Goodbye Boxee Box. Welcome Boxee TV. In a surprising move Boxee leaves the internet-only space and enters into the traditional TV market with the new Boxee TV with built-in TV tuners and cloud-based recording functionality. The internet platform remains but heavily amputated. Boxee Box is discontinued.
Boxee TV with cloud-based PVR
Boxee Box has been out for a few years now and is now being replaced by a newer model. The Boxee TV looks like a traditional TV set-top box – also on the inside.
Boxee TV will replace the Boxee Box
Boxee TV has built-in TV tuners for terrestrial and cable connections. Two of each tuner is available so users can record two TV programs simultaneously. However, recordings are not stores on the actual device but instead in the cloud. For $15 USD per month users will have access to unlimited storage at Amazon’s servers, Boxee says. The recorded shows can also be accessed via a PC/Mac, smartphone or tablet.
The odd-looking Boxee Box is history
Internet platform amputated
Boxee TV still has internet features and apps, just like the Boxee Box, but the internet functionality has been limited to only a few services. According to Boxee a typical user relied on only 5 apps of the 400 in total. Therefore, Boxee provides access to these 5 services that include Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Vimeo, and Pandora. Spotify will arrive later on.
Boxee TV says that the new user interface is more user-friendly and that the box will be much more consumer-oriented that geek-oriented.
Boxee TV will be available in USA on the 1st of November. It will sell for $99 compared to just below $200 for the old Boxee Box. No words on the European launch plans yet. The Boxee Box will be discontinued and no future updates should be expected.
What do you think about Boxee’s 180-degree turn?
Boxee TV with cloud PVR replaces Boxee Box
