Amazon Fire TV

Just announced today and is ready for immediate shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CX5P8FC/ref=amb_link_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=18J70XWV6518YYQGHXW6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1770051702&pf_rd_i=507846

Hmm, don't have time to check it out; I'll bookmark it for later!
Thanks CG

How does it compare to the G Box with XBMC?

Since it just came out today, I question whether you could find a comparison review? However, given Amazon's track record, they will probably add apps at a rapid pace.

For Spencer:

Here is the first comparison review I have seen of the new Fire TV:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2014/04/03/amazon-fire-tv-comparison/7250067/

To answer Spencer, all of the devices in the review appear to me like they provide mostly commercial streaming services so that in addition to the cost of the device you will have subscription costs for each of the services you wish to subscribe to.

With any XBMC box (G-Box included) there are many non-subscription services such as 1Channel, IceFilms, etc. available at no cost. Of course these services may not be as user friendly or as rock-solid as a Netflix, but after a short time of using them they are very easy.

Best for the sprawling digital library: WD TV Live Media Player...

Like the Roku 3 and Apple TV, the WD TV Live can hook you up with a few online services, such as Netflix and YouTube.

But the ability to access these services isn’t the reason to buy one of these instead of the other two devices we’ve already covered.

**Rather, the biggest thing that the WD TV Live has going for it is to play just about any video file under the sun, drawn from wide number of sources. MKV, AVI, MOV, ISO/VOB, JPG, WMV, DTS, and MP4 and also FLAC music can all be played on your television set through a WD TV Live, making it possible to make the most out of your personal media library.

What’s more, all of that content can be drawn from a wide variety of sources. The WD TV Live can stream content from Windows or Mac computers, a USB flash drive, connected external hard drive or a network-connected hard drive. It’s easy to wrangle and use all of the media files in your life without having to first pool them all in one place. It’s even possible to connect a camcorder or digital camera directly to the WD TV Live: a definite bonus for individuals who own older HD television sets that often lack the inputs or ability to do so. That’s a lot of functionality for around $100.

So can the G-Box

skurvish wrote:So can the G-Box

I can't find any list of files supported by G-box, in any reviews or adverts'.

But did see it converts 1080P to 720P.

XBMC is the program that plays the videos and XBMC plays all of those formats. While it is true on the current firmware (1.1.6) that 1080p is down converted to 720p it is my understanding this will be corrected in the next firmware release. As it is how many people actually stream 1080p content anyway. The hardware does support 1080p as many have loaded linux onto it and it play 1080p just fine.

For those on a budget who can't afford subscribing to online streaming the G-Box may be a more financially attractive option.

The G-Box looks like it has more potential than any of the other boxes.