Boxee Launches A Huge Update To Their Desktop Client [News]

If you are a user of Boxee on your home computer, I have some good news and some bad news. I will start with the good news, after all, we all enjoy the happy stuff. They have issued a major overhaul to the service with their latest update. It changes nearly everything about the user interface. The home screen is new, the main menu is new, they added rotten tomatoes ratings, and so much more. If you want a complete rundown on everything that is changed, check out the official release notes. For Boxee users, this update is awesome.

Now, while this update is great, I also mentioned bad news which is that this will be the last update for the computer based Boxee. They believe that the set-top box is the future, and they are going to abandon their desktop interface. This update is great, but as issues arise in the future, there won’t be much that can be done.

“People will continue to watch a lot of video on their computer, but it is more likely to be a laptop than a home-theater PC and probably through a browser rather than downloaded software” the developer explained.

They plan to host the new version on their website through January. After that, you will have to seek other mirrors to download the application.

What do you think?  Is the set-top box the way of the future and is Boxee right to abandon the desktop interface?  Or are they making a big mistake?  Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: TechSpot

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Dave LeClair

Dave LeClair (Twitter), has been writing reviews of iOS games for years, and is also a big time gamer on Xbox [websterrjh]. You can also catch Dave, Justin and James on the Earth's best technology podcast, the Technophilia Podcast.

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  • Anonymous December 29, 2011

    Is it available outside of US and UK?

    • Dave LeClair December 29, 2011

      I believe it US and Canada only.

      • jhpot January 3, 2012

        It’s global. Which shows you get depend on where you live. 

  • how to say thank you December 29, 2011

    This is bad news for boxee users!

  • Anonymous December 29, 2011

    I for one won’t miss Boxee on my Windows XP desktop PC.

    Who watches TV shows and movies on their PC, anyway?

    I only watch media on my HDTV (via a set-top box) and on my Android tablet (via a network streaming app).

    RIP, Boxee Desktop.

  • Techcoyote December 29, 2011

    The boxee box is a great media server and aggregator, and with the introduction of their usb stick to receive major network streams(not entirely sure how that works yet.) they have a lot on their plate to keep up with. I have been a long time boxee pc user and have enjoyed it tremendously. Time to move on and accept change.

  • Techcoyote December 29, 2011

    By the way, the PC update looks great!!!

  • Mohan December 30, 2011

    I haven’t used Boxee is a very long time, I did the alpha and beta test for them. Awesome UI, and I think they are better off on devices such as Boxee Box.