Popcorn Time Again: YouTube’s Content Comes Back To Syabas’ Set Top Boxes

YouTube taketh away, YouTube giveth back: Settop box-maker Syabas says Google’s video unit has reversed a decision it made last fall, and is letting the company access YouTube’s clips again.

Syabas makes two lines of settop boxes — “Popcorn Hour” and “Popbox” — designed to make it easy to move Web video to your TV. For reasons that were never entirely clear (to me, at least), Syabas lost the ability to import YouTube’s stream of videos to its boxes last fall. But now that’s changed, says Syabas COO Alex Limberis.

What happened? It’s still not entirely clear (to me, at least). Limberis says Google (GOOG)’s video unit has changed its terms of service again, though he’s not sure if his products will be able to get everything YouTube offers. For instance, YouTube now offers movie rentals, and he’s not sure whether those will be available through his boxes.

OK. But why tack back and forth in the first place? Limberis shrugs: “I think the marketplace is very dynamic, and they’re going back and forth as they try to figure out business models.”

I’ve asked Google for comment.