Corrected, 12/8/09: D-Link plans to launch the box in second quarter 2010 (not 2009)!
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D-Link Systems is jumping on the two hottest tech trends of social media and Web TV with … a box.

Not just any box. The Fountain Valley company is teaming with Boxee, an open-source software developer of free software that lets computer users watch favorite Web TV shows and videos on their home TV —  and share what they’re watching with friends online.

Here it is, the Boxee Box by D-Link:

This little black box — about 5 square inches — will let Boxee subscribers forgo connecting cables and laptop to a TV. Instead, the box sits next to the TV and pipes in Internet video to the TV. No need to remove it when done, as one would a laptop. Click photos on right to enlarge images.

A lot of geeks like Boxee because it lets them watch only the TV they want to watch via sites like Hulu.com, CBS.com, Netflix, etc.

Boxee adds a simple directory so it’s easier to browse what TV shows are available online. Also, since the box lives on the home computer network, Boxee can build a digital library of digital movies and music found on any computer connected to the same network.

To get all those nifty thumbnail images of movies (see image below) and related video information, Boxee grabs information available on sites like the Internet Movie Database at IMDB.com

But the big difference with Boxee and other Web TV devices, like the Roku, is social networking. Boxee lets users share their viewing habits automatically with friends on Twitter, FriendFeed, Netflix, Flickr and others. Just watch the movie “Step Brothers?” Boxee will send the update to your Twitter account for all your friends to know.

“By pairing Boxee’s innovative social media platform with D-Link’s award-winning ability to design powerful connectivity products we’re taking media enjoyment and sharing to a new level in the living room,” said Daniel Kelley, D-Link’s senior director of marketing.

D-Link is the exclusive manufacture of the Boxee box. But it’s not the first time D-Link has offered a device for viewing Web videos on the home TV.  It also offers the PC on TV media player, which streams movies and music from the Web or a computer  to the TV. Several years ago, the company offered the Media Lounge, which was updated in 2007.

For now, D-Link plans to start selling the Boxee box during the second quarter of 2009 2010 (corrected 12/8/09).

I haven’t seen it in person (pics are courtesy D-Link) but the company will have one to demonstrate at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. No price has been announced yet. Boxee software is available for free HERE.

Boxee unveiled the news during tonight’s special event in New York. More details are coming.

Some specs of the Boxee Box:

1 HDMI Port
1 Optical Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
Composite Audio Ports
Ethernet Port
USB Port
SD Card Converter

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