Boxee beta version and Boxee Box unveiled

13th December, 2009 by adina
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Boxee has revealed its beta version of software, as well as the Boxee Box, its first dedicated hardware for its custom TV interface. Both of them have an updated version of the front-end with an improved visual layout focusing on the menu, active media queue and social networking fee for friends, Twitter and Facebook. While still available for 32-bit Linux PCs and for Macs, the beta version is optimized for Windows, thanks to using DirectX on the platform and Flash 10.1 that provides hardware acceleration of Flash video by means of NVIDIA graphics. Three new Boxee applications, including Escapist together with its shows, Suicide Girls, TV Guide to the Web and Zero Punctuation, have been added for all platforms.

The Boxee Box has a “sunken cube” unique design and loads directly to the interface. It connects to the Internet through ethernet or 802.11n Wi-Fi and can expand through either two USB ports placed on the back or an SD card slot positioned on the front. Its only video output is HDMI, but either RCA analogue or SPDIF optical can be chosen for audio output. All features, such as Apple’s movie trailers, TV websites like CBS or ABC and similar services remain intact.

The release date for the beta version of the software has not been revealed, but the Boxee Box would probably be unveiled by D-Link at CES and is expected to ship sometime in spring next year, at an estimated price of about $200.


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