Syabas Announces Popbox Media Streamer

Syabas, a global provider of over-the-top settop software and hardware and makers of the award-winning Popcorn Hour C-200, today announced Popbox, a small, $129 open platform settop box that streams music, movies, photos, games, social media updates and more to today’s HDTVs. Popbox supports just about every audio and video file type and recognizes content from the Internet, a personal computer and a USB-attached storage device such as a Flip Video™ HD camcorder or an external hard drive.

What separates Popbox from its competitors is its ability to handle virtually any file and content type, its ease-of-use and open development platform, which allows media companies to rapidly develop, deploy and monetize a wide range of interactive high definition applications and content. Those applications and content may then be given away or sold on the Popapps Portal.

In a separate release, also issued today, Syabas announced that it has added a number of new content and application partners including:

• Netflix (feature-length movies and television shows)
• Twitter (social networking and micro blogging service)
• FunSpot (interactive videogames)
• Crunchyroll (Japanese anime and Asian entertainment site)
• SHOUTcast (32,000 professional and community programmed radio stations)

Popbox also features a new, easy-to-navigate user interface (UI) that was designed by Dewey Reid, who won an Emmy award in 2004 for the UI he created for the Moxi Media Center. The UI enables users to browse content from a wide variety of Internet-based content channels, as well as a home networked media library with full metadata-based navigation. Metadata partners include Internet Movie Database (IMDB) for movies.

“I strongly believe that this year over-the-top settop boxes will go from the niche enthusiast to the mainstream consumer,” said Alex Limberis, chief operating officer of Syabas. “Popbox is perfectly positioned to deliver everything from movies to photos, to music to games to Tweets in an inexpensive, easy-to-use platform that will drive this market forward in 2010.”

Syabas has been developing software for connected entertainment devices for companies including HP, Netgear, I-O DATA, Pinnacle Systems and Viewsonic since 2001. In 2007, the company began shipping Popcorn Hour, its first over-the-top (OTT) settop box that has over the last two years earned a number of industry Editor’s Choice awards. Popbox is expected to be available in the United States in March and will be the company’s first product available through the retail channel.

Availability

Popbox is expected to be available in March for $129. For more information on the Popbox, please visit http://www.popbox.com/

Specifications

PopBox v1.0 Features:

Video Outputs

• HDMI (1080p/720p/480p)
• Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr)

Audio Outputs

• Stereo Analog Audio
• S/PDIF Optical

Content Services such as

• Netflix 2.0
• Photobucket
• Shoutcast
• Revision3

Developer Services

• Flash Lite 3.1 support
• PopBox SDK
• Application Store (Popapp Center)

 Content Security

• HDCP 1.2
• CGMS-A

Remote Control

• IR Remote Control

Weight/Size/Power

• 15.9Oz [450g]
• 8.0” [203mm] X 6.0” [154mm] X 1.25” [32mm]
• AC-DC adaptor
  • Input 100~240V AC, 50~60Hz
  • Output 5V DC, 3A max