Until I find the time to crank out a proper ZvBox review, anyone can now give the promising Zviewer dashboard a spin. The Mozilla-based software is being releasing today as a public beta, without requiring the $500 ZvBox hardware. While Zviewer will pretty much work on any PC (Mac support is coming), the main benefit of the large, lean-back interface is achieved by utilizing it with a living room PC and remote control. I like where they’re going with this, though the top priorities going forward should be capturing more web video content before new windows can be spawned and working with sites for universal transport controls. From a marketing angle, giving away the software is a great way to get the word out on ZvBox.
Zviewer can take you anywhere on the web, or to the content and applications that you have on your computer, providing practically unlimited video on demand. Users with Microsoft Media Center-compatible remote controls will gain TV-like remote navigation using Zviewer, and functions like Play and Pause will work natively on popular websites such as Hulu. ZeeVee’s ZvRemote includes additional features such as a Full Screen button, on-screen keyboard for text input, and complete mouse control via a touchpad—allowing you to operate any website or desktop application from the couch.
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