In the end, the closure of the PX project may also be part of a bigger move within Samsung to reassess its U.S.-based operations and concentrate on a few key revenue-generating initiatives, something that already led the company scale back on its media service initiatives and lay off staffers for its Milk Music and Milk Video apps. Multiple sources mentioned internal politics as one of the main reasons PX ended up on the chopping block. The project was “highly controversial,” said one source, and it faced significant resistance from Samsung’s Korean executives, who were wary of a product developed out of their reach in the U.S. PX also faced significant internal pressure. But many services are notoriously protective of their app experience, and unwilling to let anyone else in the driver’s seat. Samsung wanted to directly integrate content into its guide, taking away the need to switch from app to app to watch videos from different sources. One reason for the delays was that discussions with content partners didn’t go as planned.
Boxee samsung software#
However, the project didn’t come together in time, and executives decided to postpone shipment to later in 2015, only to further postpone it to 2016 a few months later. Boxee was a cross-platform freeware HTPC (Home Theater PC) software application with a 10-foot user interface and social networking features designed for the living-room TV. Samsung at one point planned to bundle the tablet with 2015 smart TVs, and aimed to launch the product at CES in Las Vegas this past January. However, the work on PX hit a number of roadblocks along the way. Samsung kept the team in a separate office in New York, shielding them from other divisions within the company and even keeping some of the developers working on Samsung’s smart TVs in the dark about the nature of the project. Some of this growth was fueled by smaller acquisitions, which included the online video startup. Samsung acquired Boxee’s assets and team two years ago after the startup had run out of money. The PX team initially got significant resources from Samsung, and was able to grow its headcount from around 40 to close to 100 employees, according to a source. Boxee on sale to Samsung: 'No comment. PX was being built by the team behind Boxee, the startup best known for the Boxee Box media streaming device. The report claims that Samsung paid around 30 million for the company and will continue to employ Boxee’s 40 workers. “It was a very bold initiative,” said one source with knowledge of the project. The plan was to not only replace the traditional remote control, but also reinvent how consumers discover and watch content with smart TVs. The company planned to include the tablet with all of its higher-end TVs in the U.S. Samsung was also looking to partner with a number of streaming services, and even pay-TV service operators, to include their apps and content on the tablet. Something that wasn’t running dozens of other apps, but be custom-built as a next-generation remote control. The difference was that Samsung wanted to build a communal device that wouldn’t be controlled by just one family member, but reside on the coffee table.
Boxee samsung tv#
With Apple rumored to be in the works on a TV of its own, company’s like Samsung are trying to beef up their TVs’ media offerings before they’re caught off guard.In a way, it was similar to Google’s Chromecast streaming stick, which lets users launch videos from their mobile devices. Whether we will still see standalone Boxee products going forward or whether all the company’s efforts will be moved over to Samsung’s TVs still remains unknown. Samsung’s Smart TV offerings have often been criticized as being too complicated and clunky, so it can be assumed that this deal will be intended to help address this. All of its current employees are reportedly set to transition over to work for Samsung in the deal.
It currently has 40 employees, with half located in New York and the other half located in Israel’s Tel Aviv.
In what’s likely an effort to bring improvements to its Smart TV software, Samsung has reportedly just acquired Boxee, a company which specializes in creating home media center devices, for the tune of $30 million.īoxee is a company that both makes its own home streaming solutions such as the popular “Boxee Box” as well as one that licenses out its software to power the set-top boxes created by other companies.
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