Media Streaming Grows Up

This is mostly a blog about leadership and management, but I'm also somewhat of a geek and I like my technology. I've been hunting around for a good media streaming device for some time now and it's been a frustrating journey. Some time ago I ripped all my DVDs to ISOs and stored them on a central machine along with all my music and shows with the intention of being able to view or listen to media anywhere in the house.

My first foray in to this was with the Netgear MP101 and it did exactly what it was supposed to do (stream music) and we still use it in the kitchen today attached to the Denon mini Hifi. It didn't stream video though, so I moved on to try the Kiss DP1500. The DP1500 was a great idea, but essentially bug-ridden and in the end very limited. It was supposed to play nicely with Windows Media Centre, but whereas WMC would find and play ISOs, the Media Extender piece of the Kiss box wouldn't. Something to do with DRM I think. Anyway, I gave up for a bit on the idea and instead started to think about getting a fully blown HTPC, but the other week I spotted a piece of news, the news was about a piece of kit called a Boxee Box.

Needless to say, the moment I understood what it was and how it operated, I placed my order. £200 is quite a lot, but then when you compare it with the £700 or so I was planning to spend on an HTPC it's actually very cheap and achieves the same end.

Reading reviews and feedback on forums I got worried, there was a lot of negativity around, but I needn't have worried. This device does all I need and a lot more.

It has an HDMI out, so it plugs straight in to my TV, it can play almost any content I throw at it, particularly video. It intelligently sorts your media collection and finds appropriate graphics, it links nicely with on-line services like YouTube and iPlayer, it plays ISOs, it has wireless and wired ethernet, an optical out for audio, USB slots and an SD slot. The interface is clear and is easily readable from my sofa. The remote is wireless rather than infrared and contains a full keyboard on the flipside. There are some downsides, but on the whole in comparison with other streaming devices of a similar price range, I'm very happy with the result. Even better is that the Boxee software is being continually developed and updates are frequent. It makes a change as well to find a development team that actually listen to what's being said on the forums and react quickly to requests or reported bugs.

The final test of any technology like this though is whether my wife wants to use it and does so without shouting for me. I was working from home the other day and the boys were being extra boisterous, but suddenly it all went quiet. Without reading any manuals or having any tuition from me, my wife had negotiated her way to and got playing a movie on the Boxee Box and the boys were happily watching it. That's real success in my book. Also being able to download and watch a missed episode of Lie to Me on the TV rather than gathered round a laptop was also a big tick in the box.

So, there we go, the Boxee Box.