First MNT EM8634 player launching 15 October 2007!!

Hi-Jack · 10-01-07, 12:22 PM

Popcorn Hour, a vendor that will be selling worldwide over the Internet, has
announced their Network Media Tank (Syabas middleware) will launch on the
15th of October. The NMt is the next generation media player that should be
capable of offering both true HD power (H.264, VC-1 and all other formats) in
combination with more advanced features and versatility in networking.

Main advantage of the EM8634 is not only it's extra power but also the first
chip not running on a stripped Linux distribution and has an MMY which
should deliver more stable units in general. There's also added value in the
integration of SMB Server (both servers can be accessed as the NMT is a
server on it's own) and the fact, once BD rives are more affordable, it is said
it can be changed into a BD player by swapping the DVD-Rom with a BD-Rom.

We already know the new players will have bugs and limitations. The Popcorn
Hour player won't be different but for the early adaptors, it seems to become
the best choice available to be future proof... This model and the ones
coming further down this year from DViCo and Ziova, are promising quite
some new fun for the home entertainment enthousiast.

At least the name is original, let's hope also the product is.
Yammy Yammy... Pricing? not sure, but similar to other players... (I hope)
Around €450 to €500 should do... and if not.... it would be a problem to kick
of well... :-)

http://www.popcornhour.com

(PS: Title should read NMT and not MNT)

Enjoy

Kaido · 10-01-07, 12:38 PM

Nice find! I'm looking forward to the day when I can buy a box that will play 1080p without a hitch

madshi · 10-02-07, 05:49 AM

Some questions:

(1) Which EM8634 revision will that be? Is it rev C with full DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio support?

(2) Will E-AC3 (DD+) and TrueHD be supported?

(3) What about Gigabit net for reliable HD playback over network?

Thanks!

Hi-Jack · 10-02-07, 07:02 AM

Sigma EM8634 does not support giganet as far as i know. Even if it would, the
processor's I/O performance would not be sufficient to go above performance
of 10/100.

I don't know which revision the Popcorn hour is based on.
We are checking availability for the EU markets with them.

So far no feedback is received. True facts can only be checked after the device is available. We not go for specs or "been told" specifications but they do say that HDMI will support lossless compressed formats, including DTS-HD and MLP (Dolby TrueHD).

madshi · 10-02-07, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Jack

Sigma EM8634 does not support giganet as far as i know. Even if it would, the processor's I/O performance would not be sufficient to go above performance of 10/100.

Well, Blu-Ray peak bitrates can reach 48Mbps. If the 100mbit implementation is really good, it might handle Blu-Ray bitrates. But it could be borderline.

Wizziwig · 10-02-07, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madshi

Well, Blu-Ray peak bitrates can reach 48Mbps. If the 100mbit implementation is really good, it might handle Blu-Ray bitrates. But it could be borderline.

They posted some benchmarks on the Chinese forums. Looks like it was able to hit 55 Mbps over ethernet on some older versions of the firmware. Supposedly the speeds dropped again on newer firmware so who knows what the final results will be.

I think people under-estimate how much CPU power is needed to feed a 100mbit network. I've got some old P3 800Mhz file servers and I often see them peak over 50% cpu usage while files are being transferred. Not surprising that none of these media players can handle high network speeds with only 200-300 Mhz to work with and much simpler CPU cores.

Hi-Jack · 10-03-07, 02:47 AM

WHOEHAAAA Retails at USD $179...
http://www.mpcclub.com/modules.php?n...rder=0&thold=0

madshi · 10-03-07, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizziwig

They posted some benchmarks on the Chinese forums. Looks like it was able to hit 55 Mbps over ethernet on some older versions of the firmware. Supposedly the speeds dropped again on newer firmware so who knows what the final results will be.

I think people under-estimate how much CPU power is needed to feed a 100mbit network. I've got some old P3 800Mhz file servers and I often see them peak over 50% cpu usage while files are being transferred. Not surprising that none of these media players can handle high network speeds with only 200-300 Mhz to work with and much simpler CPU cores.

Well, I'm looking for a media player which can play highest bitrate Blu-Ray movies from network perfectly fluid. If the CPU cores in those players can't handle that, these players are no use for me. It's as simple as that. Copying a 30GB movie over LAN to the media player's harddisk isn't an option cause it simply takes too much time.

That said, the price looks great and if the player does everything else except playing highest bitrate movies then it will still be very interesting for many many people. Just not for me.

Hi-Jack · 10-03-07, 06:47 AM

You usually don't have to copy them over LAN as the players support USB connection to fill the internal HDD. Dunno if it will be the same for this model (no specs yet and players come with and without HDD support). off course, if you rule out any manual actions and time consuming effects of such a device, you end up finding the speed you need only with the PC's and shall go for HTPC...

Then there's only manual install, updates, security (virus, firewall config),
DRM stuff, plugins install and maintenance etc...

madshi · 10-03-07, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Jack

You usually don't have to copy them over LAN as the players support USB connection to fill the internal HDD. Dunno if it will be the same for this model (no specs yet and players come with and without HDD support). off course, if you rule out any manual actions and time consuming effects of such a device, you end up finding the speed you need only with the PC's and shall go for HTPC...

Then there's only manual install, updates, security (virus, firewall config),
DRM stuff, plugins install and maintenance etc...

Well, I already have my HTPC running and would like to replace it with an external media box. But I'll only buy if it does what I need. Having to copy files to the media box before being able to play them fluidly is definitely out of the question for me...

jrbd90 · 10-03-07, 02:44 PM

Sounds very promising!
I was ready to get a TVIX but i will now wait and see,

jhue · 10-03-07, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizziwig

I think people under-estimate how much CPU power is needed to feed a 100mbit network. I've got some old P3 800Mhz file servers and I often see them peak over 50% cpu usage while files are being transferred.

Even my Core 2 Duo Win XP system hits those kind of CPU utilization figures when copying at 350+ Mbits/sec on gigabit Ethernet. On the other hand, my cheap ($80 for CPU and motherboard) Athlon XP 2600+ Linux server barely hits 5% load when on the receiving end of one of those 350Mbit/sec streams.

MitsuHelp · 10-03-07, 03:29 PM

I’ve been following the NMT on Hi-Jacks site and I hope to see what it has. It’s been so long coming….and they have that carrot hanging out in front of me and I can’t reach it…yet! Wish they would give us more info on the goodies inside. Gonna be a long week ahead!

Also…about time we get some attention for these things in the US!

Hi-Jack…..get some rest……we are waiting for the review!

Hi-Jack · 10-03-07, 03:37 PM

Well, the PopCorn Hour won't be a usual DVD player but a stand alone device (dunno if it will hold a HD already. Here's anothr one that looks normal and more suiteable for people with need of DVD playback...

http://www.hihd.cn/x6.html

Demija is the creator of this model. They ware previously used by Helios (X-5000) (unconfirmed)
We are currently tracking down loads of info from brands on plans and release dates, cost etc...
So far, no one is as close as Popcorn hour to release...

jrbd90 · 10-09-07, 04:09 PM

http://www.popcornhour.com/

5 days left!

bugnotme · 10-09-07, 07:01 PM

Site is update! Buy it now! Only PayPal

http://www.popcornhour.com/miniweb2/

Not much technical infos

blackriders · 10-09-07, 07:59 PM

I've been thinking about buying a new media player as my regular xbox just can't handle most of the new files out there.

Was looking to get a tvix, but if this popcorn turns out to be good i'll get that in a heart beat.

Just checked the site, it's got bittorent not bad just add some rss feeds from my fav trackers and i'll never have to turn on my pc to d/l my files.

Jet-X · 10-09-07, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Jack

We already know the new players will have bugs and limitations. The Popcorn Hour player won't be different but for the early adaptors, it seems to become the best choice available to be future proof...

Sorry if I'm a skeptic, but the that last statement is one that every media box has promised, and failed to deliver on. Maybe some expectations are too much (my needs are far simpler), but my biggest peeve of late is manufacturers knowingly shipping incomplete hardware, and using the end user as beta testers. By that I mean shipping hardware that is knowingly not functional (i.e. spec sheet says one thing, reality is different).

Tvix was guilty of it. Pixel Magic was guilty of it. Tomoacro was guilty of it. I hope Popcorn Hour doesn't repeat history.

It's one thing to patch hardware for new features - but to patch hardware (very late no less) to get it to function as it was originally advertised, there's no excuse.

I don't mind being a beta tester - but I (or any buyer) should be compensated for it with discounted hardware or other perk.

Tim Smith · 10-09-07, 08:58 PM

Popcornhour.com is registered to Gek Lui Koh in Fremont California. Has anyone ever heard of this person? Is he just a distributor for Sayabas?

Tim Smith · 10-09-07, 09:02 PM

Did a little more research. Syabas.com is registered to TL Lim at the same Fremont location as Gek Lui Koh. So it seems they're the same company. Seems like Syabas should just sell directly rather than setting up this alternate identity.

Johnny · 10-09-07, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jet-X

It's one thing to patch hardware for new features - but to patch hardware (very late no less) to get it to function as it was originally advertised, there's no excuse.

I don't mind being a beta tester - but I (or any buyer) should be compensated for it with discounted hardware or other perk.

I agree 100%!

Johnny · 10-09-07, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Smith

Did a little more research. Syabas.com is registered to TL Lim at the same Fremont location as Gek Lui Koh. So it seems they're the same company. Seems like Syabas should just sell directly rather than setting up this alternate identity.

Yep its Syabas. If you try buying it, it says Syabas Technology Inc. at Paypal.

Hi-Jack · 10-10-07, 01:42 AM

Good find...
That also means it's in Syabas own interest to get the thing do what we want without others in between... Will have it's advantages...

Jet-X, I totally agree with you but if they not release it, they hardly know
what people want. I agree for a basic set of features the players should work
but I have seen many players become a lot better than ever intended which
is than the positive side of using us as beta testers and offering this
feedback... Can you imagine this happenning by mail via support?

hence, with Syabas we have been testing for months so many stuff is already filtered out and the product will be more mature than we are used to from the past, but can it even be released being mature enough if everyone wants more and different things...

As long as products are not being released as poor as som recently have
been released, i'm ok with it and push the enveloppe with manufacturars to
make progress... Usually works pretty well...

2 sides on every medal :-)

pteittinen · 10-10-07, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bugnotme

Site is update! Buy it now! Only PayPal

http://www.popcornhour.com/miniweb2/

That URL doesn't seem to work anymore.

Woziak · 10-10-07, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pteittinen

That URL doesn't seem to work anymore.

Right...

anyone got some caching or screenshot available of the unit?

Johnny · 10-10-07, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woziak

Right...

anyone got some caching or screenshot available of the unit?

This is from my browser's cache:

pteittinen · 10-10-07, 09:46 AM

Thanks, Johnny. Torrent support is pretty interesting. The unit itself doesn't look like much, does it?

Johnny · 10-10-07, 10:46 AM

If you clicked on the Community button, it took you to this forum:
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/

henrikvg · 10-10-07, 10:51 AM

Torrent Support is intriguing, but even more so is "web services". So much so that I will take a wild guess here and say that they don't know what they mean. Stating web services support doesn't really make much sense in this context -- perhaps they actually mean streaming video from youtube or similar (which has nothing to do with web services as a technology, but is a service... on the web ;-)

In either case, it will be very interesting to see what this little thing is capable of for such a nice price.

Woziak · 10-10-07, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny

This is from my browser's cache:

Thanks Johnny.

10-01-07, 12:22 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
Hi-Jack Advanced Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 717	First MNT EM8634 player launching 15 October 2007!! Popcorn Hour, a vendor that will be selling worldwide over the Internet, has announced their Network Media Tank (Syabas middleware) will launch on the 15th of October. The NMt is the next generation media player that should be capable of offering both true HD power (H.264, VC-1 and all other formats) in combination with more advanced features and versatility in networking. Main advantage of the EM8634 is not only it's extra power but also the first chip not running on a stripped Linux distribution and has an MMY which should deliver more stable units in general. There's also added value in the integration of SMB Server (both servers can be accessed as the NMT is a server on it's own) and the fact, once BD rives are more affordable, it is said it can be changed into a BD player by swapping the DVD-Rom with a BD-Rom. We already know the new players will have bugs and limitations. The Popcorn Hour player won't be different but for the early adaptors, it seems to become the best choice available to be future proof... This model and the ones coming further down this year from DViCo and Ziova, are promising quite some new fun for the home entertainment enthousiast. At least the name is original, let's hope also the product is. Yammy Yammy... Pricing? not sure, but similar to other players... (I hope) Around €450 to €500 should do... and if not.... it would be a problem to kick of well... :-) http://www.popcornhour.com (PS: Title should read NMT and not MNT) Enjoy __________________ Enjoy Hi-Jack www.mpcclub.com Things can be interpreted in two ways - positively or exactly as it is! You decide which leads to the real truth!

10-02-07, 07:02 AM	#4 \| Link
Hi-Jack Advanced Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 717	Sigma EM8634 does not support giganet as far as i know. Even if it would, the processor's I/O performance would not be sufficient to go above performance of 10/100. I don't know which revision the Popcorn hour is based on. We are checking availability for the EU markets with them. So far no feedback is received. True facts can only be checked after the device is available. We not go for specs or "been told" specifications but they do say that HDMI will support lossless compressed formats, including DTS-HD and MLP (Dolby TrueHD). __________________ Enjoy Hi-Jack www.mpcclub.com Things can be interpreted in two ways - positively or exactly as it is! You decide which leads to the real truth! Last edited by Hi-Jack; 10-02-07 at 07:10 AM..

10-03-07, 02:47 AM	#7 \| Link
Hi-Jack Advanced Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 717	WHOEHAAAA Retails at USD $179... http://www.mpcclub.com/modules.php?n...rder=0&thold=0 __________________ Enjoy Hi-Jack www.mpcclub.com Things can be interpreted in two ways - positively or exactly as it is! You decide which leads to the real truth!

10-03-07, 06:47 AM	#9 \| Link
Hi-Jack Advanced Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 717	You usually don't have to copy them over LAN as the players support USB connection to fill the internal HDD. Dunno if it will be the same for this model (no specs yet and players come with and without HDD support). off course, if you rule out any manual actions and time consuming effects of such a device, you end up finding the speed you need only with the PC's and shall go for HTPC... Then there's only manual install, updates, security (virus, firewall config), DRM stuff, plugins install and maintenance etc... __________________ Enjoy Hi-Jack www.mpcclub.com Things can be interpreted in two ways - positively or exactly as it is! You decide which leads to the real truth!

10-03-07, 03:29 PM	#13 \| Link
MitsuHelp Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: MoreHead NC Posts: 192	Can this be true? I’ve been following the NMT on Hi-Jacks site and I hope to see what it has. It’s been so long coming….and they have that carrot hanging out in front of me and I can’t reach it…yet! Wish they would give us more info on the goodies inside. Gonna be a long week ahead! Also…about time we get some attention for these things in the US! Hi-Jack…..get some rest……we are waiting for the review!

10-01-07, 12:38 PM	#2 \| Link
Kaido Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 420	Nice find! I'm looking forward to the day when I can buy a box that will play 1080p without a hitch

10-02-07, 05:49 AM	#3 \| Link
madshi AVS Special Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,364	Some questions: (1) Which EM8634 revision will that be? Is it rev C with full DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio support? (2) Will E-AC3 (DD+) and TrueHD be supported? (3) What about Gigabit net for reliable HD playback over network? Thanks!

10-03-07, 02:44 PM	#11 \| Link
jrbd90 Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: CT Posts: 525	Sounds very promising! I was ready to get a TVIX but i will now wait and see,

10-03-07, 03:37 PM	#14 \| Link
Hi-Jack Advanced Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 717	Well, the PopCorn Hour won't be a usual DVD player but a stand alone device (dunno if it will hold a HD already. Here's anothr one that looks normal and more suiteable for people with need of DVD playback... http://www.hihd.cn/x6.html Demija is the creator of this model. They ware previously used by Helios (X-5000) (unconfirmed) We are currently tracking down loads of info from brands on plans and release dates, cost etc... So far, no one is as close as Popcorn hour to release... __________________ Enjoy Hi-Jack www.mpcclub.com Things can be interpreted in two ways - positively or exactly as it is! You decide which leads to the real truth!

10-09-07, 04:09 PM	#15 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
jrbd90 Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: CT Posts: 525	http://www.popcornhour.com/ 5 days left!

10-09-07, 07:01 PM	#16 \| Link
bugnotme New Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1	Site is update! Buy it now! Only PayPal http://www.popcornhour.com/miniweb2/ Not much technical infos

10-09-07, 07:59 PM	#17 \| Link
blackriders Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 62	I've been thinking about buying a new media player as my regular xbox just can't handle most of the new files out there. Was looking to get a tvix, but if this popcorn turns out to be good i'll get that in a heart beat. Just checked the site, it's got bittorent not bad just add some rss feeds from my fav trackers and i'll never have to turn on my pc to d/l my files.

10-09-07, 08:58 PM	#19 \| Link
Tim Smith Advanced Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 735	Popcornhour.com is registered to Gek Lui Koh in Fremont California. Has anyone ever heard of this person? Is he just a distributor for Sayabas?

10-09-07, 09:02 PM	#20 \| Link
Tim Smith Advanced Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 735	Did a little more research. Syabas.com is registered to TL Lim at the same Fremont location as Gek Lui Koh. So it seems they're the same company. Seems like Syabas should just sell directly rather than setting up this alternate identity.

10-10-07, 01:42 AM	#23 \| Link
Hi-Jack Advanced Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 717	Good find... That also means it's in Syabas own interest to get the thing do what we want without others in between... Will have it's advantages... Jet-X, I totally agree with you but if they not release it, they hardly know what people want. I agree for a basic set of features the players should work but I have seen many players become a lot better than ever intended which is than the positive side of using us as beta testers and offering this feedback... Can you imagine this happenning by mail via support? hence, with Syabas we have been testing for months so many stuff is already filtered out and the product will be more mature than we are used to from the past, but can it even be released being mature enough if everyone wants more and different things... As long as products are not being released as poor as som recently have been released, i'm ok with it and push the enveloppe with manufacturars to make progress... Usually works pretty well... 2 sides on every medal :-) __________________ Enjoy Hi-Jack www.mpcclub.com Things can be interpreted in two ways - positively or exactly as it is! You decide which leads to the real truth!

10-10-07, 09:46 AM	#27 \| Link
pteittinen A Swollen Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Finland Posts: 2,982	Thanks, Johnny. Torrent support is pretty interesting. The unit itself doesn't look like much, does it?

10-10-07, 10:46 AM	#28 \| Link
Johnny Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 247	If you clicked on the Community button, it took you to this forum: http://www.networkedmediatank.com/

10-10-07, 10:51 AM	#29 \| Link
henrikvg New Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3	Torrent Support is intriguing, but even more so is "web services". So much so that I will take a wild guess here and say that they don't know what they mean. Stating web services support doesn't really make much sense in this context -- perhaps they actually mean streaming video from youtube or similar (which has nothing to do with web services as a technology, but is a service... on the web ;-) In either case, it will be very interesting to see what this little thing is capable of for such a nice price.