If you also keep music in other folders, you can easily add those sources through the "Manage Sources" button, and the setup menu allows you to dictate how often you want Boxee to re-scan your computer's folders to look for new content. It's very easy to search, but I would've liked to see a list of my iTunes playlists, as well. In my case, the My Music page contained all of the content in my iTunes music folder, arranged by Album or Artist and accompanied by cover art when available. You can choose to view items in a list or as thumbnails. Select Photos or Music, and you're taken to screens that allow you to browse and play the media files from your connected devices. Below these icons are thumbnails for featured video content, be it a YouTube clip or a hot new title recently added to VUDU. The Boxee interface has a simple home menu that includes icons for Photos, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Apps, and Files. ![]() The design is certainly distinctive and eye-catching if you want to show it off, but it's not necessarily an ideal shape for an equipment rack. The unit's form factor, which looks like a cube with two corners cut off, seems to be pretty polarizing. Android and iPhone remote apps are available to control the Boxee Box or your Boxee-equipped computer. ![]() Unfortunately, the remote lacks backlighting. On one side, you'll find a very basic button layout that offers only a navigation wheel, a menu button, and a play/pause button flip the remote over, and you get a full QWERTY keyboard that makes text input much easier when searching content or chatting with friends via a social networking tool. The package includes a clever, two-sided RF remote. The box can output a resolution up to 1080p. The unit also has built-in 802.11n for a wireless connection. If you do opt to buy the Boxee Box, its connection panel includes an HDMI output, optical digital and stereo analog audio outputs, dual USB ports, an SD card slot, and a LAN port for a wired network connection. The general functionality should be mostly the same-although, from what I've read elsewhere, there may be some very slight differences in navigation speed (depending on your computer's abilities) and menu layout in the box version. I did not perform a direct hands-on review of the Boxee Box, but I did download the Boxee software to my Mac to explore the interface. So, it's your choice: Buy the Boxee Box for $199.99 or load the free software onto your own device and then connect said device to your A/V system. As the name suggests, the Boxee Box takes the same platform and puts it in a freestanding box that can sit in your equipment rack. In fact, it's still available as a free software platform that you can download and install on a PC, a Mac, or even an iPad. The Boxee interface actually existed before the Box. The user interface is really the key to a system like this, and D-Link has developed a smart, generally intuitive system for browsing and accessing local and Web content. The Boxee Box is also a hub for your own digital media: It can access the music, photos, and videos on your networked computers, as well as files stored on USB drives or SD cards. Search D-Link's robust App Store, and you'll find plenty of content choices to suit a variety of interests. The Boxee Box helps you find and play Web content-be it from pay providers like Netflix and VUDU (with Hulu Plus coming soon) or from free services like YouTube, Pandora, last.fm, Picasa, and Flickr. Learn more about the best apps to use with the Boxee Box.Look for LED HDTVs and Plasma HDTVs to pair with the D-Link Boxee.But what if you purchased your entertainment system before this latest craze? What if you're otherwise happy with the HDTV and Blu-ray player that you already own? Do you have to upgrade your gear in order to enjoy all of this Web-based content? Not at all, thanks to standalone media players like D-Link's Boxee Box. It's certainly a value-added feature that brings the wide world of the Web to your big screen. ![]() A good portion of new HDTVs and Blu-ray players include some type of Web platform that provides access to streaming video and music, photo sites, social networking tools, and more. Access to Web services has become a coveted feature in the home entertainment world.
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