Mede8er vs Popcorn hour

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soulman

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I need help deciding between these 2 media players:

-Mede8er MED500X

-Popcorn hour A110


I will be using a Seagate 1.5TB hard drive inside. I know that the Mede8er has a 40mm built-in fan which is a bonus, but it also has a Realtek chip which I've heard is inferior to the Sigma chipset on the Popcorn Hour?

Has anyone managed to install a fan in their popcorn hour? Does the fan stop when you switch off the media player?

What are the pros and cons of each player?

I've read various complains on the Mede8er forum about them starting up automatically after being shut down, poor HD MKV playback (washed out colors - due to Realtek chip?) ?
 
I dont have first hand experience with the Mede8er other than what I've read on the forum and I nearly bought it but then went for the C200 instead. I've not had much time to play around with it. I bought a Samsung 1.5TB drive for it which was easy to "install" however found out that once I copied media from my PC (Win Vista) I could play it on the C200 but couldnt erase anything on it neither could I copy any more files while it was on the C200 unless I reformatted with Linux or other special tools. So my solution was to use an external USB HD dock and once I've enough media converted on my PC I swap the drive from the C200, trasnfer, and insert it back on the C200. Not an elegent solution but works for a tech noob like me :)

Other than that the C200 works well so far no complaints as such expect be aware of some issues around image sizing for movie playback. You can get the latest details on the C200 forum on Wiki which has a wealth of info. Also before you buy any H/W for it please check on that Wiki site for compatibility.
 
Well, I have an A110 now for about a year. I am still smiling.
Not using the internal drive but streaming everything via my home server.

The only gripe I have to date is to select multiple tracks to play. It can not be done, or I do not know how.
Say you have 100 mp3 that you wanna play for a party :(
Would have loved a jukebox function :)
 
In terms of the music library and accessibility of your music files, how easy is it to browse the library on the Popcorn hour? I read somewhere that you need to create folders with Genre, artist, etc and then create an HTML page that can be accessible from the player interface. Doesn't it use ID3 tags to get this info?

Also, I played around with the Mede8er yesterday at a shop and I found the library was merely a browser to access files. I would hate having to go through hundreds of folders to play my music and movies for that matter. Is this improved on later firmware? Even Windows Media Player is better at browsing music and movies than that?
 
My issue is how do you know the media player you want to buy does have ALL the latest codecs...especially for .avi ? I have rcently had an issue where I get .avi's and the sound does not work, cos' my player does not have the required codec.
 
MightyQuin said:
My issue is how do you know the media player you want to buy does have ALL the latest codecs...especially for .avi ? I have rcently had an issue where I get .avi's and the sound does not work, cos' my player does not have the required codec.
Click to expand...

Probably through firmware updates?

WD Live and Mede8er are updated regularly and support is good. I think AC Ryan comes in next (out of the common media players).
 
If I can give you advice, buy a media player that support eBooks / PDF format as well, out of the box. That means neither Mede8er or Popcorn Hour. I've got a mede8er and find that I had to convert all my pdf media to jpg. It is really nice to be able to read ebooks on a big screen tv. Otherwise the mede8er is nice. I did find some new media players emerging that support ebooks / pdf, but do not have the details on me at the moment. You will have to google a bit.
 
PostmanPot said:
Probably through firmware updates?

WD Live and Mede8er are updated regularly and support is good. I think AC Ryan comes in next (out of the common media players).
Click to expand...

Obviously I can do a firmware update on the player I currently have...but the nice new shiny one on the website? How do I know that I am not going to get home, insert HDD and press play...just to lipread again. Then I download the firmware update and install...but the .avi still doesn't have sound. What then?...is my point.
 
Supported formats will play properly (most of the time) otherwise the product will not survive as it has done. You may need to fix or re-index the odd file with suitable software.
 
MightyQuin said:
Obviously I can do a firmware update on the player I currently have...but the nice new shiny one on the website? How do I know that I am not going to get home, insert HDD and press play...just to lipread again. Then I download the firmware update and install...but the .avi still doesn't have sound. What then?...is my point.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure any HD media palyer that cannot play... avi's... :D properly, would probably not be on the market!

Stick to the trusted ones.
 
the Mede8er i am using is awesome, it also does not have the ability to play multiple songs unless i create a playlist on my pc.
i have the MED500x but i really want to sell it to buy the MED500X2 - http://www.mede8ershop.co.za/p1860/....html?osCsid=b608e9ef64475e3f4f9089c429c92c3e

i want the gigabit lan and the propper internet interface.
i have had a few "unsupported format" messages with the Mede8er with a few WMV's but some WMV's do play.
 
soulman said:
I need help deciding between these 2 media players:

-Mede8er MED500X

-Popcorn hour A110


I will be using a Seagate 1.5TB hard drive inside. I know that the Mede8er has a 40mm built-in fan which is a bonus, but it also has a Realtek chip which I've heard is inferior to the Sigma chipset on the Popcorn Hour?

Has anyone managed to install a fan in their popcorn hour? Does the fan stop when you switch off the media player?

What are the pros and cons of each player?

I've read various complains on the Mede8er forum about them starting up automatically after being shut down, poor HD MKV playback (washed out colors - due to Realtek chip?) ?
Click to expand...

If I had to choose between those I would probably have gone for the Popcorn Hour

Although I despise Xtreamer for not coming through with their promises on the Xtreamer Pro, maybe you should consider the Xtreamer Ultra, it rips both mentioned players apart, and comparing to those it’s not that more expensive http://www.scoopdistribution.co.za/product_info.php?cPath=109&products_id=1165
Downside is it does not have an internal HD, but with 6 usb ports and a Wifi dongle (separate) who needs a external drive
You can read more about it here http://www.xtreamer.net/ultra/

Personally I went with the HTPC option, price wise it works out about the same
 
PostmanPot said:
I don't get it?

Uh, there will always be uncertainty. You know this.

Happy now?
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right...you don't get it. Jumping in with sarky remarks re. media players and .avi is not constructive at all. The eGreat HD Tank was one of the first players that handled .mkv with no hassles at all. I've been watching HiDef movies and series on it from day one the last 2 years. Only recently I have been getting sound issues with one or two .avi's that seem to utelize a specific codec that my player doesn't "have". Since my eGreat's firmware cannot be upgraded any further due to it being out of production, I am now shopping around for other media players...
 
MightyQuin said:
You're absolutely right...you don't get it. Jumping in with sarky remarks re. media players and .avi is not constructive at all. The eGreat HD Tank was one of the first players that handled .mkv with no hassles at all. I've been watching HiDef movies and series on it from day one the last 2 years. Only recently I have been getting sound issues with one or two .avi's that seem to utelize a specific codec that my player doesn't "have". Since my eGreat's firmware cannot be upgraded any further due to it being out of production, I am now shopping around for other media players...
Click to expand...

Kk now read post 10.
 
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