CES: Syabas Goes Pop With Popbox, 20 New Partners < OTT

CES is under way!   Let the flurry of product announcements begin.  Here’s news from, Syabas, makers of Popcorn Hour, bringing internet video to your HDTV.

The first welcomes a long list of new streaming sources, giving the Networked Media Tank family a significant amount of over-the-top (OTT) content.

Syabas, a global provider of over-the-top settop software and hardware and makers of the award winning Popcorn Hour C-200 and just unveiled Popbox, today announced 20 new content and application partners have joined the Popbox platform.

via Popbox Launches With 20 New Content and Application Partners | Business Wire.

PR #2  introduces Popbox, newest Networked Media Tank family addition (and perhaps a tip of their hat to EpixHD with the Big Screen moniker?):

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.

via Syabas Announces Popbox for Big Screen Everything | Business Wire

Alexander Grundner has the whole press release at eHomeUpgrade.  Popbox’s new website lists all the partners.  A short list of highlights includes:

• Netflix
• Internet Movie Database
• Twitter 

But will that be enough to convince you to add PopBox to your Home Theater? As Video Business points out, PopBox is not alone in the OTT appliance market:

Popbox enters an increasingly crowded space for devices that enable Web streaming directly to TVs. Many Blu-ray set-tops run Netflix and CinemaNow, among other online services, in addition to physical disc playback. Some do all this through wireless connections, allowing consumers to hook up devices to the Internet even if their modem isn’t near the TV.

via CES: Popbox streams Web content to TV – 1/4/2010 – Video Business.

And like Boxee, also unveiling pricing and other features at CES, Popbox has an SDK with a nice range of possibilities.  Sometime soon you can imagine a Popapp utilizing IMDB and provide an experience that similar to Sony’s BD-Live feature MovieIQ.  Tack on twitter for live chatting and you may have something.

At the very least, unlike BD players and HDTV displays, you will not be at the mercy of manufacturers to release firmware upgrades and push down new content.  They are still slow to roll out app stores.  By opening up their platforms, newer OTT boxes give themselves not only a potentially longer shelf live, but give the power to customize.

Catch Engadget’s hands on video below, start saving up $129 for March, and happy viewing!

Tags: BD players, Blu-Ray, CES, CES2010, Digital media adapter, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Home Theater, Internet, internet appliance, media streamer, Netflix, OTT, over the top, Popbox, Popcorn Hour, Syabas, Watch Instantly