Live-TV Option Coming to Boxee

NEW YORK: A new live-TV add-on to the Boxee Box will deliver channels such as ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in HD at no additional cost.

The Live TV dongle, available for $49, plugs directly into back of the Boxee. Available in January 2012, the HD tuner brings free access to network TV.

"Cable companies keep telling the press and investors that ‘cord cutting’ is not real, and that if it exists then it’s limited to people who can no longer afford cable," said the company in announcing the new adapter. "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. 

"The cord cutters we talk to have changed the way they watch ‘TV.’ They don’t sit in front of it and channel surf hoping to land on something to watch, they don’t know when shows air, they sometimes don’t even know what channel shows are on. They love ‘TV,’ but not necessarily on an actual TV. The only time they tune into a channel is to watch something live."

The statement continued: "There is a better way for you to get TV… and we think Boxee with Live TV can deliver that promise. We want Boxee to be your alternative to cable TV."