Dude, I got a Dell!

My new Dell Zino arrived and I must say it is a nice little box. I also downloaded (via a torrent) the beta version of Boxee. The official release of Boxee isn’t out until mid January when they will also be releasing a Boxee box. The Boxee box is basically a piece of hardware (made by DLink) that runs the new Boxee app. It’s for those that don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up a separate computer with a remote. It like the Roku device that does about the same thing. I chose to go the route of a computer instead for the added DVR and DVD capability.

If you are familiar with the alpha version of Boxee I think you will be much happier with the beta version. With the alpha version you had to use Apps (small applications that delivered content within Boxee) to get to any content. In the beta version there are still Apps but there is also content built in. For the built in content there are several different providers including Netflix (which is a pay service). Boxee puts a little dollar sign next to those Movies/Shows so that you know in advance that it’s provided via a pay service before you click on it. Since I plan on getting a subscription to Netflix having it incorporated doesn’t bother me. Also, if you select an item that is available from different providers Boxee allows you to select which provider you want to use, which is nice since some providers make you install a proprietary player to view the content.

The Zino itself performed pretty well, much better than the Revo. I still managed to find some shows that where pretty choppy. I need to run some test to determine what the issue is though. I’m not sure I have the computer configured 100% correctly since I wiped it and installed Windows 7 as soon as it arrived.  I know this thing has much better specs than the Boxee box and the Roku, which play content flawlessly, however, they’re running linux and not Windows 7. I could always fall back to Ubuntu (since Boxee is available for that as well) if I absolutely had too but that will only be if nothing else works.

I also love my Logitech DiNovo keyboard. Sitting on the couch and operating a computer has never been easier. I was able to open, find, and watch a show on Hulu with no more effort than if I was watching it on my laptop.

No more work on the antenna but I should have it done shortly after Christmas. Seeing all the content that is online I don’t think we’ll watch too much broadcast TV but I know Beth will kill me if she can’t watch American Idol live

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