Hot off the presses: Apple has updated the Mac Mini. $699 gets you a fairly capable machine, notably including an HDMI connector and an internal power supply. It's a bit pricey if all you want to do is run Boxee, but if you want a full-blown HTPC, it might be attractive.
Yeah, I saw that this morning, and $699 is a bit ridiculous for an HTPC with no DVR or BluRay functionality.
I feel like the XBox has more home theater functionality than either the generic or the Boxee Box.
Based on the fact that it plays games? That I'll agree with; anything else and I'm pretty sure you're 100% wrong. My experience is that anything that claims to do double-duty as a home theater device does it very poorly. After all, that's why XBMC was developed in the first place.
No, I base it on a few things (granted, several of them are rumor). Once they add the search functionality, it'll be the best Netflix playback device available. There's rumor that Hulu will be coming to it (though I'm not holding my breath). And like I said, as a Windows Media Center Extender, there are few devices better at it.
The XBox 360, combined with a Windows Media Center PC, is IMO the easiest and least expensive way to get a whole-house media experience. I'm sure I'll get some arguments for other platforms, but from what I've seen it's hard to beat.
Whether it's significantly less red-ring-of-deathier remains to be seen.
The RROD appears to be mainly caused by excessive heat generation. If Microsoft hasn't fixed it by now after multiple generations of the original 360 hardware and now a completely new redesign then they're seriously slacking off in R&D.
I would be shocked if they hadn't addressed this issue. It was the single largest problem with the console, after all, and the new design is clearly meant to address the heat issue. It seems like every side is covered in vents. However, I agree that it's wise to wait and see if any problems come up.
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