We’re sorry that VUDU and Netflix will not be available on the Boxee Box until January.
These services provide amazing access to a huge catalogue of movies and TV shows in great quality. They are pillars of the future we see at Boxee where you can watch almost any movie or show, whenever you want. They were also inspirations that helped us decide to start Boxee in 2007.
If you’re new to Boxee or received a Boxee Box as a gift, you can surf through previous blog posts and our forums to see how our team has done its best to create the product that all of us wanted to enjoy digital “stuff” on our TVs. While both services are up and running in our offices on the Boxee Box, we need some more time to test each application to make sure they are ready for launch. We expect VUDU to be up and running next week. We have a brand new version of Netflix we expect to arrive by the end of January.
I know many users will be upset. I am disappointed that we couldn’t make it happen in time for the end of the year. However I’d ask that you put your faith in us. There are countless devices with access to these services available, but I’d like to think you chose Boxee because we offer something different, in our approach, in our commitment, in our passion, in the way we communicate (whether its good stuff or bad), and in how quickly we move on the stuff that matters most to our users.
Looking back at 2010 it’s hard to believe so much has happened in just 12 months. We are going to be at the CES Show next week and are really excited about 2011. For us it’s going to be about continuing to improve the Boxee software, getting Boxee on additional devices, bringing more content (both in the US and internationally) and making Boxee available on more screens.
Happy New Year everyone!
subscribe to blog
join boxee
boxee on twitter
Doing it right is more important than doing it on time. Go to http://www.tvukonline.co.tv for UKTV.streaming tv from around the world is just as important.
Yup. Is this a legit site?
Avner, the tvukonline.co.tv site is not legit.
What is really needed is a better BBC iPlayer interface so HD streams from the BBC can be accessed for viewers in the UK.
Thanks for clarifying. We are looking to improve our iPlayer support.
I'm a boxee customer who is more likely to drop netflix than return my box. I signed up for netflix solely because I preordered a boxee box (I've yet to utilize the service). I'm a bit disturbed with your trend of waiting until the very last minute to announce bad news. If I had known three months ago that boxee wouldn't run netflix until Jan/Feb I wouldn't have been wasting money on netflix.
Sorry about that. We didn’t know it 2 months ago, or 4 weeks ago, and we were trying to get at least one of these done up to the last minute. Thanks for continuing to support us and apologize for the extended wait
Boxee needs to reevaluate how you set goals since you miss everyone of them.
Calm down there tiger, concerns are being addressed. I was like you on day one but has Boxee not at least proven that they are listening and working on a solution.
To say one minute that you were trying to make the deadline even on the very last day to then saying you need an additional three weeks points to some internal process issues that you need to address if you want to productively set marketplace and consumer expectations. You may be small and agile and you may have vision and spunk but they don't require you to shoot yourself in the foot every few weeks.
Fair point. We had 6 parties involved in this project, so I guess it was easy for things to slip. We'll be more careful in the future.
Considering that the service (and hardware) that Boxee is providing is still somewhat in its infancy, especially considering that the big boys (which includes nearly everyone except Boxee) is very apprehensive to hand over their empires to what they consider to be a start-up, ragtag bunch of misfits (sorry, Avner), I would say that they folks at Boxee are doing quite well. They took XBMC, which in its own right wasn't exactly user-friendly unless you knew what you were doing, and turned it into a real 10-ft interface.
If you people have such a problem with the Boxee Box, then build yourself a media center and run the full Boxee program. Maybe that way you can understand all of the problems that these guys have in getting the rights (Hulu, I'm talking to you) and finding the best way to bring streamed content, which isn't nearly as easy as you geniuses might think it is. Dealing with all of the different types of video/audio formats, not to mention the DRM and other kinds of encryption – I'm actually surprised that Boxee has been able to have the impact that they have.
I say way to go guys – keep sticking it to the Apple Gestapo!
No worries. I'd rather you guys take your time and get it right. Sounds like that's what you're up to, so I'm cool with it. Happy new year!
Thanks! Appreciate it. Happy new year!
Sorry to hear that Netflix will be delayed, but I have a Roku and PS3 to use for that in the meantime. There is so much content on the Box now that I haven't used the other two since X-mas anyway. Happy new year to the Boxee team!
Thanks and Happy New Year to you, too.
Hey, I remain very happy with the Boxee Box and only want you to improve the box even moreso.
BTW, do you know what Microsoft calls a beta tester? End user!
Better to get it right than to make us your beta testers.
Thanks. We have still lots to improve and the next build will include not only VUDU, but numerous bug fixes. Thanks for your support!
Please more german TV or Mediatheks .
Thank you
What is Mediatheks?
Mediathek is one of the terms used in german speaking countries for video content provided online by tv-stations.
some of them are:
http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek http://www.ardmediathek.de/ard/servlet/ http://tvthek.orf.at/ http://www.videoportal.sf.tv/ http://videos.arte.tv/
integrating these services into bb in a user-friendly way would indeed be a big asset in german speaking countries. there are one or two repositories trying to do this (if actually working). some of these services use WM player plugins and are therefore not playable through bb.
The video content of TV stations like http://tvthek.orf.at/ or http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/
Frankly, I'd ask that you give everyone who purchased as "early adopters" a discount (refund). You can't just promise something and then when you don't come through, simply say, "sorry". We all understand that "things happen", but you really need to show your gratitude toward those who purchased early. In short, you have an opportunity to turn all of us "early adopters" into evangelists of your product. If you fail to show us some love, it will reflect poorly on you…you'll just end up having a lot of pissed off Boxee Box owners who will kill your brand. And, that would be sad, because it is really good tech…
Make the right decision…
We hope to win your trust and turn you into an evangelist by giving it all we can, solving the issues people raise and continue to innovate. We can’t offer a refund. I hope you’ll like the Netflix and VUDU implementations when they come out soon and forgive our delay. We are probably more frustrated than you about not making it happen on time.
Although I am thoroughly Pissed, it is the right thing to say something. The Truth will set you Free lol and let us relax alittle. I am hanging in there, Happy New Year's Check out my site… Scott
Thanks Scott. Appreciate the patience!
Avner-
Like pretty much everyone else, I’m rather bummed about the NetFlix slip. Several other posters have asked to focus on local content rather than web based. That is the reason that I purchased my BB, was not specifically for NetFlix (I can get it through my Sony BR player).
I have a very large DVD library that is all ripped into video/VOBs. As we all know, the box cannot index that content for some silly reason. I have also spent many hours getting the movie (AND my mp3 library) tagging perfect. It seems like a real waste not to have the ability to utilize the local content that many of us have and have must lots of work into setting up.
I’m really hoping that this is where we’ll see the change in the next release or two.
Scott
We believe both sources of content are important. With the release next weeks you will see that we have addressed numerous issues relating to local file playback. We are very focused to make Boxee the best in this category.
We are working on significantly improving our media resolving VOB included.
Great! I look forward to the updates. Keep 'em coming!
Avner,
I am rooting for you guys hard. I got my boxee box on christmas and though I barely have any chance to watch media, the few times I do the boxee software has been godsent. Like the others say a bit more communication from your team (I am not sure you should be the person in charge of every communication release) would help but I still really like your approach and the fact that "Boxee" feels like a community. I will be keeping my boxee box and will probably buy a couple more once Netflix arrives.
Almontas,
Thanks for rooting for us! You can send me your feedback directly in case you come across issues. My email is avner [AT] boxee
Will be great to see you get a couple more once Netflix is available.
Avner
Why don't you release this piece of shit box when it actually fucking works. When I try to watch a show content is blocked or it says I'm missing flash player. In addition to this you do not have VUDU or netflix. Hell even Roku has video on demand with aod. My boxee box will be promptly returned as it doesn't deliver at all. Thanks.
Sorry you are a pissed off customer. Would be great if you could give us till the end of the month, but understand if you return it..
Have you ever heard the expression ' Profanity is the last resort of the illiterate ' I can understand if you are upset, as I am, but as an adult, which you obviously are not, I can refrain from using such language on a public form.
Don’t forget about the European market!! There is an enormous backlog concerning content.
Yes. We didn't forget. We are also in the midst in recruiting a couple of people in Europe to help us get some of these deals done.
Good to hear! And please fix regression bug http://jira.boxee.tv/browse/BOXEE-7220 asap!! It's annoying and a shame for boxee users when watching Videos on Youtube and instead of HD they are displayed in worst quality on a high end TV.
Great to See this Regression Bug fixed – highly appreciated by all users.
Hello Avner,
Will the Boxee Box netflix app have 5.1 audio streaming and 1080p support like the PS3? Thank you and your team for all the hard work thus far. Have a happy New Year!
I believe it does, yes.
What about just Boxee on a windows machine? I understand the push on the boxee box, but I'm curious about just boxee. I would love to see a lot of these features, BD support, Netflix improvements and so on, added to boxee. I would even be willing to pay, I really like Boxee, but the Boxee Box doesn't fit my needs.
The communication on this was very poorly done guys. I’m happy with product for th most part but I feel I can’t recommend it till this release is finished. I’d really like to see you guys improve your communication skills a bit more. If you were working on it up to the last minute, a post 1-2 weeks ago saying that would have been better than the dismantlement you shared. Poorly thought out
Ah well, another month…
Understand the frustration. Worked on it till the last minute. Will work on my communications skills
I for one am very pleased with the Boxee Box. Once there is a bit more support as far as Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Vudu and if some of the bugs are worked out with streaming some of the online content — this will replace my cable all together.
Please keep supporting the product and I will tell everyone I know to purchase one to replace their terribly overpriced cable services.
Thanks. We are working on all these fronts. Boxee is going to get better and better with each release. We have ambitious plans for 2011. Hope we'll be able to make it all happen.
What about Hulu? And a better remote control?
Hulu Plus still in the works, but no news to report today.
Remote 2.0 is being designed, debated, etc. What do you dislike the most?
Avner,
My issue with the remote is that being a plain rectangle it's hard to know it's right side up without having to think about it. Most remotes have a contour that you know by feel that it's in the right direction.
I also am disappointed to hear of the slip. I purchased a box for my parents as all they wanted was a Netflix streamer but I knew this would offer more. So I held them off months until the box finally shipped with confirmation that Netflix and Hulu would be just a while longer. I'm not happy about the slip or untimely updates as I have been checking the blog often for an update.
Really, you have something here at a great price point that could have had a great holiday season if the big two apps were cooked by launch and some marketing support was there from the manufacturer. Until these show up this will just be another techie niche product when it can be so much more. I hope that 2011 looks more like that for all of us as the bigger your product become the more mainstream content we will all have with the Boxee platform. Death to cable!
I have to agree that although I love the remote, it does have a few issues and the main one is that the "simple" side is a little too symmetrical. There have been at least a few times already where I've found I'm holding it upside down.
happens to me, too… need to address it.
Patrick,
I agree on the simple side lacking an intuitive way to know which way is up.
The Netflix and Vudu apps are looking great. We'll share more this week. We are very frustrated with the slip and doing whatever we can to get both out as soon as we possibly can.
Thanks for your support and patience. I think we'll be able to get a bunch more premium content on Boxee in 2011. Should be an exciting year!
Avner
I love the remote, I wish it was a slider instead of a flipped keyboard, when I saw the new Tivo remote I was hoping you guys did something similar for the BBox.
The Netflix and Hulu I can wait, I have Netflix but I will never be so demanding for somthing you can't control. When I see Netflix in my BBox it will be great, if I never see it it will be great also.
I see it as a Mac user complaining because his laptop didn't came with Windows. If you want netflix, there are a lot of options out there. Boxee is way more and different.
I just hope one day it let you install beta updates also if you want to. Sometimes I'm ready to try a beta version on my BBox besides my Mac.
Keep the good work!
Let's see:
1. The remote is hard to use in the dark ( or a darker room, while watching a movie, show, etc.)
2. When using the Web browser, it makes the experience so much more difficult. The pointer is hard to control and it takes time to get it at the right position. A small track pad would make more sense.
3. The Alt function takes a lot of work and concentration. Should be a lot easier to use it.
4. Maybe a bit too small
Remote issues:
1) As already stated – which way is up?
2) The current remote feels like a cheap "toy" remote. I suspect it was to keep the price down, but it feels like it's one hard drop away from breaking.
3) I want a rewind X seconds button, where X is configurable in the settings panel. My 10+ year old TiVo has one, and I use it ALL THE TIME (for example, when I miss a line of dialog).
4) I really dislike that the number keys don't have dedicated keys – having to press, AND HOLD, "Alt" to access the number keys is annoying. If I could press (and release) "Alt" then press a number key, that would be a step in the right direction.
5) The remote needs a back-light. I use my Boxee Box in a home theater set-up with a projector, so the room is dark… so, I can't see the keys.
6) I don't know how long the battery is going to last, but I like remotes that use AA or AAA batteries. They are available everywhere, and I already have extras in my house.
7) I know this isn't the remote, but it's related – I don't like the way rew/ff work. I can't find a way to rewind a few seconds when I miss a line of dialog?
Netflix:
Yup, I'm also pissed about the missed Netflix deadline…. I would have taken it better if you had posted an update a week or two ago saying that there might be a delay, but you are working hard. When you wait to make an announcement on the day we expect delivery, then say it'll be another month… if feels like you should have known that you weren't gonna make the deadline, and should have told us earlier.
Thanks for listening.
Another missed deadline…Very disappointed. From "VUDU and Netflix by the end of the year -2010)" to "VUDU by the end of the first week of January, and Netflix by the end of the month" to "Boxee Box firmware update will come out later today" – January 8th and to "close to midnight at Vegas. working on the build. last kink to solve with the VUDU app. will release the firmware tomorrow with or without" – January 9th.
Promises, promises…Why make a promise that you can't keep? Not sure anyone would be very happy to get a firmware without VUDU…
Avner, I feel you’re being less than honest with us. In one breath you say you’ve been working on it until the last minute and on the other hand there’s some trepidation when asked about a major feature with Netflix…5.1 and 1080P. Your answer was: “I believe it does, yes”
That doesn’t sound like someone working on something to the last minute. Sorry. I am and will be a Boxee fan, I spoke to you at length at last years CES about the box. I’ve been disappointed, Navi-X is the only thing keeping my box from return right now.
I am just not sure about the 5.1 issue that's all. Don't read anything into it. Sent a note to the engineers to verify. Didn't want to say "Yes" without being sure.
Hope to see you at CES this year, too.
Sigh, I bought this as a gift for my girlfriend and promised her that VUDU and Netflix would be there by “the end of the year.” I hope she understands that I’m not the liar.
I like boxee other than that. Good work so far, I hope you impress us after this wait.
Sorry to disappoint your girlfriend. Tell her it's me not you…
I am sure she will love both when they come out this month.
Looking forward to hearing your next excuse 11:30pm January 31.
I understand how hard it is to launch features when there are a lot of third parties involved though I would have liked to have seen this handled better in terms of setting our expectations. I'm willing to give you another chance to make this right. Given that the Netflix streaming functionality is the primary use I bought this for however, if I don't see that feature by January 30, it'll be on its way back to Amazon for return January 31st.
I think that's fair. We'll do our best to deliver.
Sorry to say, but this is the final straw for me. It is not the actual slipping of the date for netflix, it is the how and when it was communicated and how that speaks to Boxee as a company. I have worked in the software industry for more then 20 years and I have been a part of products consisting of many million lines of code, and I have NEVER worked on a product that didn’t know it was going to slip more then a week before the scheduled release date. And driving to the last second to try to release something, then saying well, we missed the date by a MONTH? Think about that, we were promised netflix by the end of the year back in november (thats 2 months ago) and at the last second they take a 50% schedule hit. Wow, I have worked at places where that is a firing offense.
This is so egregious, it almost makes me think there is more to the slip then just software.
Anyway, I have been using the WD Live Hub for more then a month. It isn’t perfect, not quite as automatic as the Boxee software with regards to scraping local content. But it is dead simple, my 7 year can use it. It plays all my local video_ts dvd rips protecting all my DVD’s from scratches and scrapes. It has netflix, and pandora, plus a bunch of other stuff that I don’t even watch and they have plans for hulu plus. That covers all of my needs (and dare I say it probably 90% of the general publics needs). I’ve gotten 2 fw updates since purchasing it more then a month neither of which broke anything. I think I will stick with that, let all the beta testers (by the way, part of the problem if you ask me, boxee caters to what ultimately will be a low profit, minority user of the product) work out the kinks and deal with the delays. Maybe in a year I will add another media player to the houshold for another TV, and maybe it will be a boxee box.
90%?! that's outrageous. where are you getting these numbers from? lala land?
I am sorry you feel this way. We don't have plans to fire anyone because of the Netflix slip. We learned from this process that launching a feature that involves multiple 3rd parties and involve stuff that is out of our control it is harder to meet a deadline.
We will be more careful in the future.
I hope you'll consider Boxee when you pick up your next box.
My number might be off, but if that is the only complaint with my comment, then I am not that far off the mark with my general feelings on this.
Using the small group of Boxee early adopters is not really telling of that more broad market. You may say that everyone you know wants all of the features that Boxee offers. and I could counter that everyone I know is satisfied with an Apple TV. A far less feature rich box, but it has a core set of features that apple has figured the largest audience wants and it has made sure that those featured work. Well enough that a million of them were sold in a few months. Apple TV wasn't good enough for me, I needed local content streaming of video_ts, something boxee didn't do (until the box I'm told).
I really like boxee, I want it to succeed, I'm just worried that they have fallen into a trap of trying to do and promise too much, and not being able to deliver well on any of it. Netflix should have been a top priority, yet it is likely that 3 months after the release of the box, they might still not have netflix, but they will have local content streaming well, for who? geeks. I have been laying the seeds of change with my family and friends to get off of cable, but I can't even consider recommending a boxee box until it offers netflix, thats how the vast majority of them get their content over the internet, next would be hulu. Roku, by far, is the much more appealing box right now, and much cheaper. To my family and friends, the boxee does less of what they want it to do at a much higher price, not an easy sell for me.
I will continue to watch boxee, as I have more then one TV in the house that needs to get content, perhaps when I am ready to add those TVs boxee will be ready.
Thats something else I don't quite get, I understand A third party when dealing with a Netflix app, but what are the multiple 3rd parties here, D-Link? That just doesn't make sense to me.
Chill out! Also, did you know 35.4% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
Chill out? I think I am sedated compared to "Pissed of customer".
And yes, obviously, 98.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
I had such high hopes for boxee, it is the software I came back to over and over again over the last year+ in the hopes that it would solve my home media situation. In the end, it seems to have been passed by (for my needs) by more then one vendor.
They still haven't delivered on things they promised by the end of the year last year, and they are already announcing new stuff that will be available sometime this year.
I hope I am wrong, but I predict that boxee will either collapse under the weight of its own promises, or get bought by one of their second rate hardware partners, or more likely the beginning signs of the collapse will lead to the buyout.
People, I hope this is a lesson to you NOT to buy brand new pieces of tech. I've certainly taken my hits over the years. Stuff like this is better to wait on until the kinks are worked out. I mean, this thing isn't exactly necessary like a refidgerator or anything so maybe many of you should have waited until the device has everything you want out of it before dropping $200 on it.
Personally since I know this is more a device of convenience I'm fine with waiting. I'd much rather buy something that is battle tested so I'm not frustrated with every delay and shortcoming.
Avner I think it's great that you're taking the time to answer these posts and I do believe you are honestly trying to make a great product. And, I think you'll succeed. It's just going to take a little more time than you and everyone anticipated. I'll hold off until February or so after I see Netflix is up and streaming as well as any other device.
Agreed. History shows that the first edition of anything new piece of tech always has bugs.
If you want to be the first on the block to get anything new, even a car will have it's share of issues during it's first model release months.
I think Boxee, once it's complete will be a a perfect fit for me in all that it offers, but as I said, I'll wait until Netflix, VUDU and most of the other kinks are worked out until i fork over a couple C-notes.
Kudos to Avner for replying to all these posts; it's not ofter you get such involvement from developers, especially with a d_Link product.
I would agree with this IF this was the first edition of the Boxee software itself…
Hi Jeff,
While Boxee was out in beta for Mac, PC and Ubuntu for a year the build for a CE device such as the Boxee Box has tons of new code. Not an excuse for anything, but it does include lots of new ground for us.
Avner
Thanks. Hope to see you as a Boxee Box user real soon
Seth,
Appreciate you being so understanding. I think you will really like the implementations and quality of both Netflix and VUDU on the Box, and we'll work on getting more premium services in 2011, making Boxee better and better with each release.
Avner
Doesn't bother me a bit. I've been looking for a perfect media-streaming solution for years, so once I heard about Boxee Box, I was all over it. Got it Christmas day, and although I haven't been able to use it regularly yet (have to get a new TV first), I have it setup on one of my computer monitors, and I love it. I've been organizing my media so everything is all set once I buy a new TV.
Love the Boxee Box, and it works perfectly for what I need.
Though I have to say, I hated the updated UI. I had to revert back to the factory firmware because I hated the boring look of the Dec. 13 update so much. It's back on factory firmware, and still plays my 10+GB .MKV files over Wi-Fi without error.
Jesse, great to hear you like it.
I hope the 1.0 UI wil grow on you. We've made some changes to make it more friendly for local media playback, and continue to add features and solve bugs on that front.
While i am anxiously awaiting netflix, I would rather wait months (in this case less than a month) for a perfect netflix app rather than get a buggy app. So I appreciate all the work the boxee team is doing, and I am perfectly happy with my $200 investment. I am enjoying the boxee completely and can't wait to see what you guys do next with the box.
All I ask is that when you bring out another version of the box (like a boxee 2 or something like that) in the future (hopefully far future), you don't abandon the Boxee Box like Western Digital abandoned the WD TVHD. That was the main reason I got rid of my WD TVHD and got the BB.
Keep up the great work.
Great to hear you're happy with the Box and I am pretty confident you'll be happy with Netflix on the Box, too.
We are very committed to the Box and the architecture it's running on (Intel Sodaville). The idea is to have Boxee running on additional devices sharing the same architecture, just increasing our level of commitment.
I'm not sure if this has been covered elsewhere, but did the recent firmware update do anything to the standby power consumption of the box? I'm considering buying sevelral boxes for my home, but since I've seen reports of the Boxee Box consuming more than 10W in standby, I've decided to wait.
10W+ in standby converts to 40USD here on a yearly basis, and even though cost is not everything, it's a waste of power and money.
So, is the firmware already more power efficient than what the current reviews states, or is this something that's in pipeline for a future upgrade?
Unfortunately this is still Not fixed – and a severe concern for many. Especially if you intend to use more than One Box.
Hope avner can give us an insight into the current situation and approach to fix this.
I share that concern. It is something that is on our roadmap, but we don't have a date for it, yet.
Ok, I see. Most users probably doesn't care about power consumption, and that is why it should be even more important to the manufacturer and the developers. The higher the number of devices expected to be sold, the more important it is.
I'm sure the Boxee Box will sell a million units, so saving 1 watt in standby and you'll save one megawatt (almost 10 GWh annually). Save 10 watt in standby and you're saving the total power consumption equivalent of 20.000 households… It's not just peanuts, even though 10W per unit sounds like a small amount.
That said, keeping the active power supply for a streaming device with wired/wireless network connection at about 10-12W is impressive, and indicates that you've already taken the environment well into account in the design phase.
Avner thank you for standing up and taking the criticism, no other CEO would think of it. One last suggestion, for old guys like me, please, on the new remotes make the letters more of a different contrast. It's very hard for me to see even with reading glasses on when the room is dimmed.
Thanks for caring. I agree re the remote buttons. Hard for me to read, too. Will fix it.
… "However I’d ask that you put your faith in us. " …
Having Faith in you requires that you are not a liar. I understand delays and unexpected problems but I don't understand delaying telling the truth only after the deadline passes. If you want us to stick with you then you need to give us regular updates.
Will try to give more updates moving forward. It's harder to do when you have 6 parties involved in getting a project done.
One quick suggestion that might help shorten delays or alleviate complaints from some of the more technically minded users might be to offer some sort of beta firmware option (perhaps not just a menu option, but something requiring confirmation so that average end users don't get burned by beta quality features) for users who want more bleeding edge features and are willing to deal with some extra bugginess.
I'm not sure how your beta testing is currently structured, but speaking at least for myself I'd probably be willing to endure some rough features in exchange for providing some bug reports.
Hi James,
We do have an Early Access program in place for the Boxee Box. It's a pretty exclusive list of people who get builds early and in help us by giving detailed feedback and troubleshooting.
You should reach out to Tom Sella (my co-founder) tsella [At) boxee d0t TV. He manages that program. We are thinking of doing a broader Beta type release available for people who want to live a bit more on the edge…
Avner
Well, given the lack of updates up to this point, I'm not surprised that this is delayed again. I'm sure it is difficult to coordinate with all the other companies involved here. That said, I trust it'll get done but I won't vote with my money until you've got these done and you guys have proven you can deliver these big features. You guys have shown you listen to users and you're generally fast, I hope you continue all the great work you've put in so far. Thanks and good luck. I wish you all the best.
Thanks for trusting us. It is hard to coordinate and communicate when 6 parties are involved with a project. We are trying to move as fast we can and hope you'll like the end result.
I got a Boxee Box for Christmas and it seems to work well (wireless, Samba support, etc.) but I must say I spent a few hours trying to get Netflix to work only to my chagrin. I read Netflix would be available by the end of the year and now I read it is delayed a month. Not cool D-Link, not cool.
We know it ain't cool. We are frustrated ourselves in missing our own deadline. Glad the Box is working well for you so far. Hope you'll be enjoying Netflix on your Box real soon.
Got my Boxee Box just after Christmas in Sweden where it is almost impossible to find one. I am really liking the way the box works and how simple it gathers my local media files. What I would like to see an improvment is the browser, I am trying to see the ESPN player in the browser, but problems with scrolling makes it impossilble to watch. You also need to adress the problem with pop-ups. It seems that pop-ups isnt working at all. If you guys solve those two rather simple problems, the boxee box would be even greater
That's great to hear. We are making lots of improvements to the browser. You'll see the first batch of fixes to the browser coming out this week and will continue to make it better over the next few months.
Hi Markus,
I'm with boxee rnd.
Could you let me know which sites do you have problems with?
–shay
Damn, I guess I won't be able to return my Boxee now.. I was hoping Netflix would be out so I could make sure it works and the interface is great before deciding to keep my Boxee. I guess I will have to have faith that this will get done. So far I'm very excited that bugs have been fixed and new features added so I'll stick around and wait.
Sorry about the delay and thanks for trusting us. We'll do our best to make you happy about your decision!
Avner & the boxee team: you rock. I received my boxee for Christmas, and I absolutely love it. Sure, it has a few bugs and Netflix/Vudu/Hulu are yet to come.. but d@mn, you guys have delivered where others with huge resources (read: GoogleTV, Apple, Popbox (ok maybe medium-sized resources with that last one)) have faltered. Thanks for all your work, and the transparency and communication (e.g. jira, blog posts), while not perfect, is appreciated.
Please keep up the good work and looking forward to all the new fixes and features, especially for local content that is seamlessly integration with web content (oh, also also "mark as watched" for shows.
)
-Joe
Thanks, Joe!
We are small but determined! Thanks for understanding and supporting us!
Hey Boxee Box guys,
I was waiting for the netflix and it sucks that you wont have it up till the end of the month. Amazon only extended its return policy till January 31st. I don't know if I'm willing to risk it and put faith in you guys due to the fact that you missed the end of the year deadline. The only thing keeping me from recommending the boxee box is the lack of netflix. I might hold on to it untill the 25th of January.
Good luck guys!
Hi Mario,
That's fair. Hope we'll make it and turn you into a really happy user.
Avner
How about taking Netflix off the list of "featured content providers" that is listed on every Boxee Box page until that feature actually becomes usable? Or at least cover it with a "coming soon" sticker? It would be refreshing to see the marketing material reflecting the actual product as it currently stands.
Netflix is an existing partner and working on our Mac and PC clients, but kind of agree with you otherwise.
Hang in there Avner, loving the Boxee box despite my wee quibbles. I appreciate your humble aproach towards answering even the silliest of complaints here. Happy New Year!
I forgot to ask, will the Vudu update also include more bug fixes? I have a strange volume issue that has persisted since day one (at least I think). The UI's volume control only works once in a while, I find it very useful when it does but frustrating when it doesn't. Thanks.
I believe one of the earlier replies confirmed some bug fixes with the release of Vudu.
Yes. It will include numerous bug fixes. Not sure about the Volume issue you are having. Did you open a bug for it in our Jira?
Glad to see the Vudu and Netflix coming soon. Also happy that the Netflix app will not be the same version as what is available on windows beta. Any word on HDX content support for Vudu???
Now if only full screen on the The History Channel would be rid of the vertical black bars… I gots to have my Ancient Aliens!!!
Hi Jeff,
VUDU will include HDX, which is a great experience on the box.
Will take a look at these vertical bars. Don't want to get in the way between the aliens and you…
Avner
asked the team about them black bars. not as easy to solve (since we don't crop the video)
Everyone needs to take a “chill pill” and stop complaining about netflix and vudu support. I’m sure the boxee team is working really hard to achieve support in a timely fashion, they are human like the rest of us. So far I am really impressed with the product.
Happy New Year Boxee Team!!!!
Kind of hard to ask people to take a "chill-pill" after they forked out a couple of hundred bucks on a product that doesn't live up to the hype. This is no longer just an open-source project…
Yes, we are well aware of the stakes and the higher level of expectations.
I am going to go in a different direction with my comment…
Great work on completing the VUDU support for next week. Tank-you for that and the bug fixes that you promise.
Cannot speak from experience but, VUDU looks a lot better then Netflix. Good job to the Boxee team and thanks for making such a fantastic product.
When new releases are made is a change log with full information about each bug fix and new feature published?
Also I second the idea of "beta" access to updates, though that is likely difficult when 3rd parties are involved (contracts and the like), so what about publicly accessible bug tracking database?
Thanks. I also think VUDU is amazing. My dad played with it a few days ago and could not believe he is watching a movie from the Internet. The quality is that amazing.
There will be a changelog posted, sure.
We have an early access program, but it is indeed problematic when it comes to 3rd party apps. Our bug tracking system is open to users. jira.boxee.tv
So when is netflix coming to Sweden? kidding it would be cool but I think services that is only aimed on a few countries should not be the main focus at start but rather bugfixes. Anyway sounds good that Netflix so we can discuss something else on the forum=).
I like to se some work done on the user interface!! More mapps on the homescreen so you can have on with children movies etc.
Love the Boxee Box!
Great to see some love from Sweden!
We spend a lot of time on fixing bugs. The release this week will include plenty of those. Additional UI changes will take us some time. We have started to think about the next iteration of the Home Screen.
In terms of content you are going to see us supporting more and more European sources. Sweden included.
Personally, the Netflix delay doesn't bother me as much as no target date even announced for Hulu+.
My BluRay player plays Netflix, as does my Xbox360, and just about every device I own. But my Boxee Box took the place of an old Mac Mini running Boxee, so I went from having Hulu to not having Hulu.
I'm willing to shell out the cash for Hulu+, but I don't even have that option now, so I have no Hulu at all.
VUDU? I don't care about VUDU at all. Get me Hulu!
Hi Tev,
The nature of these partnerships is that we can't be as transparent as we can with internally developed features. We are committed to getting you Hulu Plus, just can't share any news, dates, yet
You should give VUDU a try (unrelated to Hulu). It is a GREAT experience on the Box.
Avner
I have had my BB since launch running on a wired network and using SMB shares from a iMAC and a USB HHD. Either through good luck or knowledge (my wife says i am either a genius or a idiot, depending on whether what I am working on works or not) I have had only 1 issue with the Box, the lose of write permission on reboot or power off. And I see this is fixed in Fiona 3. I was hugely disappointed in the slip of Netflix functionality mainly as I had promised my spouse of its impending arrival and when it failed to materialize she gave me the stink eye with a 'I told you so' look. I have over a thousand movies and show collections so for me the single biggest improvement would be a better file system for large collections, such as folders in the Movie and Shows views containing genre or series collections. Having a single list that long is a huge PIA. Other than that, and a better remote, which I find myself punching buttons on only to find I have the thing upside down would be nice. I have gone to a keysonic USB (from the UK) mini keyboard with touch pad that is WAY better than the remote. Especially after remapping some keys for certain functions, like hitting the space bar out of a text input box brings up the search function. And mapping the pause key to put the BB to sleep and the page up & down keys to scroll the on screen lists one page at a time. These things may seem small but they really affect the user experience a lot.
Glad the Box is overall working for you. We fixed the SMB permissions issue and this update will come out this week. Sorry for getting you into trouble with your wife. You should tell her that I am to blame.
We are trying to improve the list views to work better on large media libraries, but that's not going to be resolved in this build.
I see you have a pretty geeky setup going on and I appreciate the "small things". Will be happy to get detailed feedback. You can email me with your thoughts.
Instead of whining about things i will be as objective as i can and give you a list of things that really disappointed me from the Boxee Box . Given the fact that i loved the Boxee for PC.
I will really appreciate a response about these remarks
HOME
- The GUI from Boxee PC is better, it offers at a glance the Feed from friends, featured content and Queue from Watch later. On BOXEE BOX (BB) it is necesary to select the "Watch Later" option or the "friends" option. Please modify it
PHOTOS
- Where are they?, oh i see, i have to go to files. Its a nuisance.
I understand the need to push prime content. However there has to be an easier access to them. Maybe a shortcut, like the option for apps that BOXEE PC has?
MUSIC
- No milkdrop!!!, the only visualization that BB has really sucks
- No background visualization… Is it to much to ask?
MOVIES
- Don´t get me started. No VUDU. It works prefectly for the BOXEE PC
TV SHOWS
- Again . No NETFLIX. It works prefectly for the BOXEE PC
GUI
- The collapsible left bar menu from BOXEE PC is far better organized than the top menu from BB. The options are far better organized on any category
- I have to admit it… the alphabetical scroll bar on BB is a very good feature!!! Kudos!!!
- No "Mark Unwatched" option for TV shows
- No "shortcut bar" for mostly used apps
- Thumbnail refresh is extremely slow, and believe me its not my bandwidth
- The font for subtitles is NOT TV friendly
GENERAL OPERATION
- The box constantly freezes after pausing local video
- The box constantly freezes while browsing the categories and options
- The box reboots when you turn it off
- The VPN connection tool is not working. i had to flash my router with DD-WRT to get a connection
Thank Your for your effort, i'm giving the BB a chance. I believe it could be a wonderful addition to my media room.
Hey Ruy,
Please see my answers below:
HOME
- The GUI from Boxee PC is better, it offers at a glance the Feed from friends, featured content and Queue from Watch later. On BOXEE BOX (BB) it is necesary to select the “Watch Later” option or the “friends” option. Please modify it
[AR] We tried to simplify the first screen users come across, but many people miss the ability to get a glance into their Feed and Watch Later. Guess we'll need to try and find a way to bring it back without creating a cluttered home screen
PHOTOS
- Where are they?, oh i see, i have to go to files. Its a nuisance.
I understand the need to push prime content. However there has to be an easier access to them. Maybe a shortcut, like the option for apps that BOXEE PC has?
[AR] We "downgraded" the photos and music section under files, cause they are really (right now) just a view of the content you have on your computers/storage device. We also felt they are not up to par with the video experience. We'd like to get video right and then turn our attention to Music and Photos and make them into great experiences, too.
MUSIC
- No milkdrop!!!, the only visualization that BB has really sucks
[AR] I miss it, too..
it was a performance issue. We are going to try and make them (or something similar working)
- No background visualization… Is it to much to ask?
[AR] what do you mean?
MOVIES
- Don´t get me started. No VUDU. It works prefectly for the BOXEE PC
[AR] Yup. It will even work better on the Box (HD and HDX). Later this week.
TV SHOWS
- Again . No NETFLIX. It works prefectly for the BOXEE PC
[AR] Yup, yup. Working on it. It will be a different (and may I say better) than what you know on the PC.
GUI
- The collapsible left bar menu from BOXEE PC is far better organized than the top menu from BB. The options are far better organized on any category
[AR] Most people didn't know it existed.. what don't you like about the new layout?
- I have to admit it… the alphabetical scroll bar on BB is a very good feature!!! Kudos!!!
[AR] Glad we got at least one thing right
. Thanks.
- No “Mark Unwatched” option for TV shows
[AR] That's a bug. Fixed in the upcoming build.
- No “shortcut bar” for mostly used apps
[AR] We should really just enable you to Favorite anything and have one quick way of getting to your global list of Favorites.
- Thumbnail refresh is extremely slow, and believe me its not my bandwidth
[AR] Yes. I know. We need to take a different approach to thumb caching/loading.
- The font for subtitles is NOT TV friendly
[AR] We don't always control the font.
GENERAL OPERATION
- The box constantly freezes after pausing local video
[AR] We had a few people complain about it. Did you ever connect with our support about this issue? At any case we solved related bugs in this new build, so I hope it will fix it for you.
- The box constantly freezes while browsing the categories and options
[AR] You mean in the Main Menu?
- The box reboots when you turn it off
[AR] Fixed in the latest build.
- The VPN connection tool is not working. i had to flash my router with DD-WRT to get a connection
[AR] We have solved a bug on that front. Not sure whether it is relevant in your case.
Thanks for your detailed feedback and for your support. Would be great to have you on our Early Access program. You should connect with my co-founder Tom Sella (tsella [AT] boxee d-0-t TV).
Regards,
Avner
Hi Avner,
RE: Music: I know several people including myself who have large music collections. One of the biggest failings of streamers is lack of a good music player. I'm really baffled why you guys stripped not one…but all 6 options that were in the .09 version from version 1.0?
I didn't notice it until I had to do a factory reset and found out when I played around with .09 before re-applying the latest firmware. The music app had so much more functionality than 1.0.
Here's a screenshot I did before the update. 1.0 has none of these options.
http://i54.tinypic.com/k0rrjd.jpg
I'm just curious as to why you'd remove some great features in the .09 music player and basically have no options in 1.0?
A few of my buddies would buy Boxee Box just on the ability to stream their music collections alone. But they'd need to have a few basic features like the ones in .09 FW.
I personally bought Boxee Box to replace my PH A-110 and a big selling point was streaming music wirelessly with a good music player interface.
There are a lot of people out there who are wanting an all-in-one solution to clear clutter of the living room. You guys have the opportunity to be that solution with a few tweaks/improvements here and there.
You guys seem genuinely interested in what your user base wants, so I thought I'd chime in on one feature that was cool, but is very rudimentary now.
Cheers
Avner…
Yuo got me as a sure user and client with your customer oriented attitude.
Not everyday you get the opportunity to communicate directly to the head of the company that represents a product you just bought. Believe me I´m extremely happy about it.
And because of that I will be more than willing to help you to develop boxee into the best option the market has to offer.
Regarding the questions in your answers… LOL
— Quote
GUI
- The collapsible left bar menu from BOXEE PC is far better organized than the top menu from BB. The options are far better organized on any category
[AR] Most people didn’t know it existed.. what don’t you like about the new layout?
(RUY)
What I miss the most is the option that offered.
In TV shows it was possible to filter the episodes by season… not anymorg
In My Apps, the sorting by most used, recently used or A to AZ is gone. Now im stuck with the arbitrary arrangement the box has.
On Music it was possible to filter by artist or album… not anymore. My suggestion here will be an option to load playlists with the ITunes format. Why bother to come up with a new way if that is the way it works for everybody. Practically everyone has an IPod or IPhone and has playlist in them.
— Quote
- I have to admit it… the alphabetical scroll bar on BB is a very good feature!!! Kudos!!!
[AR] Glad we got at least one thing right . Thanks.
(RUY)
Avner, you have a great product. Otherwise I wouldn´t have bought it. Congratulations. It can be A LOT better. BOXEE for PC was. I´m here to help.
— Quote
- The font for subtitles is NOT TV friendly
[AR] We don’t always control the font.
(RUY)
I meant the subtitles font for the local tv shows, it is really bad. I believe its a times new roman variation.
The BOXEE for PX had a BOXEE.TTF subtitles font that looks great!
Thank you
I will contact Tom Sella
Hey guys, thank you for all of the work that your are doing. I'm a little confused, however, by the recent UI update. I don't like it. Why did you change it?
Tried to simplify things. Home Screen was too cluttered. Browse Screens had too much functionality hidden in a left nav bar that many users never knew existed, more..
I liked it, I could change the view when i wanted to, visually I think it's dissonant with the user experience. However, without a way to fix it, this wouldn't be constructive, just destructive so how about you make the side bar auto-populate by default and then auto-hide after a few seconds, thereby letting users know it's there?
Also, I would just like to say, I've had a very few freezing issues here and there but I absolutely LOVE my BB. The speed of HD video and the beauty of streaming on the thing is awesome.
One more quick note, I wish there was a remote power button that allowed you to turn it on from a shutdown state. I'm going to feel pretty stupid if there is a way lol.
Also, I wanted to tell you that I think it's awesome that you're willing to address our concerns person to person. That is admirable.
Have a great day Avner
Hi Joshua…
there is a remote power button that allows you to turn it on from a shutdown state.
Click on the "MENU" button to turn it on. It works either from stand by or shutdown
Best regards
I totally appreciate wanting to clean up the main screen and make it less cluttered, and I do love the hell out of my Boxee Box, but I will say that when I first plugged it in (before updating it to the new firmware), I was really impressed with the aesthetic of the main screen. Not neccesarily the menus or anything, since I didn't really get a chance to get in there and play with it before updating, but just the way it looked. Post-firmware update, the main screen just seems very "blah". Maybe it's just the color choice?
Anyway, are there any plans to update this? I know you guys are slammed with updating the box for actual important CONTENT, but I just wanted to throw in my two cents.
Seriously though, great product! I'm more than happy with my Boxee Box, and I look forward to all of the updates in the future!
Avner,
You deserve lot's of credits for facing people directly and taking some blows!
But I was already afraid of this happening..
Boxee team torn all over the place catering to numerous great ideas and new concepts.
How I would have loved to see it .
step one, make it a good player for LOCAL content, like boxee on mac
step two, make the hardware fitting to be a great player for local content
(sleep at 0w…really, kill the fan (a fan wtf?), fix the remote or open the market for external providers..)
step three, open up a repository for apps and let the local programmers program for the local content (if you have no time for the germans, swedes, dutch (who pay about double the price for a box), then let the local programmers do their magic.
step four, i love the chillpill idea.. who gives a …. about vudu, hulu, lulu and the rest
grow a beard you couchpotato..
step five open the beta testing to a larger group
(long time since i received a mail form you, tom or rafael)
step six, bring the new features to the general public after general consent by the beta community
step seven, numerous smaller updates with small new features are easier to digest and makes the waiting for the UU's easier
step eight, make money.. At least a third to half your community would not care at all if the box revision two cost 100 or even 200 more (that is already standard european price..)
as long as it works, is deadsilent easy and stable to connect to a NAS, supports AFP and has a user friendly remote.. (apple is insanely expensive, still sells like hotcakes)
i was waiting for the box since i've followed and used boxee from the early early days but
I will now buy a new mac mini (the old one is 4 years), upgrade with an ssd, use the bluetooth apple mouse and keyboard to run PLEX.. (or Boxee Mac, but that seems orphaned at the moment). And if you review all the forums there are many people with such a setup. A 400 usd Box II, would be the equivalent of the SSD, apple mouse and keyboard combined..
No worries I will still buy rev II when it is out (and passively cooled.. ) but I'm out for this version.
Hi Youp,
Avner,
step one, make it a good player for LOCAL content, like boxee on mac
[AR] i think we're in pretty good shape on this front, but still LOTS more work to be done.
step two, make the hardware fitting to be a great player for local content
(sleep at 0w…really, kill the fan (a fan wtf?), fix the remote or open the market for external providers..)
[AR] these are limitations of the existing architecture. what bothers you most about the remote? btw, you can already use iOS or universal remotes with the box
step three, open up a repository for apps and let the local programmers program for the local content (if you have no time for the germans, swedes, dutch (who pay about double the price for a box), then let the local programmers do their magic.
[AR] what do you mean for programmers to work on local content? 3rd party repos are already available. but all the apps are focused on the cloud.
step four, i love the chillpill idea.. who gives a …. about vudu, hulu, lulu and the rest
grow a beard you couchpotato..
[AR] we care a lot about VUDU, Hulu, Netflix, etc. it is a big part of the future of video consumption and its important for us to deliver great experiences around these services.
step five open the beta testing to a larger group
(long time since i received a mail form you, tom or rafael)
[AR] yes. we need to enable a Beta mode which is opt-in for Box users. people who feel more comfortable living on the edge.
step six, bring the new features to the general public after general consent by the beta community
[AR] that's not always that simple when dealing with 3rd party apps
step seven, numerous smaller updates with small new features are easier to digest and makes the waiting for the UU’s easier
[AR] there is a big overhead around releasing versions. we can't keep the pace of firmware update every couple of weeks. we need to move towards a more sane schedule.
step eight, make money.. At least a third to half your community would not care at all if the box revision two cost 100 or even 200 more (that is already standard european price..)
[AR] I like the idea of making money, but I don't think the way is a more expensive device
as long as it works, is deadsilent easy and stable to connect to a NAS, supports AFP and has a user friendly remote.. (apple is insanely expensive, still sells like hotcakes)
[AR] Apple TV is actually $100 cheaper than the Boxee Box
i was waiting for the box since i’ve followed and used boxee from the early early days but
I will now buy a new mac mini (the old one is 4 years), upgrade with an ssd, use the bluetooth apple mouse and keyboard to run PLEX.. (or Boxee Mac, but that seems orphaned at the moment). And if you review all the forums there are many people with such a setup. A 400 usd Box II, would be the equivalent of the SSD, apple mouse and keyboard combined..
[AR] sorry to hear you will not be buying the Boxee Box. hope to get you next time
thanks for the detailed feedback!
No worries I will still buy rev II when it is out (and passively cooled.. ) but I’m out for this version.
I really love my Boxee Box and use Netflix on my PS3 in the meantime, but I have 2 questions.
1. Is the Netflix app that will launch by the end of the month will work in Canada ?
2. Is the Last.FM app is planned for the Boxee Box (like we had in the Boxee for PC/Mac) ? If so, when ? And most important, will it work in Canada ?
Thanks and keep up the good work !
Hi Guillaume,
We don't have a confirmed date for Netflix in Canada, yet.
I personally hope to see Last.fm come to the Boxee Box. We will try to work with them to make it happen.
Regards,
Avner
Avner…
LAST FM works like a charm in my boxee box, what´s weong with it?
Hey,
Just want to say Great job on all the work you guys have put into the Boxee Box. Its going on my 1 week anniversary with my BB and just want to say what a week its been. I have been doing research on media players for the last 6 months and glad i picked the right one. The delay of Netflix and VuDu does not really bother me because I'm more of a local content person. I just have one quick question, is the any way to be able to mark TV shows watched or unwatched on BB? I know that you can on the Windows Version.
Thanks. Good Job
Hey Mike,
Thanks! Great to hear you love it. Do tell all your friends!
The mark as watched issue on TV Shows is a bug. Should be resolved in the next build.
Avner
Confused, should I get the Iomega with Boxee or Boxee Box?
Why 2 different companies?
We are a software company and our goal is to try and get Boxee running on as many devices as possible. Giving users more options.
Do you think that showing Netflix as a "Featured Content Provider" on your main page is misleading to those who might expect to have Netflix out of the gate? Would you be embarrassed to give this as a gift to your Netflix addicted parents? I was.
Last question – What do you think D-link will do with all of the returns? Can we expect to see $99 Boxee Boxes all over eBay in the coming months?
While I am overall pleased with my BBox, Neflix is probably 75% of my content so the Box is idle and I still have to have my computer connected to my TV to access Netflix. I would like an easier way to access local content instead of having to go several level deep to get to it.
One other suggestion. On the menu interface, we need to have a way to get the apps we use the most to our favorite menu so things are not so cumbersome.
Also I hope that when the new remote comes out, those of us that have been patient with the updates and features coming, can get the it without having to pay for it. If not free, then at least a low cost shipping/handling fee.
Thanks for all you and your team are doing to make the BBox the best option available.
I am having an issue once I turn off the unit and go back to turn it on again it will not come back on in HDMI 1080P it locks up till I unplug the HDMI cable. then it loads up and then i can plug HDMI back into it. As for the delays its no big deal I got big enough library I couldnt watch on my xbox360 I am getting caught up on till VUDU comes available.