Just as reports suggested it would when an unreleased build of the Boxee 1.5 software update leaked back in November, live TV has arrived on the Boxee Box courtesy of a USB ATSC tuner.

And not just any TV, but TV in glorious High-Definition.

Sadly, it's US only at the moment but the $50 adaptor should hopefully make its way across the pond soon. When it does, expect it to act just like it does in the US - i.e. pulling all the free HD TV action out of the airwaves for your viewing pleasure.

Your may be wondering why though. After all, you can already already pick up free-to-air channels using a number of different (and usually free) methods. The obvious answer to that is convenience. If you're a big Boxee Box fan and spend a lot of time with the system booted up and displayed on your big screen TV then it just makes it easier to switch to live TV without having to scroll through your TV's source list.

In the US, the tuner works with an aerial connection or a cable line (with basic cable channels as well as network TV on offer) and plugs in to your IPTV box using one of the USB ports. You'll then get an EPG on screen when you select Live TV

At CES Boxee also announced Facebook integration for the live TV aspects and this is on board too. "Boxee is one of the first TV apps to let you share what you’re watching on your Timeline and to help you sort through what’s on," said the company's VP of marketing Andrew Kippen. "The new TV app for Facebook Timeline will make it easy to discover new video with friends and share the experience with them."

Boxee Live TV will ship this week for $49.99 Stateside. We'll let you know if we hear anything about a UK launch.

Check out our Boxee Box review