Popcorn Hour A-400 Networked Media Jukebox

The unit does work with most of my media files "after" I updated it with some of the available firmware updates. If you go to the network media tank forum you can get almost weekly builds of firmware that fix various things and introduce new issues all the time. I understand that this unit has a "brand new" chipset with not a lot of software experience behind it but it just seems like some basic functionality needs to be fixed first.The media jukebox on it is nicer then some I have used but I found it still lacked and the best way to manage it was from a networked computer with the user created apps that let you manage the database.I have always used Western Digital products in the past and love the media library on the hub and live streaming so perhaps it will just take some getting used to. This one does have some different features and ways to display the media. I did find that the scan for media with the unit itself will turn up a lot of wrong results and if you have media in the same folder you don't want to have in your library you can't just delete it from the library without deleting the file and if you delete it from the database management software you will pick it all up again if you scan the storage location for media again which is a large pain.The remote works ok, but I use my Harmony remote which works a lot better in terms of angle of use.All in all the main reason I bought this item was because it supported HD audio codecs (DTS-HD) that my WD units did not. Which after firmware updates do play fine. However I feel that there does need to be a lot of development on the firmware before it becomes really stable. I don't bother with 3D so I can't really comment on that piece.

I've been an owner of Popcorn media players for years. The C-200, the A-300, and then I bought the A-400. I heard there were some issues with the new A-400 player..but I didn't realize the issues were so broad or so bad! Before I continue, I did update the firmware as soon as I unboxed the A-400. I put in a 3 TB hard drive, which I was told the player would read. It did see the hard drive, and once I formatted to NT filesystem...it saw the drive. But the 'slave' USB port on the back...does NOT work with the 3 tb drive. I put a 2 TB drive inside the A-400, and it worked just fine. So no USB 'slave' control with a 3 TB dirve. Issue 1. Some movie files have sound issues. Drop outs, stopping..and some subtitles would not play. This happened with the 3 Tb drive, and the 2 Tb drive...either as an internal or an external drive. So, I put those same HD's in the A-300, and no problem. The same exact files played without a problem in the A-300. Put them back in the A-400, and again, the same issue. Sound drop outs! Screen black-outs, and subtitles issues! Issue 2. How can this company release a new media player that does not work? Much less a new player that does not work as well as the older A-300? You would think the newer version would work at least as well as the older version...but it doesn't! So, I tried email support...it took a week for them to respond...and was not help. I tried phone support here in the US, which in the past as be very helpful....still has not returned my phone calls. 4 phone calls in the course of a week..and still no return call. Issue 3! So, I'm returning the A-400 and getting another A-300. What did work on the A-400? The iPad app where you can see your jukebox media player library. The one thing I thought would not work...worked without fail..and actually was amazing! The 1 star I give is for that...the iPad remote app. Amazing! So, I'm sad to lose that control....but I need the player to work at least as well as the A-300...and it doesn't!

I own and use WD TV Live Hub, great small size player, but limited 1TB HD capacity dedicated HDD (can't swap HDDs), plus slow transfer via network, no USB transfer. I own and use LaCie LaCinema PlayHD larger 2TB HD capacity, but also dedicated HDD and no network connection, but good player and very happy with it otherwise. Have been looking for some time for a player with decent user Interface, swappable drive able to accept large 4TB HDDs, and tried players with features I am looking for, such as Micca EP350 G2, but had cheap remote and defective unit, erased all my data with any slight touch to the case, so returned it. Also tried Krizer Flavo Ultimate. Took over a year to fix firmware bugs and finally now works but has very noisy fan. I have been using my new Popcorn Hour A-400 with latest firmware for about a week now, and it works just as I had hoped. I have had none of the issues described by the 2 reveiwers before me. Perhaps it took a bit longer to get firmware bugs worked out, since those reviews. It is silent, accepts large capacity 4TB HDDs, and connects simulateously with USB 3 and eSATA slave drives. Nice build remote with great and reliable function from a good distance (I use from ~ 15 feet). Love the jukebox feature, especially with iPad! I LOVE THE IPAD JUKEBOX FEATURE! Only thing that would have made this pefect would have been if they included a built in wireless network adapter, but alas, one must add a wireless dongle to connect wirelessly to a network. I am OK with this, since these adapters are so inexpensive these days, and as I am just thrilled with the performance and features of this player.

The Poporn Hour units have solid output performance and really live up to the quality of construction that you expect. That said, they are also not built for beginners. Initial setup, firmware upgrades (of which there are several) and outfitting a unit like this with something like NAMJ can be both time consuming and confusing for those new to Popcorn Hour's methods.If you've used other Popcorn Hour units, you'll appreciate the upgraded decoder, the full support of 3D encoded MKV, and the wide rang of media supports. But if you're looking for a straight forward media streamer, this is likely more than what you are after.