Boxee Box, D-Link's entry into what is becoming an increasingly crowded field of set-top boxes looking to deliver Internet content to your TV screen hit the streets this week 
without Netflix or Hulu. The lack of a deal with either company could make its $200 price tag look a little too big to consumers who want to take the plunge into the over-the-top content world, but also want to be able to get the content they want.
And, while the company says it's planning to bring Netflix to the Box by the end of the year, and is working with Hulu to land Hulu Plus, the operative words there are 'planning' and 'working.' Neither is a guarantee. Boxee CEO Avner Ronen last week told FierceOnlineVideo that he hoped Netflix, because of Boxee's relationship with the compnay--it's on the Internet version of Boxee--would quickly be added to the Boxee Box. Hopes for Hulu coming on board soon, meanwhile, are a little less bright.
Despite those two significant minuses, the device, which is one of the most interesting of the content hubs on the market to look at, does come with a bevy of pluses.
In lieu of Netflix, you can get rentals and purchase movies from Vudu or some of the other partners Boxee already has on board, including MUBI, OpenFilm, IndieMoviesOnline and EZTakes. And, it really can do full 1080p HD, with great audio.
By the way, a quick P.S. from Boxee on a bug just discovered: Boxee Box has playback issues when connected to a 1080i TV. A quick workaround, says the company, is to change the TV setting to 720p. Boxee says it's working on a fix.
For more:
- see this blog
Related articles:
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Boxee CEO Avner Ronen on the Boxee Box and an industry revolution