Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual
Table of Contents 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................3 2. Package Contents........................................................................................................3 3. Safety Notes..................................................................................................................4 4. Technical Specifications..........................................................................
11.2 View Mode..........................................................................................................................38 11.3 File Manager......................................................................................................................40 12. Movie Meta Data........................................................................................................ 41 12.1 Movie Info Page Walk-through..........................................................................
www.popcornhour.com 1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Popcorn Hour A-300 Network Media Jukebox. Powered by Syabas Technology, the Popcorn Hour A-300 is a state of the art digital entertainment center with a TV apps market to enhance your home entertainment. 2. Package Contents 1. Popcorn Hour A-300 2. Remote Control 3. 2x AAA Batteries (not pictured) 4. HDMI Cable 5. USB Slave Cable 6. AC Adapter 7.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 3. Safety Notes Read these operating instructions carefully before using the unit. Follow the safety instructions on the unit and the applicable safety instructions listed below. Keep these operating instructions handy for future reference. 1) Keep these instructions. 2) Heed all warnings. 3) Do not use this device near water. 4) Clean only with a dry cloth. 5) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
www.popcornhour.com 4. Technical Specifications Hardware Specification CPU Sigma Designs SMP8647, 800MHz CPU w/ L2 Cache Memory 512MB DDR2 DRAM, 256MB NAND Flash AV Outputs HDMI v1.3a, Component Video, Composite Video, Stereo Analog Audio, Digital Optical, Digital Coaxial Interface 2 x Host USB 2.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 5. Getting Started 5.1 Popcorn Hour A-300 Overview Ring light color Status White Active Amber Video OFF Red Standby OFF (no light) Power OFF USB 2.0 Host Reset Button Hardware reset, automatically set TV mode to AUTO for video output detection. Digital Coaxial Audio Digital Optical Audio Component Video S-Video USB 3.
www.popcornhour.com 5.2 Connecting to HDMI TV What you need: o Popcorn Hour A-300 o Power Supply o HDMI Cable Step 1 o TV with HDMI terminal Connect the HDMI cable to your TV HDMI terminal and the other end to your Popcorn Hour A-300. Tips: Some HDMI TVs have input and output HDMI terminals. Please make sure the HDMI terminal is connected to input rather than output.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 5.3 Connection to Composite TV What you need: o Popcorn Hour A-300 o Power Supply o Composite Cables (not included) Step 1 o TV with Composite Terminal Connect the composite cables to both the composite terminals on the A-300 and your TV by matching the yellow, red and white plugs to their coordinating terminals. Tips: Some TVs have input and output terminals for composite connection. Please ensure that it is connected to the input terminal.
www.popcornhour.com 5.4 Connecting to component TV What you need: o Popcorn Hour A-300 o Power Supply o Component Cables (not inlcuded) Step 1 o TV with Component Terminal Connect the component cables to both the component terminals on the A-300 and your TV by matching the green, blue and red video plugs and the red and white audio plugs to their coordinating terminals.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 6.
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Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual REPEAT Repeat the current media playback MUTE Mute audio TIME SEEK Jump to specific timestamp of video or music file MENU Bring up DVD or BD menu during playback TV Mode Adjust video output resolution Audio Cycle through audio tracks during video playback Title Bring up Title menu where supported Setup Quick access to setup page Subtitle Opens menu in NMJ AA 12 All Rights Reserved © Brings up on-screen subtitle menu during video playback
www.popcornhour.com 7. Introduction to Home menu The HOME screen is the main hub for accessing content from a local source (USB or internal hard drive), a network share or from the apps market. You can also view the current time and weather. Weather Forecast Know the weather without leaving the comfort of your couch. Time and Date Current date and time. Menu Bar Apps Market Local Media Setup Wizard Setup Network 13 Free and premium on-demand video, social networking and game apps for your TV.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 8. Quick Setup Wizard Setting up your Popcorn Hour A-300 using the setup wizard is vital for proper operation of the media player. For advance users, you may skip to Chapter 9. Using your remote control, navigate to the Setup Wizard icon and press ENTER. Choose your desired language for the user interface. Proceed to next step by pressing the GREEN button.
www.popcornhour.com Choose your network connection type according to your setup and press the GREEN button to continue. 1) Wired (Ethernet cable) 2) Wireless (optional wireless dongle needed) For wireless connection only: Select your SSID listed and proceed.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual For wireless connection only: Enter your Wi-Fi password for your router. For wireless connection only: If your password is wrong, an error message will be displayed. Please check your password and re-enter it.
www.popcornhour.com Review your IP settings and press the GREEN button to continue. Optional: If you do not have a proxy server on your network, you may proceed to next step.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual Verify your Internet and network connection. If you received the congratulations prompt, your network setup is complete. Otherwise, please press the RETURN button to go back and check your settings again. Choose your time-zone and daylight savings setting. This will affect system timing and the time is reflected on your home screen.
www.popcornhour.com Your set-up is complete. Press the GREEN button to finish and return to the HOME menu.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 9. Setup Advanced settings such as video/audio output, color-space, subtitle languages, and parental controls can be setup here. Tips: If you have completed the setup wizard steps, the corresponding settings can be found and update here.
www.popcornhour.com 9.1 Preferences Device Name A unique name to identify your device on your network.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 9.2 Audio HDMI Audio ON OFF Enable audio signal output from HDMI cable connection Disable audio signal output from HDMI cable connection Audio Codec Adjust how the media player handles each audio codec to match your entertainment system’s capabilities. Only select Passthrough if your external decoder is capable of decoding the audio singal.
www.popcornhour.com 9.3 Video Video Output It’s highly recommended that you set the video output according to the specification of your TV. Please check your TV specifications before setting the video resolution.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual Video Zoom Setup how you like the media player to handle your video zoom level. Actual Size Fit to screen Disable video zooming. Video fills as much of the screen as possible without being cropped or changing the aspect ratio. Crop Video fills as much of the screen as possible by cropping portions of the video. Full Screen Video fills as much of the screen as possible by stretching the image. Nothing is cropped but the aspect ratio is not maintained.
www.popcornhour.com 9.4 Network (Configure IP) Mac Address Your unique NIC MAC address. This is needed when engaging support services or trouble shooting. Mode Wired Wireless Select this if your media player is connected to the router via an ethernet cable. Select this if a wireless dongle is inserted and you have a wireless network you want to connect to. Tips: Wireless is not available when the media player does not detect a compatible wireless dongle.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 9.5 Network Share Add Share Manually add a network share on your PC, MAC or network attached storage (NAS). If you frequently access a network share, it’s recommended that you add it so it will always appear at the top of your network devices list. Browse Share Browse through a list of available network shares using the file browser and quickly add a network share without manually entering the IP address and share name. Edit Share Remove or edit an existing network share.
www.popcornhour.com 9.5.1 Add Share Protocol Samba NFS NFS TCP Windows computers and most NAS devices uses Samba by default. It can also be used on MAC and linux based devices. The NFS protocol offers faster network transfer speeds however not every device supports it. Please refer to your devices’ network share settings. NFS over TCP/IP transport. Network Share Information IP/Host Name Share Folder Share Name Username Password 27 Enter the IP address or host name of the device that you are connecting.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 9.5.2 Browse Share Under Network Browser, select the workgroup and then the device you want to access. Select the folder you would like to add.
www.popcornhour.com The protocol, IP/host name and share folder information is automatically added for you. If required, you can add a username and password at this stage and then save this share. 9.5.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 9.6 Parental Control Setup Lock OFF ON File Lock OFF ON Default Lock the setup page to prevent unauthorized changes to your settings. The Default password is 4896. Default Prevents users from editing or deleting files. Child Lock This only applies to DVD and Blu-ray movies. For more information, please refer to your local ratings system.
www.popcornhour.com Change Password Allows you to set a password of your choosing. This password is used for disabling the setup lock, file lock and child lock. 9.7 BD/DVD/Audio CD BD MENU Language Pre-select your Blu-ray menu language Auto Play OFF ON Default Automatically playback when external optical disc detected. Tips: Require external optical devices, Popcorn Hour A-300 does not support commercial Bluray disc. Audio Language Pre-select the default audio track for DVD and Blu-ray videos.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 9.8 Maintenance Firmware Update This section allows you to check the currently installed firmware version. You can also manually check for a firmware update and reset the device to factory settings from this menu. Open Source License In accordance with GPL, a list of open source licenses that the device uses are listed here. Legal Info Information and disclaimers regarding any of the device’s licenses are displayed here.
www.popcornhour.com 9.8.1 Firmware Update IMPORTANT: Please restart your device by removing the power cord from the wall outlet or power connector port on the rear of the device. This will ensure that your device is ready for the firmware update process. Firmware Version Your current firmware version, changes according to the current public release firmware. Kernel Version System kernel version Check for Firmware Update Ensure that you are connected to the Internet before proceeding.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 10. Apps Market Get access to the Syabas Apps market where you can get free and premium apps for your TV. Access instant video on demand services, online radio, social networking, games and much more. The apps market is updated frequently so check back to expand your multimedia lineup. Navigate to the Apps Market Icon and press ENTER on your remote. Choose your desired app and press ENTER on your remote.
www.popcornhour.com Install by pressing ENTER on your remote or exit by press the INFO button. The installed apps will appear in the My Apps category. Tips: To uninstall any app, press the INFO button on your remote.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 10.1 Login to Apps Market Login to the Apps Market to purchase premium apps or access a private store provided by your content provider. 1. On the left navigation pane, choose LOGIN. 2. If you already have an account, please enter your email address and password. 3. Otherwise, move down to SIGN UP and create your Apps Market account. Tips: If you cannot locate your premium content, please ensure that you are logged in to the Apps Market.
www.popcornhour.com 11. File Browser The file browser allows quick access and navgiation to your files. Using the file browser you can copy, move, delete and rename files. You can also view information and download poster art and subtitles for individual files here. The file browser displays all your folders and files in list format and allows for different sort and filter options. You can play your media directly from this view. Network Local Media 11.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 11.2 View Mode View Mode This will allow you to switch between list view and thumnail view. Listing Thumbnail A traditional file list with filename, date and size. This view displays the thumbnail (if available) and information for the currently selected file.
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Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 11.3 File Manager You can use the file manager to copy, move delete and rename files as well as create new folders on your storage device. Mark the files that you want to copy/move/delete by pressing the GREEN button. A checkmark is visible on the filename to indicate that it has been marked. Press the RIGHT button on the D-pad to access the file manager menu.
www.popcornhour.com 12. Movie Meta Data One of the main features of the Popcorn Hour A-300 is the ability to download and manage movie meta data without the use of a PC. This feature differs from NMJ as this is only visible in the file browser mode. Movie Synopsis Movie Thumbnail Tips: Enable thumbnail view by going to file browser settings. See page 37.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 12.1 Movie Info Page Walk-through Press the INFO button on your remote to bring up the movie info page. 1. Movie Fan-Art 2. Movie Poster or thumbnail 3. 4 options are available here. Synopsis Fetch Online Subtitle Edit Download 42 All Rights Reserved © Movie synopsis gives you an overview of the movie. Including parental ratings, casts, director, plot, etc. Download subtitles for your movie straight from your TV without using a PC.
www.popcornhour.com 12.2 Download Movie Thumbnail and Meta-Data On file browser, highlight the movie that you want to download data for and press the INFO button on your remote. The fanart, movie poster and meta-data are automatically pulled from the web and displayed on your screen.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual Navigate to the Download option on the bottom right and press ENTER on your remote. The poster, fanart and NFO files are downloaded and saved on the same storage device that your video file is located on. Tips: If you encounter an error, make sure you are able to write files to your storage device. For local storage it must be formatted in either the NTFS, FAT32, EXT2, or EXT3 partitioning system.
www.popcornhour.com 12.3 Edit or Update Movie Information If the scanner pulls the incorrect information for the file, or if you wish to change the poster or fanart for your video, you can do so by editing the movie meta data. Navigate to the Edit option on the bottom right and press ENTER on your remote. You can either use the numerical pad or the onscreen keyboard to enter in the movie or TV show title. Then select the items you would like to download.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual Change info Under the Change info section, select the correct title for your video. You can press INFO on your remote to see the synopsis before selecting that particular entry. Change fanart Under the Change fanart section you can select from a number of photos that can be used as the background display when viewing the video information.
www.popcornhour.com Change poster In the Change poster section you can choose the movie poster you would like to use. Afterwards, remember to download the data that way the changes you selected will always be used when you press the INFO button on your video. Tips: In order to download meta-data, you must connect your Popcorn Hour A-300 to an internet connection.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 12.4 Download Subtitles On the movie info page, navigate to the Fetch online subtitle option and press ENTER on your remote. A list of results will come up. Choose the subtitle that best matches your movie.
www.popcornhour.com If you need to get subtitles in a different language than your default, press the GREEN button on your remote to change your language filter. The downloaded SRT subtitle file will be saved on the same storage device as your video file. In order to enable it, start playback of your movie and press the SUBTITLE button on the remote.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 13. Networked Media Jukebox Interested in downloading information for all your movies and TV shows in one go? Do you want to browse your video collection based on the movie poster? With the Network Media Jukebox you can! Without the need of additional PC software, the Popcorn Hour A-300 will scan your movie and TV show library and download the poster, fanart and meta-data for you.
www.popcornhour.com 13.1 Configuring NMJ The Network Media Jukebox, or NMJ, software works by creating a database for your storage device. This databse contains all the info, posters and fanart for your entire movie and TV show library as well as any other media you scan in. To create the NMJ databse, use the file browser to navgiate to your media storage device. Then press LEFT on D-PAD and choose Networked Media Jukebox. You’ll be prompted to create an NMJ database for your device. Select YES to begin.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual NMJ Scanning Configuration Scan Entire Folder Specify Scan Target(s) NMJ will automatically scan the entire folder for supported media and add it to the NMJ database. Allows you to specify which folders the NMJ software will scan and add media from. (Recommended) In this example, we will select the Specify Scan Target(s) option. Select the desired language you would like the NMJ software to use when downloading video information.
www.popcornhour.com Select the type of media you would like added to the database. Any file types that aren’t selected here will be ignored. Select the folders that you would like the NMJ software to scan. Tips: You may add additional folder at any time via the NMJ Manager.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual On the confirmation page you may review the folders you have selects, remove them from the list or add additional ones if necessary. Once you are finished, press the BLUE button on your remote to complete the setup. Congratulations! Your first NMJ database setup is completed. The system is now scanning your files, downloading relevant data and creating a database. Depending on how large your library is, it can take several minutes or even hours to complete.
www.popcornhour.com While your database is being created, you can view the onscreen NMJ help guide and learn valuable information for organizing your media library, navigating inside the NMJ software and playing back your media.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 13.2 Navigating in NMJ Press the MENU button on your remote to bring up the NMJ menu. This will help you navigate and sort your content in the NMJ software.
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Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual PHOTO By Date By Album Slide show setting View Mode Help 58 All Rights Reserved © Displays a list of years, once selected all photos taken in that year are dispalyed Displays a list of albums, once selected all photos in that album are displayed (photo albums are folders) Configure the transition effect and interval timer for slideshows Change view mode between category, movie wall and list view Bring up the on screen help to view more information about the NMJ software
www.popcornhour.com NMJ Media Menu To bring up the Media Menu, simply press LEFT on the D-pad. Video Music Photo Jukebox Manager File browser Switch to the video section of NMJ Switch to the music section of NMJ Switch to the photo section of NMJ Launch the Network Media Jukebox Manager Exit the NMJ and return to the file browser Tips: The Popcorn Hour A-300 remembers your preferences for different storage devices.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 13.3 Updating NMJ Information Sometimes the scanner might download the wrong information for your video file. To fix this, you an manually edit the file in the NMJ library right from the device. In the NMJ library, select the item that’s incorrect and open up the media control panel. Navigate to the Edit option and and press ENTER on the remote. You can use the on screen keyboard on the numerical pad to enter in the title of the movie or TV show.
www.popcornhour.com In this example we removed the subtitle and tried to simplify the search more. Once you are done typing in the title of the video, navigate down to the search icon and press ENTER on your remote.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual Depending on the movie title, multiple result may be shown. Choose the correct result and press ENTER on remote. The new poster, fanart and meta-data will be downloaded and your database will be updated.
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Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual Scan Option Auto download fanart Scan Language Enable or disable automatic download of fanart for videos Speficy which language to download metadata in (if not available, will default to English) Additional Information A new folder named “NMJ Database” will be created on your storage device. Please do not remove or edit this folder as it contains the NMJ database for your media.
www.popcornhour.com 14. NMT Apps NMT Apps turn your Popcorn Hour A-300 into a network attached storage device, Torrent Client and UseNet Client. An internal hard drive or external storage device is required to install the NMT apps. In order to enable file transfer from your PC to the A-300, you will need to enable SAMBA Server.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 14.1 Installing the NMT Applications In the Setup menu, select Maintenance and then NMT Setup Wizard. Tips: The option is only visible if you have a storage device installed. Select the Fresh Setup option and press the GREEN button the remote to proceed.
www.popcornhour.com Select the storage device that you want to install the NMT applications on. Please note that you can install the NMT applications on a external USB device, however it will need to remain attached for the NMT applications to work, Once you have selected the storage device press the GREEN button on the remote to proceed. WARNING: Please note that this will format the storage device you are setting up; all files will be erased and unrecoverable on the storage device.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual In order to install the NMT applications, you must have the apps.nmt file. You can choose to either install the NMT applications from the web (internet connection is required) or use a USB device with the apps.nmt file on the root directory. You can find the latest version of the apps.nmt file on our firmware download page at http://support.popcornhour.com. Once you have selected your desired option, press the GREEN button to proceed.
www.popcornhour.com The formatting and installation process then begins. Depending on the size of your storage devices, it may take several minutes to complete. Once the NMT applications are installed, the Popcorn Hour A-300 will restart. Once the NMT applications are installed, you see a new option in the Setup menu titled NMT Applications. In this area you can start and stop the NMT applications.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 14.2 Using the FTP Server The FTP service allows for simple and convenient file transfer to and from your Popcorn Hour A-300. To use the FTP service go into the NMT Applications section of the Setup menu and start the service. Please note that the service will remain on, even after a power cycle, until you go back and stop it. To connect to the Popcorn Hour A-300 via FTP, you will need to use an FTP client. Some free clients are FileZilla and Winscp.
www.popcornhour.com 14.4 Using Torrent Client The Popcorn Hour A-300 has a built in torrent client. You can use this torrent client to download files rather than leave your computer on. To use the torrent client go into the NMT Applications section of the Setup menu and start the service. Please note that the service will remain on, even after a power cycle, until you go back and stop it. IMPORTANT: The torrent client uses the formatted local storage to save your downloaded files.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 14.5 Using Usenet Client NZBGet is a command-line based binary newsgrabber that downloads files from Usenet servers based on information given in NZB files. NZBGet can be installed on the Popcorn Hour A-300 and the files can be downloaded directly to the local storage formatted in the NMT Setup Wizard. To use the NZBGet client go into the NMT Applications section of the Setup menu and start the service.
www.popcornhour.com 14.5.1 Setting up NZBGET In the root of your hard disk you will find a folder called .nzbget. Inside this folder you will find two files: nzbget.conf and unpak.sh. IMPORTANT: Some FTP clients may hide this folder because it begins with a dot. On UNIX systems, files or folders that begin with a dot are hidden from normal directory listings. If you cannot see the folder, find an option on your client that will show hidden files or try to type in the folder name.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 14.5.2 Accessing NZBGET client To access the NZBget client, type the following into the address bar of your computer’s web browser: http://NMT-IP:8066 Where NMT-IP is the IP address or host name of your Pocporn Hour A-300. For example; 192.168.1.101 or A300.
www.popcornhour.com To perform a download, upload your NZB file by clicking on the Choose... button and browsing to the NZB file. Next, click the Upload File button and begin the download. The file will be uploaded to your NMT and added to download queue. (This process does not upload any files to the Internet). After uploading the NZB file, it will take a minute before the program commences the download.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual 15. Updating firmware During the lifespan of the Popcorn Hour A-300, we will continue to develop and improve on the firmware. To receive the latest update, you just have to update the firmware online or via a downloaded firmware package. Automatic Update: If you have enabled the “check for firmware update” option in the Preferences section of the Setup menu, the system will automatic prompt you whenever there is a new firmware update available.
www.popcornhour.com Manual Update: You may also manually check for firmware updates via the Maintenance section in Setup. Navigate to Setup -> Maintenance -> Firmware Update and press ENTER on the remote. Choose the Check For Firmware Update option and press ENTER on remote. You can update the firmware in two ways; either directly off the web or you can manually download the update from http://support.popcornhour.com/ and update it over USB.
Popcorn Hour A-300 User Manual If you have manually downloaded the firmware from our support site and have the USB drive with it inserted, the system will prompt you to continue with the update. If you are updating via the web, you will see the release notes as well as the terms and conditions for the firmware. Press the GREEN button on your remote to agree and begin the update. IMPORTANT: We strongly advise that you read this information before proceeding.
www.popcornhour.com 16. Troubleshooting My Popcorn Hour A-300 doesn’t start – no red LED on the player. Please check that the power cord is plugged in and the power-lead is inserted fully into the power terminal. Popcorn Hour A-300 stuck on the splash screen Unplug the player for a few minutes and then try again. If problem persist, please contact our technical support team. Nothing appears on my TV screen after several minutes.
