It’s opening day for Major League Baseball fans around the globe and on Boxee.

Passionate fans have been anxiously watching pre-season games in anticipation of today. Now that Opening Day is here, fans can watch every out-of-market regular season game LIVE or on-demand in HD quality on Boxee’s MLB.TV app*. Sign up now for either MLB.TV Premium at $119.99 a year and $24.99 a month, or MLB.TV at $99.99 and $19.99. For fans on the fence about purchasing a subscription, you can access a free game of the day with your MLB.com account through the month of April to help knock it out of the park.

If you haven’t seen a game on MLB.TV, you owe it to yourself to see how good live streaming events can look. MLB.TV has done an amazing job of not only delivering great picture and sound for live games, but they’ve added enough extras to make any techie drool.

To start watching your favorite teams go at it, sign up for an account with MLB.com, and then pair your MLB.com account with Boxee.

To everyone who’s lucky enough to be attending a game today, have a hot dog for us. We’ll be cheering from our desk chairs : )

– Team Boxee

* HD quality subject to availability. Blackout and other restrictions apply and are subject to change. Visit MLB.TV for more details

Our goal is to release a firmware update for the Boxee Box (and in the future other Boxee-based devices) every 3 months or so. In each firmware update we try to have a healthy mix of new and improved functionality together with bug fixes.

The last firmware update came out in Feb, so you should expect to see the next update come out in May. Here is what’s coming:

• Browser: faster loading and scrolling, favorites and history
• Video playback: improved ffwd/rwd controls, new look for on-screen-display
• Local files: sort by source, .nfo support
• New languages: French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Swedish
• Support for Boxee for iPad..

We have gone through http://jira.boxee.tv and tried to resolve the most critical/annoying bugs (we consider bug priority based on their popularity in Jira and the related discussions in the forum). Some bugs we are solving with this update:

• Occasionally when trying to download and install applications it will result with “signature failed” message
• Using USB IR receiver duplicate button presses are occasionally generated
• HTTPS URLs cannot be invoked from search bar
• Update is prompted during paused video
• Special characters are displayed wrong
• Playback of some overlay ads in Flash video stutters
• The Boxee Box doesn’t recognize two USB drives with the same drive label
• When Boxee resumes from ‘sleep’ mode all artwork is gone from library view
• iPhone remote does not refresh the available host names
• Display file name with Chinese/Japanese/Korean characters
• and many more…

We are about to send out the version to our early access users and start the process of collecting feedback on the build quality, new functionality and overall experience. Once we feel the version is in a good shape we will release it out to everyone.

So we had arrived in Atlanta, anxious to see how the night’s meetup (and BBQ) would turn out.

Boxee Atlanta Meetup

We arrived at the new Engauge offices at  5:30.  Little did we know that the team there (Thorin, Tomer, and many more) had set up Atlanta to be our most successful meetup and some delicious Golden Maple Food BBQ.  Over 150 people showed up to hear Andrew and Avner talk Boxee, answer questions, and develop plans with Tatum and Yuval for upcoming apps and Boxee Box projects.  We gave away T-Shirts and a Boxee Box to everyone who competed in our stupid human tricks project – the winner @curiousjohn managed to pull some Cirque de Soleil type moves with our own Idan Cohen.  John had us all sign the box, and he’s selling it to raise money for DonorsChoose.org and an upcoming trip West.

A big thanks to Engauge and our food / beer sponsors Anteo for helping us throw a killer meetup… we could not have done it without you.

On The Road to Louisiana

Invigorated by the wonderful BBQ at the Engauge party, we traveled to Greenville, AL in search of more.  We arrived at a 12′ x 8′ BBQ stand in the parking lot of a gas station.  A few slices of brisket, beans, ribs, and pork sandwiches later this had become one of our favorite stops along the way.

We drove through Southern Alabama and became enamored with the Gulf Coast landscape.  We decided to stop in Gulfport, MS to drink it in… We drove along Highway 90, took in the beach, the sunset, the ocean, and then stopped to shoot things at the Gun Ho shooting range.

Relieved of 1300 miles of stress, we set back out on the road for New Orleans.  I’d forgotten how different New Orleans feels from any place else in the US.  Colorful and intricate, New Orleans welcomed us with open arms quieted from Mardi Gras just 2 days before.  Stands still marked the parade route that escorted us to our meetup at Twist.  A little chicer than the dive bars and rock and roll clubs we’re used to, Twist proved a great venue for our meetup.  We had a chance to chat with users, do a walkthrough of the Boxee Box software, answer questions and giveaway a Boxee Box after our first ever trivia contest.  A big thanks to Jeffrey K. for helping us organize this event and we hope you got the Boxee Box we left for you.

The next morning we set out early to enjoy a swamp specialty – Air Boat rides.  Avner, Idan, Tatum, and Andrew had a boat with two Brits and Cap’n Monkey (he’s been on the Bayou since he was 7).  We saw lots of gators out since the sun was shining.  We even had the chance to play with a baby gator that Cap’n had stashed away to show a group of kids later that day.  He explained to us the gator would be docile until he warmed up a bit so Avner said, “let us handle him first then and then you can give him to the Brits.”  : )

After the airboat tour we continued our adventure into manifest destiny, all while coding and emailing via our Verizon MiFi in the SUV. We rolled into Perjean’s for some delicious Cajun food for late lunch, hit up Target for blankets and pillows since our RV didn’t come with any (don’t ask and don’t rent from American Dream Vacations), and tried our hand at picking up an iPad 2 at Best Buy (they were sold out).

With all these pit stops we arrived in Austin on Friday night at about midnight.  We picked up the RV in the middle of the night, drove to our favorite Austinites Henric and Melissa’s house, and then ventured into downtown Austin for some amazing Korean Taco Truck action at Coreanos.  We highly recommend the Three Wise Fries.

SxSW

Saturday we continued last year’s morning ritual of breakfast & coffee at Jo’s, then focused on working from the RV and planning for Sunday’s Boxee party.  That night we headed into town and got dinner at Lambert’s BBQ – an Austin favorite – and then headed to the Foursquare party where we proceeded to own the dance floor with @baratunde, @elspethjane, and many other friends for 2-3 hours.  Highlight of the night? Avner walking onto the dance floor with white sunglasses and his hoodie on…  We didn’t know quite how we were going to top off the dancing and we weren’t ready to go home so we cabbed to the RV, grabbed as many fireworks as we could carry, and then set off for a spot near the river.

It took us about 10 minutes to set all the fireworks up – mortars, bottle rockets, saturn batteries, and more… probably at least 100 total.  We picked our escape route, distributed poison pills, lit punks, and proceeded into fits of joyful adolescence as splashes of color popped across the midnight Austin sky.  We ducked, dispersed, and disappeared quickly only to realize that no one had come after us.  We walked slowly back to the RV, the merry firework misfits that we were and slept like rocks.

Boxee Kegger

The next morning we had port-potties, tables and chairs all at the ready in Henric’s backyard (he continues to invite us back each year!).  The first Boxee fans arrived at 1pm on the dot and more kept coming.  Ready at about 1:45, around a 100 lbs of sausage and brisket from John Mueller disappeared in about 25 minutes.  Fortunately our kegs of Shiner Bock and Sonos boomboxes held strong throughout the afternoon.  All in all we had about 300-400 people come out to our South Austin backyard BBQ, a 30% increase from last year (even when we were farther away from the convention center).  It was a great chance to connect with users in a relaxed atmosphere and wonderful people who showed up.

The highlight of the afternoon was our contest to giveaway a Boxee Box.  Andrew once again orchestrated a heated battle of Stupid Human Tricks. People popped ears, twisted tongues, and stretched skin to win.  Chris L. from TMZ wooed the crowd with a magic trick, Tom D. created an image of a man washing his backside in a spoon, but the ultimate winner leapt into first place by clearing a 6ft picnic table lengthwise with a running jump.  If you’ve got photos of the event – please share them in the comments!  Thanks to everyone who showed up and we’re looking forward to keeping in touch.

The next day we caught an early morning flight to NYC to get back to the cold and start recovering from the BBQ addiction we were beginning to develop.  Thanks Richmond, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Austin for a great trip.  We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Oh, and just because I can… here’s this again:

The #BoxeeRoadTrip has begun!

I spoke with Avner on Sunday and went over the plan.  We had Boxee Boxes to give away. We had T-Shirts. Stickers are arriving Saturday. Hotel reservations had been made.  The playlist had been made.  And we had a stunning Minivan waiting for us at Hertz. “Do we really have to drive a loser cruiser?”, Avner asked.  I did my best to sell him while agreeing with him in the back of my mind.

Day 1 (NYC – Richmond)

We finagled a SUV instead of a minivan and left New York at about 11:30. By 11:52 Idan had crawled into the back and gone to sleep.  Avner played DJ and navigator – “just keep how you’re going,” he was happy to tell me.  Tatum answered emails and looked longingly out the window.  Andrew drove and wore a big belt buckle since he claimed “we’re headed south.  it’s good to blend in.”

Our first dilemma was lunch.  In addition to meeting users, we were really hoping to explore the local food scene.  A Yelp search for nearby 4+ star restaurants later we were 8 miles off the highway for Vietnamese at Pho Nhu Vo.  We realized we might have been led astray when one comment mentioned, “‘I’m giving it four stars because it’s in Delaware.  Near a spot on Route 40 where the road expands to SIX eastbound lanes (including turning),” but we decided to press on.  Fortunately the pho and bun bowls hit the spot.

Next up? Coffee.  We searched and found Grape & Bean that served Stumptown, Blue Bottle, and Counter Culture coffee.  We got off Whoot 95 South and cut into Alexandria, VA to enjoy our afternoon coffee and tea.  After driving over an hour from Vietnamese, Grape & Bean was closed. At 4pm. On a monday.  WTF? We stumbled around Old Town (see picture below) and traded coffee for dessert at La Madeleine.

We hurried through Alexandria traffic, passing the NSA, Quantico, and all the other famous places you hear about in spy movies to finally make it to the Capital Ale House in Richmond.  $2 cheeseburgers, a great beer list, and our own private room – could not have asked for more.  Met with Brad, Frank, Johhny, Pam, and many others to talk about where Boxee has come from and where we’re headed.   We also heard a Bill Murray “they’ll never believe you” story where he tackled a kid in a hotel hallway.  I’d love to have the people at the meetup comment about what their favorite part was.

Day 2 (Richmond – Atlanta)

We set off Tuesday morning in search of coffee.  We headed to Rostov’s coffee, touted to be the best in town.  Once there Andrew perused their massive selection of teas and chatted with one of the shopkeepers in French while Avner talked politics and healthcare with the owner.  We left for the pastry shop they recommended called Jean Jacques which we walked in and immediately out of.  New York has spoiled us with fresh pastries.

We landed our first major road trip bingo win when Tatum got a speeding ticket in Brodnax Virginia.  Thankfully Idan had no problem blatantly photographing the whole affair (complete with Milano cookies).  We tried to make the blog photo more dramatic by asking the officer to pose while frisking Tatum with his hands on the hood… there must be drug mules along this route and we think our driver must be one of them.  Unfortunately he wasn’t willing to comply with our requests so we took down his badge number and name to take it up with the judge.

With the first ticket behind us we hit the road with reckless abandon headed for Greensboro North Carolina’s Stamey’s BBQ – had some delicious vinegar based BBQ pork, cole slaw, and hush puppies.  Andrew says he’s still partial to Texas BBQ, but we think it’s more nostalgia than anything else.  Salt Lick outside Austin will help us judge.  From Stamey’s we made our way towards Atlanta, but on the way we passed by something magnificent… a fabled Muffler Man.

The first figure was a Paul Bunyan, done for the PB Cafe on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona in about 1962. Most of the statues were derivatives of that mold — fill in the beard in the mold, or add a new chest for Indians, etc. This was created by a fellow named Bob Prewitt, who owned Prewitt Fiberglass. Bob was a cowboy, and his real love was rodeos. He had a bunch of cowboys working for him between contests.  You can read more about muffler men above, but needless to say we had to turn around and take some photos.

We knew the excitement of a quasi-Muffler Man sighting was going to be hard to top.  Little did we know the Shelton Fireworks Warehouse would be there to blast our excitement into a childlike frenzy.  It’s one thing to buy fireworks when you’re a teen and you’ve got to be selective.  It’s a wholly different experience when you’ve got some disposable income, a big SUV, and a whole lot of country around you to light them off. It was like Toys R’ Us for adult boys.  $200 worth of fireworks later our car is set to explode like a Robert Rodriguez movie if we get into an accident.

With all this gunpowder in the back we decided it was best to pull into the next truck stop and do some donuts.  Andrew had tried unsuccessfully to get some donuts going on flat concrete earlier in the trip, but this time we had some gravel to work with.  Idan balleted our Yukon around the parking lot of a truck rest stop like a drift racer.  As the natives started to make their way over to determine what the hell was going on, we shot out of the parking lot on an adrenaline high… ready for wherever the road would take us.

After one more coffee stop, we made it to Atlanta.

We’re currently working from Octane coffee shop in Atlanta where we’ve had the first great coffee since leaving NYC.  We’ll report back in tomorrow after tonight’s Atlanta meetup… 280 RSVPs and counting

We are happy to announce that Boxee has closed a $16.5M round of financing featuring new investors Pitango and Softbank, with participation by prior investors General Catalyst, Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures. Isaac Hillel from Pitango will join our board.

Our previous round of financing was $6M and at that time we were 12 employees, our software was in alpha and the Boxee Box was a dream. Fast forward 18 months and we are a different company. 34 employees, ver 1.0 of the software and the Boxee Box is available in more than 30 countries.

We are more hungry and driven than ever. Less naive, but dreaming even more ambitious dreams. We are also recruiting, so if you are a Boxee fan and passionate about what we’re doing then maybe you can join us in either NY or TLV. Check out our jobs page.

With the new funding in place we will be focusing on 3 main things:

• Product – We are getting lots of love as well as feature requests and bug reports. The new round will enable us to grow our development team, building new functionality while continuing to squash bugs.One of our greatest challenges will be to add more movies, TV shows, and video while at the same time making it easier to discover and watch them. We have ideas on both fronts and are excited to get to work.Many of you would like to see Boxee handle all the video on their TV with no need to switch inputs. We’d like to get there, too.

• More Content – We recently added Netflix and Vudu to the Boxee Box. These are amazing video services. There are many more sources of content on our ToDo list in the US and internationally. We realize that with every new content source we make Boxee more valuable. We will increase the pace.

• More Partners – D-Link is already shipping the Boxee Box, Iomega is working on a Boxee NAS device and ViewSonic is working on a TV based on Boxee. We plan to sign up more device and distribution partners, giving users more options and more ways to get Boxee.

We are really excited to welcome our new investors and thankful for the continued support of our existing investors.  Most of all we’re happy that we get to continue to improve Boxee for our users.