Popcorn Hour C-200 Networked Media Tank - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)BUYER BEWARE!!! I bought the C-200 back in December 2009, it worked well for a while but died in August 2010, I had to send it back to popconhour for a new motherboard :( The device does play everything you throw at it and is faily versatile in that it can take an optional bluray drive and more internal store etc. Unfortunately it is an ugly addition to a home theatre setup. There is no offical support that I can see, most of the problems people have with playback seem to be addressed with firmware updates. It is NOT worth the price, there are many alternactive devices available now which do just as good a job, WDTV, PlayOn, ASROCK ION 330 etc. Trust me, it is a hassle to keep this thing working well. The forums over on networkedmediatank shows many uswers having problems which are NEVER resolved. Best steer clear of this box and all other popcornhour devices folks.

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It's Time to Unleash Your TV The Popcorn Hour C-200 is the most powerful and versatile Networked Media Tank yet. It's blazing-fast processor, Blu-ray capability and storage options make the C-200 an ideal addition to your home theater or high-definition entertainment system. All Your Media in One Box With Popcorn Hour you can stream or playback digital media content from a variety of sources, such as your PC, network-attached storage, digital camera or USB storage (flash drive, hard disk, and DVD drive). Popcorn Hour also makes it easy to download and stream content directly from popular Internet sites like SHOUTcast Radio, Blip.tv, Revision 3 and dozens of others. Popcorn Hour even has a built-in download utility, eliminating the need to rely on your PC to download files from the Internet. Expand Your Possibilities. The C-200 includes the most expansion options with a total of 5 USB ports and 2 SATA ports for all your storage needs. You can add a Blu-ray drive to turn your Popcorn Hour C-200 into a full-featured Blu-ray player. You can add a hard drive to create a central library of all your digital media files, ready to play on your HDTV at any time. Requires at least 1GB storage space (USB or Hard Disk) for full playback.

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Sony STR-DH800 7.1-Channel Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I know just enough about Audio to be dangerous but I'm not a true audiophile (or whatever they're called). So I don't know how an average person would figure this out when it took me an hour and a half on the phone with Sony support before THEY figured it out.
Now this is my second Sony receiver and I purchased this one specifically to go along with my brand new Sony BDP-S360 Blu Ray player. I used brand new HDMI category 2 cables into the receiver and then out to my Sony HDTV. This is suppossed to be the BEST way to get true no-loss sound decoding and picture. Well I was shocked when my receiver was NOT decoding DTS audio. All Dolby Digital tracks were playing in perfect 5.1 surround sound...the DTS tracks played back in Linear PCM stereo. So after I read the manuals, updated the firmware and set everything right then trying a few DVDs and Blu Ray discs I contacted Sony Support via email. Several exchanges later they asked me to call in to better troubleshoot my issue. First I talked to the blu ray guy (since I wasn't sure which device was causing the issue) and after resetting the player and checking all the setting I was transfered to the Audio department. Once again we reset the machine to factory setting, checked all the set ups and still nothing changed (Did I mention that I had to unhook and reconnect several cables and I even had an optical cable running to my old Sony Reciever?). Then 1 1/2 hours into the phone call he asked if I was getting audio through the TV speakers which I was and he said "oh its set to TV + Amp". So we changed that setting to just "Amp" and bingo...DTS surround sound!! I said "but that's the factory default setting". He told me where the info was in the manual but I checked an NOWHERE in the manual does it say that when using the receiver as a passthrough via HDMI inorder to decode a DTS signal the receiver must be set to "Amp" only and not the default setting of "TV + Amp". What the...??
So now the receiver works great even decoding the new DTS-HD Master Audio off my "Watchmen" Blu Ray disc. But be warned that if you use the HDMI inputs to decode your surround sound be sure to change the system to "Amp" instead of the default "TV + Amp" unless you enjoy stereo sound from your suround sound system. This may be the case for other Sony receivers so be aware when buying that factory default setting may not allow for optimum performance and the Sony guys might not be aware of this little fact if you call them.

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Sony STR-DN1000 7.1-Channel Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the STR-DN1000 as an upgrade to my old Yamaha receiver that didn't have audio decoding through HDMI which I really needed since I've recently added a couple additional HDMI components to my set-up and needed HDMI switching. I bought it based on reviews of sound quality (anyone saying this amp has anything less than great sound doesn't know what they're talking about or doesn't have their amp set up correctly!), price, and features (4X HDMI being the most important). I am relatively pleased with my new receiver. Sound and video processing are both excellent, and aside from a few issues, this is a great receiver. Before I go into more detail, here is my home theater set-up:
1) 5.1 surround sound consisting of: Polk Audio TSi200 L + R speakers, a Polk CS20 Center Channel Speaker, and a Yamaha subwoofer and two Yamahah back channel L & R speakers.
4) A Sony DVP-NS700H/B DVD player
5) Toshiba 42" Regaza LCD
6) Comcast Digital Cable box
7) WD TV Live HD Media Player
All devices connected using Version 1.3 Category 2 HDMI Cables.
Setting things up:
Set-up is a breeze. Everything is laid out well enough, and the included wire-map which gives a blown-up overview of the connections makes things even easier. The wire screws for connecting the speakers are made of plastic and are not as easy to turn as I might have liked, but this was a minor issue at best. They do support Banana jacks if that's your thing. I had all my speaker wires and HDMI cables connected in about 10 minutes (all of them were already in place so it might take significantly longer if you are running new wire). Just a note for reciever set-ups: give yourself an extra 3-4 feet of wire for each speaker so you can connect your amp OUTSIDE your AV cabinet/rack. This will make things much easier because you can work on the amp with it's back facing you!
GUI (Graphic User Interface), Programing, and Auto Calibration:
The DN1000 comes with a built in GUI for adjusting settings. It is a rudimentary text based interface in black, white and blue, but it is easy to navigate and use even if it isn't pretty. I was easily able to program in radio pre-sets, assign inputs *More on that to come*, and run the Auto Calibration. Auto Calibration involves connecting a provided mic and placing it in the correct location and then letting the amp put out some test tones to each speaker and the amp. The whole thing takes about 30-40 seconds. The manual states that this will involve "very loud" sounds, so I was a bit worried what that would be like. Thankfully it wasn't loud at all, so don't get freaked out when the manual warns you to watch out for small children, dogs, and angry neighbors. The GUI could be a bit more intuitive; you are frequently required to git an 'option' button that is on the remote itself. It would have been much simpler to just have that button in the layout of the GUI itself.
Programing custom inputs and renaming inputs was my biggest complaint with this amp. First, you CANNOT re-map the TV, Satelite, DVD, etc., buttons to be linked with the HDMI inputs. Each time you re-map an input it asks for both an audio and video input. I wanted to re-map the DVD button on the remote to work with my HDMI DVD player. I was able to choose the correct HDMI in, but because the amp also requires an audio input, you are FORCED to choose from coaxial, analog LR channel or digital. Choosing any of these overrides the HDMI's sound, and gives you video but no sound! This is incredibly frustrating and very stupid on Sony's part since the amp supports HDMI sound processing natively and all they would need to do is tweak the GUI to allow the user to select either HDMI or 'None' for sound input! I called Sony tech support to verify this is the case and they said they have no plans to issue a firmware update to correct this issue. I was able to re-name the HDMI inputs to DVD, WD LIVE, and COMCAST so that the amp displays the correct input when one of the HDMI buttons is pushed, but that isn't ideal considering the layout of the remote:
The Remote:
On first glance, the remote appears to be well laid out and to have excellent built quality (no squeeks when you hit the buttons, feels nice and solid in your hand, responsive buttons, etc). It is solidly made, but functionally it has some major flaws:
1) Because there are nice big, well labeled "DVD, TV, Satelite, etc." buttons on the top third of the remote, it will be highly confusing to have to explain to non-tech savvy people "when you want to watch a DVD you hit HDMI 3, not DVD" or something similar due to the inability of the receiver to re-map those buttons! Basically the usefulness of having 'quick launch' buttons on the remote is destroyed by not being able to map them correctly!
2) The mute button location is horrible. It is at the bottom lower third of the remote on the left side. It is also the smallest button on the remote and a real pain to hit with your thumb since it requires balancing the very end of the remote in your hand or using two hands. In my opinion, the button you're most likely going to use more than any other should be easily accessible!
Sound Quality:
I put the amp through its paces with the following:
1) Comcast TV (College Football) with Dolby Digital Surround
2) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (DVD) & The Matrix (DVD)
3) Various lossless audio files streamed over my WD media streamer
4) Battlestar Galactica HD streamed over my WD media streamer
Surround sounds is just about perfect. Crystal clear highs, nice punch with the bass (although my sub really isn't anything to write home about) and excellent, authentic reproduction of even complex sound files like Feist and Metallica playing from a FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) file. I ran through a few excellent (in my opinion) surround sound movies and all sounded fantastic. Orcs screaming from behind me, thunderous sounds of war, the steely tones of Mr. Smith threatening Neo, all sounded lovely.
Video Quality:
HDMI video pass through was great. Suffice it to say that I didn't use this receiver to decoded low-res video files (something it does, but according to other reviews not that well). The video decoder in my WD media streamer does that job. I can confirm that the receiver did not affect inherent video quality to either good or ill.
Aesthetics:
This is a slick receiver and looks great on my AV rack. It matches my DVD player which I guess is a good thing, and even (sort of) matches my Toshiba TV. The LED screen is adequate if not amazing. It is easy to read from across the room (about 12 feet in my smallish living room). Text is clear and crisp which is all I really need.
Heat:
This unit does produce more heat than my old Yamaha, but much less than my friend's Onkyo (you could fry an egg on that thing!). In a well ventilated AV rack or cabinet it should never be an issue.
Conclusions:
For the price (sub $300 range) there isn't a better option out there as of this review. You could spend a hundred more and get a Pioneer (which does come with an ipod connect wire included in the price) but you're not gaining anything other than a few more connection options. Sound quality wise, this receiver is very, very good. If you can live with the crap remote and a few problems with the GUI, it's well worth the price. I'll probably just get a Harmony remote to make things simple for my family and friends.
4/5 Stars.
Thanks for reading my review. Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer them in the comments section.


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The STR-DN1000 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver delivers the Full HD 1080 experience to a home theater system. It features 7 HD inputs including 4 HDMI inputs with "Active Intelligence". In addition, the STR-DH700 is compatible with 24p True Cinema technology video signals and decodes uncompressed audio (LPCM via HDMI) making it compatible with Blu-ray Disc Player, the PlayStation 3 technology and other HD sources. Speaking of an enhanced experience, how about listening to music in a different room? Now share your favorite songs wirelessly throughout your home with ease. Simply plug in the optional S-Air transmitter and turn on the AirStation client (sold separately).

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ASUS OPlay - TV HD Media Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's not much to look at coming out of the box, but boy, does the O!Play pack a wallop! It's an outstanding first effort from Taiwan-based Asus, a company known more for Eee Netbook and notebook computers than home entertainment devices. With Asus being a newcomer to the media player field and my having tested so many bad players, I was a bit hesitant to order the O!Play, but now I'm a believer. With its exhaustive list of supported video codecs and network connectivity, it is nearly the perfect player, capable of playing everything from VCD to DVD to Blu-ray/HD DVD rips. Most notably, it supports RMVB, an important feature to fans of Asian shows and one that most of the major-brand players lack, including the otherwise superb WD TV HD Media Player and WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player. ASUS seems to be very actively developing firmwares and I'm impressed by their diligence.
SETUP:
Setup is easy and literally takes 30 seconds. On the side is 1 USB port and 1 eSATA port to connect local hard drives should you need them. HDMI and optical cable (S/PDIF) are not included, so you'll need your own. I really appreciate Asus using a 2-prong power cord instead of a wall-wart that blocks neighboring outlets. True to Asus's PC pedigree, the AC adapter looks like a PC laptop's AC adapter. It's very small (about the size of a Hostess Twinkie) and has a pleasant (and VERY BRIGHT) blue LED. Upon boot-up, the device asks you to configure it with TV settings, network settings, time and date, etc. After plugging in the LAN cable, it found my NAS units (D-Link DNS321 Gigabit Network Storage Enclosure and D-Link DNS323) right away. The O!Play did have a problem interpreting non-Roman characters on my NAS, so folder names and files got garbled. Some files did not show up on the O!Play until I removed the offending non-Western characters (Chinese and Japanese).
With the new firmware, UPnP has been added, along with some slightly improved icons. With UPnP, the O!Play sees Chinese and Japanese filenames properly, but none of my MKV's showed up, a problem I had on all networked players I've tested. Only a fraction of my total library was listed. If you want to see your entire list, don't use UPnP.
INTERFACE AND USABILITY:
From a total off and unplugged state, the O!Play takes 10 seconds to boot to the home screen, compared to as many as 40 seconds for the Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Multimedia Player 1 TB. The home screen is bright and attractive, but the folder navigation scheme leaves a bit to be desired. It's spartan, white text on black, and not nearly as attractive as the WDTV or WDTV Live, but it gets the job done. The remote control is big and solid, though the buttons seem to be bizarrely grouped and scattered about, forcing me to look down each time to make sure I'm pushing the right button. The bottom group of buttons is arranged in a circle around the music button for example, mixing different functionality into one area: volume controls (+/-) with subtitle (Aa), audio track (head icon), repeat mode (circular arrows), picture zoom (magnifying glass), file display mode (Mode), and device setup options (Setup). "Mode" is a file listing filter, toggling between Movies, Music, and Pictures. With it, you never need to go back to the home screen. Unfortunately, there's no "Show All" mode which lists every file together at the same time. To PageUp or PageDown long directories, use the |< and >| buttons.During video or image playback, the picture can be zoomed up to 8x. During video playback, the fast-forward/rewind can go up to 32x. The inclusion of volume control buttons is very thoughtful and useful. You can turn video preview on or off. Pausing over a file for a second will play it in a smaller window on the right (with audio). There is a slight delay of a second or two when reading the file's metadata off a drive or the network, during which time you can't push the play button. This can be a potential problem for people and gets annoying. For music, pausing over the file displays the ID3 info (song name, artist, album name, year, etc).
One cool feature is the ability to adjust the device options while playing back a movie. The menu overlays on top of the movie and you can adjust your settings (Brightness, Contrast, Aspect Ratio, etc) and resume. There's also a Noise Reduction option, but I suggest turning this OFF. It caused strange and distracting frame shimmering in some movies. Lastly, O!Play also remembers where you left off on each movie and can resume the next time you play the file.FORMAT SUPPORT:
This is where the O!Play really shines. It played all of the 100+ random files I threw at it, except for a few stray (and poor quality) .WMV files I got from the internet. MKV, AVI, MPG, DIVX, RM, TS all played flawlessly, both standard def and hi-def 720p/1080i/p content. It even plays Flash Video (FLV), a feature rarely encountered. DTS and Dolby multi-channel audio is downsampled to stereo, so there's no need for an audio receiver if you just want to output through the TV for convenience.
The Asus also plays .IFO/VOB files with DVD chapters, menus, and all disc features as if it were the original DVD. That's great news for users looking to make a centralized DVD collection on a server or a big hard drive. The only problem is there doesn't seem to be a button to get back to the menu. You have to stop the movie and start it again.
For photos, the ASUS has a problem displaying progressive JPEGs. Images will fit to screen and can zoom up to 8x, but there's no 1x view to see it at the original size.
EXTERNAL SUBTITLES:
I tested external .SRTs and internally embedded subtitles in .MKV's in a number of languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Russian, English, French, and others. All worked when saved as UTF-8. For multilingual families and fans of foreign film, this is great news. You can also set the interface to one of 10 major world languages. Subtitle files can be downloaded from sites like DivxStation.
With firmware 1.11, external and internal subs are both recognized if both types co-exist for a movie. Previously, only embedded subs were seen when a movie had both types. Now, pushing the subtitle button pops up a submenu where you can select the subtitle, change its encoding, font size, position, color, and importantly, syncing (many downloaded subtitles are off by a few seconds). This is very useful! No more re-saving. Just cycle through the available encodings or adjust the timing until the sub looks right (but you should still re-save to avoid doing this every time). Where multiple external subs existed, the O!Play did not recognize their names, showing only a number (like "Subtitle: 2 (SRT)", even when named according to the movie's filename (e.g. "Batman.mkv" -> "Batman - English.srt"). Pushing the info button a second time shows extended info like codec, resolution, and bitrate. It is better to mux the subtitle into the file using something like mkvmerge GUI and metatag the language name onto it. Subtitle line-spacing is a bit of an issue (too much). You can change the font size and color, but not the gap. Lastly, I wish for a thick black outline around the text like the WDTV Live. Sometimes the subtitle blends into the movie, no matter what color you set it to.
10/100 NETWORK INTERFACE:
This is a weak point for the device. With no gigabit Ethernet, it is less future-proof against monster 8GB+ .MKV files and other bandwidth intensive HD content. Also lack of wireless connectivity means I do not have freedom to locate this device wherever I want.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The O!Play is truly a multimedia beast. It plays nearly everything under the sun and as a WDTV and WDTV live owner, I can safely say that Western Digital has some serious competition here. At $99, it is a very capable device at a fantastic value, and its homely interface is forgivable. It is, however, rather boxy and brick-like, taking up as much space as a 3.5" external hard drive or an average Bible. It's 2x the size of the WDTV. Lastly, WDTV Live has Flickr, YouTube, and Pandora streaming. O!Play has no internet playback capabilities as of the current firmware release, though that can quickly change. ASUS has already added substantial improvements like the subtitle fixes and UPnP.
If wireless connectivity could be added with a firmware update, then this player will be all things to all people. (WDTV Live supports third party WiFi dongles). This is THE player to get if you want MKV, RMVB, and DVD .IFO support and don't care about wireless. Great value coupled with a great firmware support attitude makes this a highly recommended buy, and I hope ASUS surprises us with more software features down the road.UPDATE #1: Dec 10/09: Firmware 1.17 is now available, which adds BD .iso support and lets you jump forward by 5/10/15/30 mins.
UPDATE #2: Feb 15/10: Firmware 1.21 has just been released. It adds MAJOR internet content connectivity as well as the option to wirelessly connect your R1! This is something users have been clamoring for since this product's release and a giant leap forward. With a compatible USB dongle, this thing does everything the Air does, except the media...Read more›

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ASUS O!Play is the most convenient way access your media files on your TV. This device is easy to use and highly compatible with many video and audio formats. Equipped with an eSATA, USB, and LAN port, you can access your files from an external hard drive, PC, or NAS. The O!Play even supports HDMI so you can display your content in 1080p.

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Yamaha RX-V863BL 735 Watt 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had this receiver & its ipod dock for about 45 days. Picked this one over the 663 for its video upscaling. I use it mainly for watching dvds and ipod videos, streaming netflix, and listening to ipod and HD radio music.
Pros: Quality of sound and video output met my high expectations. (I'm biased toward Yamaha already FWIW). Surround fields are versatile & distinct. The enhancer modes are fantastic for low volume listening. Headphone listening is stellar. Config menus are straightforward. YPAO was easy to set up, though I wound up tweaking rear speaker adjustments up a bit as personal preference. The remote runs all our gear. I dusted off old concert and movie DVDs and this receiver makes them seem new again.
Cons: No macro mode on the remote to power everything on & off with one button. HD radio control is not intuitive. So far I haven't figured out if I can navigate a docked ipod's menus with my TV osd which would be nice.
Bottom line: I saved up and looked at a LOT of receivers before choosing this one, and I'm not disappointed at all. The RX-V863 is everything advertised and lives up to Yammy's top shelf reputation.

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The Yamaha RX-V863BL 7.2-channel digital home theater receiver delivers 735W powerful surround sound over 7 speakers (105W x 7).Full support for HD audio formats ensures maximum enjoyment of all high definition sources. Other advantages include full HD 1080p video upscaling with 3 HDMI inputs, an HD Radio tuner, as well as exclusive Yamaha features such as Pure Direct for the highest possible signal purity, YPAO sound optimization and 4 SCENE buttons for quick and easy browsing, selection, and automated setup of audio sources.

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