Boxee TV, the startup's new over-the-air (OTA) DVR, launched on Nov.1 with a $99 price tag, aiming to revolutionize the traditional DVR experience.
The Boxee TV comes with no onboard storage, and does not expect users to add their own hard drive either. Instead, users can upload, store, and retrieve all their recordings within the cloud, with no limits on how much they can record.
The "No Limits DVR" experience, as Boxee calls it, allows users to access all of their TV recordings via Boxee TV or any other device capable of loading its HTML5-based Web site, meaning most smartphones and tablets.
Boxee TV can record OTA TV using an antenna and an unencrypted basic cable via its integrated QAM tuner. The gadget is also a dual-tuner DVR, which means that users can record two programs at the same time, or record one program while watching another.
Unlike a traditional DVR, however, with Boxee TV users cannot pause live TV, though watching a program that is already recording is possible. The gadget only supports free, OTA channels, and the cloud-based DVR service with unlimited storage costs $14.99 per month.
Perks For Early Adopters
The $99 Boxee TV has already showed up at Wal-Mart, and early adopters are in for some treats. Customers who purchase a Boxee TV unit during the holiday shopping season will get three months of "No Limits DVR" service, as well as a reduced $10 monthly fee for the entire period of their subscription.
In addition, early adopters will get three months of free Netflix, available for both new and existing subscribers. For existing subscribers, the three free months will be added to their current subscription. Boxee is also throwing in a $6 Vudu credit during the promotion period and one month of Spotify Premium. Moreover, customers who purchased a Boxee Box, Boxee TV's predecessor, will get a year of "No Limits DVR."
Boxee TV supports a wide list of apps supported at launch, including Netflix, YouTube, Vudu, Pandora, Vimeo, Spotify, TED, MLB.TV, WSJ, and Cloudee. On the downside, the list is a fraction of the selection offered by the Boxee Box, and notable omissions include Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant.
Overall, the $99 Boxee TV comes with some interesting incentives to get consumers to try it out. It still remains to be seen how the gadget compares to other OTA recording solutions such as TiVo Premiere, Simple.TV, or Aereo.
