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GyaO Offers Anime on Net Streaming Box for Japanese TVs
posted on by Egan Loo
USEN, the Japanese company behind the GyaO! computer video streaming service, will offer GyaO NEXT, the first major streaming service with a bundled set-top box for televisions in Japan. Anime is a prominent category within the 15,000-title library for both the free computer-based GyaO! service and the new GyaO! NEXT subscription television service. The anime titles include Fafner, Fist of the North Star, To Terra..., Fullmetal Alchemist, and Gundam Seed.
While the bundled set-top box (under the name "GyaO! Plus") allows 24-hour video-on-demand at 768-kbps (variable) bit rates with pause and fast-forward, it does not store video like Apple TV does, nor does it allow slow-motion or frame-advance like DVD players do. The service will begin on June 1 for 3,900 yen (about US$33) a month after a 3,150-yen (about US$27) signup fee and 24,800 yen (about US$209) for the GyaO! Plus box.
