Basic HTML Version
74
JUNE 2012
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
different from one another, mak-
ing your job less a ma er of comparison
than of finding the gadget that does what
you need it to do.
Most gamers already own one of the
best external components out there, the
Xbox 360
.With theoptional Kinect camera
($120) a ached, theXboxLive service offers
voice and gesture recognition for waving
and shouting your way through TV, movie
and music content—which is especially
handywhenyou’redoingauniversal search,
since you don’t have to type anything into
a remote. Still, I prefer using the optional
Xbox 360media remote ($20) because of its
smooth toggling between Netflix,
Vudu, HBOGo, Twi er
and Facebook (all of
which you’ll need a
$60 annual Xbox
Gold subscription
to use). Regard-
less of howyou
interact with it,
the Xbox 360 is
a well-engineered
option that is con-
stantly being upgraded
with new apps and can be had
for as li le as $200.
For social media junkies, the
Boxee Box
($180) is the way to go.
What I likeabout thisstrangelyshaped li le
guy is its dedicated “Friends” playlist, which
automaticallyupdateswiththe latestvideos
posted by your Facebook and Twitter
friends and will save you from a ‘‘Like”-
induced video marathon in the middle of
the work day. If they’re paying a ention,
manufacturerswill incorporate something resembling this feature
into their next-gen smart TVs.
If space and wiring are an issue, there’s
Apple TV
, which for
only $99 boasts full 1080p HD quality—impressive, considering
the device isn’tmuchbigger thana lemon square. I justwish it had
more built-in streaming apps. (That said, theNetflix implementa-
tion is smooth and offersmoreHDmovies than on other devices.)
Asaworkaround, Airplaycompatibility letsyouwirelesslystream
videos fromyour iPhone or iPadontoyour TV. Thisworks
with videos from sites like Hulu and HBOGo, and
if you already own a lot of iTunes shows,
movies and music, it’s an easy and inex-
pensive way to get that content up on
your big-screen.
It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in mechani-
cal engineering to realize that the
smart money is on external set-top
box solutions versus all-in-one TVs,
mainly because it’s a lot easier to
replace last year’s $99 set-topboxwith
this year’s. But once manufacturers
figure out how to combine the best of
what’s already available for an affordable
price, the era of the smart TV will truly arrive—and the phrase
“boob tube” will be, at long last, obsolete.
Hemispheres
tech columnist
TOM SAMILJAN
considers public-
television documentaries the original smart TV.
JUNE CROSSWORD ANSWERS
BRIGHT IDEAS
||
TECH
BOXEE BOX
XBOX 360
APPLE TV