming capabilities of this application to access the remote files from a single interface.

Are you are a Boxee user who is always finding cool videos online you’d like to watch later? The Boxee Bookmarklet makes it easy to add videos to your Boxee queue directly from your browser.

Boxee Bookmarklet

Browse to the Boxee Bookmarklet page. You’ll find the link at the end of the page.

Click and drag the the Add to Boxee button up to your bookmark toolbar and release.

When you find a video you’d like to add to your Boxee Queue, just click the Add to Boxee button on your browser toolbar.

Click Log In link in the green border around the video.

Type your Boxee username and password and click Login.

You’ll see a message in the green border indicating that you’ve added the video to your queue.

If you try to add a video from an unsupported site you’ll get a message that Boxee couldn’t find a video on the page.

When you log into Boxee, you’ll see your video in the Boxee Queue.

Just click to play and enjoy the video.

Conclusion

The Boxee Bookmarklet is a nice little tool for saving videos for later viewing, but it does have some limitations. Most of the major video sites are supported, but there are still plenty of videos you won’t be able to add to your queue.

Boxee is a free Media PC application that runs on Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu Linux. With Boxee, you can integrate online video, music and pictures, with your own local media and social networking. Today we are going to take a closer look at Boxee and some of it’s features.

Note: We used Windows 7 for this tutorial. Your experience on a Mac or Ubuntu Linux build may vary slightly.

Hardware Requirements

x86 (Intel/AMD processor) based system running at 1.0GHz or greater

512MB system memory (RAM) or more

Video card capable of OpenGL 1.4, Direct X 9.0

Software Requirements

Mac OS X 10.4+ (Intel based processor)

Ubuntu Linux 9.04+

Windows XP / Vista / 7 (64 bit in Vista or 7)

Installing Boxee

Before downloading and installing Boxee, you’ll need to register for a free account. (See link below)

Once your account is registered and verified, you’ll be able to log in and download the application. Installation is pretty straightforward…just take the defaults.

Boxee will open in full screen mode and you’ll be prompted to login with your username and password. Before you login, you may want to take a moment to click on the “Guide” icon and learn a bit about navigating in Boxee.

Some basic keyboard navigation is as follows. Move right, left, up, & down with the arrow keys. Hit “Enter” to make a selection, the backslash slash key “\” to toggle between full screen and windowed mode, and “Esc” to go back to the previous screen. For Playback, the volume is controlled by plus & minus (+/-) keys, you can Play / Pause using the spacebar, and skip using the arrow keys.

Boxee will also work with any infrared remote. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you can download software to enable them as a Boxee remote.

If you’re using a mouse and keyboard, hover over the username and password boxes to enter your login credentials. If using a a remote, click your OK button and enter credentials with the on screen keyboard. Click “Done” when finished.

When you are ready to login, enter your credentials and click “Login.”

On first login, you’ll be prompted to calibrate your screen. If you choose “Skip” you can always calibrate your screen later under Settings > Appearance > Screen.

When Boxee opens, you’ll be greeted by the Home screen. To the left will be your Feeds. This will be any recommended content from friends on Boxee, and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Although, when you first login, it will mainly be info from the Boxee staff. You’ll have “Featured” content in the center and your Queue on the right. You’ll also have the Menu along the top.

Pop Up Menu

The Pop Menu can be accessed by hitting the “Esc” key, or back on your remote. Depending on where you are located in Boxee, you may have to hit it a few time to “back out” to the Pop Up menu. From the Pop Up Menu, you can easily access any of the resources, settings, and favorites.

Queue

The Queue is your playlist of TV shows, movies, or Internet videos you wish to watch. When you find an offering you’d like to watch, select it and then click “Add to Queue.”

The selected item will be added to your Queue and can be accessed at any time from the Menu.

TV Show Library

The TV Show library can contain files from your local hard drive or streaming content from the Web. Boxee pulls content from a variety of online locations such as Hulu and TV network sites. Click on the show to see which specific episodes are currently available.

To search for your favorite shows, click on the yellow arrow to the left, or navigate to the left with your keyboard or remote. Enter your selection into the search box.

My Apps

By default, the “My Apps” section includes a list of the most popular apps, such as Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, and others. You can remove Apps from “My Apps,” or add new Apps from the Apps Library.

To access all the available Apps, click on the left arrow button, or click on the yellow arrow at the left, then select “App Library.”

Choose an App from the Library and click it to open…

… and then select “Add to My Apps.” Or, you can click start to play the App if you don’t wish to Add it to your “My Apps.”

Music, Pictures, and Movies

Boxee will scan your PC for movies, pictures, and music. You can choose to scan specific folders by clicking on “Scan Media Folders…”

… or from the Pop Up Menu, selecting Settings > Media, and then browsing for your media.

Conclusion

Boxee to be a great way to integrate your local media with online streaming content. It can be run as an application on your home PC, or as a stand alone media PC. It should also be noted, however, that your access to online content will vary depending on your country.

If you are a Windows Media Center user and and want to add the additional features of Boxee, check out our article on integrating Boxee with Windows 7 Media Center.

Apple macOS Catalina removes iTunes, so you have to use Finder to sync your music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and books between your computer and mobile device.

iTunes has always been the go-to application for syncing your music, TV shows and movies, podcasts, and books between computer and mobile device. Now that iTunes has been retired in macOS Catalina, all the music and media that was once stored there is now kept in specialized programs.

However, when it comes to syncing content between a computer and mobile device, you now use the Finder app. The process is similar to syncing through iTunes, though there are a few differences.

Connect Your Device

On your Catalina-based Mac, connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Click the Go menu and select any location such as Computer, Desktop, or Documents. On the left side of the window, swipe down to the Location section and click the entry for your device. The first time you do this, you’ll need to click the Trust button to sync your computer with your device. The screen for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch appears with headers for the different categories and content types.

Manage Sync Settings

At the General screen, you can check for an update to your operating system and back up your device to iCloud or your Mac. You can also manage backups and restore a backup.

Under Options, you can determine how your device syncs with your computer.

• If you want to manually upload media, check the box next to Manually manage music, movies, and TV Shows. Now the only time your device will sync with your library is if you drag an item and drop it in.
• If you prefer to automatically sync devices, check the box next to Automatically sync when your device is connected. This means your mobile device will sync with your library as soon as you plug it into the computer.
• You can also sync your device over Wi-Fi by checking the box next to Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi. Then, if both devices are on the same network, they can sync without having to plug anything in.

How to Sync Music

You can manually sync your music by clicking the Music tab and checking the box next to Sync music onto [name of your device]. If you have a small music library and want to sync all of it to your device, select the option next to Entire Music Library.

If you’d rather choose which music to sync, pick the Selected artists, albums, genres, and playlists option instead. You can then view your music by Artists, Albums, Genres, or Playlists. Whichever category you select, check the items you want to sync. Click Apply in the bottom-right corner if you don’t need to sync any other content, or move to the next section if there is more.

How to Sync Movies

If you have any movies you wish to sync, click the Movies tab and check the box next to Sync movies onto [name of your device]. To sync all movies, check the box next to Automatically include and then click the drop-down menu. Opt to sync all movies, only recent ones based on different time frames, or only unwatched ones based on various time frames. To sync specific titles, leave that box unchecked and then check the movies you want to place on your device.

How to Sync TV Shows

How to Sync Podcasts

How to Sync Books and Audiobooks

How to Sync Photos and Files

Finder can also be used to sync photos and files with your mobile device. However, it should be noted that if you’re already using iCloud Photos, you won’t be able to do anything on this page. Any photos or video you take from your mobile device will already be made accessible on all connected devices.

If you need to sync your photos, tap the Photos header in Finder, then check the box next to Sync photos to your device. By default, Finder will sync everything in your Photos folder, but you can change that from the drop-down menu. As far as what Finder will sync, you can set it to be All photos and albums or Selected albums. If you opted to sync only selected albums, check the albums you want to sync.

You can also choose to only sync photos tagged as favorites or those that include video. Furthermore, you can check the box next to Automatically include photos from, then use the drop-down menu to select a specific time frame, like the last week or month.

The process for syncing files is much easier than any other section. If you click the Files tab you can add documents to your device simply by clicking and dragging the file into Finder and adding it to the list.

So I finally got Boxee out of the attic and even managed to install Boxee Plus so I could use Kodi on it. I have been using Kodi on the Amazon FireStick but it teds to get too hot and the wifi connection is far from perfect. I do prefer Ethernet. However the version I have is 1.4.6, and apparently I need 1.5.3!!
Googled for the 1.5.3 version but cannot locate it at all, BoxedIn seems to be offline now but then it has been a few years now.

Can anyone point me to the 1.5.3 (or even 1.6.0) version I can download from please?

This link still seems to work

This link still seems to work – Version 1.5.1.23735

If you know the exact version for the 1.6 you can substitute the 1.5.1.23735 in the link and it should be available to download.

Thank you so much.

I’ll give that a go. Once everything is set up I’ll post my step by step guide because despite the many webpages that contain the guides some people experienced the same issues I did and I only managed to get through them was find obscure replies from some out of date message boards.

Boxee Box may be past it now but its worth keeping for other rooms you may want to use Kodi. The fact it has Ethernet is the big plus for me since my wifi in the house is pretty poor in some areas.

Will keep you posted!

Nice could boxee run kodi well ??

I have one somewhere.. Make a decent backup system.

The BoxeeBox is quite a capable media player. At its core it is a modified version of XBMC with a number social media sharing features added on. However those modifications also limit what you can do with the Box, and removes some of the standard XBMC features.

Recently a hack was discovered that allows for full root access to the box:

This project is an attempt at returning some of the missing features and opening up a development path for creating new features and fixing existing annoyances.

What does it do?

• Root access telnet support (password is “secret”)
• FTP server
• Music icon added to the main screen and menu
• Fan Art on movie details page
• Fan Art on tv show overview page
• 3D Movie overlay icon
• Music / Concert overlay icon
• Extra view mode for movies (small posters)
• Mark all TV Show episodes watched or unwatched with one button
• Custom browser home page
• More music visualisers (+ customisable)
• Updated busybox, and added git, nano and sqlite3 tools
• Improved buffering for Full HD videos
• Tweaked MTU if you’re using a VPN/PPP connection
• Rewritten subtitle system (BierDopje, OpenSubtitles, Subtitulos, SubsWiki, Addic7ed)
• Special BoxeeHack settings menu
• Reboot option
• No more forced updates
• Check for new versions

Of course you’ll need a Boxee Box for this, and you’ll also need an empty USB stick.

Also make sure you are on the latest firmware (1.5.1), since this hack has only been tested with that version. Particularly some skin features are used that will probably not work on older Boxee builds, and even may leave your box in an unbootable state, requiring you to do a factory reset.

This exact version can be downloaded at, and installed through the recovery mode:

Installing is very simple. Get a USB stick and format it. Name the new volume BOXEE. Then download the zip from github and put the contents of the “install” folder on the USB stick. In the stick’s root there should be these entries:

• install.sh
• debug.sh
• uninstall.sh
• support

On your BoxeeBox go to Settings -> Network -> Servers. Check “Enable Windows file sharing” and in the “Host Name” field enter “boxeebox; sh /media/BOXEE/install.sh”. As soon as you back out of that menu you should see the Boxee logo on your BoxeeBox turn red. This means it’s installing. This should take a while, because it’s downloading the hack including the modified skin. After it’s done the Boxee UI should restart and your new features await!

See: for a video walkthrough of the process on the Boxee Box See: for additional help and information. See: for other info.

If for some reason the hack disappears (which is still an issue with this version), just go into Settings -> Network -> Servers again and enter “boxeebox; sh /data/hack/boot.sh”. After another reboot the hack should work (again).

There are two ways to disable this hack if you want to. The quick way is to go into Settings -> Network -> Servers, and enter a new hostname (which now contains the hack), just remove everything in the edit field and type e.g. boxeebox. Then switch the boxee box off and back on again. You now no longer have the hack running, and everything should be back to normal.

You can also reenable it by adding in: “; sh /data/hack/boot.sh;” into that same hostname field again in the future.

If you want to completely uninstall you can run the uninstaller on your USB stick. Just go into Settings -> Network -> Servers, and change your hostname into “boxeebox; sh /media/BOXEE/uninstall.sh”.

If you want to you can also uninstall manually:

Log in to the boxee box over telnet with: telnet [your-boxee-ip] 2323 Type in the password “secret” Edit the boxeehal.conf file in /data/etc/boxeehal.conf using either vi or nano and remove the hack from the password field (or use the earlier instructions to disable the hack, however without rebooting). Then remove the hack with: rm -Rf /data/hack

About

Hack that enables root access to the Boxee Box, provides a new updated Skin with some improved features, and a number of services to access the box such as telnet access

The undefeated boxing star shared how he’s training to stay ring-ready at home.

You might scroll through your social media feed, see Ryan Garcia’s mega-popular accounts (6 million followers on Instagram alone), and think that you’ve stumbled upon just another fitness influencer. He’s got all the trappings of the archetype—a profile full of high-res photos and videos showing off his ripped physique and the workouts he uses to hone it, some glamour shots with perfectly coiffed hair, and, of course, the Gym Shark apparel sponsorship.

But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see what Garcia actually is: a legitimate contender. Currently, the 21-year-old boxer sports a 20-0 professional record (with 17 KOs) and holds the WBC Silver Lightweight title. His status on social media has helped him to become one of the most visible competitors in the sport even at such an early stage in his career—his highlight reel knockouts and fast hands are a fixture on huge sports Instagram accounts like House of Highlights and ESPN.

But even boxing contenders need to roll with the punches to adjust their training programs when circumstances change. Garcia is currently stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, which means that he’s not able to keep up with his typical strength training regimen to support his ring work. He took some time to open up to Men’s Health to record the routine he has been doing (major key: trade weight room staples for resistance bands and Bosu balls) to stay ring-ready.

“Adjust to your surroundings, because the world don’t wait for you,” he says. “Just like Bruce Lee said: You need to be like water. Water goes into a cup, it turns into the cup. Water goes into anything, it becomes that. That’s what you need to do when you’re working out, and for anything in life. Just keep adjusting.”

If you want to take on Garcia’s workout, just remember that he’s a high-level athlete training for a specific purpose. You might have slightly different fitness goals. But you can still give this a try to hone your power, conditioning, and athleticism.

Ryan Garcia’s Boxing Home Workout

Resistance Band Circuit

Resisted Squat – 4 rounds of 15 reps

Resisted Overhead Press – 4 rounds of 15 reps

Resisted Squat to Press – 4 rounds of 15 reps

Conditioning Circuit

Bosu Ball Step Up – 1 minute

Bosu Ball Across Steps – 1 minute

Bosu Ball Scissors Steps – 1 minute

Core Circuit

Plank Leg Lift – 10 reps per side

Plank Hip Abduction – 10 reps per side

Plank Side to Side – 10 reps per side

Cardio Finisher

Resisted High Knees – 4 rounds of 10 seconds

Resisted Skips – 4 rounds of 10 seconds

Resisted Lateral Slide – 4 rounds of 10 seconds per side

Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos.

В разделе «Медиатека» приложения Apple TV содержатся упорядоченные по категориям объекты которые Вы купили или взяли напрокат, созданные Вами плейлисты и домашние фильмы, добавленные Вами в медиатеку.

Обзор медиатеки в приложении Apple TV

Откройте приложение Apple TV на Mac и выберите «Медиатека» вверху окна.

Прокрутите объекты, чтобы просмотреть их, либо нажмите на категорию или жанр в боковом меню, чтобы применить фильтр.

Доступ к коллекции другого члена семьи

Если в Вашей учетной записи Apple ID настроен Семейный доступ, в медиатеке отображаются покупки других членов Вашей семьи. Вы легко можете перейти к коллекции другого пользователя.

Откройте приложение Apple TV на Mac и выберите «Медиатека» вверху окна.

В боковом меню нажмите стрелку рядом с пунктом «Медиатека», затем выберите медиатеку члена семьи.

Воспроизведение объекта

Наведите указатель на нужный объект и нажмите появившуюся кнопку «Воспроизвести» .

Загрузка фильма или телешоу

Наведите указатель на нужный объект и нажмите появившуюся кнопку загрузки .

Следить за ходом загрузки можно, нажав на значок «Активность» , который появится в строке меню, или выбрав «Окно» > «Активность».

Просмотр дополнительных вариантов

Наведите указатель на объект.

Нажмите появившуюся кнопку «Еще» , затем выберите один из следующих вариантов.

Загрузить. Загрузка объекта на компьютер. Этот вариант не отображается для домашних фильмов.

Отметить как просмотренное или Отметить как непросмотренное. Изменение категории объекта.

Добавить в плейлист. Открытие подменю с возможностью добавить объект в новый или существующий плейлист.

Сведения. Открытие окна с метаданными, связанными с объектом. Метаданные домашних фильмов можно редактировать.

Копировать. Копирование названия, продолжительности, режиссера, жанра и другой информации об объекте.

Показать в Finder. Если объект был загружен, отображается его размещение в Finder.

Удалить из медиатеки. Удаление объекта из медиатеки.

Создание плейлиста

Примечание. При добавлении в плейлист объект загружается на компьютер.

В приложении Apple TV на Mac выберите пункт меню «Файл» > «Новый плейлист».

Введите название плейлиста.

Созданный пустой плейлист появится в разделе «Плейлисты» бокового меню.

Для добавления объектов в плейлист нажмите «Медиатека», а затем выполните одно из следующих действий.

Перетяните объект из медиатеки в плейлист в боковом меню.

Наведите указатель на объект в медиатеке, нажмите появившуюся кнопку «Еще» , затем нажмите «Добавить в плейлист» и выберите нужный плейлист.

Нажмите на объект в медиатеке, удерживая клавишу Control, нажмите «Добавить в плейлист», затем выберите плейлист.

Если на Вашем Mac есть панель Touch Bar, выделите объект в медиатеке, а затем выберите «Добавить в плейлист» в панели Touch Bar.

Редактирование плейлиста

В приложении Apple TV на Mac нажмите «Медиатека».

Выберите плейлист в боковом меню и выполните одно из следующих действий.

Изменение порядка воспроизведения объектов. Перетяните объекты, чтобы расположить их в нужном порядке.

Удаление объекта. Нажмите появившуюся кнопку «Еще» рядом с объектом, затем выберите «Удалить из плейлиста».

При удалении объекта из плейлиста он не удаляется из медиатеки или с устройства хранения.

Импорт домашнего видео в медиатеку

Можно импортировать видеофайлы, чтобы они были доступны для просмотра в приложении Apple TV.

В приложении Apple TV на Mac выберите пункт меню «Файл» > «Импорт» .

Найдите видеофайл на Mac, затем нажмите «Открыть».

Импортированные видео появятся в категории «Домашние видео» бокового меню Вашей медиатеки.

Просмотр домашних видео

В приложении Apple TV на Mac нажмите «Медиатека», затем выберите «Домашние видео» в боковом меню.

Наведите указатель на нужный объект и нажмите появившуюся кнопку «Воспроизвести» .

When I wrote that I couldn’t live without my Vudu box, I already had a Linux HTPC hooked up to my TV and still thought Vudu rocked. Why was that? There was no easy interface for me to work with all of the media files I had on the HTPC. Using a keyboard and mouse to navigate through Nautilus and manually play videos through VLC player isn’t exactly the best living room experience. Enter Boxee.

I’ve had a Boxee account since June but only started using it in the last two weeks that I’ve had it installed on my HTPC. In the last several months, Boxee has received 4M in funding so they’re definitely going somewhere. But let me backtrack a bit – what is Boxee? As you can probably already guess, it’s a media center front-end of sorts for your computer. They describe it as the “open (based on XBMC), connected, social media center for mac os x and linux.”

Test Setup

In the background, the HTPC runs a hellanzb daemon that is configured with my giganews newsgroups (aff link) account, making it a near-perfect media box.

First Impressions

After installation, I just added a few folders as media sources (supports Samba network and UPnP shares too) and Boxee had no trouble listing my content, even downloading album/media artwork when it automatically recognized some of it. I’m not certain if Boxee looks at metadata/ID3 tags only or if it also tries to infer titles based on filenames, but it only recognized a few TV shows and movies out of a terabyte of my media. That’s not a big deal though, playback is fine, you just can’t tap into Boxee’s special sauce – sharing things like recent plays with friends, rating media and viewing media information such as movie summaries.

In addition to Boxee helping your friends make media recommendations for you, many users flock to Boxee for it’s native support for many online video streaming services (unfortunately Hulu was recently pulled). However, that’s not why I’m using Boxee. I’m using it to painlessly manage the stockpile of media I already have on my HTPC. That being said, this post comes from my usage of Boxee and as such I won’t be mentioning much of Boxee’s Internet video streaming, built-in BitTorrent client, Python plugin system and other such features.

But I digress.. Firing up Boxee for the first time is quite an experience. Slick as hell comes to mind.

More Thoughts

Pro Tip: Setup another Boxee account as your “guest” so your Boxee friends don’t call you out on watching a Beyonce music video when your guests use your Boxee machine. I learned the hard way.

The Boxee home screen is your typical dashboard showing off recent activity within your Boxee network.

Most of Boxee’s navigation is done with a few left and right sidebars. The left sidebar splits up media types and settings while the right sidebar (not shown) lets you change up view options when inside a directory.

A typical in-directory list view for Boxee. With long directories, scrolling down quickly brings up the current letter you’re on (like the iPhone), however I would have liked a way to just start typing the name of the file/folder I’m looking for and have it auto-scroll there.

Content that is recognized by Boxee will have several additional actions aside from just playback functions. In this case, it let me read more about the trailer I was watching, rate it as well as recommend it to friends.

Boxee’s “core” video player advanced playback features will allay any worries media freaks might have. You have access to scaling the video as you like, cropping black bars, adjusting brightness and so on.

And don’t you just hate it when the the sound is off by ever so much? No problem, Boxee lets you fine-tune the audio offset (as well as with subtitles too).

Performance

But once you do get it working and assuming you have at least respectable hardware (unfortunately video hardware acceleration is not yet supported), Boxee flies. Boxee’s video player can pretty much tackle any type of non-DRM-protected media you can throw at it:

Physical media: CDs, DVDs, Video CDs (including DVD-Video, VCD/SVCD and Audio-CD/CDDA)

Container formats: AVI, MPEG, WMV, ASF, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, M4A, AAC, NUT, Ogg, OGM, RealMedia RAM/RM/RV/RA/RMVB, 3gp, VIVO, PVA, NUV, NSV, NSA, FLI, FLC, and DVR-MS (beta support)

Video codecs: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (SP and ASP, including DivX, XviD, 3ivx, DV, H.263), MPEG-4 AVC (H.264, including Nero Digital), HuffYUV, Indeo, MJPEG, RealVideo, QuickTime, Sorenson, WMV, Cinepak,

Audio codecs: AIFF, WAV/WAVE, MP2, MP3, AAC, AACplus, AC3, DTS, ALAC, AMR, FLAC, Monkey’s Audio (APE), RealAudio, SHN, WavPack, MPC/Musepack/Mpeg+, Speex, Vorbis and WMA.

Digital picture/image formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, MNG, ICO, PCX and Targa/TGA

Subtitle formats: AQTitle, ASS/SSA, CC, JACOsub, MicroDVD, MPsub, OGM, PJS, RT, SMI, SRT, SUB, VOBsub, VPlayer

As briefly mentioned above, the biggest complaint I have is the occasional sluggishness I get when loading videos. After a while they play just fine though. I also experience this sluggishness when attempting to fast-forward through a movie. Tapping the right arrow key a few times doesn’t always work. However, from my experience scrolling/seeking through large video files is a resource-intensive task so I can’t place too much blame on Boxee for that. I’ll update this post if/when I upgrade my HTPC to a quad-core Intel Core i7 setup and see how that changes things.

Overall

What do you use for your media playback? Do you have a dedicated HTPC?

Related

• Going HD: Part 1 (Plasma)
• Going HD: Part 2 (HTPC)
• Going HD: Part 3 (Blu-ray and Surround Sound)
• DIY 200 HTPC: Part 1
• DIY 200 HTPC: Part 2
• DIY 200 HTPC: Part 3

Published 09 Mar 2009

Paul Stamatiou is a designer, developer and photographer living in New York. He has been a product designer at Twitter since 2013. More »

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“Review: Boxee Media Center (or Going HD: Part 4)” by @Stammy