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D-Link Boxee Box

Manufacturer: D-Link Part number: DSM-380

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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$177.29 - $199.99 at 5 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.0 stars Good
Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 9 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Boxee Box by D-Link has some innovative design choices and a promising user interface, but mainstream content is mostly missing in action until future firmware updates are available.
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*Total price for the D-Link Boxee Box are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

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CNET editors' review

D-Link Boxee Box

price range: $177.29 - $199.99

Reviewed by: Matthew Moskovciak
Edited by: John P. Falcone
Reviewed on: 11/18/2010
Released on: 11/10/2010

The good: Attractive user interface; two-sided RF remote includes a QWERTY keyboard; quirky cubelike design; built-in browser that can play Flash video; apps currently include Pandora and MLB.TV; extensive codec support for local content.

The bad: Basic apps like Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu Plus are promised soon, but not available yet; content holders like Hulu are blocking Boxee's browser; double-sided remote has an assortment of usability issues; Boxee's online TV show data is frequently outdated and incomplete; virtually no popular movies available; unorthodox design may not fit in small home theater cabinets; can't be controlled by standard IR universal remote; can't connect to older, non-HDMI TVs.

The bottom line: The Boxee Box by D-Link has some innovative design choices and a promising user interface, but mainstream content is mostly missing in action until future firmware updates are available.

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Boxee Box by D-Link

Editors' note: This is an abridged review of the Boxee Box, as much of its functionality, including Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu Plus, is promised in future firmware updates. We'll re-evaluate the Boxee Box by D-Link after those updates have been added (at which time the rating may change).

Boxee got a head start on the Internet TV revolution, with many users becoming familiar with the open-source media-streaming platform because it was an easy way to add functionality to their first-gen Apple TVs (albeit through an unauthorized hack). But despite that head start, the finally released Boxee Box by D-Link is already playing catch-up in a product category crowded by Apple TV, Google TV, Roku, connected Blu-ray players, and game consoles.

Though it has an attractive user interface and supports playback of almost any kind of digital media file, it currently lacks popular streaming-media services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Vudu--all of which Boxee says are coming soon. Boxee also does a decent job of trying to collate all of the free video content available online, but the information is often outdated or inaccurate. There's no doubt that the Boxee Box has potential, and the company is promising many of the updates before the end of the year, but until then, buyers should hold off until Boxee catches up with the competition.

The Boxee Box's box
The Boxee Box's exterior design is like no other home theater gadget we've seen. It's designed to look like a cube, but one of the corners is chopped off, so it gives the impression that it's sinking into your TV cabinet. Its glowing green Boxee logo and sharp, protruding edges give it a geek-chic charm that's great for those who like to show off their tech, but those same qualities will make it appear garish to those who want their tech to blend in. There's no denying that it's eye-catching (you'll get a lot of "What is that?"), but its relatively tall height (4.6 inches) and "unstackability" make it less practical for cramped home theater spaces.

The ports are located around back, including HDMI, and analog and optical digital audio outputs. (There are no analog video outputs for those with older TVs.) Two USB ports are available on the back, too, for connecting a portable hard drive full of content. There's an Ethernet port, but also built-in 802.11N Wi-Fi, so you won't need Ethernet connectivity in your living room.

Double-sided remote
The included remote feels almost as convention-breaking as the Boxee's cubelike cabinet. Though the front side is pretty standard, with a directional pad, play/pause button, and a menu button, the back has a full QWERTY keyboard, to take the tedium out of entering search phrases onscreen.

The two-sided remote is a great idea, but it has some drawbacks.

The remote design seems genius at first, but it loses a lot of its luster in real-world use. All but one of the keyboard buttons are the same size and aligned in a grid, which means critical buttons like Enter, Menu, and Delete aren't easy to see at a glance. The lettering on the keyboard buttons is also a relatively dark shade of gray, which makes it difficult to see a darkened home theater. Backlighting would be great, but glow-in-the-dark or even just white lettering would make a big difference.

The remote's symmetrical design also makes it much too easy to pick up the wrong way; its double-sided design led us to accidentally press the front-side buttons while using the keyboard. The keyboard nicely gets around the problem of text input, but the Boxee Box doesn't have a similar solution for onscreen cursor control, which is needed for navigating Web sites. Instead, you have to use the directional pad, which is imprecise and slow; a minitrackpad like that found on many cell phones would be welcome here. The remote is RF-based, instead of IR, so it doesn't need line-of-sight for operation. That's great, but it also means the Boxee Box can't be controlled by a standard universal remote, like a Harmony.

That's a lot of criticism for a remote that includes some inspired design choices, but there's enough off about it that it can sometimes feel like a chore to use. The wireless keyboard included with the Logitech Revue has a much larger footprint, but at least we can fly around Google TV with its multifaceted control scheme.

Streaming content
The home page displays six main icons, the majority of which are focused on streaming content off the Web. The last icon, Files, is for accessing your personal media collection.

The user interface is attractive and easy to navigate.

Shows and Movies are similar, allowing you to browse cover art for content that Boxee has found online. The list of TV shows seems decent at first glance, including shows like "How I Met Your Mother," "The Daily Show," and "The Colbert Report," but it's ultimately disappointing. Boxee's data was often inaccurate, not showing the most recent available episode or not showing all the episodes that are available on the Web site. Some shows had virtually no content, despite having a cover art image. We'd get excited when we saw the cover art for "MythBusters," then disappointed when we clicked through to the only thing available, which is a 4-minute "Tipsy vs. Tired Aftershow" clip. The selection of movies is even worse, with very few titles we've ever heard of before.

The list of TV shows looks enticing, but there's actually less content than you might think.

When you do select a show, Boxee brings up the browser, and you'll have to navigate the page using the remote to do things like make the video show full screen. The other issue is that Hulu and some major TV networks are already blocking the Boxee browser, like they've done to Google TV. So though there may be some decent content now, there's no guarantee those content partners won't block Boxee in the future.

You'll need to navigate a standard browser window using the remote's directional pad.

The lack of "free" content wouldn't be quite so frustrating if there were solid premium options available. These would typically be listed under the Apps section, but, as mentioned above, major apps like Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu Plus are not available yet, although Boxee says they're coming soon. There are some good apps available, like Pandora (free) and MLB.TV (paid subscription required), plus tons of video podcasts, but it's not enough to make up for what's missing.

The current selection of apps is underwhelming. Even though Vudu is listed, it's not currently available.

Though Boxee may lag behind competitors in online media services, it fares much better when it comes to playing back your own media collections. Its file format support is very extensive, including enthusiast-friendly formats like DivX, MKV, and FLAC. If you're primarily looking to stream your own content, the Boxee Box is an attractive option, although it's relatively expensive compared with other options like the WD TV Live Plus.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 9 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 9 out of 9

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8 stars

Lots of potential, still a great product

by on November 29, 2010

Pros: Plays every type of video under the sun. Easy to use, elegant interface. RF remote has a built in keyboard that makes searching for video much easier.

Cons: Web content being blocked by 3rd party providers, so not all web video is playable. Every now and then it needs a reboot, but even my cable box needs that. I wish the remote was back lit but otherwise works well.

Summary: Simple, elegant and easy to use. Updates come often and the developers really listen to the customer. I've tried all the other streamers and not a one comes close. ...

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Summary: Simple, elegant and easy to use. Updates come often and the developers really listen to the customer. I've tried all the other streamers and not a one comes close. If you're looking for a way to stream content from your computer or NAS, this box is great. The web video isn't quite what I had hoped, but I'd rather watch downloaded movies anyway. If I want to watch TV show's I'll record them on my TiVo.

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

Boxee - ALMOST there....

by Showbie123 on September 20, 2011

Pros: Easy to setup. The repositories and Boxee forums. Great remote and function. Fantastic idea to get away from your PC/Laptop or gaming system tapping into your TV

Cons: Not enough broadcaster support. Loss of HULU. Wireless streaming can be glichy. Needs to lean towards a wider market, this is mostly for 'techies'

Summary: As with all technology you have to determine what you're trying to accomplish to find the product you want. I was looking to 'beat the man' after being tired ...

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Summary: As with all technology you have to determine what you're trying to accomplish to find the product you want. I was looking to 'beat the man' after being tired of dealing with the cable and satellite companies. I wanted streaming; or IPTV; service with access to College and NFL games. Boxee is close to providing this, but lacks the support of broadcasters. In a disappointing turn, they lost access to Hulu. They have TV shows and movies through Vudu, but the shows cost per episode and the movies are disappointingly expensive. Some shows are 'free' if you agree to watch commericals, but this loads in a web page. There is a 'full screen' option that's cool, but when the stream stopped, I had to drag the navigation bar to the point closest to where the stream died, it was a bit clunky. The only way to watch College and NFL games is through Justin.tv; which worked great, but I was taken back by the flashing red banner stating the game I was watching was about to be taken off line by the NFL due to copyright violations. There aren't really any parental controls either. The only control is to prohibit adult titles from being displayed, which is a very NICE parental control; but I'd like to have more flexibility in determining what is before my families eyes. Using NAVI-X opens many more doors into the rhelm of movies, TV shows and the like, but again I'm pretty sure this content isn't supposed to be online and there is no way to filter what's coming through once you make a selection.
I'm not trying to come across like Ned Flanders or anything; just trying to inform you if you're looking for an alternative to cable and satellite TV with similar filtering of what's coming into your house AND you want your football; I'm afraid Boxee isn't for you.
What Boxee does best is what it's intended for; which is to free up your PC/Laptop or gaming system and allow you to 'sling' your ripped DVD/Music collection to your TV.
Boxee is so close to being a great product with a huge market, if they could just get to the broadcasting companies and get more sports packages, even if you had to pay for those services - I think D-Link and Boxee would be vaulted way ahead of Appletv and Ruku.
Let's face it, we're all tired of the cable and satellite TV companies raising our rates, charging us for 'HD' services and not giving us the flexibility to watch what we want to watch. Would someone please come up with an affordable ala-carte IP based service?
Boxee is a great product, just be sure you understand the intent of the developers.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

It Should do more for the money ,but still impressive

by phantomarse on March 8, 2011

Pros: -sleek design,unique all around,awesome double sided remote,it plays almost everything.
-cool interface,compact,tons of content,half decent web browser,constantly improving content.
-the future of how media is watched and your friends will love it.

Cons: -lots of issues when browsing the web can be found every,remote needs back light,
-needs actual apps,the mouse pointer plain sucks.some flv videos wont have sound.
-fast but not fast enough,needs playlist and shuffle,list take log to load thumbnails.

Summary: I spent $250 for this. its worth about $150.it looks very cool it operates very cool,its some what fast but its not fast enough to make you want ...

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Summary: I spent $250 for this. its worth about $150.it looks very cool it operates very cool,its some what fast but its not fast enough to make you want to cut your cable,third party sources can control what content you view wich sucks but theres still tons of it and a fun and easy way to view it.to many issues with the web browser to make it an replacement for a p.c.its still best media center by a long shot and an amazing way to play your local files of a hard disk but theres just a lot of little fustrations that work against the experience.

what it needs
-a better web browser,even though it improves.
-the mouse pointer for browsing the web is ridiculously clunky its a must fix.
-a back light in the remote.
-an easy way to make playlists with a shuffle function.
-something different than huge lists with long load times on thumbnails.
-actual apps instead of web page adaptations,
-an rca, and composite out . because your stupid friends have'nt bought a flat screen with hdmi.
-its practicaly a web book, let me use it like one.i want games and programs to install and files to save.
-more customizeation.
-it wont play sound on a lot of streaming content,and micosoft silverlight content wont play at all.
-you could get an xbox 360 for just a little more.except no web browsing and alot of files wont play.

ALL IN ALL ITS VERY VERY COOL, AND ITS WHATS GOING TO REPLACE CABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IF YOU'VE GOT MONEY TO BURN AND NEED A TOY, GET IT.BUT FOR THE REGULAR JOE ID ADVISE TO WAIT UNTILL IT DROPS ANOTHER 100 BUCKS.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Excellent product. It runs almost everything.

by joe_of_brasov on May 8, 2012

Pros: 1. Runs (iso,avi, mkv etc)
2. Windows network detection. So, Is not streaming but Is reading the network drive as a file less, if ,stuttering.
3 Great feature: searching on internet the srt file.
4. Apps and repositories
5. great remote. qwerty.

Cons: 1. The change in the flash player to 10.3 is not yet implemented
2. giving the complexity (is not a 1 button mp3 player) the settings are more difficult. (that means not plug&play)
3. some apps not working well

Summary: Best thing up to now.
I recommend it. I've tried the 100$ first. Not sattisfied.
The web is working ok and remote is great.
I can watch my snooker ...

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Summary: Best thing up to now.
I recommend it. I've tried the 100$ first. Not sattisfied.
The web is working ok and remote is great.
I can watch my snooker on BBC tv - live, or Iplayer.
Boxee can "see" all the drives from my network and run movies, photos, music.
Till now is the best. Time will say if it will stay the first

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2 stars

What a complete waste of money!

by rpetrovic on April 14, 2012

Pros: none - this device sucks!

Cons: The device has limited content in Canada
The movies aren't worth the time of day
It cannot link up with my computer to stream movies so why even bother
Air TV for Apple movies and TV doesn't work

Summary: I bought the device so I could watch movies from my computer or paid content from apple device. It simply doesn't work a.nd cannot find my PC through ...

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Summary: I bought the device so I could watch movies from my computer or paid content from apple device. It simply doesn't work a.nd cannot find my PC through the network. Save your money and don't waste your time.

I would give a zero rating but that is not available

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9 stars

Everything I expected.

by esknape on December 29, 2011

Pros: Plays any file type I throw at it.
Plays those file types through my home network (wired and wireless, no issues)
Netflix streams with no problems.
Lots of apps for additional content.
Upcoming HDTV antenna will be very welcome addition.

Cons: Physical design is strange, but I hide it behind my tv, so not a problem there.
Doesn't always recognize SMB sources on the network automatically, but they can be added manually.

Summary: I was prepared to buy an HTPC in order to get the functionality I wanted out of a networked set top box like this. That would have been more expensive ...

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Summary: I was prepared to buy an HTPC in order to get the functionality I wanted out of a networked set top box like this. That would have been more expensive and required a keyboard + mouse. No thanks. I love the Querty remote that came with the Boxee Box. One thing I kept thinking I would want was internal storage, but with the SD card slot and ability to stream movies from my roommate's computers over the network there's no need for the added expense and complication.

The setup is simple, not really elegant with it's odd shape and green LED logo, but overall does exactly what it was designed to do. People expecting it for less are still living in the times when SE Asia produces all of our electronics for places like Walmart for next to nothing. I realize SE Asia still makes most of our electronics, but the point is things could only be so cheap for so long and I am glad to pay $180 for such a great device that was birthed from an open source community.

Also, with the addition of the HDTV antenna in the next month (January 2012) I will be able to acces free over-the-air television through the Boxee Box and not have to switch to the antenna input on my tv ... and maybe one day attach a USB 2.0 hard drive for recording said programming. Woot!

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4 stars

Way over priced for the features and support...

by cbox68 on November 17, 2011

Pros: 1. 1080P video
2. USB drive support for watching your own videos
3. Remote with very functional built-in keyboard
4. Many "apps" to choose from

Cons: 1. non-seemless access to many shows, apps and movies since apps connect to sites for content.
2. despite having an open source OS, the whole box is closed off customization
3. the user interface was changed drastically
4. support is horrible.

Summary: I bought the boxee box thinking that I could customize it, get the great user interface that I was used to from the PC/Mac boxee app and my wife (...

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Summary: I bought the boxee box thinking that I could customize it, get the great user interface that I was used to from the PC/Mac boxee app and my wife (who is Chinese), wanted to watch Chinese films. Well, the Asian fonts didn't work from the very beginning and it took well over a year for support to fix it. And, the more fixes that go on, the more the box is restricted from customization.

For my money, I think the box is worth maybe $79 or less for the less than seemless interface and support. If done all over again, I would probably get Apple TV or Google TV.

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10 stars

i work there, but i still love it.

by Quelix on June 27, 2011

Pros: [NB - I work for Boxee] Brings everything into one place - internet, files, and videos my friends share with me. has great networking support

Cons: Needs a backlit remote, browser is slowly getting to be better, needs Netflix in the movie library, still waitng for Hulu plus.

Summary: Think if you're interested in seeing where Smart TVs are going, the Boxee Box is a great choice - way more powerful/flexible than AppleTV or Roku with the ...

Read more

Summary: Think if you're interested in seeing where Smart TVs are going, the Boxee Box is a great choice - way more powerful/flexible than AppleTV or Roku with the added benefit over an actual Smart TV that if everything changes in 3 years time, you're not out another $1500 to replace your entire TV.

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1 stars

BEWARE! Boxee Doesn't Work

by brian neary on November 24, 2010

Pros: The Company rep who demo'd the product at the Gadget Expo was articulate and very forthcoming. Unfortunately, the product ISN'T. The best example of false advertizing yet foisted on a gullible public.

Cons: ."We're working on it" is the answer I was given by tech support to each unsolved problem I reported. For $200, that answer is unacceptable. A misshappen little box with a very misleading ad campaign.

Summary: The product was a disaster. Boxee's own Browser is not yet active. Can't navigate the URLs once they appear on screen. NHL app is "out of order." Tech ...

Read more

Summary: The product was a disaster. Boxee's own Browser is not yet active. Can't navigate the URLs once they appear on screen. NHL app is "out of order." Tech support admits most apps "don't quite work yet." Keyboard letters are grey on black and completely obscured. Most apps are just place holders (not available yet) The programing which does actually function properly can be downloaded free with most big screen packages that come already included with purchase. Great programing is promised sometime in the future. But when the apps they already have don't even work, the future sounds as fallacious as the current malfunctioning system. The name should be changed to "box of smoke."

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2 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 9 out of 9

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Specifications

Manufacturer: D-Link
Part number: DSM-380
Description: The Boxee Box by D-Link brings all the stuff you normally watch on a computer to your TV; movies and TV programs streamed from the Internet, 400 different apps that let you access content from most popular websites, and a full web browser just in case we missed anything. The Boxee Box will also help you rediscover your own media collection by automatically identifying all the files on a hard drive or home network and then building a stunning visual media library for you. And just so you don't end up watching the same stuff over and over, the Boxee Box pulls recommendations from your friends on Facebook and Twitter to help you discover new favorites. All this plus a unique QWERTY remote so you can search, login, and browse with ease.

General
Product Type Digital multimedia receiver
Enclosure Color Black
System
A/V System Recommended Use Home
Audio System
Output Mode Stereo
Digital Audio Format Dolby Digital output,
DTS digital output
Network & Internet Multimedia
Functionality Digital video playback,
Digital audio playback,
Digital photo playback,
BitTorrent P2P client
Connectivity Wireless
Connectivity Protocols IEEE 802.11n
Internet Streaming Services Picasa ,
Pandora ,
YouTube ,
Vudu
Supported Audio Formats AIFF,
WMA,
LPCM,
WAV,
AAC,
MP3,
Ogg Vorbis
Supported Video Formats WMV,
ASF,
MPEG-4,
DivX5,
Xvid,
DivX4,
H.264,
MKV,
FLV,
VOB,
MPEG-1,
MOV,
MPEG-2,
AVI,
VC-1
Supported Pictures Formats JPG,
BMP,
GIF,
TIFF

Slot(s)
Type SD Memory Card
Remote Control
Type Remote control
Technology Infrared
Features Full QWERTY keypad
Connections
Connector Type 1 x HDMI,
2 x USB ( RCA phono x 2 ),
( 4 pin USB Type A ),
( RJ-45 )
Power
Type External

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