Popcorn Hour A100 Review: Any questions?

**dh2005** · **02-28-09, 01:12 PM**

Sure, later today. I'll post back here when I've tried.

EDIT: By the way, there are 1.5TB and 2TB drives becoming available now.

**Blaser** · **02-28-09, 01:14 PM**

Thanks a lot... does it have any restriction on file size? Or will it just play what you throw in it?

**dh2005** · **02-28-09, 01:21 PM**

No file-size limitation, no. Of course, if you use FAT32-formatted external drives then the limit will be 4GB - but that's down to FAT32, not the A-110.

It reads ext2, ext3 and NTFS volumes too. These have no file-size limits.

**Blaser** · **02-28-09, 01:23 PM**

Sounds like a winner

I'm ordering that thing very soon!

**dh2005** · **02-28-09, 01:29 PM**

Yeah, I'm a big fan. But my recommendation is not without caution...

... these things require a couple of days of work to get them set-up properly. And although Syabas, who manufacture them, are releasing firmware updates all the time, there are still bugs that can be slightly irritating.

That said, it's so good at DVD-playback that I've ripped (nearly) my entire collection and sent all of my discs into storage. Sure, a few of my rips don't run perfectly, but we're talking less than 5%.

The A-110 is excellent, but it can try a person's patience sometimes...! Nonetheless, I recommend it.

**Blaser** · **02-28-09, 02:11 PM**

As far as it has no problem with file size, FF / RW it is cool.

can you change between DD and DTS ... if both tracks are recorded?
What type of bugs did you encounter?

**dh2005** · **02-28-09, 02:28 PM**

Yes, you can change between audio tracks. And subtitle tracks, and special features, and everything. You just need to rip the disc in its entirety (using something like DVD Shrink, with AnyDVD to decrypt the protection...), then it behaves exactly as the disc would. It boots to the menu, then you choose from the usual options; "play movie", "scene selections" etc.

The bugs I've encountered are few, but annoying. Some rips don't work (four of my 304 films don't run, for no apparent reason...), and a handful of them have slightly choppy playback. But I swear, 95% of them run perfectly, exactly as they would as if were being played from the disc - better than perfectly, in fact! You don't need to get out of your seat to change movies...!

**Blaser** · **02-28-09, 02:38 PM**

That's it! I'm in

**dh2005** · **02-28-09, 05:23 PM**

As for FF and RW, everything is entirely "cool". The chapter markers stay in place, so you can skip chapters as you would if it were a disc. And within chapters, you just press the ">>" and "<<" buttons - they run at x2, x4, x8, x16 and x32 speeds, according to your needs. The A-110 does everything that a DVD player does, only from a hard drive.

Sincerely, I think you should get one. I'd advise anybody with an interest in home theatre technology to get one. They're great fun. I didn't stop ranting about how awesome mine was for weeks.

EDIT: ... but feel free to seek the opinion of others before investing, by all means. Certainly, I've never regretted it.

EDIT EDIT: I've just connected two 1TB USB drives to my A-110 at the same time. And yes, they're both accessible. Along with the internal drive, that makes 3TB accessible from the comfort of my chair...!

In fact, if you get a powered USB hub, I suppose it would be possible to have many drives connected at once.

**Blaser** · **03-01-09, 02:25 PM**

At this price point, I don't really call it an investment...so I have nothing to lose... but a lot to gain! Thanks again!

**dh2005** · **03-01-09, 04:05 PM**

No worries.

I agree - I think it's very reasonably priced. Which is something that a lot of users forget, when they moan about the machine's bugs on the official forum... which you should check out, by the way:

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/fo...lay.php?fid=65

**shorins** · **04-07-09, 08:38 PM**

I would like to know how to get a refund or get PHC to get off their butts and retune the defective product. I saw great reviews on this product, wow, this thing does everything. I order it, get it in, plug it up and nothing, don't work no way no how. so what does one to do. Well PHC don't have a phone number to call, they just have their silly support fill out thing.

so I fill it out. they try to have me do all this stuff like move jumpers, update firm ware, gee,, I just order this thing, one would think that all of this would have been done.

so I do all of the stuff they asked. no dice, so I send this item back in at my cost I might ad, now PHC has had this thing for over two weeks and nothing, not an email saying hey we are working on it or anything. so I email them, the answer i got was we are working on it.

What does a customer to do with a company like this. poor service and poor product..

Again, where is my refun or exchange.

**dh2005** · **04-16-09, 08:50 PM**

Dude... what exactly are your problems with the machine?

If it's broken, you can get a new one - no debate. If it's not broken, but you lack the patience to configure it, that's your own problem. Don't expect Syabas to offer you any assistance. There's an online community for that.

Read my previous posts - and read any other authoritative commentary on PCH media players on the internet, for that matter. You'll find it's common knowledge that these things don't work 'just like that', straight out of the box. If you want that, buy an Apple TV. They're more expensive, play very few codecs, and are generally awful... but hey! At least they work straight out of the box, right...?!

Wrong attitude. These machines require configuration. It doesn't take forever - I'm no computer genius (in fact, I suck at computers), but after a couple of weeks I had mine working perfectly.

I'd be happy to help you, so please feel free to send me a PM - I'm a Senior Member on the official forum. But for exactly the same reason, I will not stand for you or anybody else posting trashy, non-specific complaints about these players. They work very, very well. My Popcorn Hour is a thing of profound beauty that has changed the way I watch movies for the better. I don't want to be without one ever again - DVD players annoy me, by comparison.

I await your reply. If you post more general abuse, I shall consider you a troll and ignore you.

**shorins** · **04-16-09, 09:01 PM**

let me tell you what trash is, trash is something that you buy from a online company like PCH and it arrives dead. Trash is a company that will not respond back to you until you threaten them that you will contact the BBB if they don't do something about a dead product. Trash is is a product that comes back from their RMA factory still broken, plug the wireless N USB device in and no activity.

One more thing about trash is a company that says send the product back and get a refund but I will have to pay a 15% restocking fee.. So if you you only allow post on here that shows the PCH in a great light then this is not a real forum. A true Forum is a place that people can post good and bad things.

I already sent this trash back to the company you seem to bless on so much. I’m happy yours works great. I sure wish mine did. I would more likely think the same way as you do right now.

now I await your response.

**dh2005** · **04-16-09, 09:07 PM**

No need to await it. I'm right here.

If you paid a restocking fee, they clearly think there's nothing wrong with the unit you sent back. I know of several members on the official forum who have sent their broken units back and got replacements for free.

I have a Popcorn Hour A-110. Be specific. Tell me what you did with yours, one step at a time, and then tell me what you saw - again, be specific. Then I can offer you advice. All you've done right now is tell me that Popcorn Hour players are "trash", which anyone can do with absolutely no knowledge or experience.

I'm trying to help you, here...

**dh2005** · **04-16-09, 09:21 PM**

... see, here's my issue:

You've been online for the last fifteen minutes and posted nothing. Maybe you're away from your desk at the moment, in which event, fair enough. But if you don't post something constructive, and specific, in reply ASAP, I'm gonna have to conclude that you're just a troublemaker. Because, frankly, you've produced nothing of any substance, so far...

**dh2005** · **04-16-09, 09:40 PM**

... now it's been half an hour.

I thought you were "awaiting" my response?

**dh2005** · **04-16-09, 09:53 PM**

Forty-five minutes. Still nothing.

Come on, pal. If you're so angry, surely you can tell me what you're angry about...?

**dh2005** · **04-17-09, 05:04 AM**

I waited online for an hour and a half, and you posted nothing. Then, given that it was after 3AM, I went to bed.

This is the same kinda childish garbage that we on the official forum have to put up with everday from people who don't do their research. They buy a Popcorm Hour machine, get it home, open the box, plug it in, then puke everywhere when it doesn't behave like an iPod. What a bunch of crybabies...

... if you'd actually told me what your problems were, rather than simply spouting abuse, I could've offered you some advice. It's not like I haven't tried. But given that you didn't, notwithstanding several requests that you do so, I don't see why I should waste another second on you.

If you feel like growing-up, send me a PM. I will not respond to you on this thread again.

**JimP** · **04-17-09, 07:49 AM**

Looks like you missed post 37.

**bobgpsr** · **04-17-09, 01:44 PM**

Quote:

JimP wrote:

Looks like you missed post 37.

I don't think he did. He (DH) is waiting for a response to his post #40 which was a response to post #39 of shorins.

Sorry that shorins could not get their PCH to work. I've seen posts over on the PCH forum of many user's getting their unit exchanged or fixed. Mine (a PCH A110) worked as expected -- but with many quirks which have gotten to be fewer and fewer with various firmware updates.

"Trash" is a bit of an extreme word for one user's experience when many/(most?) others have been able to get a PCH to work as expected. Like DH said, it is only fair to charge a re-stocking fee if the unit itself was ok and not broken.

My biggest wish for my A110 is for it to do WMA lossless which HDGiants (former MusicGiants) uses for their download music sales.

**JimP** · **04-18-09, 07:47 AM**

I saw in the news the other day that 4 guys who formed the file sharing business that supports the file format used for HD video got busted. Is this a big deal when it comes to playing hd on popcorn hour?

**dh2005** · **04-18-09, 09:41 AM**

Well, not for me... I don't steal any of my content. I own it all on disc.

On reflection, maybe I was a little too quick to give shorins a kicking. But the fact is that I asked several times for a detailed description of what the matter was, and all I got was bile, foot-stamping and "trash". And I don't have time for that. I have dozens of people asking me politely for constructive advice every week. I'd rather speak to someone like that.

Shorins - if you're still around and you want detailed advice on what may've been wrong with your PCH, send me a PM. If you don't, as far as I'm concerned, you either:

a). prove yourself to be a troll, or
b). stay angry, and gain no understanding.

Up to you.

**nova** · **04-18-09, 11:01 AM**

Quote:

shorins wrote:

So if you you only allow post on here that shows the PCH in a great light then this is not a real forum. A true Forum is a place that people can post good and bad things.

This is not quite accurate. You are more than welcome to post your experience with any piece of equipment, good or bad. You may also post your experience with any company or manufacturer, good or bad. One caveat... you must follow the Home Theater Shack forum rules when doing so.

Specifically;
Please be polite, courteous and respectful of other members, as well as all products and services discussed.

There is no need to be condescending or overly critical, not everyone will be as smart as the next person.

Personal attacks of any nature are strictly prohibited. These forums are no place for negativity of any kind.

We can not emphasize enough the importance of keeping the bickering, arguing, flaming, bashing... "and things like these" ... away from here.

NO bashing of manufacturers and/or products will be tolerated. You may explain that you prefer product A over product B and justify your differences, but do not deliberately bash a product just because you do not like it or just because you had a bad experience with it. Others may own that product and may be offended that you are bashing and trashing their choice of products.

If you have a beef with a manufacturer, take it up with them outside of these forums, and/or take the whining and complaining somewhere else. Having a problem with a product and asking for help with it is fine, but do not bash the manufacturer and/or the product while doing so. We do have a Manufacturers Service and Support forum for helping individuals resolve issues, but be sure you read the guidelines for that forum prior to posting.

Please abide by our forum rules and let's not let this thread get out of hand.

**dh2005** · **04-18-09, 12:53 PM**

Thank you for that clarification.

I, myself, acknowledge that I may've got my knickers in a twist a little too quickly. I suppose, as I've already alluded, when I have the option of speaking to someone who'll address me politely and co-operate in the problem-solving process, or someone who won't, it's a no-brainer.

I understand consumer frustration - my A-110 didn't work perfectly immediately (they just don't... ask anyone!), and I was pretty cross about it. But I didn't start spewing - I posted questions here and on the official forum, and waited for Mods and Senior Members to get back to me. Which really didn't take that long - we PCH owners are delighted to assist newbies in setting up their units, because we've all been through it and we know how great these players are, once they're working... which is why we react indignantly to comments like "trash... trash... trash...".

For my part in this, I apologise.

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