I recently purchased a brand new Apple TV 2 and was very upset as to how closed it is. I wanted to replace my big PC running Boxee with the Apple TV. and rent movies from it seeing how the local BlockBuster is closing. Below you will find a video from HD Nation discribing a lot of reasons why I hate the Apple TV and below that is a list of why I hate it.

Here are some of the reasons why I am taking it back and switching back to the Boxee.

1. No Pandora – Yea no Pandora..crazy!
2. No Keyboard – Just the original Apple Remote. This is important for me as I like to be able to search for content FAST not hunt and scroll.
3. Limited Flickr Support – The Flickr support is ridiculous on this and way better on the Boxee. You have no way to add your account so how do you view priviate photos. Maybe there is a way I’m just Apple Tv dumb?
4. Adding “Non iTunes Movies” – This is really nice in Boxee, as long as you have the move file named correctly it finds the Movie art and Meta Data for you automaticaly. Not so much for iTunes and Apple TV. Also with the Apple TV you have to have a computer with iTunes running to view the movies where with Boxee it just needs to be a shared hard drive or something like that.
5. Closed – Unless you jailbreak your Apple TV it is very closed. You can’t add new mediums or apps for content like you can for Boxee.
6. No Browser – Yea thats right no browsing the internet.
7. No 1080p – The Apple TV only supports 720p.

Some other things I’d like to see

I’d also like to see online movie content providers offering subscription based content. I have a pass (or did) at BlockBuster with Unlimited movie and game rentals with no due dates and up to 2 movies out at a time for around $30 dollars, why can’t Vudu or iTunes provide this kind of subscription based process for online media? I think Netflix is the closes to this but it can take up to 7years before they get the latest content on their online database.

I found a really cool Apple Script that allows you to quickly add artwork to iTunes movies. I guess the software is called “iTunes Movie Artwork” by jdownie.  What you need to do is download the software from here and then follow the steps on this page.

iTunes Cover Flow After iTunes Movie Artwork Ran

Boxee has just pushed out a new update with some new features to include NHL and more file control.

NHL GameCenter LIVE™ on Boxee

First and foremost we’re excited to announce that NHL GameCenter LIVE™ is now available on Boxee.  Subscribers to the monthly/annual subscription service ($19.95 / $79 respectively) can now watch great Hockey games & fights in HD (where available) on Boxee.

Boxee Beta Updates

In addition to this great new content partnership, we are also releasing the next version of the Boxee Beta, which now includes:

File Identification Progress

Easily see how many files Boxee is scanning, has identified, and doesn’t recognize within your media collection.  Check the status from any menu sidebar (TV shows, Movies, Music) or from the Media settings menu (Settings -> Media).

Manual Movie & TV Show identification
Help Boxee identify your personal media by telling it what’s in your collection.  To change incorrectly labeled files select the movie or TV show, then click the “drivers license with a circle in the top right corner”  icon on the right end of the pop-up menu.

Find and identify unresolved files by going to the “Files” menu, and selecting the “unresolved” folder from the bottom of the list.  Select files and follow the instructions above to label them properly.  You’ll now be able to put in movie names and TV show seasons and episodes to ensure your collection is pristine.

Facebook & Twitter in your Boxee feed
In addition to pushing recommendations to your social networks, you can see recommendations from friends on Facebook & Twitter from within Boxee.  Shared videos appear automatically in your feed with an icon on the right to let you know where they are from.  Set up this new option from the web in your service settings for Facebook & Twitter.

New & Improved RSS Management
We’ve created a brand new way to manage, discover and play RSS feeds in Boxee.  First, check out the new management & discovery console on our website.  Search, arrange by category or sort through the most popular, top rated, new, and HD feeds available on Boxee.  Then use the RSS feeds App to play back your favorites.

Bug Fixes and Fixes and Fixes, and Fixes!
We’ve been able to address hundreds of bugs in this version of Boxee.  Thanks to everyone who helped us out by submitting issues to our support team.

Supposed to be introduced around June of this year is the new Lumix DMC-G2 by Panasonic. This camera really has a lot of cool features. Not only does it include a huge, movable 3-inch touch live view LCD screen, but it is the first digital interchangeable lens camera. Like professional cameras, but with the price tag of a lower end camera, you have the ability to change the lens to help you get that “long distance” shot not capable with other less-expensive cameras. It comes equipped with one 14-42 mm zoom range lens, but is compatible with all Micro Four Thirds system lenses. Sweet.

Yet, the coolest feature in my opinion is the screen. Just one touch starts the auto focus and the auto exposure, and of course can snap a photo. The auto focus itself has many nice “touches,” like selecting your focal point. When in playback mode, drag the photos left or right to look through them, like Cover Flow on your iPod’s. Changing your settings will be much easier with touch as well, but the old school control pad will still be there if preferred. Not only is the touch feature pretty nifty, but this screen rotates from side-to-side 180 degrees and up and down 270 degrees, providing almost 100% of your field of view. With all these exciting components, one might think the resolution wouldn’t be too great. Well actually, it is. With a 460,000-dot free-angle Intelligent LCD and 1,440,000-dot 1.4x Live View Finder, I must admit that’s a pretty nice looking screen. And yes, I WOULD touch it.

But enough about the screen, can it actually take good pictures and video? The Lumix G2 has a high-speed and high-performance Venus Engine HD II, which supports the new image processing technology called Intelligent Resolution. This allows you to take some great shots, both photo and HD video. The Intelligent Resolution automatically detects and enhances outlines, detailed areas, and soft points in the frame, giving a naturally clear image.

For all you beginner photographers out there who aren’t really looking for all the fancy things, there is the iA (Intelligent Auto) feature which automatically engages features and settings for the best image quality. It is available in still photo and video recording settings.

Other small features include a dust reduction system to reduce bothersome dirt and dust that clings to your image sensor when changing lenses, and included software which allows you to sort and organize your photos and even upload your videos directly to YouTube. Plus, pick your cameras color from black, red, or blue. There is no set price yet, but expect to see this cool looking camera up for grabs in a couple months.

Even though I love my Olympus E-410, I’m really considering this as my next camera buy. Thanks Panasonic: Something new for us to touch.

Article by: Sara (salvis213@gmail.com)