I recently met Boxee team in NYC, a few months after i was trying their Media browser app. I was not a big fan of the first version, but the last version convinced me, even though it is still to be improved, that the future of TV will depend on the ability to surf content whatever the source is (local, online), just like on the web.
They just raised a nice round from USVP and Spark. When i met Avner, the CEO they had just received their term sheet and of course he did not disclose the identity of the investors. But knowing Fred Wilson's habit to blog about things he's going to invest in i had a feeling it was USVP. I had a great time with Avner and his partner. I really wish them a lot of success. Boxee has R&D based in Israel. I wish an Israeli VC did this round since the team is mainly israeli but i don't think they lost on the way to fund raising :)
At this stage. i think boxee is still too complex to install on TVs which is the big piece of cake. The key success factor will be to feed consumers with such a TV OS without installation, download or set up process. Meaning key partnerships with hardware and cable cos. There is no reason our TV with prehistorical EPG (electronic programm guide) does not evolve to something more sophisticated.
Someone could help this move faster. Boxee could be this one
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