Boxee is betting the house on their upcoming reboot and if you happen to live in one of several select test markets, you can get in on the action free of charge. Those who opted to receive additional information via an early sign-up page are now reportedly receiving emails with an offer to earn a free Boxee TV simply by completing a survey.
Based on the survey, The Verge has ascertained that the promotion is limited to markets that will support the cloud-based DVR service at launch. This includes Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
It's unclear if new sign-ups will qualify or if the offer is only being extended to those that requested additional information early on. It can't hurt to try if you're lucky enough to live in one of the aforementioned cities, however.
Boxee is planning a huge reboot with the upcoming Boxee TV set-top box. The firm learned a lot from their first outing about what works and more importantly, what doesn't work. 2010's model was centered on being an app-based media streamer, an idea that Boxee CEO Avner Ronen since realized was a failed concept.
The revamped set-top box will merge over-the-air broadcasts, online content and DVR functionality into a single unit. Boxee TV will ship with two TV tuners and utilize an interface that's years ahead of anything Comcast, Time Warner, DirecTV or Dish has to offer. Furthermore, a DVR hosted in the cloud will offer unlimited storage that's accessible from a number of devices simultaneously.
The company plans to ship the free Boxee TV set-top boxes to early adopters before they go on sale to the general public sometime in November.