Boxee Box Live TV Confirmed

Boxee has confirmed that they will be adding live TV functionality. The new functionality leaked out about a week ago, but we now have our first peek at the dongle that Boxee will start selling in January. For $49, the Boxee folks are hoping you won’t see any reason not to add the live TV dongle if you are a Boxee Box owner who has dropped their cable or satellite television service. That being said, I have a hard time seeing this as a huge seller without DVR capability. The Boxee Live TV functionality comes with free guide data and the Boxee Box supports external hard drives. Turning the Boxee Box into a DVR seems like it should have been a no-brainer. Does anyone else feel like this a missed opportunity?

The Boxee Box Live TV dongle will allow North American users to connect an antenna to their Box to watch channels like ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC in HD with no monthly fee — assuming you’re close enough to an OTA tower to receive said signals, of course. 

Engadget

  • Although I agree that DVR

    Although I agree that DVR functionality would be awesome, it’s still a step in the right direction for Boxee.  Being able to watch most shows on ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox via Hulu Plus or other online means almost negates the need for the DVR functionality though.  I say almost because there are some shows such as the Simpsons that you can only watch via a web browser.  Also, you won’t be able to timeshift local programming or sporting events without DVR capabilities.  That being said, I’m glad to see Live TV make it’s way to Boxee, even though I don’t own one.  I might consider buying a few for family members if DVR functionality becomes a reality.