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This is a review of the Popcorn Hour A-100 (Welcome To Popcorn Hour ), but only as a playback device for streaming of a satellite signal from a DVB card via HTTP. If you want more information in regards to what else it can do, there are many other reviews on the web to read, just do a Google search on "popcorn hour reviews ", but if you have a questions on something it can do, just ask and if I can answer it, I will try. So far, I've tried two different pieces of software that allowed me to use the A-100 as a playback device, the first was DVBViewer Professional (http://www.dvbviewer.com) and TSReader (COOL.STF). Both are easily configured and will go into details on how to set each of them up. Previously I had used a Roku HD1000 to do this (Roku - Home) , but since it cannot do MPEG4, I decided that I would look into another device to do this, enter the Popcorn Hour A-100.
I will go over the basics in setting up the A-100, since some people (including myself) had a few issues in setting the unit up the first time. After unboxing it, what you want to do is connect a composite video cable (yellow connector) to the A-100 and connect to your TV, then connect the power block to the unit, this is important since the HDMI connector is not set correctly from the factory for your individual TV and needs to be correctly set in the setup screen, after this you can connect the HDMI (or component video cables) to your TV and your set to go. After this is setup, plug in your Cat 5 cable (I did not use wireless and they are updating the firmware to incorporate wireless in the future, but since I have cat 5 cable throughout my house, it is a non-issue for me. **VERY IMPORTANT** do not connect the cat 5 to the A-100 till you have verified that your unit is working and has a picture, I've had some no-boot issues if the cat 5 was connected prior to power up, not sure if others have had this problem, but since I had it, other may also have it and I think that it is important to point out. If you need to reboot the A-100 after the initial configuration, just pull the plug from the wall and plug it back in and it will work fine, do not pull the adapter out of the A-100 itself, or you will have to remove the Cat 5 to get it to boot.
OK, so now it is up and running next is the configuring of your first network share. I will not go into details of how to network your computer but will instruct on how to "see" the network share that you configured. On the setup screen of the A-100, click on "network share", then click on "browse", find your workgroup, find that PC with the share, and click on the share. Then, enter the username and password to that share and it will be on your list of shares from then on. This step is optional, but since I have multiple DVB cards, it makes it easier to locate the correct HTML document that you will select when you want to playback a certain feed.
NEXT, you need to configure the software you want to unicast to the A-100, I will go over DVBViewer first.
1. Configure netstreaming plug-in in DVBViewer to use unicast/ipadress and port.
Example: 192.168.1.123 port 2345, sometimes you will need to uncheck everything in the dialog box "stream control" to get both video and sound.
2. Next you can test on your local computer by using VLC (videolan).
In VLC-Open Network-Choose Http:
http://192.168.1.123:2345
if you can watch the stream, then go on to the next step.
3. Make a html-file and with code: <a href="http://192.168.1.123:2345" vod>DVBViewer</a> USE notepad with this info and save as dvbviewer.html
4. Put dvbviewer.html in Popcorn Hour's root directory or place it in the share on that PC that we configured the share, whatever your preference.
5. With DVBViewer Professional running and tuned to the channel you want to watch.
6. To start watching the stream from DVBViewer in Popcorn Hour,
choose the browser icon and open dvbviewer.html and your enjoying the stream. Credit goes to appis @ the networkmediatank forums for these instructions for DVBViewer.
Next, I will go to on how to configure TSReader:
1. You will need to have VideoLan installed , but most have this installed if you use TSReader: (VideoLAN - Free Software and Open Source video streaming solution for every OS!)
2. Next, click on "playback", then "VLC" and then "settings" on the bottom you will see a – and + button, hit the + button till you have a blank configuration. In the "description" area, type in something like "Unicast" or "Popcorn Hour"
3. In the Command area, paste this: <IP> :sout=#duplicate{dst=std{access=http,mux=ts,dst=192.168.1.123:2345}}
4. After you have this setup, you need to create a similar HTML document that we discussed in the DVBViewer setup, with a little change: <a href="http://192.168.1.123:2345" vod>TSReader</a> and place it in the network share or Popcorn Hour's root directory.
5. To watch a stream, (In TSReader)click on the program # that you want to watch, click on "playback", click on "VLC" and then click on "Unicast" (or whatever you called it in step #2)
6. You can test it the same way as with DVBViewer using Videolan or you can now proceed to use the A-100 to view the stream: Now click on the HTML document that you created in step #4, if you did this correctly, you will be greeted with a "buffering" screen on the A-100 and your video will be now streaming.
I found only a few limitations on this setup and it only applies to the VERY high bit rates:
1. HTTP streaming has a limit of 42 to 47 mbps, not really a problem now since the only feeds that I ever found ITC above that is 4:2:2, which the A-100 cannot do anyways.
2. From my experiences, any stream above ~ 34 mbps, you will not be able to pause the video on the A-100 without having to click back on the HTML document if you want the audio/video to get back into sync BUT I have a workaround: Click on the pause button on the PC that is running VLC, the video will stop immediately and will continue once you hit the pause button again. You will need to create a larger buffer in TSReader to not have any issues I feel, but have not left VLC in pause mode for more than a minute, so YMMV.
Other then these limitations, this is a great device, the deinterlacing is 2nd to none and you do not need to upgrade your computer to play back any of the h264 feeds, high bit rate feeds look awesome! You can playback any of your recordings via HTTP or SMB, but since HTTP supports higher bit rates, I would STRONGLY suggest that you install a basic http server software such as myihome (which is free from Popcorn Hour) and you will be all set. I could go on and on with this review, but will not since there are many reviews on the net to give you information on what this little device can do. One final though that I wanted to share in this review is how LITTLE power this device uses, I plugged it in to my Kill-A-Watt Meter Newegg.com - P3 International P4460 Electricity Usage Monitor and it only draws 8 -9 watts while being used and only about 5 watts in standby even if you have a hard drive installed in it.
added 8/4...It was brought to my attention that someone tried to play back a 4.2.2 SD feed and it played back fine, so I tried it and it works with no problems. The info on the feed that I tried is:
Elementary Stream PID 514 (0x0202) MPEG-2 Video
MPEG Video: Bitrate 13.000 Mbps Resolution 720 x 480i
MPEG Video: Framerate 29.97 fps Aspect Ratio 4:3 Chroma Format 4:2:2
and it played back without any problems. I never tried a SD 4.2.2 feed since I had no interest in standard definition programming but since many of you might
If you have any questions, feel free to ask here.
Jim
I will go over the basics in setting up the A-100, since some people (including myself) had a few issues in setting the unit up the first time. After unboxing it, what you want to do is connect a composite video cable (yellow connector) to the A-100 and connect to your TV, then connect the power block to the unit, this is important since the HDMI connector is not set correctly from the factory for your individual TV and needs to be correctly set in the setup screen, after this you can connect the HDMI (or component video cables) to your TV and your set to go. After this is setup, plug in your Cat 5 cable (I did not use wireless and they are updating the firmware to incorporate wireless in the future, but since I have cat 5 cable throughout my house, it is a non-issue for me. **VERY IMPORTANT** do not connect the cat 5 to the A-100 till you have verified that your unit is working and has a picture, I've had some no-boot issues if the cat 5 was connected prior to power up, not sure if others have had this problem, but since I had it, other may also have it and I think that it is important to point out. If you need to reboot the A-100 after the initial configuration, just pull the plug from the wall and plug it back in and it will work fine, do not pull the adapter out of the A-100 itself, or you will have to remove the Cat 5 to get it to boot.
OK, so now it is up and running next is the configuring of your first network share. I will not go into details of how to network your computer but will instruct on how to "see" the network share that you configured. On the setup screen of the A-100, click on "network share", then click on "browse", find your workgroup, find that PC with the share, and click on the share. Then, enter the username and password to that share and it will be on your list of shares from then on. This step is optional, but since I have multiple DVB cards, it makes it easier to locate the correct HTML document that you will select when you want to playback a certain feed.
NEXT, you need to configure the software you want to unicast to the A-100, I will go over DVBViewer first.
1. Configure netstreaming plug-in in DVBViewer to use unicast/ipadress and port.
Example: 192.168.1.123 port 2345, sometimes you will need to uncheck everything in the dialog box "stream control" to get both video and sound.
2. Next you can test on your local computer by using VLC (videolan).
In VLC-Open Network-Choose Http:
http://192.168.1.123:2345
if you can watch the stream, then go on to the next step.
3. Make a html-file and with code: <a href="http://192.168.1.123:2345" vod>DVBViewer</a> USE notepad with this info and save as dvbviewer.html
4. Put dvbviewer.html in Popcorn Hour's root directory or place it in the share on that PC that we configured the share, whatever your preference.
5. With DVBViewer Professional running and tuned to the channel you want to watch.
6. To start watching the stream from DVBViewer in Popcorn Hour,
choose the browser icon and open dvbviewer.html and your enjoying the stream. Credit goes to appis @ the networkmediatank forums for these instructions for DVBViewer.
Next, I will go to on how to configure TSReader:
1. You will need to have VideoLan installed , but most have this installed if you use TSReader: (VideoLAN - Free Software and Open Source video streaming solution for every OS!)
2. Next, click on "playback", then "VLC" and then "settings" on the bottom you will see a – and + button, hit the + button till you have a blank configuration. In the "description" area, type in something like "Unicast" or "Popcorn Hour"
3. In the Command area, paste this: <IP> :sout=#duplicate{dst=std{access=http,mux=ts,dst=192.168.1.123:2345}}
4. After you have this setup, you need to create a similar HTML document that we discussed in the DVBViewer setup, with a little change: <a href="http://192.168.1.123:2345" vod>TSReader</a> and place it in the network share or Popcorn Hour's root directory.
5. To watch a stream, (In TSReader)click on the program # that you want to watch, click on "playback", click on "VLC" and then click on "Unicast" (or whatever you called it in step #2)
6. You can test it the same way as with DVBViewer using Videolan or you can now proceed to use the A-100 to view the stream: Now click on the HTML document that you created in step #4, if you did this correctly, you will be greeted with a "buffering" screen on the A-100 and your video will be now streaming.
I found only a few limitations on this setup and it only applies to the VERY high bit rates:
1. HTTP streaming has a limit of 42 to 47 mbps, not really a problem now since the only feeds that I ever found ITC above that is 4:2:2, which the A-100 cannot do anyways.
2. From my experiences, any stream above ~ 34 mbps, you will not be able to pause the video on the A-100 without having to click back on the HTML document if you want the audio/video to get back into sync BUT I have a workaround: Click on the pause button on the PC that is running VLC, the video will stop immediately and will continue once you hit the pause button again. You will need to create a larger buffer in TSReader to not have any issues I feel, but have not left VLC in pause mode for more than a minute, so YMMV.
Other then these limitations, this is a great device, the deinterlacing is 2nd to none and you do not need to upgrade your computer to play back any of the h264 feeds, high bit rate feeds look awesome! You can playback any of your recordings via HTTP or SMB, but since HTTP supports higher bit rates, I would STRONGLY suggest that you install a basic http server software such as myihome (which is free from Popcorn Hour) and you will be all set. I could go on and on with this review, but will not since there are many reviews on the net to give you information on what this little device can do. One final though that I wanted to share in this review is how LITTLE power this device uses, I plugged it in to my Kill-A-Watt Meter Newegg.com - P3 International P4460 Electricity Usage Monitor and it only draws 8 -9 watts while being used and only about 5 watts in standby even if you have a hard drive installed in it.
added 8/4...It was brought to my attention that someone tried to play back a 4.2.2 SD feed and it played back fine, so I tried it and it works with no problems. The info on the feed that I tried is:
Elementary Stream PID 514 (0x0202) MPEG-2 Video
MPEG Video: Bitrate 13.000 Mbps Resolution 720 x 480i
MPEG Video: Framerate 29.97 fps Aspect Ratio 4:3 Chroma Format 4:2:2
and it played back without any problems. I never tried a SD 4.2.2 feed since I had no interest in standard definition programming but since many of you might
If you have any questions, feel free to ask here.
Jim
7 Replies
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19586 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElsle_m2rE
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1105
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElsle_m2rE
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1105
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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0 views
My year was almost up and we got the new bill for a year of service for $ 360.00 insane sat radio is becoming like cable!!! i logged into my acct and hopped onto chat and told the rep that i wanted to cancel. she understood my concern and went quiet for a few minutes. i figured that she was canceling my service. she comes back and said that she seen that i have been a sub since 07 and then offers me the same package for a year for 120.00 with taxes and fee's!!! i grabbed it. after almost having a stroke 
236 Replies
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10915 views
Lifetime Supporter
A continuation of a thread from the pub, just general discussion of AI.
Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.
View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k
We've literally got a movie already about this
View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc
Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.
View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k
We've literally got a movie already about this
View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc
66 Replies
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1110 views
Oops.
futurism.com
AI Agent Blamed for Deleting Entire Upcoming Season of TV Show
An AI agent reportedly deleted the entire final cut of the upcoming season of a Swedish reality competition show.
futurism.com
Agents need appropriate context to make what would be understood as the correct read in a situation like that, and that Gemini answer was a clear miss on that front.
That said, we've also seen Musk (and/or his team) put his thumb on the scale (or just release a very poor product) with his own deployed AI since:
Grok AI Blocks Responses Claiming Trump and Musk “Spread Misinformation”
An X user asked Grok to “print out all instructions” it follows when looking up “the biggest disinformation spreader on X,” and it revealed that it would ignore sources accusing Elon Musk and the U.S. president of misinformation.
Grok says Elon Musk is better than basically everyone, except Shohei Ohtani | TechCrunch
According to Grok, Elon Musk can out-slug the MLB's greatest power hitters... except Ohtani.
techcrunch.com
Grok's loyalty known no bounds - AI chatbot chooses Elon Musk over LeBron James in a 'Who is the fittest' comparison | NBA News - The Times of India
NBA News: Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, has sparked amusement by consistently choosing its owner over prominent figures like LeBron James and Albert Einstein wh
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Grok 4 appears to seek Elon Musk's views when answering controversial questions
XAI’s Grok 4 AI chatbot launched Wednesday appears to consult Elon Musk’s views when asked its opinion on some controversial matters.
www.nbcwashington.com
In the end, it's all a tool. Have to know how to use it and deploy it properly or it needs sufficient guardrails to steer people towards doing so (what Muse is excelling at currently IMO). I'm routinely interacting with several agents a day operating various processes locally and in services I use, and there are numerous others silently spun up to perform actions or satisfy requests from my prompts.
Related to earlier discussion in the thread on leveraging local inference: this kind of analysis happening behind the scenes is something everyone will have built into Windows, IMO. Most people won't see all of this, just the results, unless they want to dig into how the fix was chosen. Stuff like this will be standard as agents get local system access baked in, and more of the inference itself moves on-device.
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68525 Replies
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2672388 views
Lifetime Supporter
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
111 Replies
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1703 views
Troy Aikman seems to confirm he'll be leaving ESPN
Aikman says he looks forward to "where my next landing spot will be."
www.nbcsports.com
M
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.Troy Aikman seems to confirm he'll be leaving ESPN
Aikman says he looks forward to "where my next landing spot will be."
Picked up a sweet directv dish, mount, twin lnbs and a short cable.
Has anyone converted one to FTA? A Frankenstein of sorts...
Has anyone converted one to FTA? A Frankenstein of sorts...
5 Replies
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147 views
Many of us have used a universal LNBF mount (or get creative with L brackets and plumbers tape - perforated metal strapping). Use a few inches of aluminum tube (or a piece of 1x2" lumber) to extend the support arm (replacing the plastic mount used by DirecTV and Dish) to place the LNBF throat opening at the correct distance from the reflector, the correct height and at the correct angle. Nothing magical... simply place the new linear LNBF in the center at the same distance, height and angle as the current combo.
www.amazon.com/Universal-Single-Bracket-Holder-FTA-US/dp/B074L85WK2
www.amazon.com/Universal-Single-Bracket-Holder-FTA-US/dp/B074L85WK2
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
5550 Replies
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460538 views
Season 2 order already in hand:
'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1
I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.
'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1
I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.
80 Replies
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3162 views
This started a couple months ago. I have 2 H3s on one network, both with 2 EHD identical 3 TB seperately powered so all recordings are accessible by all 4k & J4s (8 of them).
On one H3 (not the main one that controls the MOCA network), after it reboots, it doesn't recognize it has two EHDs plugged into it. Rebooting the EHD by their power source doesn't fix it. Resetting the network doesn't. Software h3 reset doesn't fix it. Rebooting MOCA h3 doesn't fix it but so far, after 3+ cold boots (unplug pwr to H3 with unrecognized EHDs), it finally it figures out they are plugged into it. BUT.... Then when you open a program it only partially shows series and episodes, but instead of showing recordings, it only shows upcoming airings. HELP!!!!
On one H3 (not the main one that controls the MOCA network), after it reboots, it doesn't recognize it has two EHDs plugged into it. Rebooting the EHD by their power source doesn't fix it. Resetting the network doesn't. Software h3 reset doesn't fix it. Rebooting MOCA h3 doesn't fix it but so far, after 3+ cold boots (unplug pwr to H3 with unrecognized EHDs), it finally it figures out they are plugged into it. BUT.... Then when you open a program it only partially shows series and episodes, but instead of showing recordings, it only shows upcoming airings. HELP!!!!
25 Replies
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428 views
JohnGalt1234 - So you basically have 2 Hopper 3's. The CasinoH3 is the one that is Hopper 3 only while Master Bedroom is a Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus setup.
Master Bedroom uses Android TV (ATV) software so the DISH part is actually a app and will behave differently as you can probably tell the Guide's are different on the Master Bedroom which will resemble the same guide used on other ATV devices such as the Joey 4 and Wireless Joey 4. If I am correct, the CasinoH3 is the one with the problem since you did say the one dated 09/05/2026 is the naughty one while 08/15/2026 named Master Bedroom is the nice one. Usually I would expect the CasinoH3 to be the one without the problem because it's Hopper 3 only and Master Bedroom would be the one with problems because it has the Hopper Plus involved. That is why they behave differently because CasinoH3 is running the native Hopper 3 software while Master Bedroom is running the Android TV software and also it runs a app called DISH known as package com.dish.atv.launcher, the version for mines is P15403 2026100917 so it's probably the same version as the Hopper Plus software version with the date of October 9, 2026, not sure what the 17 means except maybe revision 17?
This explains it better than I can. Sorry, had to take all the ads out.
Master Bedroom uses Android TV (ATV) software so the DISH part is actually a app and will behave differently as you can probably tell the Guide's are different on the Master Bedroom which will resemble the same guide used on other ATV devices such as the Joey 4 and Wireless Joey 4. If I am correct, the CasinoH3 is the one with the problem since you did say the one dated 09/05/2026 is the naughty one while 08/15/2026 named Master Bedroom is the nice one. Usually I would expect the CasinoH3 to be the one without the problem because it's Hopper 3 only and Master Bedroom would be the one with problems because it has the Hopper Plus involved. That is why they behave differently because CasinoH3 is running the native Hopper 3 software while Master Bedroom is running the Android TV software and also it runs a app called DISH known as package com.dish.atv.launcher, the version for mines is P15403 2026100917 so it's probably the same version as the Hopper Plus software version with the date of October 9, 2026, not sure what the 17 means except maybe revision 17?
This explains it better than I can. Sorry, had to take all the ads out.
iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uJiZVGQC3Gc
Direct YouTube Link - Microsoft Surface ultra unboxing
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uJiZVGQC3Gc
Direct YouTube Link - Microsoft Surface ultra unboxing
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
0 Replies
·
13 views