Samsung thinking outside the box with Boxee buyout?
Samsung has officially announced it has taken ownership of the popular Boxee digital video start-up and purveyor of set-top boxes.
Following reports on Wednesday claiming the Korean giant had spent £30m on the acquisition, Samsung quickly moved to confirm the news.
“Samsung has acquired key talent and assets from Boxee. This will help us continue to improve the overall user experience across our connected devices,” it said in a brief statement.
Now Samsung is expected to use the Boxee technology within its own array of connected TVs and media streamers rather than continue to release Boxee products as standalone devices.
Beyond its 2010 D-Link Boxee Box main product is the Cloud DVR that allows users to stream recorded television to an array of different connected displays, including televisions, smartphones and tablet devices.
The service, which is currently rolling out across the United States, gives users access to unlimited storage space in the cloud for a monthly fee, while giving them the ability to record and play programming from any device, wherever they may roam.
As well as its ability to harness live television on the go, Boxee's hardware also features premium apps like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, MLB.tv, Vudu, Vimeo, Pandora and more.
It seems likely, given the amount of connected apps Samsung already has at its disposal, that the company is splashing the cash on the cloud-based aspect of Boxee's service.
The ability to store unlimited content in the cloud and serve it up on Galaxy smartphones and tablets would give Samsung a huge boost over Apple in the battle for the living room and beyond.
Let us know your thoughts on the deal in the comments section below.
Via WSJ
