Tech Town, NC

Boxee, the free, open-source software that turns your TV into a socially-networked media hub, recently launched the Windows Alpha version of their software and I am lucky enough to be a part of it. Upon some testing of it my overall impression is very good, but the service raises all kinds of questions that are actually more interesting to review than the service itself.

First and foremost in my mind is – What kind of machine is this supposed to run on? With the Windows Alpha, Boxee now offers Mac, Linux and PC versions, so obviously it can run on almost any machine. But are people going to buy a laptop to run this on? For example, I also “tested” the Alpha for Linux on an old IBM Thinkpad. I say “tested” because the machine was too crippled by the graphics components that it was unusable. Granted, that Thinkpad was on the low end of low spec, but like I said, I’m not buying an additional computer to run my TV on. The cable company gives me their box for free (or they would if I hadn’t canceled cable a few months ago).

Fortunately, Boxee is fully aware of this issue. Wisely, they’re considering a bevy of options, including game consoles, apple TVs, and cable boxes. Something is in the pipes, you can be sure. But clearly Boxee knows getting this part right is vital to their growth.

Another question is what will come out of the open-source nature of the software? Why would I want to create my own skin for my TV? I don’t know and, even though I’m sure some people will do just that, I don’t think it’s going to be a killer feature. So we’ll call the open source component a bit of a Red-Herring. Yes, there is already some cool development for watching local over-the-air stations and using iPhones as remotes, but…my TV remote works well. The success of Boxee will be far more contingent on integrating content than on making it look like your new MySpace profile.

One thing open sourcing it will do is ensure that new formats and sources can be integrated quickly. But again, most large content providers are already integrated anyway, so it’s all about getting the deals in place that free the content.

Another potential hurdle is that it’s a net neutrality case waiting to happen. If Boxee is running video over Time Warner cables to display YouTube content in HD and the lines get jammed…Then it’s time to check out Google’s “Diagnostic” tools. The recent landmark ruling against Comcast bodes well for Boxee and democracy of information, but it’s certainly not the last battle we’ll see. The storm brewing over Cox Communications is looking particularly nasty.

There are countless other issues to get into in the war for living room supremacy, including a separate battle on the horizon (Netflix vs. HBO). For now, though, I’ll just take a breather and enjoy some new Lost episodes on demand.