Cost: $200

What to enjoy:
After connecting to your tv, viewers get the easy to use Boxee menu system that plays content partners (Netflix, MLB, Wired, Clicker and even Suicide Girls).

Third-Party Features:
The Boxee Box has an HDMI output, an analog RCA audio, two USB ports, and a SD slot. It also has Wi-Fi, Ethernet and can be used anywhere in the house.

What can’t you get with Boxee? Primarily, it does not support DRM files”files protected by Digital Rights Management. This includes iTunes downloads (prior to Apple going DRM-free earlier this year), and downloads from MSN Music and Audible.com.

The big site not found on Boxee is Hulu. Both companies are in the midst of a battle and the much-ado, which really is about nothing more than the right to display content, can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Video:

Sales Info & Figures:
Video Business (08/13/2009): Boxee streams in $6 million for funding – “Internet TV software startup Boxee — which is hoping to score partnerships with cable and media companies — closed $6 million in financing led by venture-capital firm General Catalyst, with participation by prior investors Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures.” {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:

Editor’s Assessment:
Boxee is looking to be a big player in the getting internet television and movies to your tv industry that has boomed over the recent years and, with an easy to use interface and a very customer friendly approach, it’s easy to see why. Crowned Last Gadget Standing at the 2009 CES Conference, the Boxee Box is a set top box to eagerly anticipate in 2010.

Cost: $179.99 (Slingbox Solo) | $199.99 (Slingcatcher) | $299.99 (Slingbox Pro-HD)

What to Enjoy:
Slingbox allows viewers to watch TV or DVR from your television to your laptop or mobile phone. With Slingbox, TV watchers will never miss a sporting event, show, or special event. Also, there’s no subscription needed.

Third-Party Features:
Slingbox offers an iPhone application streams your TV and DVR straight to your iPhone. While the application has the power to be used through 3G, Apple has currently made 3G connect to Slingbox unavailable so the application could only be used via Wi-Fi. Slingbox hopes to make go back to 3G as soon as possible.

Video:

News & Reviews:
Engadget.com (2/23/2009): SlingPlayer Mobile For iPhone Coming Shortly — “After what has become one of the longer (and certainly one of the highest-profile) App Store approval delays, SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone has finally gotten Apple’s blessing — with some serious changes under the hood. Most importantly, 3G access has been disabled, meaning you’ll only be able to get your Sling on over WiFi — a serious blow to the app and a huge change from the way SlingPlayer Mobile works on other platforms — and likely a verification that either Apple or AT&T took serious issue with the bandwidth load imposed by this type of app on the HSPA network.” {Read more}

Buy:

Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100

Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100)

Cost: Xbox 360 Arcade (256MB) – $199.99 | Xbox 360 (60GB) – $299.99 | Xbox 360 Elite (120GB) – $399.99

What to enjoy:
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 comes with a built-in DVD player, and through Xbox LIVE’s Video Marketplace, you can download and rent movies and full TV shows, and watch trailers, music videos, and shorts. Content is available from many studios, including Paramount Pictures, CBS, TBS, MTV Networks, UFC, NBC, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Walt Disney Pictures, MGM, ABC, and more. Films and TV shows are available for purchase. You’ll need to use Microsoft Points to make purchases.

Content streams in both SD and HD, depending on title: Browse here for titles in HD.

Third-Party Features:
The Xbox 360 can connect to your home network through Windows Media Center, allowing you to stream media right into the console from your computer. Netflix subscribers can access Netflix Instant (streams in SD). Plus, Xbox recently added integration with Facebook and Twitter, allowing you to keep up-to-date on your friends, and share your gaming moments through the social networks. Last.FM will also be added.

Video:

News & Updates:
Joystiq.com (08/27/2009): Interview: Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg on the $300 Elite and all things Xbox – In this interview Joystiq talks to Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management for Xbox, about info regarding the new all-black Elite. Greenberg also discusses their partnership with Netflix and the likelihood of seeing a similar deal with Hulu, Amazon On Demand, or YouTube. {Read more}

Kotaku (06/01/2009): Facebook, Twitter Coming To Xbox 360 – The Xbox 360 will be added Twitter and Facebook to its list of web services, Microsoft announced today, with some of those social networking services interact with the console’s game library. {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
Visit VGChartz for an interactive chart displaying the sales figures for the Xbox 360 as compared to other consoles.

Latest Press Releases:
05/28/2009: Xbox 360 Sees Record Growth in 2009 – Microsoft Corp. announced today that sales of Xbox 360 consoles have passed the 30 million mark globally, with its Xbox LIVE community swelling to more than 20 million active members. After the biggest year in its history in 2008, Xbox 360 achieved the highest percentage growth in hardware sales of any console so far in 2009, up 28 percent over the previous year. {Read more}

Editor’s Assessment:
The Xbox 360 through its Xbox Live Gold Membership expands the video game platform to include movies (through Netflix Instant), a Zune application, and social media (including facebook and twitter).

Cost: $299.99 (120GB)

What to enjoy:
Sony’s PlayStation 3 comes with a built-in Blu-ray player, which continues to play a major role in pushing Blu-ray sales (in the past, it helped defeat Toshiba’s HD-DVD). The PS3 also comes with access to the PlayStation Network, Sony’s online community, where you can purchase and rent movies and full-length TV shows via the PlayStation Store. Find content from Sony Pictures (a no-brainer there), MGM, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Paramount Pictures.

Video purchases are directly downloaded, so there’s no need for Internet connection for playback. Purchases can be transfered from the PS3 over to your PSP (Sony PlayStation Portable), to watch movies on the go. There is a 14-day limit for rentals, and as soon as you hit “play,” you have 24-hrs to watch the full video.

Content is available in HD and SD: Here’s a list of titles available in HD.

Third-Party Features:
While Xbox seems to be the sole console with Netflix access (although not for long…), PS3 gives you access to YouTube via its built-in web browser. Simply, go to “www.youtube.com/tv” (this link won’t work on a Mac or PC browser), to access a specially designed page for optimal playback on the console.

For more information visit their website.

You can, however, get Netflix Instant, Hulu, and other content via a downloadable service called PlayOn (though it only works with PCs, sorry Mac and Linux users) — Read more here.

Video:

News & Updates:
NY Times (10/26/2009): Netflix Movies to Stream to Sony’s PlayStation 3 — “Next month, the nine million American owners of Sony’s PlayStation 3 game consoles will have another entertainment option available: streaming movies and TV shows from Netflix. The long-awaited announcement gives Netflix another distribution channel for its “Watch Instantly” service, which is already available via the Microsoft Xbox 360, a variety of Blu-ray players and HDTVs, TiVo and the Roku box.” {Read more}

Video Business (06/25/2009): Game consoles most popular Web-video player – “Videogame consoles will be the most popular electronic component used to play Web videos on television sets for at least the next four years as consumer spending on Web-to-television content surges, according to one report released this week.” {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
Digital Digest/DVDGuy (06/13/2009): Game Consoles – May 2009 NPD Sales Figure Analysis – Great overview of sales for all current game consoles, complete with charts. {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
06/02/2009: PlayStation Network Expands Digital Offering with a Variety of Entertainment Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. (SCEA) announced today major enhancements to PlayStation®Network, expanding on SCEA’s commitment to give users a comprehensive entertainment experience. The video delivery service for the PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system launches today in coordination with a new line-up of premier Hollywood, Anime and Sports partners. In addition, Media Go, a free application that makes it easier to manage digital content including games, photos, videos and music for the PSP system through a PC will also become available.{Read more}

Buy:
PlayStation 3 120 GB

Editor’s Assessment:
The Playstation 3 recently announced that they will be the first gaming platform to stream HD movies for purchase. This feature, plus Netflix Instant, makes the Playstation 3 quite an impressive entertainment platform.

Cost: $199

What to Enjoy:
Currently, Nintendo Wii offers very few options for watching video content, however later this year Nintendo will offer a video channel for owners to download content. By all accounts it should operate much like Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network (ability to rent or buy movies and shows), however Nintendo is also looking to integrate original family-oriented content; no word on the content providers. Their video download service, dubbed the “Wii no Ma Channel,” is currently being tested in Japan.

Third-Party Features:
Wii’s Internet Channel, available for the price of 500 Wii Points ($5.00 USD), and operating as a version of the Opera web browser, provides you with complete Internet access via the Wii. As of May 2009, YouTube redirects you to YouTube XL, which is a Wii-friendly version of the site.

BBC is looking to launch a special iPlayer Wii channel in 2009 (iPlayer is BBC’s video streaming service, only available in the UK, akin to Hulu in the States).

Read more information on their website.

News & Updates:
Video Business (06/25/2009): Wii to offer movie downloads in Japan – “Paramount signs on to Sonic Solutions, Nintendo partnership. The Nintendo Wii is finally joining competitors to offer movie downloads through the world’s leading game console.” {Read more}

The Cut Scene/Variety.com (06/25/2009): Streaming movies hit the Wii – “Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners have been able to purchase and stream movies from their game machines for years. Now Wii owners in Japan are seeing media center functionality as well.” {Read more}

ITworld (12/26/2008): Nintendo’s Wii to get video channel in 2009 – Nintendo plans to launch a video channel for its Wii console in 2009, it said Thursday. The service, which will be launched in collaboration with advertising agency Dentsu, will initially be available in Japan only where it is expected to launch in the spring and be available at no charge. {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
ComputerAndVideoGames.com (06/12/2009): Wii sales top 20 million in the US — The console passed the milestone in 31 months on sale, “reinforcing its position as the fastest-selling console in history,” the company bragged… {Read more}

Cost: VUDU – $149 | VUDU XL – $499

What to enjoy:
No, we’re not talking about a mystical religion, rather the VUDU box is your solution to downloading permanent Blu-ray quality movies. VUDU boasts 16,000+ built-in movies and TV shows, as well as a library of nearly 2,000+ titles in HD; the exact number of available titles grows each month. HD content comes in full 1080p.

Log into VUDU online and choose movies and shows to be instantly downloaded to the box. Titles are available for rent or purchase. SD rentals cost $0.99 – $3.99, and HD rentals cost $3.99 – $5.99. TV shows cost $1.99. SD movies cost $4.99 – $19.99. HD movies cost $13.99 – $23.99. An iPhone app allows you to select new titles anywhere.

More on VUDU box here.

VUDU XL comes with extra storage space (500 SD titles) and can be fully integrated into your home theater system through the use of the VUDU NetRemote. More on VUDU XL here.

Video:

Third-Party Features:
VUDU comes packaged with access to Pandora, YouTube, and Flickr. Their “On Demand TV” channel offers free TV programming, and the “Now Being Watched” channel is integreated with Google Maps to allow you to see what movies are being watched on other VUDU boxes across the world. VUDU has also been integrated into Web-enabled TVs from LG and Mitsubishi.

News & Updates:
BigPictureBigSound.com (10/12/2009): Criterion Collection Now Streaming Online via VUDU – “VUDU just keeps cranking out news — or at least endless entertainment. The company is about to announce its latest addition to the VUDU lineup, the Criterion Collection. Starting tomorrow, VUDU customers will be able to stream a wide selection of films from the Criterion Collection online via their VUDU box or VUDU-enabled Blu-ray player or television.” {Read more}

Video Business (05/07/2009): Vudu library to be available on Entone set-top – Entone, a provider of Web-based TV interactivity through telecommunication partners, has signed on to offer Vudu’s library of more than 14,000 movies and TV titles later this summer. {Read more}

Video Business (02/23/2009): Vudu to offer permanent high-definition downloads – Vudu beats industry leader Apple iTunes and other major retailers including Amazon.com and CinemaNow in offering the own-able high-def downloads, though for how long is unknown. Last month, rumors surfaced on some online blogs that Apple was selling a high-def download of Paramount Home Entertainment’s Iron Man, but it turned out to be a typo on the film’s iTunes page. {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
Wired (02/09/2009): Vudu Movie Streamer Plummets to $150 – . . . Vudu declined to provide sales numbers to substantiate its success. And Wired.com finds the claim dubious, as we believe the price cut has more to do with competing with Apple than high sales. The price cut appears long overdue, as Apple TV dropped from $300 to $230 in January 2008. {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
06/04/2009: VUDU first to offer Buena Vista home entertainment movies download-to-own in high definition – VUDU Inc., a leading provider of digital on-demand entertainment products and services, today announced that the VUDU service is the first to offer titles from Buena Vista Home Entertainment for download-to-own in high definition. {Read more}

Buy:
VUDU Set Top Box for Movies On Demand

Editor’s Assessment: A great service to purchase Blu-Ray quality movies straight to your television. The streaming HDX quality is only on the Vudu player and the quality is significantly better. While the HDX is slightly more expensive (5.99) than SD (3.99), the option makes a Vudu player a worthy choice for the best in streaming movies.

Cost: Series2 DT DVR $149.99 | HD DVR $299.99 | HD XL DVR $599.99

What to Enjoy:
Beyond your cable box there’s TiVo, a digital video recorder that has been one of the top-selling devices of its kind. Now, most cable companies offer their own version of DVR, but TiVo still stands out by brand-recognition, even if the number of subscribers fell during 2008. This may have to do with the proliferation of digital media online, but TiVo keeps on trucking regardless, and still is earning a profit.

The merits of a TiVo are two-fold: 1) you can set it, and forget it (to borrow a slogan by Ron Popeil), making it very easy to record favorite shows and televised movies, and 2) you can pause live TV, and scan through the show and commercials (much to the chagrin of those paying advertisers).

Subscribers are able to visit the TiVo website to set up their TiVo recording queue. Shows and movies can be recorded based on actor, director, genre, or simply by its scheduled appearance. Fans of a particular show can create a Season Pass, with which the TiVo will automatically record that show whenever it airs.

Third-Party Features:
Beyond the box, TiVo has established strategic partnerships and affiliate relationships with various movie distributors; for example if you’re browsing Amazon’s On-Demand channel, you can send that title to your TiVo. Their partnership with Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, and Roxio CinemaNow enables you to stream movies directly onto your TV. TiVo also provides access to YouTube, Picasa, Photobucket, Rhapsody, Live365, and Fandango (for movie listings & ticket purchases).

TiVo features will soon find its way into DVR boxes from cable providers. Comcast is lined up to be the first, with testing in Chicago and later in New England. TimeWarner is also in talks to integrate TiVo features with their DVR box.

More information can be found on their website

Video:

News & Updates:
Variety.com/Technotainment (06/22/2009): TiVo gets ready for the big time – TiVo gets ready for the big timeTiVo’s recent court victory over Dish Network could mean a rapid expansion for the company. Bloomberg reports the company, whose name is synonymous with digital video recording, is in talks to provide service through Time Warner cable. (TiVo already has deals in place with DirecTV and Comcast.) {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
Yahoo! Finance (5/27/2009): TiVo Reports Results for the First Quarter Fiscal Year 2010 Ended April 30, 2009 – TiVo subscribers are eating up video streams and downloads; reports solid 1Q results. {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
6/23/2009: TiVo and Quantcast Partner to Bring First Meaningful Single-Source Audience Analysis Across TV and Internet – TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services and advertising solutions for digital video recorders (DVRs), and Quantcast, a pioneering Web-based audience insights service focused on enabling addressable advertising, today announced that they have partnered to provide advertisers and media companies with the most comprehensive cross platform audience analysis solution available for evaluating the correlation between television viewership and online activity. {Read more}

Buy:

TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder

TiVo TCD658000 HD XL Digital Video Recorder

TiVo TCD649080 Series2 80-Hour Dual-Tuner Digital Video Recorder

Editor’s Assessment:
When TiVo invented the DVR they changed television forever. While they haven’t been able to keep up with cable networks’ competition their very user friendly software allow a well liked approach at television that users swear by.

Cost: $99.99

What to enjoy:
Roku offers Netflix Instant and Amazon Video On-Demand streaming through their set-box allowing movies when you want them delivered to your TV set. And now, with the addition of MLB.tv, Roku has started its first live broadcasts, streaming Major League Baseball games from around the U.S. for a price that’s much cheaper than your cable provider wants you to pay.

Third-Party Features:
Roku only gives you access to Netflix, Amazon Video On-Demand, and MLB.tv however their website states content from other parties is pending. No word as of yet as to who these providers will be.

Video:

News & Updates:
New York Times/Bits Blog (05/20/2008): Why the Roku Netflix Player Is the First Shot of the Revolution – “In the small, generic plastic box that is the new Netflix Player made by Roku, I think you can see the future of video. I’m not saying that this product itself is going to take the world by storm, even though I think it is better than any other set-top box I’ve ever seen. Netflix and Roku expect the $99 device to sell in the hundreds of thousands, not millions, this year.” {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
Ars Technica (03/03/2009): Amazon VoD now rocking Roku set-top video player – Amazon VoD now rocking Roku set-top video player – “While the company does not release specific sales numbers, [Tim Twerdahl, Roku's Vice President of Consumer Products] did share that the Roku player is ‘well into six-figures’ since its release in May 2008.” {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
04/21/09: Amazon Video On Demand Announces Launch of High Definition Movies and TV Episodes – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that customers can rent box-office favorites and purchase top TV shows in HD from Amazon Video On Demand. Customers can select from more than 500 HD TV shows and movies from major studios and networks including Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Showtime Networks. {Read more}

Buy:
Roku HD Player

Editor’s Assessment:
The Roku box offers an inexpensive way of transferring Netflix Instant, Amazon On Demand and MLB.com, as well as many other nice features, to the television. They have also shown that they are vigorously adding features to their box which must be comforting to consumers.

Cost: $229

Specs: 160GB hard drive for up to 200 hrs of video; Mac + PC; 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless

What to enjoy:

Apple TV 3.0 new menu interface.

As more and more consumers buy and rent movies via Apple’s iTunes store, Apple really needs to push Apple TV, their set-top box that serves as an entertainment hub that syncs directly up to your iTunes account, allowing you to rent or buy movies or TV shows, which can then be downloaded to watch on your TV.

The new 3.0 upgrade for Apple TV adds a new menu interface (seen above), as well as plenty of HD content for your viewing pleasure. With Apple TV 3.0, you can enjoy expanded feature formats in the form of iTunes LP (complete liner notes, lyrics, bonus tracks, photos, etc.) and iTunes Extras (bonus material – featurettes, deleted scenes, special making-of documentaries, etc.). The upgrade also incorporates Genius from iTunes, and Internet Radio.

Third-Party Features:
Apple TV connects from your TV to your Mac or PC; and with access to iTunes, you can rent and purchase movies and TV shows, and download them directly for immediate playback. The box comes packaged with access to YouTube. An add-on gives you access to Boxee. However, even with the new upgrade, Apple TV is still short on adding support for Netflix Instant or Hulu or Amazon Video On-Demand. However, you can still enjoy your iTunes music and movies, and you can also stream in Pandora, Apple’s MobileMe, and Flickr.

Find more information on their website

Video:

News & Updates:
Macworld (10/30/2009): First Look: Apple TV 3.0 – “Thursday’s release of Apple TV 3.0 software doesn’t do a lot to change that, but for the unknown number of people who have bought an Apple TV box over the past two and a half years, it seems to be a pleasant improvement that addresses some lingering interface issues while adding whole new levels of mystery about exactly what (if anything) Apple is going to do with the product.” {Read more}

AppleInsider (06/24/2009): Apple updates Apple TV, Remote app to allow multi-touch control – “Apple breathed some new life into its Apple TV media hub on Wednesday with upgrades to both its firmware and the iPhone’s Remote app that let owners control the wireless media hub through multi-touch input on their handheld’s touch-screen.” {Read More}

Sales Info & Figures:
Ars Technica (02/19/2009): Preliminary Q2 figures suggest Apple weathering recession – “Now that we’re more than halfway through the first calendar quarter of 2009 (which is the second fiscal quarter for Apple), analysts are consulting preliminary sales numbers in order to offer an early indication of how Apple is doing.” {Read More}

Latest Press Releases:
01/15/2008: Apple Introduces New Apple TV Software & Lowers Price to $229

Buy:
Apple TV with 160GB Hard Drive

Editor’s Assessment:
Although sometimes called Apple’s forgotten child, the Apple TV integrates movies through itunes to the television quite well and, with a link up to boxee, the Apple TV proves to be a worthy purchase in digital media. Yet with limited amount of updates since its release buyers may be weary of what they see will only be what they get…