Boxee will launch a dongle equipping the Boxee Box with a digital TV tuner early next year, making the device a de facto hybrid set-top box.
For the moment, the dongle will only be available in the US and Canada, with a recommended retail price of $49 (€36.3). The tuner is capable of capturing digital terrestrial channels as well as unencrypted cable signals.
“The problem with canceling your cable subscription and relying just on the Internet has been the lack of live sports, local news, special events and live TV shows (think Dancing with the Stars),” according to Boxee founder Avner Ronan. “But these things are all available on broadcast TV channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC for free, over the air in HD.”
The digital tuner dongle will only work with the Boxee Box. An updated Mac/PC version of Boxee is in the works, but it will not include support for Boxee Live TV. The dongle will also be the only device working with the Boxee Box.
On his Boxee blog, Ronan bangs the drum against cable: “We believe the combination of Netflix/Vudu/Vimeo/TED/etc. with over-the-air channels delivers a much better experience for less money. Cable companies keep telling the press and investors tWhat “cord cutting” is not real, and that if it exists then it’s limited to people who can no longer afford cable.
“We are sure they are conducting objective and unbiased research, but we are meeting more and more “cord never getters” and “cord cutters” every day. They are more than just people tightening their belts in tough economic times, these are people who have left cable TV behind because it does not fit their lifestyle. They are part of a changing culture, with a changing expectation of how they watch the shows they love.”
Broadband TV Views. Adding a digital TV tuner to a set-top box such as Boxee Box makes sense. It is technology that is pioneered by companies such as Elgato, who have turned laptops, iPads and other devices into hybrid devices.
As Google found out with its connected TV projects, web videos alone are not enough. Even if premium services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus are added to the mix. Live programming from broadcasters – including the US Super Bowl or contest such as Strictly Come Dancing – are still the best watched programming by mass audiences.
So adding live TV to the mix is a natural step in making connected set-tops a true game changer in the battle for the viewer.
