It is a popular debate to compare Boxee Box, Google TV and Apple TV together, but how do these media streamers compare with a real Home Theater PC?
Lets take a deeper look on how the Boxee Box and home theater computer compare to each other.
Essentially the question is how many features do you require and how much you are prepared to invest money. For example, you can get a Boxee Box at $200 while Acer Aspire Revo can be bought for $300-$400 and Apple Mac Mini for $700. On the other hand if streaming media is enough, you could get a sleek looking Apple TV at $99, too.
Lets start by listing the pros and cons of a HTPC over Boxee Box.
Advantages
- All media center features included in one box
- A large hard drive where you can store media
- Ability to play all content regardless of the codec
- Upgradability, particularly in the custom builds
- Not dependent on content providers such as Hulu
- Ability to play games, write emails and surfing the web
- Large amount of accessories available for all budgets
Disadvantages
- Greater technical skills needed (and a lot of time for tweaking the system)
- Operating system is not optimized to be TV friendly interface
- Video playback may not be smooth without the right drivers and software
- Startup time is generally longer
- Steeper learning curve for other family members
As can be seen from the list above, HTPC wins for people who know a bit more about computers and are willing to spend more time in fine tuning the system. I would even say that you need to see owning a HTPC as a hobby to really get the most out of it.
In addition, you need to spend time in studying the websites and forums to learn all the tips and being able to do troubleshooting when things are not working as expected. But hey, that’s why you are here at the My Media Experience to learn more.
Many people are intimidated by the idea of having a computer in their living room. They do not know or like to use a sophisticated remote control such as Logitech diNovo Mini. However, things are developing and e.g. my parents have a HTPC attached to their 52″ LCD TV (without my assistance).
Thus, I wouldn’t say HTPCs are only for tech savvy people as you can easily get started with an older laptop and the free Boxee media center software. Once, you have setup your system, it is as easy to control as any device connected to your TV.
But nevertheless, home theater computers will stay mostly for the people who know their way with the computers. So, if you do not want to spend a considerable amount of time tweaking your media center, I would go for media streamers such as Boxee Box as they are designed for the people who just want to plug and play their digital media.
Boxee Box is a great media streamer for people who are interested in bringing the internet to their TV, but do not have the skills or do not want to spend time in setting up a home theater computer.
If you are mainly interested in streaming media files from another computer, network hard drive or online service and watching them on TV, Boxee Box is a good choice for you. However, if need more features such as dual TV tuner recording capability you should continue looking further.
So, is the Boxee an all-in-one HTPC for beginners? Read my answer here.