Hot on the heels of news from the leaked 1.5 software build, Boxee has come clean with their “Live TV” intentions. Early next year, Boxee Box owners (of any stripe?) in the US & Canada will be able to purchase a USB tuner for $49. This accessory is designed to pull in digital, high definition over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts. In addition to tuning HDTV, Boxee provides free guide data and incorporates their sharing/recommendation technology. Yet, they have no imminent plans to add recording functionality.
Does Boxee Live TV have a DVR? No. The focus of Boxee Live TV is well… Live TV… having said that if we get enough users asking for DVR then we could take advantage of that other USB input on the back of the box and let a user connect a drive for recordings. Plus we still have all the shows the web has to offer.
As Engadget mentions, most of our TVs already contain ATSC tuners. So this new Live TV functionality may merely be nice-to-have. Sure, utilizing a single input to handle personal, over-the-top Internet, and live television content is compelling. But is it significant enough to move more units without the added benefit of recording? And I’m disappointed to see no mention of Iomega’s 2TB Boxee Box iteration… that contains plenty of DVR-friendly storage.