Music Discussions

The last version of Boxee for computers (as opposed to the embedded version) has been announced; notice that I did not say the "latest" version. I am not sure why the Boxee team are abandoning their users, but I will definitely be looking into other solutions since they no longer seem to care about me as a user. Whether you agree or disagree with their decision, you can let them know what you think in the comment section of their announcement.

Besides no longer supporting HTPCs in the future, they have removed support for Pandora and Netflix (from Windows and Mac, Linux didn’t have support yet anyway and it looks like it never will now). Also, support for several other apps has been removed, but few people seem to notice or care.

Many users, myself included, had mentioned on the forum that they would be willing to pay a license fee for the HTPC version if it were maintained. Though, it appears unlikely that this offer will make any difference though as the Boxee team has yet to respond. On the other hand, very few HTPC users seem interested in purchasing a Boxee box for a couple of reasons. One reason cited is that if they had wanted an appliance they would already be using one instead of building an HTPC. Also, mentioned is that there are cheaper, more reliable appliances. Another common reason seems to be that people are unwilling to give money to a company that they feel does not understand its user base.

Because of this news, the comment section is filled with people looking into other solutions. I intend to go with XBMC as it has the feature that I was originally looking for (and was going to write custom software for) in the first place; specifically, this is the ability to rip my DVDs as ISOs, list the movies with details and cover art, and then play the movie – basically a DVD juke box.

I hope that the Boxee team changes its mind, but I am not holding out hope. Barring that, I wish them luck but am unlikely to use their products in the future. It seems unlikely that they will convert many sales though unless they start selling the HTPC version.