Our wait for the Syabas
Popbox just
got a little longer, with the official blog announcing it will not ship from Amazon until July 23. Like the
Boxee Box, the delay is being blamed on software being not "quite where we wanted it to be" but the real bad news here is the official list of content partners which, for the time being, is missing Netflix. Also not included (but likely not as missed) is SDTV support -- even via analog outputs, the Popbox is apparently an HDTV only affair. As far as whether we will ever see Netflix support Syabas is still giving it the Voldemort treatment, but without naming names it refuted rumors regarding a lack of hardware DRM support with the claim that "the PopBox that ships is, TODAY, capable of supporting all foreseeable App partners in the future WITHOUT requiring a hardware upgrade." Check the blog for a complete list of content providers (Revision3, YouTube, Picasa, Clicker, Twitter and others will be ready to go) and decide if that
preorder is still worth holding on to.
posted June 30th 2010 6:56PM
It's kinda hard to justify this without Netflix, sorry to say, given the number of other boxes that have it.
@gerrrg
I agree. Man, i would of loved to of seen this ship with Netflix!! Glad i didn't preorder, only to be let down. Pick up the slack Apple and learn from others mistakes!! You know what we want. Give it to us!!
@gerrrg
Meh, I'll pass.
@Lorenzo Camargo Jr
Apple?! This is Oranges.
@gerrrg
It's hard to find a device that plugs into a TV that DOESN'T have Netflix support these days. Netflix is practically begging HW manufacturers to add support for their service. How the hell did PCH manage to screw this up? The forced ads on the menu pages were pretty bad, but they might have been tolerable if the box really did everything. Now this thing has zero value.
@gerrrg or you could look at it the other way, "given the number of other boxes that have it," who is actually going to buy this box just for netflix? i have 3 boxes hooked up to my tv right now that get netflix. pretty much everyone has a way to get netflix already. if you want a popbox for what it does, you should get it. netflix shouldn't really be the decision maker for this box.
My Samsung LED TV I bought last year was *supposed* to have Netflix support through the Yahoo widgets. It was advertised even to support it soon. But they couldn't ink a deal, so it doesn't support it now, and never will. :(
Then at the recent CES, they announced this year's new models will support Netflix through Samsung's proprietary new app store. So all I need to do is buy this years model? Instead of say a firmware update? Dear Samsung, this is a flat screen tv, not an iPod.
And why the heck do we need to buy and hook up boxes to do this stuff? This is 2010, build it in the TV!!!
why leave out netflix for something like this... its the first that comes to mind??! Oh well.... whos gonna try next?....
@tones44 I have a feeling that Netflix told them to go suck it. Of course this entire time since they blew their original March launch date they've been making cutesy comments when asked about Netflix of "we can't name our launch partners yet but stay tuned!".
Liars.
Would love to see netflix on this, and you might as well trow in Hulu Plus...but until then, WD Live Plus makes more sense.
Wow a bunch of garbage "pop apps" and we're supposed to be wowed? There are plenty of other options out there that have REAL partner support at launch.
I scoured through the product and couldn't find ONE appealing thing about it. How do these things get financed? I'd rather get an Apple TV... wait no I take that back.
@rgz175
The appeal was a streamer that claimed ability to play virtually any file format, plus support for popular online content such as Netflix, Hulu+, and others for sub-$150. Without Netflix, popbox goes from all-in-one wonder to "who cares?". Syabas clearly blew it.
Well I just canceled my 2 pre-orders on Amazon. I really wanted 1 box instead of the WDTV Live and Roku. The only thing that would get me back on it is shoutcast and if the actual menus looks nice.
Never been into the way Boxee is shaped....
@vitamind
Sounds like the WD HD Live "Plus" solves that problem better.
I cancelled my preorders the last time the "release date" slipped to the beginning of July. This is really pathetic. I ordered in March and it's still not out. They've delayed it monthly since announcing it.
i canceled my order in may because of the slippage. now i'm glad i did. no netflix, what's the point? really don't tweet from my tv.
Well, since the software for the now-abandoned Popcorn Hour A-100 still isn't where they promised it would be (e.g. no trickplay on MKV), these delays do not surprise me.
And now Syabas web page (www.networkedmediatank.com) has been down for two days. Further demonstration that Syabas does not know what the hell they are doing.
do not buy... i repeat... do not buy...
wait for the "boxee box" release