Unveiling the Boxee Beta in NYC on Dec 7th
The date is set for the release of the Boxee Beta. On December 7th at 7pm we are going to have an unveiling event at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.
At the event we will demo the new Beta, launch new applications from partners and start a 4-weeks early-access for users to test the Beta before we release it to the public at CES on Jan 7th.
The Boxee Beta will look, feel and behave differently from the Alpha. It takes into account many of the requests and feedback we received from users in the past year.
The Beta will feature:
- new user interface
- improved navigation
- search TV Shows and Movies
- a user controlled Queue
- shortcuts
- more…
We’ve have been heads down working on it for the past few months, and we’re really anxious to get it into your hands.
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Will the Windows version be 100% on-par with the OS X version? Including Netflix & ABC support?
Those are the features I’m most interested in–I’m looking forward to the beta!
yes and yes
Hi,
Brilliant news, seeing as the questions are coming thick and fast ..
Will there be official pusleaudio support?
Have you guys considered accessibility at all for boxee?
Some crash reports to come now i know where to send them.
T
Actually, the mac version has it’s own issues. While netflix does work, hulu doesn’t most of the time…
Each version has it’s own issues. That said, I’m looking forward to a new version finally as, overall, it works better then everything else i’ve tried.
Here’s the big question: Will the beta finally have some 64bit Linux support? At least a 32bit version packaged to install on a 64bit machine anyway….
not sure. will check with @yuvalt and get back to you
Do you have to attend the event to get early access? Or will anyone already participating in the alpha be able to participate in the beta right off the bat?
- RD
not necessarily. we will enable others to get on the early access list.
The beta launch is fantastic news, guys. I’m excited already. Congratulations on making it to this point!
thanks. hope you will like it
Awesome! I can’t wait. Don’t think I can swing tickets to NY at the moment, will there be a live video stream of the event again?
yes, there will be a live video stream. we need to close on the logistics.
I love Boxee and I’m really excited for this beta! Excited enough to haul my butt to Williamsburg on a Monday night. Can’t wait, see you there Avner
great. appreciate it. we know that for many people crossing the river to Brooklyn is a bit of a hassle.
Very excited to see what you guys have been working on!!
It’s going to be an AppleTV beta version at the same time?
yes, for Apple TV, too.
YAY!
Any chance the Apple TV beta will be supporting Netflix?
looking forward to it as i have just about finished the design and prototype of an appliance.
Will this new version support search for local subtitles?
what do you mean by “search local subtitles”? if you have a local .srt or .sub file in the same folder as the video Boxee should be able to play it.
additionally, you can always browse the subtitle to use – use the OSD, Settings > Audio > Browse for subtitle.
Awesome, looking forward to the beta.
This is fantastic news!! Very excited. Will there be a place to sign up for early access if we are unable to attend the event?
yes, we later on we will open up the early access list to users who dont attend.
I hope I can get in on this 4-week early beta. I run Boxee every day on a Mac-Mini turned HTPC.
will you be able to make it to the event? first to the early-access would be users attending the event, and later on we’ll open it up to other early-access users.
unfortunately I won’t… I don’t live anywhere near it.
too bad. we will open up the early-access list registration soon, so you’ll be able to get your name on the list.
Sorry.. very unrelated. You are the first person i’ve seen with my wife’s maiden name. Degrandchamp. Her immediate family is the only ones in the state.
With the new version of Boxee, will the API change at all? Will existing apps still work on the new version?
all apps should work fine on the new version
I’m in rainy London, how can I get my hands on this early beta?
we will soon open up our early access list for users to sign up to
I too want to get the early release… why not open it up to anyone currently in the beta on the same night and time? Love Boxee use it every day!!
d
we are releasing new versions of both server and client and a whole new user experience, so we want to get some gradual feedback and see if we need to fix some stuff before opening it up to everyone
We’re not everybody…. We’re the alpha testers and have been with you since you started with Boxee… I don’t think that proximity to the announcement should determine who gets the release early. Give it to the Alpha testers before the general public and you will get the quality feedback you need. But hey that is just my 2¢.
d
Here, Here!
Agreed!
Personally I’d commit to sending detailed feedback to you from London.
i hear you. and i guess we need to clarify. we are going to give it to the alpha testers before we give it to everyone else. we are just going to stage the release over several weeks, so we could test our servers and get quick feedback on the user experience.
Understood and thanks for the interaction here… You rock!!
d
What we need is a focus on reliability across all platforms. I could care less about new features as long as my Boxee crashes every other video.
yes, we hope to make a real progress when it comes to stability.
in the mean time could you send us more info on the specific cases of video playback that crash the current version of boxee?
you can send it to tsella@boxee.tv
Congratulations, I look forward to seeing this project grow!
Great news! Love Boxee and all that it offers, but I, too, would like 64-bit Linux support. In any case, will there be an open bar?
There is a bunch of threads in our forum for 64bit install, the best seems to be http://forum.boxee.tv/showthread.php?t=4980. I know its not like a native 64bit, but as Avner commented earlier, there is just too much stuff we are already supporting at this time. As our team grows and 64bit Linux becomes more popular, I’m sure we are going to properly address this.
Will there be bookmarking support with this beta release o that it remembers where you left off at for a particular video?
Even if it was just your own video collection it kept track of, it would be better than nothing.
Yes. you’ll be able to choose whether to restart or resume.
woo!
I second that, Woooo!
Two things:
1. Will you be able to log off and log into a different user within Boxee without having to restart the program?
2. I just want to say the fact that you have responded to all of these posts is awesome! I think that helps the community tremendously! So thank you!
1. Yes.
2. thanks. trying to be as accessible/engaged/transparent as possible.
How, where, and what do I do to get on the early access list?
Do I send you my contact information NOW?
Or is there a mailing list to sign up for to be notified right away once this is opened?
Can you please help to direct me so that I’m in the right place at the right time before the list becomes closed?
Thanks!
//Gary
next week we will open the sign up for early access. i will blog about it and tweet about it, so you will not miss it.
Man…I wish I had known the date earlier so I could attend. I’ll be traveling home to beer sheba on the 6th. Can’t wait to try out the beta
too bad
can you extend your stay by a couple of days?
Haha, that’s one unexpected venue to host a launch. I guess you guys are really from the neighborhood? It’s good to know that there are cool computer software firm in NYC. Not just all finance departments of the software companies.
Great news guys, will the new version offer powerpc support?
no powerpc support. we are already having hard time supporting multiple platforms, and we just can’t handle the porting to powerpc internally
Reviving legacy hardware is an amazing channel (no pun intended) for Boxee. PowerPC Mac Minis provide an opportunity to setup a sub $200 HTM solution. Minis are closed-configuration systems, so hopefully it’s easier to develop for. PowerPC Minis run Leopard, and are probably the most sold systems in their category (when they were sold). You guys should not miss this, imo. Great job so far.
good point. still the issue for us is that we are currently developing for Mac OS 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, Windows XP, Vista, 7, latest two Ubuntu versions… so we’ve got our hands full. each one requires some sort of special attention
is it remotely possible that this new version will allow 720p/1080p HD movies to run smoothly on Apple TV 3.0 (assuming it will work with Apple TV 3.0).
Not sure whether the slowdowns can be fixed with software or whether they’re inherent to hardware issues.
i think we can improve Boxee’s performance on Apple TV, but we can’t make it play HD without access to proper hardware acceleration (which we dont have)
I would like it if boxee would run on the secondary monitor on a dual monitor computer mac pro.
A bonus would be if I could still use my computer, mouse/keyboard on my primary monitor without interrupting boxee on the secondary monitor.
Multiple monitors are supported, please see the FAQ at http://support.boxee.tv/forums/49600/entries/43715
Great news to hear that Beta is coming soon! Users will be glad to get their hands on it. I Luv Boxee and can’t wait to get a look under the hood with the new features and updates!
Wish I could swing a pair of ticks to NY…would luv to attend the shin-digg!
Thanks.
where are you based?
Is there some way to find out what bugs have been fixed in the upcoming version?
FWIW…I’ve got the 0.9.14.6992 version installed on my new Mythbuntu 9.10 box, but most of the videos I try to play come up with volume that’s way too low to be heard. I think I saw mention of a bug that might be the problem, but I’m curious if it’s been dealt with.
Does this happen only under Boxee, or other apps as well? Stereo video, or mixed-down 5.1? Drop me a line at tsella at boxee tv.
Will there be better Navigation for Touch Screen users, What about Support for Xm Sat radio?
never used Boxee with a touchscreen interface.
what device are you using? we didn’t design for touchscreen, so i am not sure you’ll see an improvement on that front.
regarding XM, we are not building an XM Radio App, but i’ll ask around if someone is interested in building one
Hello from Greece we wait for BETA about this Great application!
thanks. love Greece. was my first trip abroad. good memories from Mykonos, Ios…
So glad it’s coming to beta so soon. Will the user interface change dramatically? I love the current one because it is so simple. Cheers
it will change dramatically, but i hope it will make things simpler rather than more complicated
Great news. Can;t wait for the new version. Hope for a more customisable interface like in Plex….
thanks. supporting xbmc skins is still not trivial for us. i personally like media stream, aeon, and others
Yes… Boxee has a better functionality and seems more stable, but I keep on using Plex cuz it looks far better (Alaska skin) so I am anxious to see how Boxee has developed in this area
Good luck.
i like Alaska, too. hope you will like our new look. and if not then i hope you could give us feedback on how we could improve it
It finally goes beta! Been using Boxee for a long time now, and it just keeps getting better. Very Curious what the beta will bring!
*Fingers Crossed* for my no. 1 request: Watched Flags!
Being able to hide (or dare i even say auto-delete?) videos already seen, would make my (and other people with large video libraries) life a lot easier.
This is the ONLY feature in which XBMC is still better than Boxee. Apart from that, Boxee is the king of Mediacenter apps IMO!
Awesome!!
Working Hulu integration?
unfortunately that is not really in our control..
I have been so excited when I got word or the beta… I know there was a little bit of huff and puff about it not being on the forums first… but, I am really glad that when all of the info became solid, you posted it. I love boxee and the community… Thats for a great product and hey we’re still in alpha (NOT FOR LONG…WORD!)
I have been so excited when I got word of the beta… I know there was a little bit of huff and puff about it not being on the forums first… but, I am really glad that when all of the info became solid, you posted it. I love boxee and the community… Thanks for a great product and hey we’re still in alpha (NOT FOR LONG…WORD!)[still getting up LOL]
thanks for your support. will do a better job at posting announcements to the forum at the same time they hit the blog.
i posted as soon as we had a final date and place. it took us a while to close on both..
Will the beta work on the updated AppleTV 3.0?
Yes. There is already some info on getting Boxee to work on ATV 3.0 – http://support.boxee.tv/forums/49599/entries/74649
Never got into Boxee. Plex is a different story – I really love Plex. I find the software much more attractive and easier to navigate. Boxee has a more complete service and I really hope they spent more time on their front end.
we’ve spent lots of time on UI and navigation. hope you’ll like it. give it a try once it comes out and let me know what you think
Will the beta version of boxee have better library support? This is the only thing that keeps me on XBMC; I find that boxee has a hard time cataloging my library of TV shows, often skipping things that I know are properly named. Also the fact that it offers no “progress bar” for cataloging makes it difficult to know if it’s actually doing anything.
we’re going to make gradual improvements on both fronts. it will still be far from perfect, but a real improvement over the alpha.
Can’t wait. After moving to Snow Leopard, we’ve just been watching Hulu through Safari since the remote is broken. Really looking forward to getting back to using Boxee full time.
I hope I can get in on the early beta since Dec 7th is my birthday!
there is an interim fix for Snow Leopard http://blog.boxee.tv/2009/10/23/snow-leopard-got-your-remote/
we’ll be honored to get you an invite to the early-access for your birthday!
Looking forward to the beta. Nice early christmas present.
Will it run smoother on the appletv? Just talking about the UI not play back.
When are you releasing your own hardware?
(Also: Why can’t I reply to older posts? Just read the cliqset post and wanted to suggest there be a chat mechanism built into boxee.)
you should be able to reply to older posts. i’ll look into it.
it should run (the UI) a bit smoother on Apple TV. we’ve made our UI more lightweight, so it should help.
we don’t plan to release our own hardware, but we are going to work with device makers who are looking to embed Boxee into existing devices or build Boxee Boxes.
Would it be possible to add Android PMP support in the future? I have an Archos 5 IT and Boxee would be a geat addition as the Archos has TV output at 720P. There are so many great reasons to add boxee to this platform. Please see here http://www.archos.com
i think there is lots more we could do with mobile devices and PMPs, but frankly we don’t have it on our short-term roadmap. still too much stuff to do on the core product.
I also would like to see a working 64-bit version for linux… the 32-bit hack is simply not how you should treat the 64-bit users (btw. I can’t set it up with the hack)…
Nevertheless: great programme
i hear you re 64bit. it’s about time we have something that is native.
How about DVD playback through Boxee, I know from the forum that there has been a few issues there, has that been addressed so that, for instance, Boxee can playback from ISO files from an external drive? That’s something I miss on the ATV.
DVD playback will not be resolved with this version, and is likely to be completely removed down the road. ISO playback is supported, but may be limited on the ATV due to hardware constraints.
That’s really disappointing about DVD playback. I think you’re underestimating how many users you’ll lose because switching apps is too complicated for the family (e.g. kids, mother-in-law) so Boxee is replaced with something else. What’s the obstacle? Licensing? I’d be willing to pay for a Boxee app that supports DVDs.
Not at all.. I personally have a large DVD collection, and understand where you’re coming from. On the other hand, I also see how everything is available online now. I don’t think there is a single title I own that is not available online, and this is really what we are addressing – making all that available to you, on your TV screen, instantly.
DVD playback has been a challenge, and still is. I think we will, down the road, support external players, including such that do DVD playback. The internal DVD player is very unlikely to be fixed, by us anyway.
Great to hear about the Beta! I hope I can get on the early release list.
Will the beta have an option to filter my movie collection by genre.
yes, you’ll be able to filter by genre as well as between watched and unwatched.
Really looking forward to the new version, would love to get the earlier Beta!
Awesome news, as I have been more than pleased with the Alpha version, so beta and finally official releases just around the corner sounds great! Count me in for the beta!
Also, Avner, I appreciate that you have routinely been responding to people’s questions on here. It’s nice to see that direct a level of communication.
hey avner
has the UI been given a complete overhaul or
is it just tweaks here and there? i’m really
keen on seeing boxee looking better
Awesome news.
Thanks for your hard work, I’ve had a great 11 months playing with the alpha on ATV. Just wish the ATV hardware was more capable; I’d love to see it on the PS3 someday.
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