Popcorn Hour

[tigerbeer]

Just came across the Popcorn Hour Media player on the net. Saw some numbers there on a thai site of Popcorn hour but can't read Thai and didn't call on the numbers listed there..

What I am more interested to know is if anyone has tried it?? Seems like a pretty nifty player with options to view YouTube thought it, even has a client for Torrent P2P. Seems like a worthy buy.

TB..

edit: just called one of the numbers listed on the Thai popcorn site. Quoted me THB10,400. Not sure if its worth the price.

Edited July 23, 2008 by tigerbeer

[Rice_King]

You can have the same play-able features with a no-name brand available for under 4,000 baht IF you just need a HDD media player, NOT the connectivity features (NAS and a BitTorrent peer-to-peer downloader, etc..) of the Popcorn Hour player. They are available here in Chiang Mai TB. You will need to add the hard drive as it is just the enclosure and a remote control.

Edited July 23, 2008 by Rice_King

[Tywais]

Not sure if you saw this topic > http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Divx-Hd-Tv-t186768.html but talks about other versions.

and here > http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Multimedia-H...er-t196920.html

[sniffdog]

You can have the same play-able features with a no-name brand available for under 4,000 baht IF you just need a HDD media player, NOT the connectivity features (NAS and a BitTorrent peer-to-peer downloader, etc..) of the Popcorn Hour player. They are available here in Chiang Mai TB. You will need to add the hard drive as it is just the enclosure and a remote control.

Oh, yeah? Do these under 4,000 baht players support MKV? Don't think so.

The only thing against the Popcorn Hour is that the price i Thailand is more than 10,000 ... In the States it's only US$179 or even less ...

[Rice_King]

Oh, yeah? Do these under 4,000 baht players support MKV? Don't think so.

Now take it easy there Sniffy. I will apologize if it makes you feel better as I did overlook that one small bit of video protocol that the Popcorn Hour supports and the el-cheapo player does not.

I don't see that the PopCorn Hour supports ISO files. Along with the cheaper players, that is a deal breaker for me.

[sniffdog]

More surprises for somebody who apparently doesn't inform himself before posting:

'Yet Popcorn Hour is harder to snag than a Nintendo Wii; it's been perpetually sold out for months, and you have to get on a waiting list to buy it. Its low price ($179), laundry list of media sources, and excellent 1080p video quality don't hurt, but we suspect the key attraction for many video enthusiasts is the built-in BitTorrent client, along with support for MKV and ISO files. MKV and ISO are favored formats for file-swappers trading high-def movie rips, and the BitTorrent client makes it easy to download movies directly to the box, rather than through your PC.'

http://www.pcworld.com/article/146264/popc...a_streamer.html

Perhaps you now understand why the popcorn hour would be a much better choice than a 4.000 baht el cheapo. Especially if you could buy it for the equivalent of 179 bucks.

Now start apologizing and bring me that smile back on my face ....

Edited July 23, 2008 by sniffdog

[Rice_King]

Now start apologizing and bring me that smile back on my face ....

Of course you are absolutely correct sniffdog, I stand corrected on my previous post and I should have informed myself better. The Popcorn Hour does appear to do everything I am looking for in a media player at a fantastic price.

Edited July 24, 2008 by Rice_King

[tigerbeer]

Rice King, thanks for the info. Yeah the cheapo stuff is good to go. i do have that dvd machine of which plays divx from my flash drive so thats ok for the moment. The Popcorn seems like a perfect machine. Don't really care for MKV files though cause they are easily converted.

sniffdog, take it easy my friend. its only a player lets not get too worked up about MKV, ISO's and torrents...

[phazey]

I agree with the level of niftyness this device has. I wonder if the web services could be configurable. Sites like surfthechannel & tv-links would be a good addition.

The only thing i see this has over my current setup (Xbox w/XBMC) is the hidef output.

Edited July 24, 2008 by phazey

[sniffdog]

Rice King, thanks for the info. Yeah the cheapo stuff is good to go. i do have that dvd machine of which plays divx from my flash drive so thats ok for the moment. The Popcorn seems like a perfect machine. Don't really care for MKV files though cause they are easily converted.

sniffdog, take it easy my friend. its only a player lets not get too worked up about MKV, ISO's and torrents...

I take it easy .. IMHO if you post, post correct information. Member's purchase decisions might be based on it.

I've done the other route also, playing divx files from a USB stick .... a disaster with stuttering movies and other issues like out of sync.

Converting MKV files? Have you personally done that? As far as I know only ConvertXtoDVD does that ... but doesn't do a very good job and produces DVDs with out of sync problems and quality loss.

But although for me the Popcorn Hour (and the even more expensive player) is a great solution for HiDef users, I don't have the need for such a player. I stream movies straight from my computer to my Full HD TV. No converting necessary, no out of sync problems, fantastic 6CH audio output. Am a great fan of Zoom Player.

[Rice_King]

IMHO if you post, post correct information. Member's purchase decisions might be based on it.

Guilty as charged.

Truth is, now that I have been "informed," I really WANT one of these Popcorn players. I have been looking for an affordable player that supports ISO files. My purchase decision, as sniffdog mentioned, is based on what I learned here from HIM and NOT from the product website. That is due in part of the (in my opinion) poor design of the manufacturer's site. I overlooked that it did indeed support ISO files since that info was "buried" near the bottom of the page. (Or it may be that I require a new pair of reading glasses.)

Edited July 24, 2008 by Rice_King

[Tywais]

(Or it may be that I require a new pair of reading glasses.)

I believe there is a topic running in the CM forum on that. If I hadn't already purchased a TviX box, which I'm quite happy with, definitely would be looking closer at this one. I had spare parts to build another computer and decided to turn it into a HTPC system for the other room. I bought a StreamZap IR remote controller (with USB receiver) and installed Meedio (a media center front end software). Have to say, it works very well and of course being XP based can run any video as long as the codec is installed.

[LivinLOS]

Am a great fan of Zoom Player.

Been in contact with Blight for 8 maybe more years.. Superb guy and great power user soft..

[basjke]

Please exzplain why it is so important that a mediabox supports iso files as in fact they are the same size as dv(vob) files.

[LivinLOS]

Please exzplain why it is so important that a mediabox supports iso files as in fact they are the same size as dv(vob) files.

Because many people dont want compressed material.. Its like I have my audio in lossless rather than MP3 because I dont want compression.

For me MKV and h264 are more important.. You can keep approx ISO quality at smaller filesizes, also am trying to move to HiDef for as much as I can get.

[tigerbeer]

Please exzplain why it is so important that a mediabox supports iso files as in fact they are the same size as dv(vob) files.

Because many people dont want compressed material.. Its like I have my audio in lossless rather than MP3 because I dont want compression.

For me MKV and h264 are more important.. You can keep approx ISO quality at smaller filesizes, also am trying to move to HiDef for as much as I can get.

i could actually use my EEEPC to run as a media player. Thing is that it does not have a TV out. Then again I only have CRT at the moment !

[stumonster]

I bought a StreamZap IR remote controller (with USB receiver) and installed Meedio (a media center front end software). Have to say, it works very well and of course being XP based can run any video as long as the codec is installed.

where did you get the controller mate , and how much ? be nice if you could mount it in a 5.25 bay.

I have seen these new Asus mobos with hdmi http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131237

thought they would make a good base for a multimedia box

[Tywais]

where did you get the controller mate , and how much ? be nice if you could mount it in a 5.25 bay.

The controller is an USB IR receiver that you can sit anywhere. Range/sensitivity is quite high, 10 meters.

The site is here > http://www.streamzap.com/

The problem I had was finding a place that would ship to Thailand which this one does > http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/5a20/

But shipping costs were just too much and had a friend in the US order it and ship by post. The price at ThinkGeek is 29.99 which is cheaper then the main site.

[LivinLOS]

Please exzplain why it is so important that a mediabox supports iso files as in fact they are the same size as dv(vob) files.

Because many people dont want compressed material.. Its like I have my audio in lossless rather than MP3 because I dont want compression.

For me MKV and h264 are more important.. You can keep approx ISO quality at smaller filesizes, also am trying to move to HiDef for as much as I can get.

i could actually use my EEEPC to run as a media player. Thing is that it does not have a TV out. Then again I only have CRT at the moment !

I doubt an EEE PC would keep up with MKV high def..

Also TV out is not going to help, thats a SD output..

[LivinLOS]

where did you get the controller mate , and how much ? be nice if you could mount it in a 5.25 bay.

The controller is an USB IR receiver that you can sit anywhere. Range/sensitivity is quite high, 10 meters.

The site is here > http://www.streamzap.com/

The problem I had was finding a place that would ship to Thailand which this one does > http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/5a20/

But shipping costs were just too much and had a friend in the US order it and ship by post. The price at ThinkGeek is 29.99 which is cheaper then the main site.

By far the best PC remote I have used (having tried many many ones) is the gyration media center one..

[sniffdog]

Please exzplain why it is so important that a mediabox supports iso files as in fact they are the same size as dv(vob) files.

Because many people dont want compressed material.. Its like I have my audio in lossless rather than MP3 because I dont want compression.

For me MKV and h264 are more important.. You can keep approx ISO quality at smaller filesizes, also am trying to move to HiDef for as much as I can get.

i could actually use my EEEPC to run as a media player. Thing is that it does not have a TV out. Then again I only have CRT at the moment !

I doubt an EEE PC would keep up with MKV high def..

Also TV out is not going to help, thats a SD output..

Yes, no way. I doubt even normal content can be streamed properly with a EEEPC. I have a Intel Quad at 3.0Ghz and a Geforce 8800GTS. Runs well with hidef rips.

[Tywais]

Yes, no way. I doubt even normal content can be streamed properly with a EEEPC. I have a Intel Quad at 3.0Ghz and a Geforce 8800GTS. Runs well with hidef rips.

I did have my EEEPC setup for a while as my media player but connected by VGA directly to my plasma TV. Had no problems including running a test with a 720p video. But 1080 may be pushing it beyond it's limits. However, I did modify the BIOS for higher clock rate.

[sniffdog]

There are almost no hd rips with 1080i or 1080p .... maybe full BlueRay rips, but whose going to wait to download up to 10Gb for a single movie?

[LivinLOS]

There are almost no hd rips with 1080i or 1080p .... maybe full BlueRay rips, but whose going to wait to download up to 10Gb for a single movie?

Completely wrong.. There LOADS of hidef rips out there now.. Rips from TV, rips from movie channels, rips from HDDVD and blueray..

My buddy has a few 100 feature films in HiDef rips. I DL them daily.

[Tywais]

Completely wrong..

I agree. I have a friend who downloads them (1080) regularly and takes between 1-3 hours.

[sniffdog]

First, read again .. ALMOST no 1080 rips (ie far in the minority) Show me ten of them and I'll stand corrected.

I am interested .... I use the list on warezbb ... there are 466movies listed. Hidef rips .... I've checked around 30 of them of of them 720p with some of them 1080p (mind you the source is 1080p, the rip isn't)

[Movie Title ]....[ The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring

[Release Year ]...[ 2001

[iMDb Rating ]....[ 8.7/10 TOP250: #19

[Genre ]..........[ Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Thriller

[Runtime ]........[ 208 mins

[File Size ]......[ 2933 MB

[source ].........[ TLOTR.The.Fellowship.of.The.Ring.2001.SEE.1080p.HDTV.x264-MULTi

[Resolution ].....[ 832*416 (Anamorph)

[Frame Rate ].....[ 23.976 fps

[Aspect Ratio ]...[ 2.35:1

[Video C/B ]......[ x264 ~1522 kbps

[Audio C/B ]......[ ND HE-AAC 5.1 ~196 kbps

[Language ].......[ English

[subtitle ].......[ English (Not hardsubbed)

[Container ]......[ MatRoska (.mkv)

Edited July 27, 2008 by sniffdog

[Lordfoul]

You stand corrected

http://www.newzleech.com/usenet/?group=143...senet&adv=1

And 10GB at 1080p would be a rip as full BluRay is quite a bit larger.

Even with a 2Mb connection you can grab a full movie in less than a day

First, read again .. ALMOST no 1080 rips (ie far in the minority) Show me ten of them and I'll stand corrected.

I am interested .... I use the list on warezbb ... there are 466movies listed. Hidef rips .... I've checked around 30 of them of of them 720p with some of them 1080p (mind you the source is 1080p, the rip isn't)

[Movie Title ]....[ The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring

[Release Year ]...[ 2001

[iMDb Rating ]....[ 8.7/10 TOP250: #19

[Genre ]..........[ Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Thriller

[Runtime ]........[ 208 mins

[File Size ]......[ 2933 MB

[source ].........[ TLOTR.The.Fellowship.of.The.Ring.2001.SEE.1080p.HDTV.x264-MULTi

[Resolution ].....[ 832*416 (Anamorph)

[Frame Rate ].....[ 23.976 fps

[Aspect Ratio ]...[ 2.35:1

[Video C/B ]......[ x264 ~1522 kbps

[Audio C/B ]......[ ND HE-AAC 5.1 ~196 kbps

[Language ].......[ English

[subtitle ].......[ English (Not hardsubbed)

[Container ]......[ MatRoska (.mkv)

[sniffdog]

double post

Edited July 27, 2008 by sniffdog

[sniffdog]

Sorry, I do not .... most files list 1080p as the source, the output is not 1080p. And as you see most rips are around 10Gb (some a little smaller but still 7-8Gb)

The.Devil.Wears.Prada.2006.1080p.BluRay.x264-SECTOR7

07.22.2008

Source: 1080P BluRay h.264

Video: 1920x816 @ 11000 kbps

Audio: DTS @ 1509 kbps

IMDB: 6.8/10 (41,771 votes)

IMDB LINk: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0458352/

This particular rip is 8.5 Gib but doesn't list the result as 1920x1080 ...

Most of the rips I download are hidef x264 and vary from 1/4DVD to 2/3DVD ... Who wants to spend a whole day downloading one single movie?

Again, I said that until now I haven't seen a 1080p (1920 x 1080) which has a reasonable size ....

Here's another not Full HD rip:\ (but still 9Gb)

Tomb.Raider.2001.1080p.BluRay.x264-SECTOR7

07.21.2008

Source: 1080P BluRay h.264

Video: 1920x800 @ 11000 kbps

Audio: DTS @ 1509 kbps

IMDB: 5.3/10 (41,602 votes)

IMDB LINk: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0146316/

Please try again ....

Edited July 27, 2008 by sniffdog

[Lordfoul]

Your television has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (assuming it is a widescreen) The Devil Wears Prada was release on BluRay with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 so there would be "black bars" on the top and bottom of your screen. That is were the Missing lines of resolution are.

Downloading from the internet does not require your full attention, you start it then do something else.

Sorry, I do not .... most files list 1080p as the source, the output is not 1080p. And as you see most rips are around 10Gb (some a little smaller but still 7-8Gb)

The.Devil.Wears.Prada.2006.1080p.BluRay.x264-SECTOR7

07.22.2008

Source: 1080P BluRay h.264

Video: 1920x816 @ 11000 kbps

Audio: DTS @ 1509 kbps

IMDB: 6.8/10 (41,771 votes)

IMDB LINk: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0458352/

This particular rip is 8.5 Gib but doesn't list the result as 1920x1080 ...

Most of the rips I download are hidef x264 and vary from 1/4DVD to 2/3DVD ... Who wants to spend a whole day downloading one single movie?

Again, I said that until now I haven't seen a 1080p (1920 x 1080) which has a reasonable size ....