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Set-Top TV Boxes

Set-Top TV Streaming

  • Sony BIVL

  • Boxee

  • Roku

  • Popcorn Hour

  • DiVX

  • Tivo

  • Visio

  • Samsung

  • Other


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I use a Mac with Plex. I also use a Seagate FreeAgent Theater+. Movies and shows stream from the net and a NAS which sits on my network.
 
Roku is pretty awesome. We've had it for about a year/canceled our cable a year ago. If you have Netflix or a Hulu subscription it is 100% worth it. The Pandora channel is another plus.
 
Have you bought something yet Mark? I'm thinking about the new Apple TV thing. Maybe not as functional as some of the others . . . yet, but I've got conficence in Apple. Just read the other day that they have sold over 2 million of those things so far. Just because of the shear numbers I expect lots of other content providers jumping in. Right now I've got one of the newer Mac Mini computers hooked to the TV. It has HDMI out and hooks right to the flat screen. Wireless keyboard and mouse and you're good to go. Hey, they've improved a lot too. My first wireless mouse ate batteries but my new Logitec is supposed to run a year on a couple of AA's.
All the best Mark, and thanks for all the video's. Lots of fun.
Woody / KF4TQJ
 
I'm finally going to... dump cable. There was a thread on here awhile back that got me thinking. I can save $60 or more per month dropping cable and getting hulu plus and netflix to stream to my blu-ray player. I could buy a season or two of tv shows that I'd like to have on disc that aren't on hulu or netflix with the savings.
 
Have you bought something yet Mark? I'm thinking about the new Apple TV thing. Maybe not as functional as some of the others . . . yet, but I've got conficence in Apple. Just read the other day that they have sold over 2 million of those things so far. Just because of the shear numbers I expect lots of other content providers jumping in. Right now I've got one of the newer Mac Mini computers hooked to the TV. It has HDMI out and hooks right to the flat screen. Wireless keyboard and mouse and you're good to go. Hey, they've improved a lot too. My first wireless mouse ate batteries but my new Logitec is supposed to run a year on a couple of AA's.
All the best Mark, and thanks for all the video's. Lots of fun.
Woody / KF4TQJ
I originally asked the question because blip.tv distributes to some of the set-top box services: I wanted to know which ones where popular so I could get my shaving vids distributed to them via blip. Trying to spread the word! :blush:
 
I originally asked the question because blip.tv distributes to some of the set-top box services: I wanted to know which ones where popular so I could get my shaving vids distributed to them via blip. Trying to spread the word! :blush:

We have the Blip channel on Roku. I will have to track down your vids. I can only imagine the look I am going to get from my wife when see shes me watching your vids on the TV.
 
We have had Roku since the beginning of the year along with a FIOS home connection. It's worked just about flawlessly.

We stream Netflix and Hulu Plus as well as some of the other more ecclectic channels. An observation if I may, All of the Roku's channel navigation systems are awkward to difficult to use. Netflix has the easiest, Hulu Plus has too many options and requires that you navigate beyond the recommended/most popular default selections.

As long as the internet service providers don't cap unlimited bandwith, Roku and other streaming devices are the way to go. I'm not sure what the other options cost, but we are using the $59.99 Roku box and like I said it's been rock solid.
 
I don't have any of these gadgets, but will probably get a couple of Roku boxes soon, as the price is good. The only thing I like about Boxee is the irony of it being named a box but having the odd shape with the cut off corner....that is just too clever and not appealing for stacking/placement around the TV.

My question to folks who have the Roku, how does it hold up to streaming live news and sports? Or asked another way is it possible to use them as a stand in for satellite/cable/over-the-air when it comes to watching sports and news, which make up the bulk of my "live" TV watching. I live in US, so am most interested in US based news/sports feeds, but I am more than open to supplement that with foreign reports, as I have seen more hard hitting commentary and less fluff come out of Russian-TV, Japan-TV, Asia-TV (Singapore), Australian-TV, Al-Jazeera, BBC, etc. than what comes out of US outlets (CNN, FOX, MSNBC).

I am thinking a Roku + NetFlix + foreign streams (if available) might be an acceptable compromise for my household.
 
HTPC in the den and Sony in the master bedroom for netfliks and such . I like the HTPC better , music , videos , net all in one and can stream the house via wifi .
 
Thanks to all for posting; I am looking forward to watching Mantic's videos from the comfort of my sofa. I got my Roku box out of retirement and found there is way more programming available now. If you happen to have a Logitech Harmony remote, you have to tell it the Roku is a DVD Player. Once I found that on the web everything was copacetic.
 
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