http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/ Engadget Comments for Popcorn Hour's A-100 HD media streamer publicly available for pre-order http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
Very nice playback quality.]]>May 2nd 2008 10:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1118284/popcorn_hour_a100_review/]]>May 2nd 2008 10:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 10:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/> How is the user interface on this thing?

It's a little spartan, but very functional and responsive. It's not XBMC or Itunes by any stretch... but it works.]]>May 2nd 2008 2:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/The only problem with it is that if your have a dts audio and you are not going to an external receiver for the dts, it will not downmix the dts to stero. The licensing is way too expensive for them to do that. However there is a great free ware app on their forums that a user created to take mkv videos with dts audio to extract the dts audio, covert it to ac3 audio and put the dts and the ac3 audio back in.
I absolutely love mine, It is even compatible with the logiitech harmony remote.
This is the best media streamer on the market right not and it is also one of the cheapest. ]]>May 2nd 2008 11:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
I've heard it won't decode DTS...is that true?]]>May 2nd 2008 11:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
this is perfect for any anime fan.
the subtitles work perfectly, I shared my anime directory (all 200gigs of it) and the popcorn hour saw it and streams it perfectly.

watching code geass on my HDTV is amazing.]]>May 2nd 2008 7:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
Subs work ok but they look pretty ugly. ]]>May 2nd 2008 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://networkedmediatank.com/viewtopic.php?t=3071&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]]>May 2nd 2008 12:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/all this same stuff plus i ripped my all dvds to my network hard drive
now i can just going in to media center and watch all of my movies
I am even adding a bluray player to it so ill be able to play hd
movies as well and yes becuz it is on my network i can stream any thing from it to any other computer in my house but not really need as i save every thing to my network hard drive so i can get to it from any computer in the house any how


to be honest and htcp computer can be built or bought if u prefer
for around the same price as some the media streamer and provided
more function

my htcp computer work as my dvr so it records all my shows plays
all my dvd plus i can order down load movies online i really don't
see y people r so hyped up about the things ]]>May 2nd 2008 11:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
The Xbox is better at most things, yes - but not if you want to play full HD H264 video.

Their customer service isn't too bad - they have responded to me twice in a couple of hours, sorting my problems out. ]]>May 2nd 2008 1:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/all this same stuff plus i ripped all my dvds to my network hard drive
now i can just going in to media center and watch all of my movies
I am even adding a bluray player to it so ill be able to play hd
movies as well and yes becuz it is on my network i can stream any thing from it to any other computer in my house but in most cases i all ready have access to my media via my network hard drive were i save every thing to so i can get to it from any computer in the house


to be honest and htcp computer can be built or bought if u prefer
for around the same price as some the media streamer and provided
more function

my htcp computer work as my dvr so it records all my shows plays
all my dvd plus i can order down load movies online i really don't
see y people r so hyped up about the things ]]>May 2nd 2008 11:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
All of the products based on that chipset had problems and the chipset and Sigma firmwares were blamed so the Popcorn product may offer a similar experience. I'm very interested in the Popcorn product, but I think I'll wait and see on this one.

For anyone that has a Popcorn - is it playing the streaming files directly from NAS/sources or relying on some kind of decoder on a PC that you have to connect to?]]>May 2nd 2008 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
as for blu-ray, i'll wait for the prices to drop and the sub $200/£100 chinese players to hit the market around xmas. far less hassle.]]>May 2nd 2008 11:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
To the above poster, I also have an HTPC and of course prefer it for playback. But this thing is only $175. It also has an on-board OS that nearly instantly loads, has built in web services for firmware updates, and is 100% silent out of the box since it doesn't require an HD. No moving parts.

Not to mention HDMI out.

I use it in my bedroom; I have my main multi-terrabyte RAID array in my office, my HTPC in my living room, and the popcorn hour in my bedroom. ]]>May 2nd 2008 11:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 11:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
Urgh, Friday afternoons.]]>May 2nd 2008 11:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 12:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
MKV support is nice but seeking, even from a USB drive is EXTREMELY SLOW. Seeking in AVI is fast and what you would expect. The virtual chapter points in both modes are a welcome feature.

The unit has promise and would probably thrive with an OpenSource UI / Player code but the Sigma 8634 chip uses signed executables which prevent 3rd party binaries / kernels from being run.]]>May 2nd 2008 11:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
Put together with my Tivo's, the PH fills in holes and is also good for taking on the road to hotels, etc. loaded with, um, files and stuff. Right now it's loaded with older seasons of shows I might've missed or movies, etc. It's really perfect if you get your tv/movies from a "place" that isn't iTunes...]]>May 2nd 2008 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 12:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
I got a Neuros OSD yesterday to convert my analog stuff to digital. It's funny because it's a streamer but I'll be using it just for conversion. I tried the interface last night and it's nice but not smooth. Played an MP3 okay but VOB was so-so. Anyway, that's what XBMC is for.]]>May 2nd 2008 1:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
If your not using it to stream HD content, I would stick with XBMC.]]>May 2nd 2008 6:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
also you can purchase and use laptop hdd's if you want something quiet and less heat.]]>May 2nd 2008 12:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/It handles almost all video file format without any problem that I've experienced. Currently have it connected to a switch which has a 500GB NAS and they all pull form the NAS with no problem at all.
I am now about to get my third one.
A must have for all
]]>May 2nd 2008 1:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/
No, not even close in terms of usability, speed, GUI. The XBMC on the Xbox is better at.. pretty much everything. But, the PCH can play fullHD like butter, which for me is (almost) all that counts. I still have both hooked up to my TV, but since I almost only watch HD I'd say I use the PCH 95% of the times.]]>May 2nd 2008 1:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/02/popcorn-hours-a-100-hd-media-streamer-publicly-available-for-pr/May 2nd 2008 1:44PM