Newbie question - do I need a Boxee for each TV at home?

[oldmachead]

We have two TV's at home.

(Aged) Parents have one (in the basement) on which they watch shows like Little House On The Prairie.

The other TV is on the main level - where Significant Other watches Home Reno shows and kid watches kids/tween shows.

I'm new to this Boxee thingy (just discovered it today). Though there's nothing explicitly stated (I've searched a lot), it looks to me like I need a Boxee for each TV and a fast internet connection to make this all work.

In other words, for two TVs, I need two Boxees.

Right? Or am I missing something?

Thanks in advance, for help.

[AminB]

my suggestion: Get one Boxee Box and one ATV2 w/ XBMC !

[steve30000]

Yes, you would need a Boxee for each TV and if you are streaming the shows from online, you will need a fast internet connection. You will also want to make sure the programs that your family likes to watch are available online.

[Cableguy]

What country you live in will also affect what you get so be aware of that.

In regards to internet, "fast" is subjective. I'm on 10mbps down and 0.5mbps and have no issues both wired and wireless (two different BB) when streaming from the web or through apps like Netflix set to BEST/HD picture quality. I used to have 50mbps down and 3mbps up. The size of your data package may be a more important number to look at.

[oldmachead]

Thank you, all, for taking the time to respond with helpful suggestions.

I'm looking at an internet connection with 18mbps down and 0.5mbps up (possibly 1mbps up) with unlimited usage. So that should be OK.

I don't have a clue what an ATV2 w/XBMC is so if you (AminB or anyone else) can point me in the right direction I'll try and figure that out.

My home network is all Macintosh - so I'm aware that it could be a limiting factor.

Where exactly is Boxee's content coming from? That will give me a clue about what programming to expect ... for example do they provide the usual channels (e.g. ABC, NBC, PBS, CNN and any Canadian channels - yes, I'm in Canada) ... or is this something entirely different.

Thanks again, for the help and guidance.

[dladrach]

Good luck finding an Apple Tv2. No Jailbreak for 3 yet, so as of now BB is the way to go.

[Bargeral]

If you buy, get a single one at first and see how it works. Make sure you have a good return policy. I love my two boxee's but some users have had significant problems. Best to try before you buy. The Boxee's two great strengths are the ability to pull online content via the browser and custom apps, and the fact that the box will play almost any video format you throw at it. It's biggest failings are that the Flash support is all but dead (the fault lies with flash not releasing an appropriate version, not with Boxee - but still a consideration as sites might go dark if they upgrade flash requirements) and with some longstanding audio issues. Some will argue a general lack of quality and support - I'm not sure I agree, I think the Boxee team does a good job - but I have to coincide some of the issues still in the software. If you have any ideas about putting your own DVDs on a PC boxee is great for that. If you want Hulu+ it's not on the box (and may not ever be) but Netflix works. For just online store Apple or Roku might be better.

Long story short - try it.

[defenderbob]

I agree with Bar - pick one up and make sure it meets your expectations. I am quite happy with mine and what I use it for.

I would suggest checking out the bartsidee TV framework as well as navi-x applications in boxes as well ( do a quick forum search - the repository addresses will be listed and instructions on installing)

Welcome to the site!