Boxee options: Whats the cheapest?

I got a great question the other day from Josh Tilton who wanted to dump his Dish and go with internet only for TV and Movies. Josh I envy you sir. I have wanted to dump U-Verse for awhile now. It has nothing to do with the service. U-Verse is awesome, but I find myself more and more getting my video content from the web. Not to mention the cost benefits you can gain buy dumping your service provider.

Josh’s question was if anyone had got Boxee running on a 360:

Hi!

Thanks for posting this article! It’s been helpful in my quest to get rid of Dish Network and only use internet tv. Are you going to cover the steps/software needed to get boxee to run from my mac to my xbox360? If I could get hulu on my TV… All would be perfect! I’m open to any suggestions!

Thanks!

Josh

Boxee Options

It looks like Josh will need a standalone unit to get Boxee to his TV. There are lots of ways to get Boxee up and running on many different systems. In my experience its easiest on the Mac however Boxee supports Windows and Ubuntu as well.

Boxee on the 360?

I know that it is technically possible through hacking, however not many people hack their 360 as MS bans most people who hack their system from using LIVE. Live is by far the best service for playing games with your friends, so it’s hard to give up. There have been discussion on the Boxee forums discussing this however I don’t think the Boxee developers are in a hurry to get hacks running on the 360. They are fully busy adding features to the supported system now. You never know, Xbox may just support Hulu in the future. They already have Netflix up and running so why not add Hulu (if the moneys right).

Get a PC

Wow, I typically never say those words. I usually say "get a Mac" however depending on your situation a PC might be just what the doctor ordered.

Old PC

If you have an old PC lying around you can put it to good use instead of putting it in a landfill. Install Ubuntu on it and then install Boxee. This is possibly the most cost effective solution depending on the condition of your old system and what it may take to get Boxee up and running. I have had good success with old Dell dimension systems. Note that just because you can get it up and running doesn’t mean you can get it up and running well. Your video card and processor will determine whether or not HD video will play well or not at all. If you system is too underpowered Boxee my not install or may crash. Check the Boxee forums for help with your setup. Connect your VGA or DVI to your TV and Rock It!

Buy a PC

You can go two different routes with this one. You can go for awesome specs and really turn it into a full fledged HTPC or gaming rig, or you can go with more cost effective route and get a system that will run HD with now problems while still begin affordable. I go for the cheaper option, but if you are a gamer, well nuf said. Pick up a powerful rig. For cheaper methods you can find desktop for cheap on TigerDirect and Newegg. I personally suggest at least a core 2 duo however a nice Pentium could work well. I wouldn’t spend over $400 as your starting to get into a different category. Want to go ever cheaper build one. If you have the knowledge, and a free weekend you can put together an awesome system on the cheap. With any of these routes you should be able to install Boxee no problem. I suggest running Ubuntu over Windows as the Boxee version is more robust and stable on Ubuntu. Or better yet make it a hackentosh!

Apple Options

Of course you can go the Apple way, which of course would be my first choice. Apple has several different routes and in my experience is the most straight forward. At the same time Apple products can be a bit more expensive at the lower end. Let’s take a look.

AppleTV

Yup Boxee can run on the AppleTV. All you need is a thumb-drive and atvusb-creator. It’s actually really easy to do however I do want to let you know that the AppleTV is not a powerful Mac. It’s actually perfectly specked for what it does and it does it well. Boxee runs much better on a more powerful system. With that begin said Boxee adds the extra functionality that makes this a dynamite combo. You can also run everything from the apple remote which is super simple and easy for anyone to understand. If you’re interested here’s a quick video on getting it installed.

Mac Mini

Ahh, my favorite solution. However this solution can be a little more expensive depending on what you want. Best option for a standalone unit is by far the Mac Mini. Also since this is a real computer you can do infinitely more. If you pick up a little app called RemoteBuddy it will let access and navigate ever application on your Mac by using only your remote. Talk about added functionality. If this interests you check out the HDTV Podcast over using a Mac Mini as a video server.

MacBook or MacBook Pro

This is an option that I use. If you are looking to switching to a Mac why not just get yourself a Laptop? When you want to run Boxee or FrontRow, just plug in your laptop to the TV and your set. You can do the same things with a laptop that you can do with your Mac Mini. Add an apple remote or program your harmony to control your laptop and your set.

Boxee Extras

If you have an iPhone you have to check out the Boxee remote app. It is a much better way to navigate than using a traditional remote. And since it uses Wi-Fi you don’t need line of sight. Change songs, podcasts, or movies all from the other room. It takes a bit to get used to but is really worth it once you get the hang out it.