I received my Boxee box last weekend and I thought that I would share my views on the device now that I have spent some time getting to know it.
Boxee could best be described as a media streaming solution that you can hook up to your TV to enable playback of media stored on other devices on your network as well as a mini operating system in that it allows you to browse the web, run flash content and install apps to access content from media sites such as Youtube and BBC.
I bought the Boxee box because my previous media solution, a Dvico Tvix, died after three years of use. I made the decision to buy a Boxee very much on a whim, it could just as well have been a Popcorn hour or another streaming media solution. But what made me decide for Boxee was the fact that it supports Flash, it has quite a number of apps available and would amongst other things allow me to watch Swedish news on my TV in addition to allowing me to play all the media that I have stored on my NAS.
The reviews that I read before making my decision where quite negative but all of them stated that the product had great potential and could grow into something quite fantastic with future firmware updates.
So undeterred I ordered one and a few days later it arrived at my office.
Initial impression was quite good. Boxee has clearly taken inspiration from Apple when it comes to the packaging and the Boxee Box's box (try saying that fast) came in a sleek black box with a minimal amount of stickers proclaiming its virtues. The box itself takes up as much space as a stack of CDs and looks like it's part of its underlying surface. Installation was a snap and within minutes I was up and running: accessing network content and running apps. But then it became clear why it had received so many mediocre reviews.
If its possible to divide up one's impressions in functionality and usability the Boxee is a two-faced beast. It has fantastic functionality and can play basically anything you throw at it. But the usability of the device is on par with a D-Link router config interface from ten years ago.
What's great
- It has a qwerty keyboard on the backside of the remote. It's really convenient compared to the onscreen keyboard of the PS3.
- It plays basically anything you throw at it.
- It supports Flash.
- There seems to be good developer support and apps for various video sites are being spun out in rapid succession.
- The browser has HTML5 support.
- Sleek design of the physical box itself.
What sucks
- Every action takes a lot of interaction with the remote. In order to try to simplify the device the there is only a navigational button, a play/pause and a back button on the front side. Going back from deep within a menu structure therefore requires tons of clicks on the back button instead of adding a "home" button. Another instance where an extra button would have been nice is the annoying screen when you start an app asking if you want to add it to your favorites. This could have been solved by a favorite button.
- The only indication of which way you are holding the remote is the little Boxee logo. I frequently find myself holding it upside down.
- The remote has no back light making it even more difficult to master when the lights are out.
- There are no volume controls on the remote forcing you to fiddle around with the TV remote to control the volume.
- Boxee really tries to push the paid content that it offers through its movies and tv-series channels. That means that the networked shares are tucked away in a maze of menus.
- The remote lacks a goto function meaning that you cannot jump to a specific part in a movie but instead you have to scan through it.
Final words
In conclusion I would say that I am not disappointed with my choice. It's just that the Boxee could have been so much more if they spent more time doing proper usability testing. Don't let the cutesy graphical interface fool you - it's just a visual polish on a very flawed interaction design. A tell tale sign is the angry comments from users on the offical Boxee forum which mostly revolve around usability issues and the Engadget article "How would you change D-Link's Boxee".
Pictures
The Boxee box box
The Boxee running
The home screen
The interface for accessing remote files
The apps screen
The boxee remote (up is left)
The qwerty keyboard on the back of the remote
