Boxee has apparently changed its marketing focus again, killing its Boxee TV brand and renaming it Boxee Cloud DVR. On top of that, Boxee added a free service tier and seems to have backed off some of the more strident cord-cutting advocacy that had driven the product's previous marketing.
The product still combines live TV and cloud DVR functionality for apps like Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), a GigaOM story said, but the new Boxee Cloud DVR "comes with a limited free service tier."
Boxee also seems to be softening its stance on over-the-top devices and cord cutting, which was part of an initial Boxee TV pitch last fall.
"On its newly-launched website, Boxee instead compares the device to TiVos and cable DVRs, touting unlimited storage and not free broadcast content as the key differentiator," wrote Janko Roettgers, noting that this probably has a lot to do with Boxee's need for content from cable companies such as Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA).
The new device name more accurately reflects the device's functionality as a DVR rather than a TV device, Boxee Communications VP of communications Andrew Kippen told the publication. It will now offer unlimited storage for TV recordings in the cloud, unlimited playback and the ability to view recordings on connected devices for $10 a month. The free service includes five hours of DVR playback a month.
There is still a free test period because the service is in beta, the story continued.
While not exactly a concession to pay TV providers, Boxee's new approach is certainly less combative than the one taken by Aereo, which is literally at war in the courts with broadcasters and content owners--many of whom are connected to cable companies.
For more:
- GigaOM had this story
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