SyabasPopbox
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Popbox's Netflix-less launch now scheduled for July 23
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.
PopBox licenses RealD's side by side frame compatible 3D format
Technology patents are a funny thing and it can be difficult to understand that RealD owns the rights to encode 3D in the frame compatible side by side format as displayed above -- without license or consent -- but patents are a reality of the world and so Syabas has licensed RealD's 3D format for the upcoming PopBox which will support the 3D format at launch. No word on if the PopBox will support Blu-ray's Full HD 3D which is actually double the resolution of HD instead of trying to squeeze both perspectives into the same HD frame. At this point it doesn't appear that the PopBox will be HDMI 1.4a compliant so while it'll send the 3D signal to your 3DTV, you'll have to be the one to tell the TV it is receiving 3D in order to ensure the 3rd dimension is displayed. Full release after the jump.
Popbox prepares for launch with preorders, SDK
Despite a delay from an originally intended launch in March the Popbox media streamer and its streamlined-for-mass appeal spin on the Popcorn Hour series is almost upon us. Now the focus is on courting content partners by promising easy porting of current Adobe Flash applications to its new all-Flash platform and display "virtually any multimedia file" on the TV. That strategy has already brought some internet content to the family of devices, and with a newly released SDK (more info after the break) promising compatibility across existing C-200 and A-200 hardware we'll see if it induces others to join in. [Thanks, Mike]
