Boxee launches its cloud DVR service in the San Francisco Bay Area
Boxee’s cloud DVR service is finally coming to the Bay Area: The company pushed out an update Wednesday that enables recording for its second-generation set-top boxes. Read more »
Comcast confirms: Yes, we’re encrypting basic cable now
Comcast is getting ready to encrypt its basic cable channels. Consumers affected by the change need to get another box to keep watching. Read more »
Boxee rebrands new device as Cloud DVR, tones down cord cutting rhetoric
Boxee TV is dead, long live Boxee Cloud DVR: Boxee’s recently-launched consumer electronics device has been rebranded, and the company introduced a free service tier. Read more »
Boxee TV gets DLNA, 3-D streaming and more
Boxee TV devices can finally play videos stored on a network attached storage drive, and even receive Airplay-like streams from a mobile device, thanks to a new firmware update. Read more »
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How consumer media will change in 2013
Many of the biggest stories in the connected consumer space occurred mostly offstage in 2012, from Apple’s new media services to policymakers in Washington. Overall, the past 12 months have laid important groundwork for significant advances in the connected consumer space. The year 2013 should be eventful. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Boxee lands exclusive Walmart distribution deal for its Boxee TV device
Boxee’s new device, the Boxee TV streaming box with cloud DVR, will start selling exclusively at Walmart beginning November 1. This retail partnership is a big deal for Boxee, as Walmart will promote the device with display stations and additional marketing material. Read more »
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What the shift to the cloud means for the future EPG
The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Commutist Podcast: Boxee cloud DVR, Apple rumors, Surface and Chromebook
On this week’s show, we explain why cord cutters might be very interested in Boxee’s new product. Prior to next week’s Apple event we discuss the likely products. And which company has told a better story: Microsoft for Surface RT or Google for Chromebooks? Read more »
Here comes Boxee TV: A $99 box with over-the-air TV and cloud DVR
Boxee is back with a new devices that focused squarely on broadcast content: The new Boxee TV comes with two tuners for over-the-air content and unlimited DVR recording space in the cloud. The company’s existing Boxee Box will be put into maintenance mode. Read more »
Boxee opens up Cloudee to everyone, adds desktop uploader
Cloudee, Boxee’s private video sharing app for the iPhone is now available to anyone. The company also added a desktop uploader as well as an improved web UI. Storage is still free for a limited time, so you might want to upload your clips now. Read more »
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Social-TV apps and consumer behavior
Social TV is any application, website or software that allows viewers to interact with television programming and share that interaction with others. Startups in this space hope to combine ubiquitous second-screen technology with well-established audience behavior to drive new value around shows. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Meet Cloudee: Boxee launches cloud video sharing app
Boxee launched a video sharing app for the iPhone Monday that aims to make private video sharing easier. A close integration with the Boxee Box will follow soon, and a paid service tier is in the works as well. But is Cloudee Boxee’s DVR in disguise? Read more »
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Who and what to watch in the new era of the living room
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Did Boxee only sell 200,000 boxes?
There are only around 200,000 people out there using a Boxee Box, according to numbers released by the company this week. That’s low, but it’s also part of a bigger trend: Consumers still have to warm up to the idea of buying connected devices. Read more »
Cord Cutters: Plex adds DLNA support
Good news for Plex users: The next version of the company’s media center server software will have support for DLNA devices, which brings Plex to the PS3, connected TVs and a bunch of other devices. Check out this episode of Cord Cutters for an exclusive preview. Read more »
Boxee may launch a DVR subscription service
Boxee’s Live TV tuner has been lacking the capability to record any TV programming, but now the startup may be working on its very own subscription service to bring DVR functionality to the Boxee Box. A survey sent out this weekend even included possible pricing. Read more »
Smart TVs cause a net neutrality debate in S. Korea
Korea Telecom in South Korea has taken an interesting twist on network neutrality, and is blocking Samsung’s Smart TVs from access the Internet, according to a large S. Korean daily. That’s right, net neutrality isn’t just for applications like Netflix anymore. Read more »
What are Boxee’s upcoming mystery products?
Boxee revealed in a filing with the FCC this week that it’s working on additional products that could be used as alternatives to traditional cable set-top boxes. What does the company have up its sleeve? We can only guess — but, hey, that’s fun too! Read more »
Nowbox brings TV-like navigation to videos on the iPad
The Nowbox iPad app takes a unique approach to discovering new videos on the iPad. It lets viewers surf through channels of web video on the iPad in the same way they would click through channels on their TVs. Read more »
Boxee clashes with cable companies over encryption
Boxee isn’t just marketing its live TV tuner as an alternative to cable; it is also fighting with cable companies about having access to their programming. The reason? Cable companies want to encrypt their basic cable tier, which Boxee and other CE makers oppose. Read more »
Boxee officially pulls the plug on PC client
Boxee is following through with its announcement to remove the Mac, Windows and Linux versions of its client from its website. PC users have until the end of Tuesday to download the latest version, but many might opt to check out a competitor instead. Read more »
Simple.TV: a combination DVR & Slingbox for the cord cutter set
One of the more interesting devices to come out of CES will be Simple.TV, combining some of the best capabilities of TiVo DVRs and Sling streaming set-top boxes. The box, which will be released in Spring 2012, will cost $149 and be aimed at cord cutters. Read more »
Getting the most out of your gift: Boxee Box edition
Got a Boxee Box as a gift this holiday season? Congratulations! The box is one of the most versatile Internet video devices out there, and our post-holiday tips and tricks take the pain out of setting it up, watching great content and finding additional accessories. Read more »
Boxee releases new PC version – as a farewell gift
PC, Mac and Linux users are finally able to upgrade Boxee to its most recent version – but they won’t be getting any future upgrades. The company announced today that it is officially abandoning the PC platform, completely concentrating on CE devices instead. Read more »
Plex arrives on the Kindle Fire
The Kindle Fire isn’t just for watching Amazon and Netflix streams anymore: The newly-released Plex app makes it possible to access videos, music and photos stored on your home PC where ever you are. Users can even share content libraries through a personal cloud service. Read more »
The Cord Cutters holiday gift guide
Still looking for the perfect present? Then look no further: We have compiled seven gifts for cord cutters and TV junkies alike, and we are showing off three of them in a special gift guide episode of our Cord Cutters web series. Read more »
Iomega TV with Boxee won’t be sold in the U.S.
Are you still waiting to buy Iomega’s Boxee set-top box? Then maybe it’s time to look for alternatives or call your relatives in the UK: Iomega just told us that it won’t be selling the device in the U.S. but will concentrate on Europe instead. Read more »
Confirmed: The Boxee Box is getting a live TV dongle
Boxee just confirmed the live TV dongle we first reported about a week ago: Boxee Box users will be able to watch free live HD TV on the device starting in January, when the USB dongle will go on sale for $49. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Scoop: The Boxee Box is getting a live TV tuner
Huge news for Boxee Box owners: Boxee will soon release a major update that will include the capability to watch live, free over-the-air HD TV on the device though a USB dongle. We were able to take a first peek at the unreleased feature. Read more »
Plex app brings local media to Google TV
Google TV users can now easily access local media within their home network as well as share videos with other users of the device, thanks to a new Plex app for Google TV. The app also offers access to various Internet content, including music from Spotify. Read more »
Boxee gets more porn with FyreTV app
Porn stars are coming to Boxee, thanks to a new app from FyreTV. The X-rated VOD content provider is embracing Boxee and other over-the-top video platforms after previous efforts to rent a dedicated streaming device for adult videos to end users failed to take off. Read more »
Plex gets Windows client, cloud service, media sharing
Plex, the media center solution of choice for many home theater PC fans, just received a massive update this weekend that makes it easier to access your and your friends’ media collection on your Android or iOS handset. The app is now also available for Windows. Read more »
Shelby.tv opens to the public with an iPad app
Shelby.tv is now open to the public, making its social video recommendations service available to all. And it’s doing so with the introduction of an iOS app that will bring the same type of video viewing experience available on its website to the iPad and iPhone. Read more »
Happy birthday, Cord Cutters!
Happy birthday to us: It’s been a year since we published the very first episode of Cord Cutters. In that time, we’ve not only released 35 additional episodes but also learned a whole lot about the future of TV, and the people who reinvent it. Read more »
Spotify comes to Boxee
Spotify wants to be in your living room, and it’s using the Boxee Box as a vehicle to reach your TV screen: Users of the music subscription service can now use a dedicated Spotify app on the device to access their favorite songs and playlists. Read more »
Looks like ARM just won the smart TV war
Intel won’t be making any chipsets for smart TVs in the foreseeable future: The company has shut down its Digital Home Group, which was behind the chip that powers the Boxee Box and Google TV devices. However, Boxee and Google aren’t too worried. Read more »
Target starts selling Roku boxes
Roku just announced a significant new retail parter: Target will sell the company’s media streaming boxes in its stores nationwide. The partnership follows similar deals with Best Buy and Walmart, and could help Roku sell three million boxes by the end of the year. Read more »
SnagFilms snags more films, lands on more devices
SnagFilms is rapidly expanding both its content and distribution. As a result, it’s announcing its first slate of fictional titles, as well as availability on more connected devices like Android tablets, as well as sales channels through DirecTV, Vudu and Amazon. Read more »
Cord Cutters: LG’s Plex box
The LG ST600 set-top box doesn’t just offer access to Netflix, VUDU and Amazon VOD, but also integrates with Plex, the media center solution of choice for many cord cutters. Check it out in this episode of Cord Cutters. Read more »
