RE: Mac Mini v Popcorn Hour A110

[Paul Gale <groups2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Phil - interesting.

I've been really pleased with my PCH - yes, the UI is pants-ish but like
yo=
u say, it does work. Most importantly though, like you, I've found the
play=
back of everything I've thrown at it to be excellent, including HD MKV's
ev=
en streamed from a network share :)

If you've not spotted it yet, there's an app called NMT community software
=
installer application (catchy title!) that simplifies installation of a
ran=
ge of add-on  software, updates and new skins - all with the (couple of)
cl=
icks of a button.

Paul.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf
> Of Phil Harris
> Sent: 21 March 2009 01:05
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: [ukha_d] Mac Mini v Popcorn Hour A110
>
> OK =96 like the kind of mug I am I actually ordered a Popcorn Hour
A110
> yesterday (thanks RipCaster =96 good turnaround on the order).
>
>
>
> Right =96 initial results after about an hours playing =85
>
>
>
> User interface =96 OK, so compared to the nice scrolling menus and
> background
> graphics on Plex then the UI is basic =96 very very basic =96 but it
work=
s,
> I
> was able to browse my network, find my network shares, explore them,
> start a
> DVD playing off the network etc. from the remote without having to
> configure
> anything at all! (No damn way you=92re going to manage that from Plex!
:-
> D )
>
>
>
> I=92ll give Plex that it is *FAR* sexier to use than the PCH default
UI
> so -
> although you could argue that the PCH wins here because I was actually
> able
> to get a DVD playing off my network within a couple of minutes of
> unboxing
> the thing whereas with Plex I had to figure out what the hell the
geeks
> that
> wrote it had been smoking the night they wrote the code so that I
could
> try
> to fathom how to set up a =93source=94 and tell it what was in it
before =
I
> could
> get anywhere =96 I=92m going to give Plex the thumbs up for visual eye
> candy in
> so far as the UI is concerned.
>
>
>
> Now, I have several issues with Plex =96 the main one being the amount
of
> time
> that it takes for the software to go into the =93Watch movies=94 view
=85=
I
> don=92t
> know what it does and I know that it isn=92t helped by the fact that
I=92=
m
> streaming data over the Devolo Ethernet over mains doofers (a direct
> wired
> connection is definitely quicker) but the simple fact remains that it
> takes
> anywhere up to 10 minutes for the software to enter that menu, it has
> already built up a data file of all the movie info so why is it
> spanking
> data across the network? Similarly, you select a film to play and
> sometimes
> they=92ll start straight away =96 other times, well, I=92ve waited
long
> enough to
> be able to go take a whizz before hitting play and the movie starting.
> Thing
> is you have *NO* feedback to say it=92s doing anything, buffering,
> loading,
> mapping drives or anything =85 you just sit and wait. It=92s far worse
wi=
th
> movies that have been ripped complete with Menus and Extras and I=92ll
> emphasise that this is *MUCH* less of an issue with a hard wired
> Ethernet
> connection but the fact is that it happens, it=92s bloody annoying and
it
> makes the difference between me being able to just chuck a movie on
> when we
> fancy a movie night and have to =93pad=94 over the delay (hey, I work
in
> tech
> support so I=92m quite good at padding when things aren=92t going
quite t=
o
> plan)
> while Plex churns away to itself and anyone else sat in the room is
> getting
> edgy and asking =93Is it working?=94.
>
>
>
> Now, on the PCH over the same Devolo connection it=92s a case of hit
> select on
> the movie name, the screen blanks then  goes to a different display
(so
> you
> know it=92s doing something) and then it starts =96 cool =96 generally
ju=
st a
> few
> seconds of delay at worst.
>
>
>
> OK =96 now for me this next part is more important.
>
>
>
> One thing I *HAVE* noticed with Plex is that the DVD decoding isn=92t
> good =96
> not by any means =96 I see lots of occurrences of random coloured
blocks
> appearing in movies =96 absolutely repeatable in that I can see it
> happen,
> skip back  and  it happens at the same point again, watch the same
> movie
> again at a later date and it still happens at exactly the same point.
> Play
> the same movie under PowerDVD, WinDVD, Windows Media Player,
TheaterTek
> or
> ZoomPlayer (all of which I use on my desktop or laptop PCs) and they
> all
> play absolutely fine. Surprise surprise they also seem to play back
> absolutely fine on the PCH too.
>
>
>
> To be honest, the whole playback quality thing is definitely better
> than on
> the Mac under Plex =85 it seems to do some fairly nasty sharpening
when
> it
> upscales (yeah, it can probably be changed in a Plex menu option
> somewhere
> but which option, where is it and what do the other options actually
do
> =96
> I=92m sorry =96 there=92s nowhere in the documentation that explains
what
> =93bicubic
> upsampling=94 actually does and when and why you would or wouldn=92t
want
> to use
> it). It also is pretty crude when it framerate converts material
> between 50
> and 60Hz =96 it judders horribly on pans =96 and there seems to be no
> option for
> having Plex change the actual video output framerate when playing back
> so
> that it doesn=92t have to software framerate convert.
>
>
>
> Standard Def source material plays back on the PCH looking very much
> like a
> DVD player in that it probably looks a bit soft compared to the
> artificially
> hard and edge enhanced upscaled stuff from Plex but it=92s definitely
> more
> faithful to the source DVD data =96 haven=92t yet worked out whether
the
> PCH
> will alter its output frequency on the fly as the display I=92ve been
> using
> this evening only supports 60Hz via its DVI (HDMI via an adapter)
input
> but
> its framerate conversion isn=92t perfect either.
>
>
>
> Hi Def playback I haven=92t spent much time with but as with the Mac
Mini
> it
> isn=92t able to pull data across from the network quickly enough to
play
> hi-def blu-ray rips remotely =96 I would assume it will have no
problems
> doing
> it locally and I=92ll drop a drive in at some point to give it a try.
>
>
>
> Power consumption =96 well, haven=92t checked yet but it runs sooooo
much
> cooler
> than the Mac and has so few components inside (PSU is 40w maximum)
that
> I=92d
> lay money on it being much more efficient than the Mac even with its
> claim
> to improved efficiency. Of course if you buy a PCH then really =96
don=92=
t
> open
> up the box unless you have to put a hard disc in otherwise you=92ll
feel
> soooooo cheated. There=92s not a lot in there for =A3200+ of your hard
> earned
> cash. I was originally thinking whether it might be possible to
rehouse
> the
> internals of the PCH in one of our enclosures from work so that it
> matches
> the rest of my hifi but I think I could squeeze it all in a fag packet
> (if I
> still smoked)!
>
>
>
> Anyway =96 hopefully that=92s interesting reading=85
>
>
>
> Phil
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
> signature database 3953 (20090321) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>


__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
signatur=
e database 3953 (20090321) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com



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