[LINK] Webstream boxes in US

[Jan Whitaker]

[I believe the US has already gone digital -- this is what we've been 
talking about re other broadband applications when you have the right 
payment model and enough bandwidth]

"DENVER - More and more people are looking to get the Internet on 
their TV. Newer sets are "Internet ready." But if you're not in the 
market for a new television, there are boxes that stream the Web 
directly to your TV.

Depending on the box, you can surf the Web or just access sites like 
Amazon and Netflix. The boxes are from the four major sellers: Apple, 
Roku, D-Link, and Logitech, which offers Google TV.

Consumer Reports just tested several and found that each box has pros and cons.

Logitech Revue's keyboard makes it easy to use the full Web browser. 
But the keyboard's size is a drawback-it makes for a pretty big 
remote! And it's expensive at $300.

The $200 Boxee Box from D-Link costs less, but testers found 
navigating difficult. There's no mouse, and the controller is tough 
to use. And right now the content is pretty limited.

And how about the $100 box from Apple? It has a slick user interface, 
and probably the best integration with Netflix of any box Consumer 
Reports tested. But at this point there's not a lot of content; you 
can only rent, not buy, video; and it doesn't have a Web browser.

The Roku XDS also costs $100, and it lacks a Web browser, too. You 
can access movies and TV shows from Amazon and Netflix as well as 
from Roku's own channel. But you can't access YouTube, and the 
interface can be confusing.

Consumer Reports says that before your choose a box, you should 
figure out how comfortable you're going to be using the interface, 
and whether the boxes are going to offer the kind of content you really want.

You can also get the Web on your TV with an Internet-enabled Blu-ray 
player. Consumer Reports recommends the Panasonic DMP-BD85, $170. It 
offers wireless access to Panasonic's Viera Cast online service, 
which includes movies and shows from Amazon and Netflix.

Consumer Reports has no commercial relationship with any advertiser 
or sponsor appearing on this Web site."

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/182571/346/Consumer-Reports-Best-TV-boxes-for-web-streaming?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|t

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Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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