Okay, so the name is wack, but I’m hoping this device lives up to what it looks like it can do. I just got this, so this initial post is just some pictures.
So what the hell is this “Popcorn Hour“? Well, what isn’t it might be a better answer! I would describe this as what Apple TV should be. A device to hook to your TV that can stream devices from a variety of sources (including watching YouTube easily on your TV), in almost every format (unlike Apple TV), and also acts as a NAS, and you can even plug in thumb drives w/ content on them! (full specs here) It even has Bittorent built in! Pop in a 750GB hard drive, and you’d be set for probably 2 years of entertainment.
Note the ports–component, composite and HDMI (cable included, which is rare). Funny though, no composite or audio cables included. They properly presume you have a ton of them lying around already. No wireless on this, so you need a network connection near by or some HomePlug. Popping it open, interesting to see… not much in there! Room for the IDE hard drive and the power is all in the chip.
Remote is also decent as well–quite a step up from my MediaGate.
Right now, I haven’t even hooked it up yet, so hopefully this review isn’t too premature…but if it is anything like the MediaGate devices I have, then this thing should rock. Also note, that I had to join their list just to get this thing… the availability is quite limited right now.
Look for a full review soon!
Matt’s Popcorn Hour Articles:
- Unbox Gadget Review: Popcorn Hour A-100
- Popcorn Hour A-100 Part 1: Setup
- Popcorn Hour A-100 Part 2: Video Playback and Torrents
- Popcorn Hour A-100 Part 3: Media Service Portal (coming soon)
That’s all good and fine, but will it blend?
Got mine, too. Popcorn Hour kicks arse! Video quality is excellent! Basically your divx/xvid movies will look like an upconverted DVD, so often better than standard DVD quality if you have a 720p or 1080p HDTV. I’ve only tried the HDMI connection, but I assume the component connection would be just as good. Support Popcorn Hour everyone! Hopefully they’ll add Firefox or Opera.
– The Sasquatch
where’s the feet?
Will it play DVDs ripped into folders or does it only support single-file ISO or VOB?
Also, you need to check out avsforum regarding the firmware update for PopcornHour that resulted in bricking the device. Don’t upgrade your firmware just yet!
[…] Popcorn Hour A-100, Part 1: Setup Posted by matt on May 3, 2008A couple weeks ago, I did my ‘unbox’ review for the Popcorn Hour which was well received, so I thought I would go much more in-depth. This is part 1, which covers […]
[…] Unbox Gadget Review: Popcorn Hour A-100 […]
Wow – isn’t technology great? That thing looks awesome!