Boxee in the Wall Street Journal

[RobertBasil]

My Interview about Boxee is now online:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122461909287855339.html

New York software firm Boxee, meanwhile, has incorporated social-networking features into a media-player application designed to be used with a remote control and viewed on a large screen, like that of a TV connected to a PC.

The application, which can be downloaded free, offers users a single interface through which to organize and play media content such as videos, movies, music and photos from their PCs or the Internet. It also allows users to sit in front of their TV screens and, via remote control, recommend movies, music and other content to Boxee users they have befriended. They can see in real time what songs those friends are listening to or the movies or TV shows they are watching by monitoring a so-called media-activity feed appearing on their screens.

For piracy reasons, Boxee's software stops short of allowing people to share content with friends. But Dave Mathews, vice president of product development, says that even if a person is watching a pirated copy of a movie or TV show and recommends it to friends, the software will send the recommendation and tell the friends where they can stream the content legally.

Versions of Boxee's software for Apple Inc.'s Macintosh computers and for PCs based on the Linux operating system are in testing. A version for PCs running the Windows operating system is due out by the end of the year.

Robert Basil, an information-systems manager in Tempe, Ariz., has been testing Boxee on a Mac Mini connected to his flat-panel TV for several weeks. He says he likes Boxee because he prefers media recommendations from friends rather than professional reviewers.

"Nobody knows what you like better than your friends," says the 41-year-old.

[iBog]

Great article. Congratulations on the quote.


For piracy reasons, Boxee's software stops short of allowing people to share content with friends.

Here in the forums, I think one of the most requested features is more content. I'd like to know what Boxee's business model is and if they intend on building relationships with content providers. If so, I really wonder how the studios perceive Boxee since one of the primary features of the software is playing DivX and other video formats that may be considered prevalent for copyright infringement. And thus, Boxee may be considered as an enabler.

Boxee already uses the controversial DeCSS libraries to decrypt and playback DVDs. I don't think the studios would take too kindly to this.

I'd also like to know if they intend to manufacture their own set top device, partner with an existing manufacturer or license the software for any manufacturer.

[rodalpho]

DeCSS is not controversial, it is flat-out illegal in the USA. I was wondering when that would come up.

As for the rest of it, the concept of these things as gateways or enablers to piracy will seem archaic when this level of functionality is more prevalent. Currently if you want to play all the different formats, you can choose to setup a HTPC with MCE/XBMC/boxee or buy a popcornhour. In the future, that level of functionality will be ubiquitous, "plays everything" won't be a major selling point, and the devices and software will have to compete on other merits, like cost, intrusiveness of advertising, UI design, integration with DRM, and so on.

[iBog]

Here in Canada, DeCSS is not illegal... hence the controversy.

One day, "integration with DRM" will be considered archaic and a detriment to democracy.

Granted, the early days of the iPod were plagued with interoperability issues since they didn't support MP3. Once MP3 support was added the iPod spread like wildfire. The movie industry has seen the control Apple asserts over the pricing of music in the iTunes store. They should be worried about becoming Apple's bitch. However, in the meantime, we're going to have file sharing and format wars until someone is willing to let the other lead. Apple hasn't even acknowledge Blu-Ray as the defacto format for HD content (the recent Macbook updates didn't include BuRay) and they are still pushing their restrictive and expensive HD downloads as the best option.

[Tom Dibble]

Granted, the early days of the iPod were plagued with interoperability issues since they didn't support MP3. Once MP3 support was added the iPod spread like wildfire. The movie industry has seen the control Apple asserts over the pricing of music in the iTunes store. They should be worried about becoming Apple's bitch. However, in the meantime, we're going to have file sharing and format wars until someone is willing to let the other lead. Apple hasn't even acknowledge Blu-Ray as the defacto format for HD content (the recent Macbook updates didn't include BuRay) and they are still pushing their restrictive and expensive HD downloads as the best option.

As a quick reality check: iPods played MP3 files from day one. They added AAC and specifically Protected AAC support with the release of the iTunes Music Store, which also coincided with a dramatic growth period (and the release of the 3G iPod, in early 2003). You might conclude that adding DRM is what made the iPod the iPod. On the other hand, well before AAC/iTMS was added there was a large body of highly loyal fans to the iPod, and it completely dominated the HD music player marketplace.

I agree that Apple would see a huge boost in popularity without the DRM on movies and TV shows, but there is no parallel to the iPod's rise in music.

[iBog]

Tom, thanks for the correction. I always thought that early versions didn't support MP3.

[bmoura]

Currently if you want to play all the different formats, you can choose to setup a HTPC with MCE/XBMC/boxee or buy a popcornhour. In the future, that level of functionality will be ubiquitous, "plays everything" won't be a major selling point, and the devices and software will have to compete on other merits, like cost, intrusiveness of advertising, UI design, integration with DRM, and so on.

Hmm, will the Popcorn Hour boxes work with Boxee?

[xain09]

No. Search the forum for more info.

[deviantintegral]

Nice job on the interview. Looks very positive for Boxee. One of the first times I've seen software mentioned in MSM which explicitly says that OS X and Linux are the main platforms :)

I think getting more legal content is not really the responsibility of Boxee and other software producers, but I think they will help drive demand for DRM-free, easy to get media. I want to use Boxee; in Canada, the vast majority of the content I want to watch will have to be downloaded through Bittorrent. Channels from Revision3 actually get more views from me because they work with Boxee. If CTV (for example) doesn't make it easy for their content to work in Boxee, then I'll eventually look elsewhere.

You know something is wrong with the business model when it's cheaper and easier to get TV through torrents - not to mention the HD quality which you can't get through iTunes.