With every announcement of a major media company making their content available for free (with ads, of course) online, I have inched closer and closer to freeing myself of the tyranny of my local cable company. The major hangup for me has been that all those companies have been on their own sites which would mean that even if I hooked one of my computers up to a TV, I would end up having to go to each site to “channel surf.” Then Hulu came around making that problem a little less by aggregating a lot of that content into one site. But it was still incomplete until now.
I had been hearing about Boxee for the mac for a while and decided to try it out. Wow. Here’s a little equation that I think explains it perfectly: Hulu + Glory = Boxee. Can you access Hulu content? Yes. But you can also access a plethora of other online content from podcasts to MTV that all comes preloaded. And don’t worry, if you find some specific site or YouTube stream that you like, you can plug it in manually!
What this means for me is that I am going to save at least $50 a month by cancelling cable TV and using a computer hooked to my TV to get all the network content online. I mean, that’s enough to feed a family of five for one month and still have enough for two more latte’s!
Unfortunately, Boxee is Mac and Linux only, but rest easy. It is based on the XBMC software that has PC as well.
Actually on the PC you can use TVersity Pro. It is one time $29.95, and they give you a trial on the honor system. The trial is not limited in any way…time, uses, features…nothing. You are on your own honor to pay the fee and get a license key. It streams from most major sites including the netwroks and Hulu, You Tube, etc. http://tversity.com/hulu-bbc-iplayer-joost-cbs-marvel-comedy-central-amazon-vod-and-the-list-goes-on/