Boxee, PS3 or Xbox360?

baby_frogmella

Hi

I watch live sport online but prefer to hook up my wireless N enabled laptop to my 42" plasma tv through a HDMI cable and it works perfectly. Only problem is that its a pain to set up everytime (switch on laptop, connect HDMI cable, open browser etc) so looking for a alternative solution. I'm looking for a wifi N enabled device, with a HDMI out connection, preferably with a RF remote control which lets you pretty much view any video in a browser.I did have my heart set on the Boxee but it gets mixed reviews and its browser is rated as slow and cumbersome by many...not sure if this is hardware or firmware related. I believe the other alternatives are the Playstation 3 or the Xbox360, however i've got no idea what the browsing experience is like on these devices. Obviously these are primarily gaming consoles but would seriously consider them if they provide a decent internet video stream to my TV. Could you share your experience with viewing online video on the PS3 or xbox360?

Thanks

jayme1

what format are the videos in that will completly dictate your choice.

the xbox dosnt have a browser at all so cannot be used to stream video from the net, but it can use a computer with media center to stream specifc videos but again not directly from the internet (unless there is a specific plugin for the stream to media center, which even then it may not work)

the ps3 does have a web browser and flash so can play a lot of flash video, it can also stream via DLNA from any computer in the house, also has bluray and can play a lot of formats, but it doesnt have wireless N just G but it does have gigabit ethernet (which does significantly increase network performance if you use it)

I dont really know about the boxee but as far as I know it a bit like googleTV, of which I would probably say googleTV when it is released over here will prob suit your needs better than the boxee box (again it depends what you watch and where and what codec) it has full flash that works across the internet.

could be good to know what specific codecs you require.

baby_frogmella

Thanks for the info. I stream from liveonlinefooty.com but not sure which codecs this uses. I think i'll probably download Boxee's Windows software as that gives you a feel of what to expect with the device.

jayme1

yep from the front page it looks like it will use flash video for streaming (like iplayer/youtube/itvplayer ect)

cymru78

OP - you have PM