Bamboom Targets Cloud-based TV Antenna, DVR, Social Interface

Bamboom, a start-up based in New York, raised $4.5 million in seed funding to develop new concept in digital TV distribution. The company promises to develop a TV service over broadband IP connections but using content from free, over-the-air broadcasts. The subscriber would buy a miniaturized TV antenna that would actually be deployed in a centralized location by Bamboom. This antenna would gather the over-the-air content and then transmit it securely over IP to the subscriber. Each subscriber would have their own antenna. Bamboom would also offer a personalized DVR to the subscriber, as well as a cool interface that also integrates with Netflix.

New York-based FirstMark Capital led the round, which included money from High Line Venture Partners, SV Angel/Ron Conway, First Round Capital, and Highland Capital Partners.

Bamboom Labs was started by Chet Kanojia, whose previous venture, Navic Networks, was backed by FirstMark Capital and acquired by Microsoft in 2008. The Bamboom team also includes others from Navic and Microsoft, as well as RF and digital engineers from Andrew Corporation, Lucent and others.http://bamboom.com