In the world of original web content, Rev3 holds a special place in our hearts not only because they talk about Boxee on shows like Tekzilla, Diggnation and Hak5, but also because they were one of the first to do high-quality original web content back in 2005. They continue to be trailblazers, expanding their content into new outlets like Virgin America Airlines.

We thought it was about time to give them a facelift from our original Rev3 application below.

So we’ve worked together over the past few weeks to put together a new version…

The new Rev3 app has been completely re-designed with a new menu system, more graphics, and the latest Rev3 shows like HD Nation with our good friends Robert Heron and Patrick Norton (A/V enthusiasts, it’s a must watch).

Rev3 creates and produces all-original episodic community driven programs watched by a super-committed and passionate fan base. Their audience gets the vast majority of its entertainment, information and social connections through the internet (sounds like Boxee users!).  One thing that sets Rev3 hosts apart is that they’re experts, not actors, with tremendous influence over their audiences. Their professionally produced HD shows run from under a minute to over an hour, and are watched anywhere, anytime, on any device and through any service – from handheld iPhones to notebooks and PCs, all the way up to home theaters and HDTVs now via Boxee.

We are happy to announce that Boxee closed a $6M round of financing led by Boston-based General Catalyst with participation by prior investors Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures. Neil Sequeira from General Catalyst will join our board.

We closed our Series A late last year, but given the momentum and opportunities we’ve seen over the past few months, we thought it made sense to bring in a new partner and additional funds.

General Catalyst brings more than just money to the table. We wanted a partner to help us as we strengthen our relationships with big media and cable companies. As we learned (the hard way), it is a complicated world.. Neil and General Catalyst as a firm have years of experience, deep understanding, and extensive network in these industries, and we are looking forward to working together with them.

Going forward we plan to focus on:

• Improving the product – We are working on the Beta release (due later this fall), but also looking beyond Beta and into the roadmap of 2010. The idea is to have a healthy mix of development driven by user feedback (which is the essence of the upcoming Beta) and innovation that comes from within Boxee.
• Adding more content – We believe Boxee can be a great partner for independent content producers as well as big media companies. We will try to bring more TV Shows, Web Shows and Movies from ad-based, subscription-based and a la carte type services.
• Attracting more developers – While we have an App Store on Boxee, we know it needs some love. For Developers, we know it needs to be easier to develop and monetize apps. For users, we’re going to make it easier to find apps on Boxee. Last but not least we’re going to extend the APIs so everyone can do more with Boxee.
• Bringing Boxee into devices – Boxee today is mostly serving a tech-savvy audience – those who feel comfortable connecting a computer to a TV. To make Boxee more accessible for a mainstream consumer it’s important for us to get Boxee embedded into connected TVs and Blu-Ray players, game consoles and set-top boxes. We’re already talking to device makers to ensure Boxee works on a variety of platforms for 2010.

We are really excited about the future and glad to have General Catalyst and Neil as part of the team.

Rob Spectre (aka @dN0t) is one of the most prolific Boxee App developers. He has five apps on the App Box (Auto-Tune The News, FailBlog, Improv Everywhere, Pure Pwnage, Happy Tree Friends) and one more that will come out soon (The Philip DeFranco Show).

Each app has its own unique look and show cases great independently produced content. This is the type of long-tail stuff that gains real traction on the web and there is no reason why people should not be able to enjoy it on their TVs.

Rob knows his stuff. Each one of these apps are gems. I must admit that i am quite addicted to Auto-Tune The News and Fail Blog. here is Rob in his own words about the apps:

So far I’ve developed six skin apps for boxee, all aimed at bringing original and independent online content producers to the television by leveraging boxee’s easy development platform. The content producers represented in each app are very DIY, punk rock approaches to entertainment with a unique focus on quality – much like boxee itself. I’ve long wished they were available on my television, which of course is now possible with boxee.

But never mind the bollocks, here are the apps!

1) Auto-Tune The News

Produced by Brooklyn indie darlings The Gregory Brothers, their series successfully marries satire of corporate music and mainstream news by using the popular audio plugin Auto-Tune to alter the voices of politicians and pundits on cable news. I’ve been a fan for a while and thought it a perfect addition to the family of content available on boxee as well as a good starter app to gain familiarity with boxee development.

Recommended First Episode: “Auto-Tune The News #2: pirates. drugs. gay marriage.”

2) FailBlog

Easily the most popular of my apps thus far, users can finally witness the glorious fail compiled by the FailBlog crew on their televisions. Gathering only the most epic fail, most sick pwnage, and most thoroughly winless footage, FailBlog has become the authoritative source of spectacular embarrassment on the Internet.

Recommended First Episode: “Backspin Fail”

3) Improv Everywhere

This app captures the “missions” of one of my favorite New York comedy ensembles, Improv Everywhere. A singularly capable flash-mob / culture jamming outfit, the Big Apple is their set with Kaufman-esque improv humor guaranteed to delight. This is a kind of funny found nowhere else. This app grabs both their latest exploits as well as their greatest hits.

Recommended First Episode: “Frozen Grand Central”

4) Pure Pwnage

Created by ROFLMAO Productions in the frozen tundra of Toronto, Pure Pwnage is a popular show in a reality format centering around the fictional, but highly believable life of a professional gamer. Jeremy (aka teh_pwnerer) is documented by his film school student brother Kyle dealing with the unique trials and tribulations of being that damn good at video games.

Recommended First Episode: “FPS Doug”

5) Happy Tree Friends

The bastard brainchild of San Francisco’s Mondo Mini-Shows, Happy Tree Friends is the children’s cartoon for the pathologically insane. Featuring ultraviolent animated carnage, this app provides their full length episodes in high quality H.264. Future revisions will feature more of the HTF shorts and fan favorites.

Recommended First Episode: “In A Jam”

6) [COMING SOON] The Philip DeFranco Show

Updated Monday through Thursday every week, the Phillip DeFranco Show is the popular YouTube show of 23-year-old Bronx native Philip DeFranco. Featuring 3-4 minute monologues on the topics of the day, DeFranco delivers a rapid-fire, intensely sarcastic take on the news while cultivating a highly engaged community. It’s like a late night talk show minus the guests and musical acts.

Recommended First Episode: “Best Comic-Con Cosplay and 4Chan Blocked?”