Manufacturer : D-Link Systems, Inc.
Model : DSM-380
ASIN : B0038JE07O
Price : 229.99$
Last Price : 171$(Discount 25.6489412583156%
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Product Description
D-link DSM-380 Network Audio/Video Player DSM-380 Network Media Players
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
345 of 370 people found the following review helpful:
Firmware Upgrade Brings Massive User Interface Changes
This review is from: The Boxee Box by D-Link HD Streaming Media Player (Electronics)
Boxee has addressed some of the concerns I highlighted in my review with firmware updates. Please see the bottom of the review for updates.
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Out of the box, the Boxee Box runs the familiar beta version of the software, which is familiar to me as a prior Boxee user. Everything works fine, from what I tested, though the edges of the screen were cut off a tiny bit (not enough to cause a problem). While exploring all the options, I found that a firmware upgrade to version 1.0 of the Boxee software was available. I installed it, the unit rebooted, and it automatically started a quick-and-simple screen calibration utility. That calibration was useful, because the stock firmware had some overscan problems (that is, the edges of the screen were cut off) on my TV.
Version 1.0 brings with it a new, simplified user interface. I immediately had trouble finding my way around, and was a little disappointed that the experience was different than what I was expecting. My main problem with the new interface is that it now takes several more clicks to access local files (that is, anything on your attached drives or home network). That's my stuff, and that's what I primarily want a video player to be able to play. The old interface allowed you to toggle between your videos, and all available videos, very easily, once you understand where the option is. With the default firmware, after a minute of configuration, I was able to select "Shows" from the home screen and see just my shows. Now, I have to use other, more complex and time-consuming methods to do the same thing, such as "Files > Shows" or "Shows > Files".
The new interface does make it easier to start searches (just start typing), and is very attractive. I just would rather that it allow me to put my videos front-and-center. Networked content is fine, but my own content should have primacy over it. I think that new users will not have a problem with the interface, but experienced users should know that changes are in store for you.
Networked Content
I had no problems streaming SD and 720p HD H.264 and DivX files from my NAS to the Boxee Box via my wireless-N network. Internet videos play well, but some Internet video sources are kludgy. Playing a video on Fancast, for instance, will open a web browser, showing the web page and the video in a small box. You have to use the remote to move the mouse cursor to the tiny "full screen" button and click it to get the video to play full screen. Good luck doing that on the couch, 10-20 feet from the TV! This is a big deal because the new Boxee software puts networked content front-and-center, in the "Most Popular" movies and shows pages. It's wonderful to be able to watch (ad-supported) shows that you haven't paid for, but it's a pain that you have to hunt for the full screen button, which looks different on every website, to do so.
Apps, on the other hand, are fantastic. TED and YouTube work exactly as you would expect, and there are dozens more available. Netflix and Hulu Plus apps have been promised; Boxee is working out the arrangements and hope to have these available by the end of the year (early next year for Hulu Plus). I hope for their sake that they do. Competing devices all support Netflix, and Netflix is, in my opinion, one of the most compelling sources for staming content.
Linking your online Boxee account to Twitter and Facebook seems like overkill at first, but it actually is pretty compelling to be able to watch videos that your friends are sharing. The RSS app is great, too. Through the Boxee website, you can subscribe to a whole bunch of video and audio streams (podcasts). Then, you can launch the RSS app and browse through the stream. It's very nice. I don't bother sharing what I watch on TV with my Facebook friends and Twitter followers, though, but I could if I wanted to. I think that if a large number of people I know used Boxee, this would be a lot more useful.
Another quibble I have with the UI is that "Watch Later" queue shows your most recent additions on top, and you can't sort it. To find the next episode of a series you've been watching from the queue, you have to scroll down. If I'm going to the trouble of queuing videos, doesn't that imply that I want to watch them in order, not in reverse order?
Hardware
The unique shape of the box is controversial, but it is very small and you should be able to tuck it away somewhere. The remote uses RF, instead of IR, to communicate with the box. Therefore, unlike most (if not all) of your other components, you don't need a line of sight. I actually decided to put the BoxeeBox behind my TV; I can't even see it, but the controller works perfectly fine! The only thing better would be to have Boxee software integrated directly into my TV.
The box is very capable. Until new video formats arrive on scene, I don't see an immediate need for Boxee or D-Link to refresh the hardware. I just hope they continue to improve the software and make the updates available to the Boxee Box.
Overall Impressions
The hardware is great. The box is small and silent (from across the room at least), the RF remote is fantastic, and the hardware overall is a good value over buying an ATOM/ION nettop and IR remote, and installing Boxee (beta) yourself.
Honestly, Boxee got off on the wrong foot with me for introducing so many changes to its UI at the same time it launched this product. Boxee 1.0 looks great--better than ever, really--but it is so simplified that it now takes extra button presses to get to my own content, and I think that was a bad move. I like the product, though, and will get used to the new interface soon enough.
I still think this is a geeky product that is trying to be usable for non-geeks, and just hasn't gotten all the way there yet. I'm a little disappointed in that, and hope that the software will be updated eventually to make it easier and faster to access both local and online content.
It is difficult for me to rate this product 3 stars, but I think that it just isn't quite up to snuff yet to earn 4 or 5. Some software updates and agreements with content providers could improve the user experience greatly (fix that full screen problem or provide a shortcut, please!). I am eagerly anticipating the Netflix app, and plan to award an additional star once it arrives.
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Firmware updates.
11/25/2010 update:
Boxee updated the firmware on Thanksgiving to improve playback issues and stability. This resolved an issue I ran into infrequently (after I wrote my review), in which some local MP4/H.264 files would start playback with sound but no video.
12/13/2010 update:
This is an important update to the user interface!
Boxee updated the firmware to allow users to put local content up front in the "Shows" and "Movies" sections (the top-level, giant icons on the home screen), or to allow online content to take precedence. This is accomplished in the least geeky way possible: After updating the firmware, you are simply sked whether you use the box mostly for local or online content. If you pick "local," the main "Shows" and "Movies" sections default to local content, and online content is buried one level deeper in the menus. You can toggle this preference, and refine it independently for Shows, Movies, and Apps, in Settings > General > Menu. Bravo to Boxee for listening to their users and pushing out this change.
The update also added an hourly scan option for your local content folders, and an icon in the "Local Shows" and "Local Movies" screens that allows you to kick off a rescan immediately. Hourly scanning is a huge upgrade from the daily scanning option, and the new location of the rescan command is a lot easier to get to than it used to be (in Settings > File Sources > [Share Name]).
Boxee also added sorting (A-Z, and Newest First) for Shows and Movies, though, sadly, not in the Watch Later queue. There are also new A-Z lists in the Local Shows and Local Movies sections, to help you browse faster.
There still aren't Netflix or Hulu Plus apps, unfortunately. I think the Boxee Box's UI and playback are shaping up incredibly nicely, though. Now they just need to match their competitors' online content choices.
1/20/2011 update:
Boxee upgraded the firmware to include Vudu support, a new sort option to ignore (if you want to) "A" and "The" when performing a title sort, and various minor fixes. The browser is now much more readable on the TV, and many more online videos open in full-screen. I also discovered a two-click method to put online videos into full-screen if they don't open that way: [menu] > [middle button] (select the double-arrows icon). Vudu's 1080p online movie rental app offers compelling content and great video quality. The Boxee Box still, desperately, needs Netflix and Hulu Plus to catch up with and overtake the competition. Nonetheless, I'm now convinced that this is the best video streamer for local content, and a quality competitor to Google TV and Roku for online content. Netflix should arrive soon; I will award another star then, because then it would be on par with competitors' feature sets.
2/14/2011 update:
After a long wait, and behind schedule (unfortunately), the Netflix app finally arrived on the Boxee Box with this firmware upgrade. The Netflix interface is quick, and the hi-def streaming looks fantastic. Hopefully Hulu Plus will arrive soon.
108 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
Only going to get better
This review is from: The Boxee Box by D-Link HD Streaming Media Player (Electronics)
Some perspective on me: I have never written a review but felt it was necessary in this case. I have been streaming video accross my network since the Buffalo Link Theater (7 yrs ago). I consider myself somewhat of a computer\electronic geek. I, like many others, have been excited about the release of the Boxee Box. I have tried several other similar alternatives (X-Box, LG Blu-ray player, WD...etc) and NOTHING even comes close to the experience I've had so far with the Boxee.
Pros
-Quality hardware
-compact
-qwerty keyboard on back of remote (brilliant!)
-User interface (needs to improvement though)
-Zippy fast getting around (except for downloading cover art for thumbnails)
-Lots of content providers (more to come for sure, Netflix, etc)
-Streams every file I have thrown at it (my movie collection is over 500 strong with different formats).
-there are many more
Cons
-As others have commented (the qwerty remote is unreadable for me without extreem light (come on, grey on black letters!)
-no options to customize the user interface more (advanced settings?)
-many apps load a webpage with the video in a small window with the "full screen" option small and difficult to brows to with the remote (needs much improvement).
If you want to look at your digital piture collection, play your digital videos\movies, listen to your music collection and play content from the web all through a great interface on your DH TV and through your Home Theater system, this box is a must for you. I promise, you will not be disappointed.
I am confident this box will only get better.
125 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
Finally, a solid product
This review is from: The Boxee Box by D-Link HD Streaming Media Player (Electronics)
***UPDATE*** 02/21/11
A few more updates and now we have both VUDU and Netflix Support.
Netflix and Vudu both look really nice on the BoxeeBox, I'm actually really impressed.
I no longer see as many 'no video' issues with apps like I used to. All of the apps work pretty well with only the occasional 'fail to go full screen' problems. The remote feels easier to control in these situations (not sure if it's a fix or I'm just getting used to using it) and making videos full screen is not that hard.
I no longer run into any video or audio issues like I did in the past.
It would be nice if BoxeeBox allowed deleting of local files after you view them, but I can deal with it for now.
Still missing from the Boxee Box:
Hulu support
Amazon Video Streaming
If you want to watch those, you need another device.
The Boxee Box is perfect if you have a lot of local media that you want to watch. The remote also makes finding video on Youtube very easy. It would be close to perfect if Hulu and Amazon were supported.
All in all, the BoxeeBox team has obviously taken the criticism to heart and worked to fix the product. I can now honestly say that I would buy this device again and recommend it for anyone looking for a small, quiet, all in one device. It will be imposible for the BoxeeBox team to make everyone happy, but they have done a great job trying. Thank you guys for actually taking the time to read your users reviews and fix the issues we complained about. That alone makes this device worth all of the trouble I had in the past.
Please note that the reviews below are older. The bottom one I left so you can still see how upset I was when I purchased this device and how they have fixed the issues.
Thanks again.
***UPDATE*** 12/23/10
After using the system for several days with the latest software update, I am pleased to say that it now offers you the option of making your locally stored media a priority. This saves you several clicks each time you want to watch something you have stored locally on your network. As for the internet media, there are some fixes but still some problems. Most of the apps or videos you click on will display in full screen now. This was one of my big issues with the first release. Network performance over wifi seems to be more stable and has yet to show any issues viewing locally stored media. Many of the only videos (I'm looking at you Youtube) still display over-lay ads which slow down the video and are basically impossible to rid yourself of. This is a youtube issue, not a boxee issue but still annoying. Based on what I see now with the boxee box, I would buy this device again. I am still eagerly awaiting Netflix and Hulu support.
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OLD Review, No Longer accurate information
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I have been using the Boxee software for almost 2 years and have mostly loved it. Boxee was the first XMBC spin off to truly attempt a mainstream hardware launch. I pre-ordered the Boxee Box the day it was up back in September. For months, I have been giddy with anticipation of it's arrival. Then I got it today. Upon opening the box and setting up the device, It looked just like the software I was used to. I always admired Boxee for saying "Try it" and actually having good software to try, knowing that one day the sweet sweet hardware would arrive. Then, about 15 minutes into my wonderful experience and before I had the chance to test everything out, it forced me to update. I was then left with an overpriced popcorn hour that glows green.
I'm too tired to write all of the issues here, but here are a few pros and cons:
PROS:
Very small device, Takes up little space.
Nice remote design (save for a few issues) as long as you have light.
Plays most of my locally stored media very well.
It has an OFF button
CONS:
No Netflix support.
No Hulu support.
No VUDU support (Even though it features the app icon on the screen!)
Many of the apps don't play ANY video at all (like the open university app), stating that the video files are not the correct format or are corrupted (Then why have the app on the screen?)
Several apps simply open up a web page in the built in webkit browser with the video showing on only a tiny fraction of the screen. You must painfully navigate to an extremely tiny 'full screen' button to watch full screen video.
Many other apps also just link to youtube videos and show the progress bar at the bottom of the screen with no way to minimize it (unless you are lucky enough to get the 'glowing green bar')
Navigation and layout of locally stored media is abismal. There is no easy way to organise your local media. This wouldn't be a big deal if there was any decent online media to watch.
Typing numbers on the remote is difficult. You must hold down a 'num' button the entire time.
The remote is impossible to see in a dimly lit or dark room. It has no back lighting.
The remote does not function the same across all apps. In Youtube Leanback (which is really neat), the pause/play and back/menu buttons are completely useless. You have to use just the center button and the directional keys. This issue is compounded by the remote being difficult to see unless in direct light.
For the thousands of videos and movies this device has, it is almost all independent and ad supported. I don't mind video ads but the pop up ads that display (since you are basically watching youtube on a browser) are impossible to minimise and block the video.
Boxee may be salvaged in the future but for now, this is basically an heavily overpriced popcorn hour with a worsened layout.
I strongly urge you to wait until these issues are resolved. When these issues are resolved, I will re-do my review and adjust accordingly.
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END of OLD Review, No Longer accurate information
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