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Boxee TV Gets a Big Push at Launch with Wal-Mart

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November 01, 2012

Boxee TV Gets a Big Push at Launch with Wal-Mart

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By Tara Seals
TMCnet Contributor

Wal-Mart will be a first retail partner for Boxee (News - Alert) TV, a $99 set-top box set to debut on Nov. 1. About 3,000 locations will sell the STB, whose primary hallmark is a cloud-based DVR functionality dubbed “No-Limites DVR.”  


The Boxee TV is the next-generation version of the Boxee Box (News - Alert), and eschews a rich app universe in favor of an over-the-air HD antenna for capturing local broadcast feeds and the basic cable tier through Clear QAM, and a small range of the most popular online services, including Netflix, YouTube (News - Alert) and Vudu. Meanwhile, the cloud-based DVR service (which goes for $14.99 per month) allows users to store content online within Boxee's servers.

And, it allows users to integrate their own content, such as the digitization of Blu-ray and DVD collections, photos and other personal content. So, in many ways it’s a combination of Apple TV with Airplay, and TiVo (News - Alert).  

It also enables content-porting across devices thanks to Boxee's companion smartphone app.

The launch is part of the movement toward a virtualization of the set-top box, where functionality is shifted into a software platform or even the Internet cloud, leaving only a thin client in the home, according to research firm MRG. It’s a nascent trend that has the potential to threaten the existing cable model. And indeed, Boxee is marketing this latest launch as a cord-cutting product:  “Watch more free TV” the company exhorts.

The collaboration with Wal-Mart has the potential to lift Boxee beyond niche status. Boxee TV will replace the Boxee Box STB, which competes with Apple (News - Alert) TV and has been offered only via Best Buy and a few online retailers.

The company plans to release a separate update to the Boxee Box to update the Flash player and fix some key bugs. After this update, the Boxee Box will go into maintenance mode, and the company will discontinue its distribution and will not release any additional major updates—although the Box will continue to be supported and function.


Tara Seals has over thirteen years of experience as a journalist. Her areas of expertise cover the waterfront of the service provider segment, especially mobile networks, devices and applications; and video infrastructure, content and broadcast models.

Edited by Brooke Neuman


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