Popcorn Hour A-110

When you first get it out, the PopcornHour A-110 doesn't look like much.  With a very simple metal case with four air vents, it looks for all the world like an entry-level option.

On the front, there's no screen--and no controls at all, in fact--so you can't listen to music without first switching on your TV to navigate through the menus.

Inside the enclosure, which ships without an actual had drive, you can put either 2.5" or a 3.5'' SATA of your choice.

There's no fan to keep the whole thing ticking over, which seems a little risky but does at least lead to a very quiet device.

The remote control, on the other hand, is a little more reassuring.  Each button is backlit and the remote itself feels suitably weighty in the palm of your hand.

Just like the exterior design, things are very minimalist when it comes to the interface too.  However, the menu system's look and feel is customizable, and there's a whole community of designers online whose skins you can download.  The quality varies quite considerably, but there are plenty of perfectly good skins.

What you can't change though is the speed, or rather the lack of it.  Every time you choose an option in a menu you're forced to wait for just a moment before it loads.

If you're rooting through the whole file system to try and find a particular file, these delays can quickly become annoying.

While we're still on the file system, it was also a disappointment to learn that's there no thumbnail mode for previewing photos and video clips in the default configuration.  If you want to add that functionality, you need to download the myiHome application from the manufacturer's website.

With this program, you can quickly and easily share multimedia content from your computer onto your PopcornHour multimedia hard drive.  One nice feature is the ability to create custom slideshows by combining folders of photos with audio tracks.

Compatibility

One of the strongest arguments in PopcornHour's favor is the enormous selection of multimedia file formats that it's compatible with.  The decision to rely on a Sigma Designs EM835 chip, the same model found in the excellent Storex AivX-370HD was a aise one.

Let's look at the details: the A-110 can read MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (DivX 6, XviD, APS), WMV and MP4 files.  In High Definition, it can read DivX HD, H. and X.264, MPEG-4 AVC HD and WMV HD.  Next up is the audio support, with MP3, WMA, DTS, Dolby Digital and OGG.  Despite claiming to be able to handle the FLAC codec, our test model didn't manage it. 

While DTS-HD and DD TrueHD are both supported, this is only in 'pass-through' mode, which means that the audio signal is sent straight to your decoder and processed there, rather than inside the A110 itself.

With still images, simple formats like JPEG and BMP are supported, as well as GIF and PNG.  Subtitles that can be read include SRT, SUB, SSA and SMI. 

Unfortunately, the handling of videos with multiple audio tracks is a little confusing.  If you want to change from one audio channel to another, you need to choose the new track, and start the video clip again by holding down the 0 key on the remote.  There's no explanation of how to do this in the documentation--we had to work it out for ourselves.  Even when you've mastered the trick, it's not a very neat solution.

Connectivity

When it comes to cabling, all of the standard options are there: component video, S-Video, composite and HDMI 1.3.  Two USB host ports are available for plugging in an external hard drive or a flash memory stick.  Handily, one of these is on the front, making access nice and easy.

An Ethernet port is included by default, but a wireless internet connection is available as an optional extra.  You can either use PopcornHour's 802.11n USB wireless adapter, or plug in one of your own if you prefer.

Once you connect it to your home network, the A110 has a number of Internet-based services (see more information).  It also appears as a device on your network, so you can copy files to and from it as if it were a regular computer.

It also appears as a device on your network, so you can copy files to and from it as if it were a regular computer.