Streams well and is fast, but there draconian restrictions on viewing personal media
350408
It streams movies when I have enough data, but so do several other media players, most of which cost less.  I bought this thinking that the USB port would allow me to move movies that I own to a flash drive to have a library available when I get close to my monthly data cap.  Unfortunately, Amazon only wants you to be able to stream.  It's unbelievable that they would deliberately leave off a very simple feature that could make this device more versatile.  I'll never buy anything with any of Amazon's operating systems again.  It still gets three stars because it's faster than my Roku, and I can play a lot of free Amazon App Store games on it.  I really don't like rooting anything, but I'm going to give it a shot.  If I brick it, I'll just throw it away and buy a different media player.
1927023
I bought this product mostly for its streaming capabilities.  I wanted to store iTunes, pictures, and my DVD collection and access them from a variety of devices from Roku to Android and iOS products.  When it performs as intended it is brilliant serving all of these media options, via Twonky, to all my devices flawlessly.  However, things don't always go as expected.

First, I was pleasantly surprised with how small the device was.  I don't know why I expected larger but it is in fact big enough to house 2 drives with casing around it.  The device comes with the mounting hardware needed to add rails to the drives.  It also comes with a drive puller that is stored on the back of the door.  Very nice touch that works well.  The door itself is very cheap plastic which comes off easily, but this isn't something you should need to handle very much at all after setup.  It also comes with a network cable which I didn't need and a setup CD.  The CD did not work in my drive, but a quick browse to their website got me the software required and also let me check that the firmware was the latest.  Finally, there is a small pamphlet to help you get it up and going but to get any real info on this device you will want to go to their website where they have a very extensive and very long PDF.

I purchased 2-3TB drives to go into this unit under RAID 1 configuration.  Setup was extremely simple and I was copying and streaming in no time.  Unfortunately, the good times did not last.  Later in the day the unit stopped streaming and the CPU was pegged at 100%.  Turning off Twonky dropped it to 0% but it shot right back to 100% when turning it back on.  I decided to reboot the device using the admin consoles restart option.  This is when my nightmare began.  Upon coming back up the drive lights came on with no issue, but the start-up sequence did not run and the system light kept blinking.  I left it alone for more than 10 hours but it never came back up.  I am not going to go through all of my troubleshooting steps here but I also did attempt to seek help from their website/forum/email.  Their forum seems to be totally customer help driven with none of their own folks on there.  Some folks tried to help as best they could, but nothing worked.  In the end I found I had to flash the firmware to an older one and then back to a newer one.  I had a drive reformatted in a previous troubleshooting attempt so I thought it would be interesting to see how RAID 1 worked here.  It didn't.  Even with the unit back on line, it did not repair the RAID thus making me reformat both drives and starting over.  This should make everyone very nervous about just how well protected your data is using RAID with this device.  Lastly, the device did not work as a print server for me even though the unit itself recognizes the printer.  It simply doesn't show up as something I can attach to in Win7.

The unit is working once again and as originally, when it works it works great.  Despite what it may show in terms of the Firmware you may have to flash it anyway.  Also, I would be extremely hesitant to go through a reboot when the unit is doing anything.  Wait until CPU is at 0% if you can.  With better reliability and better customer support I would be happy to give this product 5-stars.  However, reliability is a big concern and I'd strongly recommend having another backup of any data you cannot afford to lose.
818071
If the D2740 was only a wireless media player, I would have given it four stars. The UI is simple but good. The software that you install on your PC is good but it takes forever to search for media. I like that the D2740 will connect to Real Media player to allow streaming of internet radio stations.

I ripped all 650 of my CDs to MP3s and packed them away. The  D2740 makes it easy to search by song, artist or album. You can also create playlists on the host PC and access the lists through the player.

The wireless connection is quick enough to stream video, just make sure that your PC has the horsepower (and video power) to stream. I have an older PIII laptop that could not stream well and the video was choppy. My 3.2 GHz machine with a decent ATI card has no problems pushing the video over the network.

Now the bad... the DVD player is pretty bad. It plays video DVDs OK, but it will not even recognize my DVD-A's. My XBOX is a better DVD player.

Another mini-peeve is that GoVideo puts a sticker over the display screen that is almost impossible to get off. I have had this device for 5 months and still have not been able to get the sticker residue off completely... what were they thinking???

Pros - Good streaming capabilities, good media search function, wireless connection decent

Cons - DVD player is bad, PC software has slow new media searching function.
442559
I thought this would be the perfect solution for OTA recording and streaming to all my TVs. And functionally, it is. It connects to your home network, NOT your TV; it uses attached USB storage, or NAS, for storing recordings, so you can choose how much you need; It provides a channel guide for a reasonable fee; It streams to an app, so I can keep the number of boxes attached to my TVs limited to one - in my case, Rokus; And it can send up to 4 streams at once, depending on the model you buy. And no PC required for anything after the initial setup. Beautiful.

But EVERY cord-cutting device out there seems to have at least one fatal flaw (I have to wonder if this is by design). In the Tablo's case, it's the volume level of the recordings. On my TVs, the volume level is about HALF the level of every other source (DirecTV, Blu-Ray player, and Roku running any app other than Tablo). On my primary set,  the TV volume is normally around 50, with almost no variance from source to source. However, when viewing the Tablo recordings through the Roku app, I have to max the volume to 100 to achieve the same level as everything else. It's the same whether I'm using the TV's internal speakers, or a sound bar, or a surround receiver. For me, this is unacceptable.

According the support community, Tablo has been aware of this issue for years but has yet to provide a solution. Tech support took my call, and said they would send a follow-up email, but never did. And with my return window shrinking fast, I have no choice but to return it.

Edit - I got the email shortly after posting this. Sadly, no solution is planned.
1899244
This product is what you need if you are looking for watching videos on your TV (using Netflix, Youtube, etc.), also you can get your own storage device and play your own stuff. As it is an Android-based device I can install almost any Android app I use on my phone (I also have Spotify for music). HD works totally nice. Streaming is great, you can use it either via Ethernet or Wifi. I recommend it.

You also would need an extra mouse to operate it, the remote provided makes it almost impossible to operate it, and the mouse makes it totally smooth.

Sometimes the product runs slow (that's why I gave 3 stars), maybe it's because it just has 1GB RAM, and it is annoying, I'd prefer one with 2GB RAM.
4705314
This is a great little device, and it works nicely for my primary purpose - streaming media from my Plex media server. A lot of free channels to choose from, but unless you live in the US you will have a much smaller selection than advertised. My main issue is that neither Spotify nor Netflix are available, despite Spotify being a European service, and Netflix launching in my country last year.

I contacted Roku support, and was informed that there were no plans to make these channels available outside the US. Caveat Emptor I guess, but I do wish I'd known this before ordering.
3144275
90% of my viewing is locally stored files.  Not knowing any differently, I bought a Roku device and, though it had a nice interface and fine performance, it couldn't stream from my storage device so I sold it.  In February of 2012 (almost two years ago now) I got one of these Sony units bundled with a new Sony tv and it does exactly what I need.  I purchased another for the bedroom tv.

Netflix and Amazon both have worked well for me on this unit, depending on their servers' performances (I check isitdownrightnow dot com when there is buffering, especially for Netflix), for the whole two years.  Out here in the boonies, I have a 1.5GB capped wireless connection and a Netgear N600 router,

I am looking for alternatives for a dlna player, in case there is something worth 5 stars, but there aren't any that I would spend money on as far as I can tell.  The main drawbacks, to explain my 4-star rating instead of a 5-star, is the pokey remote responsiveness and the slow start-up, and that every so often it locks up and I have to unplug it to clear whatever the problem is.  None of this is really a problem, though.  It just seems a tad clunky.  But since I can watch 8 hours of a tv show without having to press "play" in between each episode, it makes me happy.  Not that I'm a potato or anything...
491330
I ordered this box as a replacement for my Micca EP350, which is essentially the same box (only smaller) with the same capabilities (sans Wi-Fi), running the same operating system (slightly different GUI) with a different badge on the hood. My Micca seemed to have a problem with [animated] 1080p .MKV files, lots of stopping and pixilation, making them impossible to watch. I figured I'd "upgrade" based on this, and the built-in Wi-Fi which I mainly use for downloading IMDB posters and a little bit of network file sharing.

So the verdict? I'm still having the same playback issues, but I'm beginning to suspect it is either the files themselves, or a problem in transfer. Probably not the unit's fault
I've deducted a star for reliability. My unit will frequently crash during the first one minute of booting up, and you've got to hold down the power button on the unit for a good eight seconds or so to get it to power down. I don't like this since I know it can't be good for the hard drive, and it's an inconvenience of epic proportions when trying to put on a flick for a date. (not sexy to spend five minutes fiddling with the thing while she's sitting on the couch, on her phone checking out the other offers she got for tonight on facebook.)
Other than this, NFS is easy, playback is good, interface is basic but not as confusing as it seems in the badly-translated manual, USB 3.0 is WICKED for transferring terabytes of Michael Caine in glorious open-source high-def illegally downloa-...... er, It seems that I Digress.
Streaming over Wi-Fi isn't a good idea, it really needs to be plugged into your router to get the kind of speeds you find on the xbox- or - playstation youtube and Netflix applications.

Basically, If you want streaming, get a Roku. If you're a file-hoarder and are sick of watching movies on your computer in VLC because it's the only thing that'll play 'em, buy this thing. It may be a little buggy, but this whole "Hard disk based media box" market is pretty new and pretty niche (and very continental-Asia based), and this is the best of the lot. If you don't care about Wi-Fi, buy the Micca EP350.
203954
Been using this baby for a few months now to stream Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. Despite the occasional hiccup where the streaming stars freezing up after the device has been left on and inactive for a prolonged period of time (not sure if this is an issue with my connection or the device itself, but the fix is an easy plug/unplug from the back of the box), I've experienced next to no connection problems. Easy installation; fast, quality streaming? Has all the apps I care to need? Plays both DVD and Blu-ray? Is able to play .mp4 files from the discs I burn, unlike my previous (and quite outdated) DVD player? For those who want advanced customization options and an endless selection of apps, this is probably not for you; otherwise, it's a hardy little device I can't recommend more.
1725123
The Roku XS player does everything I bought it for: streams Netflix, MLB.tv, HBO Go, Pandora, and allows me to attach a drive via USB.  The device is even smaller than I had realized, and it's nice that it offers both wireless and wired options; I mainly use wireless unless I move it to the living room.  It's the same price as an AppleTV, and while the UI isn't as friendly or smooth, it can do most thing an AppleTV can, while both devices have a features that the other doesn't offer.

The UI is often laggy.  Sometimes the device will error out in the middle of streaming a show/movie, or all of the sudden reboot itself.  The home screen is simply all of your channels aligned in a single horizontal row, which can be a pain when you start to add a few channels and have to scroll back and forth between them.  The remote control is fairly nice, though I haven't used the motion control bit of it yet.  I also found there's an Android app that allows the user to control the Roku right from there phone/tablet, a nice added feature.

Overall a very nice device for the price, and relative to its competitors.  If you're willing to work through the frustration of what can, at times, be a sluggish, buggy user experience, you'll find this small device is really quite powerful.
1083574
I have had this for nearly a year and while it plays DVDs just fine, the streaming was often so bad it wasn't watchable. I have a very fast internet wi-fi and it works fine with all my devices except this player.  I would get 65 Mbps watching Netflix on my laptop in another room but only get 4 to 14 Mbps for Netflix in the same room with my wi-fi and about 10 feet away.  Go to the boards and read all the people with the same problem and the runaround Sony gives people.  There is no solution for most people because Sony reroutes your stream through their servers (which they won't admit to) thus everything takes much longer and is slowed down compared to anything without Sony.  I just bought a little cheap Amazon Fire Stick and now my streaming is lighting fast.  So my advice is, don't use Sony to stream.
3304746
<div id="video-block-RCM1XIM8ME2X6" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/E1p-wy4GG5S.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81XSm1vieWS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">This product positions itself as a Chromecast alternative. But if you're looking for a Chromecast get the Chromecast. The media streaming capabilities on this are nowhere near as good.

But where this device gets interesting is that it is the first HDMI stick I've encountered that can do both Airplay Mirroring from iOS & Macs as well as Miracast streaming from Android and Windows devices. And the performance is actually very fast and responsive.

As a media streamer it's not so good, it basically relies on the host device to stream its video over and does not work as efficiently as a Chromecast or Roku Streaming stick that streams the media directly from the source. So for those applications Chromecast or the Roku are a better choice.

It has a surprisingly nice interface both on the television and the controller app. But I found some issues with it connecting to the iShare from my iPhone through my existing wireless network. It only worked when I directly connected the iOS device to the iShare, effectively severing the iPhone's internet connection. Airplay mirroring, however, worked fine through my wireless network so I think it's just a firmware issue at the moment.  The Android app worked fine through my network.

The bottom line?  Buy it if you want something that supports both Miracast and Airplay mirroring.  But don't get it if you're looking for a YouTube or Netflix streaming solution. There are much better devices for that.
2944040
The 480P resolution is nice, the only thing I didn't like is that you can view the video of the camera without a login name, and you can't disable it.

If you leave the cloud setting enabled (Which I didn't), someone else could easily see this camera without the need for credentials.
4325648
This device works well for Pandora, Hulu+, etc. but the NetFlix streaming is painfully horrible. All HD video is constantly pausing waiting for download. I do not experience this problem on the two computers wired to the same Ethernet switch. My Internet connection can maintain over 7Mbps. This device simply does not work for HD video from NetFlix.
620761
I bought 3. Setup was easy, assuming you have a power outlet not too far away. Overall it works great, just as advertised. Live camera is fine. Motion detect works well but the biggest downside to me is the inability to easily browse videos across a timeline - you can only access individual files one at a time, and there can be many, many, many individual files. That is a huge negative which I hope will be resolved via software changes in the viewing tools. Still giving it 4 stars because everything else seems to work great, no headaches, and a reasonable price.
3425698
The installation was a piece of cake, but the problems started as soon as I tried streaming anything from Netflix. After some back-and-forth between Vizio and Netflix customer services, I was informed that the likely problem was the "mere" 10Mbps of download speed available for the box.
I went to the Apple store that afternoon and got an AppleTV... which works like a charm. Added bonus (1) AppleTV has hulu+, which Vizio/Android doesn't, (2) the Vizio remote control is nice, but you can control your AppleTV with your iPhone (or much slimmer remote included).
It's a shame because I like the brand and think their TVs are really the best bang for your bucks on the market. That stream player however has serious software flows (how is it that AppleTV has no problem streaming Netflix with my 10Mbps of download speed?)
3224680
The Boxee Box is a great device that has lived up to most of my expectations for a Media Streamer. It does what it set out to do, which is being a great media streamer. The additional apps and browsing functionality, is useful and are very functional for the most part.

There are a few caveats to my glowing review however.
1) Boxee changed the interface right before launch. The new interface puts a spotlight on the online media, and puts local content on a back burner. For me, I purchased this box to be a local media streamer, and as such I was not at all happy about this move. However, Boxee has all but agreed that this is a mistake and has promised to try and resolve this in the future.

2) If you're buying this as a way to get a browser on your TV, don't. The browser is mostly functional, but is difficult to navigate with the remote. If a browser on your TV is what you're after, a WiDi adapter, or the Logitech Revue would probably be much much better options.

That being said, in general, I'm very happy with the Boxee Box, and with the upcoming features/changes that Boxee has committed to delivering, I think it will only get better from here.

If you're looking for a little box to add to your home theater to stream media you have on your network, and would like the capability of playing TED, Youtube, and other online videos - this device should make you very very happy. :)