We'll have to wait until tomorrow to get our hands on the Popbox, son of Popcorn Hour C-200, but in the meantime we'll chew on this healthy list of specs and content providers to imagine what the future of media streamers has to offer. Netflix and 1080p have already been mentioned, but the lists reveal that even as a slimmed down and more affordable option than the box it replaces, it still has the file and codec compatibility fans have come to expect. We'll soon see if this combo of wide appeal online services like Twitter and MLB.tv, existing media streamer framework, a greatly improved UI (able to pull down IMDB info for appropriately tagged content) and Popapp Center -- openly courting developers to take advantage of the SDK since this box was codenamed DAVID -- is a winner.
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Syabas Announces Popbox for Big Screen Everything



New, affordable over-the-top settop box features an open app platform to bridge the gap between an HDTV, a home network and the Internet





Las Vegas (CES Unveiled Table 9), January 5, 2009 – 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. Developers can sign up for the program at www.popbox.com.



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 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)



Video File Containers

MPEG1/2/4 Elementary (M1V, M2V, M4V)

MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPG, DAT, VOB)

MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS)

AVI, ASF, WMV

Matroska (MKV)

MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4



Video Codecs

XVID SD/HD

MPEG-1

MPEG-2 MP@HL

MPEG-4.2 ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC

MPEG-4.10 (H.264)

BP@L3

MP@L4.0

HP@L4.0

HP@L4.1

WMV9

MP@HL

SMPTE 421M (VC-1)

MP@HL

AP@L3



Audio File Containers

AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA)

WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG



Audio Codecs

Dolby Digital

DTS

WMA, WMA Pro

MPEG-1 Layer 1, 2, 3

MPEG-4 AAC-LC

MPEG-4 HE-AAC

MPEG-4 BSAC

LPCM

FLAC

OGG Vorbis



Photo formats

JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF



DRM

Cardea DRM (WMDRM-ND)

Janus DRM (WMDRM-PD)



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