| Popcorn Hour A-200 Networked Media Tank (Black) | 
| Brand: Popcorn Hour
Category: CE
Buy New: $179.99
as of 9/10/2010 12:16 CDT details
New (1) Used (1) from $164.99
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 3,324
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: Yes
Battery Type: Alkaline
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 10.6 x 5.9 x 2
MPN: A-200
Model: A-200
UPC: 892002002089
EAN: 0892002002089
ASIN: B0036U7WJI
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Create a central library of all your digital media files, ready to play on your TV at any time. | | • | Play the majority of digital media files on your TV. | | • | Supports the most advanced high-def video and audio standards, including MKV HD and Dolby |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
It's Time to Unleash Your TV The Popcorn Hour is the world's original Networked Media Tank. It allows you to stream digital video, audio and photos from your PC, storage device, home network or the Internet to your HDTV or home theater setup. The A-200 gives you total control over your digital media experience. Expand Your Possibilities Add an optional hard drive to the Popcorn Hour's standard expansion slot to open up a host of additional features and options: • Create a central library of all your movies and video files, ready to play on your TV at any time. • Easily share media with friends and family; utilizing the hard drive the Popcorn Hour can act as a file server to share files over your home network. Digital Entertainment Your Way Popcorn Hour's interface utilizes intuitive navigation prompts, so first-time users can quickly get up to speed on even the most advanced features. The standard remote control supports playback modes such as play/pause and trickmodes, as well as simultaneous display of images and playback of audio tracks. Features • Play virtually any digital media file on your TV. • Supports the most advanced high-def video and audio standards, including Blu-ray and Dolby. • Newer and faster processor for increased performance in all areas
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Good unit for the price!! August 30, 2010
Wookie
I got 2 of the A-200 for the bedrooms in my home. They play all my videos great and I have no problems at all.
The people that complain about the fan noise must have sonic ears as I can barly hear it it I put it next to my head. I would recomend this player to anyone who wants a great media player. Stay away from the WDTV Live units as I replaced 2 of them with this and will buy another later on.
Great unit for the price!!!!
 Great device but a little clunky August 29, 2010
sekander
I settled on the A 200 a week ago after looking at AC Ryan, Western Digital and Xtream. Two different salesmen in different stores both said the Popcorn Hour had the best signal processor/chipset. Well, this might be company blather they are told to say but the proof is in the putting. The picture I saw looked great and when I went back to test it with a USB jump drive of my own with MP4 and MKV files, I was sold. The A 200 performed like a champ.
I could finally see the High Def video I shot with my camcorder and also the MKV movies I downloaded on a big screen. The remote is back-lit, which is an added bonus for viewing in the dark, and it didn't take long to find my way around it. Yes, there is very little documentation and it helps to be "good with stereo equipment" or you may get frustrated like some of the other posters. No fan noise but yes, it does get hot. My solution....unscrew the cover and leave it off! One of the other reasons I chose the Popcorn Hour is that it holds an internal hard drive via SATA connection. And that's 3.5 or 2.5 hard drives! Very convenient to just pop a hard drive out of a computer and snap it right into the well of the Popcorn Hour. Put the top back on without the screws if you're afraid of dust, but really, that's a minor irritation. By keeping the top unscrewed, you can change hard drives on a whim to watch virtually anything you have. You don't need the USB port so often, although there are two (one in front and one in back) if you are so inclined.
Negatives? How about the machine not reading any of your attached drives? There are times when I fire the unit up from standby and I get nothing. I'll try 3 or 4 times with the remote and finally, I have to unplug the unit's power cord and plug it back in. Then, she fires up like a computer and reads whatever is attached. Kind of like re-booting a computer.
Living in Thailand, I was able to buy a 1TB hard drive loaded with 80 HD MKV movies so I am pretty well set with viewing options for quite a while. The Popcorn Hour is a great device once you understand its idiosyncracies but probably not for luddites!
 Disappointed! August 22, 2010
MJ (Apple Valley, CA USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wanted to like this SO much. The reviews were good and it looked like it could do exactly what I wanted it to. Then I plugged it in and was almost immediately disappointed.
To give you some perspective, I've also toyed around with a Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player WDBABX0000NBK-NESN. When I plugged that little box into my network, it instantly found my shares, asked me for a login name and password, presented me with my folders and media files, and DONE, no setup required. No real networking skills called for. You only need to remember your PC's login and password. My only discontent is that I'd heard it doesn't play well with HD audio files.
Then I tried the Popcorn Hour. Again, my PC shows up in the list of network sources. Good start! But now when I got to log in, I am simply refused. Can't enter my username and password. As I'm not one to simply give up on my toys if they don't work straight out of the box, I go online to find out what needs doing. It's then that I'm confronted with the unnecessary complexity of setting this thing up. SAMBA and NFS and media servers, oh my! UCK! Why does it have to be that way? Why can't it be simple and straightforward like it was with the Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player WDBABX0000NBK-NESN?
Sadly, I've decided to return my Popcorn Hour. The two-stars I gave are for those users who know what they're getting into and don't mind spending the time setting the device up; for them, this may make a good purchase. For those who want a simple plug-and-play experience, however, I feel there are much better options available.
Good product with some flaws August 5, 2010
N. Schiltz (South Dakota)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I believe the a-200 is a very good product. It will pretty much play any file format you throw at it. It will play back both dvd and bluray isos as well as the popular mkv or m2ts format which products like the playstation 3 and xbox 360 will not do. Regarding cons I would first like to point out that I DID NOT notice the loud fan noise everyone here is pointing out. But I did notice that the product does get very hot. The trick is to shut down the system by holding down the power button. Otherwise, by simply hitting the power button once the unit stays in stand by while continually powering the unit which is somewhat of an annoyance. To avoid the heat issue I avoid using an internal hard drive and stick to an external hard drive. I initially installed an internal hard drive but found the device to get very hot. This may be a problem for some as it requires a internal hd to run certain applications. Personally I don't use them. Whether the heat caused by the internal hd would be a problem or not is a question but its not a risk I'm willing to take. I will say that the design of the case is a bit cheap. The biggest thing that concerns me is that the heat vents are on the bottom of the unit and as any average joe knows, heat rises! For anyone wondering there are custom metal cases out there that are of much better quality. The interface is clunking but has an awesome streamlined alternative known as Yet Another Movie Jukebox (YAMJ). YAMJ is very good and is makes browsing collections a snap. As far as the big kicker that got be to purchase the a-200 over products like the wd-live plus is the audio passthrough. The a-200 will bitstream high def audio formats to a receiver such as DTS MA HD audio and Dolby TruHD through backup files. Last I read the WD Live was able to bitstream TruHD but not sure on that. Western Digitial says it will never bitstream DTS MA. Other complaints I have is that the documentation is lousy. When you buy this expect to do a lot of internet searching for usuage. But after a little reading the device is very easy to use. I will say that a plus is that firmware updates are a huge step forward but not always the quickest to come out. But no product is perfect. Overall it has been a great purchase for my families needs.
Very good. July 28, 2010
Chris
The A-200 is a great media player. It plays high bit-rate Movies that the WDTV Live choked on. Network speeds are good. The only thing that could be better is the case. But when it plays everything you throw at it who really cares.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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