DeviceGuru

Although somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of Boxee’s first iPad app in the Apple App Store, Boxee Box firmware v1.2 was also released this week and began showing up on users’ devices.

Boxee v1.2 includes the key features and enhancements listed below.

• Networking and file playback:
  • Added support for Apple Filing Protocol (AFP)
  • Added support for Network File System (NFS)
  • Enhanced support for SMB/CIFS shares
  • Added support for Boxee Media Manager (and the Boxee for iPad app)
  • Added support for OS X Lion as a source for video files
  • Added Apple AirPlay media rendering support
• Interface:
  • Added the ability to filter based on content sources, within Movies and Shows libraries
  • Added a new “Featured Apps” section
• Browser:
  • Improved HTML 5 video support
• Settings:
  • Added support for HDMI output YUV422 and YUV444
  • Added support for HDMI output 30- and 36-bit color
  • Added the option for users to receive Boxee Box firmware “Beta Releases”

For additional details, including information on bug fixes and current limitations, read the complete Boxee Box v1.2 Release Notes.

Making it easier to slice and dice content

As the quantity of Shows and Movies available for streaming on the Boxee Box has expanded exponentially, it has become increasingly difficult to sift through it all to decide what you would like to watch.

For example, the aggregate Boxee library of Movies available for streaming on the Boxee Box — including paid, ad-based, and add-free titles — currently numbers 11,034. And that doesn’t include the thousands of Netflix movies that don’t show up in the Boxee library. Similarly, the Boxee Shows library currently numbers 1,306, also not counting Netflix.

Obviously, it would be hard to simply page through all these available movies and shows looking for something to watch — unless you know exactly what you’re seeking, in which case you can search for it by name. But even a search may return multiple results, requiring you to select and read each result’s details to determine whether it is a paid, add-supported, or add-free version.

Content channels

As a first step toward simplifying this process, Boxee began implementing content channels for Movies and Shows earlier this year, and has been expanding their number with each subsequent Boxee Box software release. Thanks to this feature, you can list shows or movies by channel, much as you would check to see what’s playing on HBO or Comedy Central.

As of the Boxee Box firmware v1.2 release, there are 29 Shows channels and 10 Movies channels:

• Shows channels: Crackle, Crunchyroll, Current TV, CWTV, DIY, Engadget, FOX, FX Networks, HGTV, History Channel, HUB, IFC, KidsWB, myLifetime, Nicelodeon, PBS, PBS Kids, Revision 3, Spike TV, TBS, TED, The WB, TruTV, TV Land, TVO, VH1, VICE, Vudu, Xfinity
• Movies channels: Databazaar, EZTakes, HUB, MUBI, myLifetime, OpenFilm, Popcornflix, SnagFilms, Vudu, YouTube

Note that Netflix, which is not classified as a channel, remains a special case. Its content is not searched through the Boxee library, and does not show up in the Boxee Box’s Movies and Shows lists. Instead, Netflix content can only be browsed from within the device’s dedicated Netflix app.

Channels filter

As part of the Boxee Box firmware v1.2 release, Boxee has included an additional slicing and dicing mechanism: the Channels Filter.

Now, you can select/deselect content channels from the all-shows or all-movies views, making it easy to skim for titles alphabetically or search using the search function, while having control over which channels are included/excluded from the list or search.

With all premium (i.e. paid) channels excluded, the number of titles showing up in the Boxee Movies library drops from 11,034 to 1,346, which represents the number of free movies (ad-supported or ad-free) currently available to watch through the Boxee Box (subject to regional restrictions). Incidentally, the premium channels are DataBazaar, MUB, and Vudu. Using the channels filter, you can easily select/deselect those or any other channels to match your preferred set of movie sources.

In the case of shows, the Boxee Shows library shrinks from 1,306 to 1,220 titles when you exclude the single premium shows channel, Vudu, via the channels filter. Note that since each show generally comprises multiple episodes, the actual number of episodes available to watch is considerably larger than the number of shows. As with movies, you can configure the channels filter to make it easy to find shows from your favorite sources.

Also, don’t miss these…

A few other noteworthy additions in the Boxee Box v1.2 firmware release include support for browsing and streaming local NFS and AFP shares, and the ability for the Boxee Box to act as an AirPlay A/V media renderer.

With regard to the Boxee Box’s new AirPlay rendering capabilities, DeviceGuru tested it out and is pleased to report that it works, for both audio and video. Watch for a related tip on this interesting topic later this week. (Hint: be sure to enable the setup option for AirPlay rendering, at “Settings > Servers > Enable streaming from iOS devices”)

Finally, if you’d like to stay on the bleeding edge of Boxee Box functionality, be sure to enable the new option in setup, through which you can elect to receive beta Boxee Box firmware updates.