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PopBox
New player from Syabas that promises to break new ground in terms of available content and price. Uses the same Sigma 8643 chipset as the Popcorn Hour C-200 so will be very powerful but, unlike the C-200, the price is being kept down to a very reasonable $129.
In our 'perfect Media Player' article before Christmas we said that better user interfaces and more on-demand content were the main areas where Media Players could improve in 2010. As luck would have it these are the areas in which the PopBox is designed to excel. The range of online content available is more extensive than any Media Player so far with the promise that protected content from big media providers like Netflix and the BBC will be available. The user interface was designed by a former Microsoft executive, but we won't count it out simply on that basis! It looks superb compared to the relative uglyness of the Realteks and WDTV Live. There has been much debate about the presence of adverts on some navigation screens. In our opinion it is an acceptable way of keeping the machine cost down and the content providers happy.
There are a few surprising omissions. The PopBox has no internal HDD (a first for Syabas), no Wi-Fi, and no composite video output.
This player and others like it (BoxeeBox) have the potential to be real game changers and perhaps finally bring Media Players into the mainstream living room. We await eagerly.
  | Manufacturer: Syabas Technology Launch Date: Spring 2010 Target Price: $130 - €? - £?  Chipset: Sigma 8643 Storage: USB(*2) SD Card(*1) Network: Ethernet 100 Fan: No Size: 203*154*32mm (0.99m³) Video Outputs: HDMI 1.3 Component Audio Outputs: Stereo Analogue TOSLINK S/PDIF On Demand: Netflix 2.0 UPnP: Yes
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Links
• Official Website • Launch Press Release • More Specs • AVSForum /PopBox |
Reviews
• Gear Live Video Review • EnGadget Hands-on |
Places to Buy
• Google Shopping    |
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Product Discussion There is 1 comment
January 11, 2010 - 03:43
When shut down by remote control, does the machine completely turn off power to the USB external HDD? Leave a Comment
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Detailed Specification
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