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Syabas unveils open-platform Popbox, streaming movies and social media for $129

CES 2010: Syabas has just announced their new open platform set-top box, the Popbox. Developers say that their new gadget can stream and handle "just about every audio and video file type" out there.
Written by Rachel King, Contributor

Syabas has just announced their new open platform set-top box, the Popbox. Developers say that their new gadget can stream and handle "just about every audio and video file type" out there.

E-book readers and tablets are being pegged as the top gadget developments of the year, but maybe there's room for more buzz in the set-top box arena, with the upcoming release of the Boxee Box and now this.

The Popbox can recognize and stream content to HDTVs from personal computers, external hard drives or any other storage device via USB. That content includes movies, photos, games and social media data. Some of the online application content already available for streaming include Netflix, Twitter, Photobucket and SHOUTcast.

And because the box is run on an open platform, there's room for other companies to develop applications to run on the Popbox. Interested developers can learn more at the Popbox website.

The Popbox will be available for purchase starting in March, with a price tag set at $129. Here's a quick run down on the Popbox's specs:

Video Outputs

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

Audio Outputs

  • Stereo Analog Audio
  • S/PDIF Optical

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

Audio File Containers

  • AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA)
  • WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG

Photo formats

  • JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF

Weight/Size/Power

  • 15.9 ounces [450 grams]
  • 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

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