We haven’t heard much lately out of Syabas, the company behind the $130 PopBox media appliance (and Popcorn Hour). When announced, back at CES 2010, I was pretty fired up given their lineage and the demo I received. However, the streamer launched later than planned… with a variety of performance issues and lacking previously advertised premium content, like Netflix.
The PopBox is one of those products which just couldn’t bring ourselves to review… even though we purchased it outright. We blog the gear that motivates us, and the Popbox hasn’t been very good. It regularly remains unplugged, with similar digital media duties more adeptly handled by the Roku and the WDTV Live Plus. Yet, we do periodically check in on the forums. Which is where we discovered a recent firmware update that enables 3D video playback:
The PopBox now supports MKV3D and other 3D Side-by-Side or Top-and-Bottom videos. When connected to a 3D capable television set, you can enjoy movies and videos in 3D.*Note: Does not support Blu-ray 3D content.
Related, Syabas originally marketed two versions of the PopBox (one with WiFi capabilities), but they’ve revised their lineup to now offer a single rebranded model: the PopBox 3D. (For those so inclined, a wireless adapter is available for $20.) A company rep indicates there is no hardware difference, that the 3D capabilities are baked into the new software.
Lastly, while Popbox missed out on the entire 2010 baseball season, their MLB.tv app is also now available.
