Syabas Announces Next-Generation Media Streaming Settop Box

The Syabas Popcorn C-200, a next-generation Internet settop box, streams digital content from the Internet or its internal hard drive to your television set and home stereo. Unlike competing Internet settop boxes that support a limited number of Internet audio and video file types, the C-200 supports more than 30! Some of these formats are MPEG 1, 2, 4, AVI, H.264, MKV – sweet, Windows Media and Xvid.

The C-200 streams news and entertainment content from a number video partner sites such as YouTube, Vuze, Revision 3, CNET TV, Veoh, Blip.tv, NBC, CBS, CNN and BBC and Internet radio sites, such as Radio box and Live365 Radio. Additionally, the C-200 can stream still image content from Flickr, Pikeo and Picasa.

Other features of the C-200 are:

• A redesigned external shell, which helps the unit better integrate into existing entertainment component stacks
• Wireless RF remote control
• An LCD display for quickly searching, streaming and/or downloading content, which is useful when listening to music without having the TV on
• A gigabit Ethernet connection for lightning-fast file transfers
• A front-loading drive bay that can be used to install a hard drive for storing and playing back downloaded content
• The ability to add a Blu-ray drive with full support for Blu-ray navigation and Blu-ray Live
• AVC HD format and navigation for displaying home video content from AVC format HD cameras
• Component and HDMI out
• Optical line out for audio

The Popcorn C-200 is expected to be available in July for $299 from www.popcornhour.com. The package includes the C-200, an HDMI cable, RF remote control, quick start guide and installation software.