The ugly little box with remote control is a Popcorn Hour A-200… which may mean not a thing to you. But it is so called Networked Media Tank. Oh, that also doesn’t explain it? 😛
Well, this little box makes it possible for me to stream any kind of media that is stored on my network at home to my media/tv set. So with other words, if I have somewhere on song in MP3 format on my laptop? I can play it on media/tv set. Or if I have a video on my desktop, I can play it on my media/tv set….. and so on and so.
Currently I have a external HD of a terrabyte connected to my desktop. Over my network the Popcorn can access that drive and play movies that are stored there on my tv. Cool he?
But there is more to it. This little miracle box can also download things from the Internet (FTP, Torrents, Newsgroups and P2P). Currently I am doing that on the desktop which holds the external HD. So no hurry to find out how that works and configure it. Just a copy to the external HD and I can stream it.
Okay, I also have to say something negative about this black box… it’s documentation
It took some time before the computers in my network could see the Popcorn Hour. Had to think very back to some IP/TCP basics… but also Dave broke his teeth on it :). But finally now that works.
Only issue I have left is that the sound is played over the TV set, instead over my media set. So the audio is not very good yet, but I am sure I will solve that also somehow 🙂
Boys and their toys 🙂
Okay, I have to correct something…. Maybe there was not very documentation in the box. but there is a very nice forum and wiki.
The sound problem is also solved. It was something too stupid to mention, so I won’t mention it 😛
Too late. You mentioned it ;p
So….. come on.
btw. These devices are really cool! nice toy!
Hmmm…. well. This is the first time I am dealing with optical sound transmission (which allows things as Dobly surround and such). So I am excused….
I didn’t select the proper output channel on the mediaset… So it was working all the time, but the wrong output channel was selected 😛