POPCORN HOUR A-400 User Manual
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POPCORN HOUR A-400 User Manual

Networked media jukebox
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Summary of Contents for POPCORN HOUR A-400

  • Page 1 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Package Contents ..................... 3 Safety Notes ....................... 4 4. Technical Specifications ................... 5 Getting Started ....................6 Popcorn Hour A-400 Overview ..............6 Connecting to TV via HDMI ..............7 Connecting to TV via Composite ............8 Connecting to TV via Component ............9 Remote Control ....................
  • Page 3 11.2 View Mode ....................42 11.3 File Manager ................... 44 12. Movie Meta Data ....................45 12.1 Movie Info Page Walk-through .............. 46 12.2 Download Movie Thumbnail and Meta Data ........47 12.3 Edit or Update Movie Information ............49 12.4 Download Subtitles ................

  • Page 4: Introduction

    1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Popcorn Hour A-400 Networked Media Jukebox. Powered by Syabas Technology, the Popcorn Hour A-400 is a state of the art digital entertainment center with a TV apps market to enhance your home entertainment.

  • Page 5: Safety Notes

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual the apparatus has been damaged in any 3. Safety Notes way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or Read these operating instructions carefully objects have fallen into the apparatus, the before using the unit.

  • Page 6: Technical Specifications

    4. Technical Specifications Hardware Specifications Sigma Designs SMP8911, 800MHz Dual-Core CPU w/ 512 KB L2 Cache Memory 512MB DDR2 DRAM, 256MB NAND Flash HDMI, Component Video, CVBS, Stereo Analog Audio, Digital AV Outputs Optical, Digital Coaxial 2 x Host USB 2.0, 1 x Slave USB 3.0, 1 x eSATA, 1 x SD Card Interfaces Reader Network...

  • Page 7: Getting Started

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 5. Getting Started 5.1 Popcorn Hour A-400 Overview VIDEO AUDIO COAXIAL 12.0V 3.5A MAX OPTICAL CVBS USB3.0 SLAVE eSATA HDMI POWER 2001-2012© Syabas Technology. All Rights Reserved...

  • Page 8: Connecting To Tv Via Hdmi

    TV with HDMI terminal Step 1 Connect the HDMI cable to your TV HDMI terminal and the other end to your Popcorn Hour A-400. Note: Some HDMI TVs have input and output HDMI terminals. Please make sure the HDMI terminal is connected to input rather than output.

  • Page 9: Connecting To Tv Via Composite

    Connect the AC power cord to AC power adapter. Then plug the power cord into your wall socket and connect the power lead to Popcorn Hour A-400. Your Popcorn Hour A-400 is booting up now, check your TV for further instructions.

  • Page 10: Connecting To Tv Via Component

    Connect the AC power cord to AC power adapter. Then plug the power cord into your wall socket and connect the power lead to Popcorn Hour A-400. Your Popcorn Hour A-400 is booting up now, check your TV for further instructions.

  • Page 11: Remote Control

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 6. Remote Control EJECT TV MODE SETUP SUSPEND .:/@ pqrs wxyz CAPS DELETE A - B FILE MODE TIME SEEK SOURCE RETURN ENTER INFO STOP PAGE PLAY PAGE PAUSE DOWN MUTE MENU PREV NEXT SLOW...
  • Page 12 In STANDBY mode: Press once to turn player ON. In ON mode: 1. Press POWER once turn player in VIDEO OFF mode (video and POWER audio are OFF, other player tasks still run). 2. Press POWER – EJECT to soft reboot player. 3.
  • Page 13 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Press HOME to return to main menu. A–B / HOME In App/Apps Market, press to quit app or apps market. During playback, this button enables or disables Repeat A/B function. FILE MODE This button is reserved for future use...
  • Page 14 Navigate within the user interface Partial time seek during movie playback (LEFT and RIGHT directional D PAD keys only). Display File mode menu if available (LEFT and RIGHT directional keys only). While viewing the images shifts the screen into the direction buttons pressed, stopping the sequential play, if a slideshow INFO Bring up meta-data of selected media file.
  • Page 15 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Fast-forward the current media playback. Press again to toggle 2x, 4x and 8x fast-forwarding Bring up DVD menu during playback to allow playback customization. MENU Opens menu in NMJ. During the slideshow bring up the settings menu, allowing to select...
  • Page 16 Turns ON the subtitles and toggles through its options (if available with your video playback). Use AUTO for color and subtitle tags will be observed for ASS/SSA anime type subtitles. More functions of the Subtitle button: Press once for timing offset. Use the LEFT / RIGHT D-Pad buttons to set the timing offset.

  • Page 17: Introduction To Home Menu

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 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.

  • Page 18: Quick Setup Wizard

    8. Quick Setup Wizard Setting up your Popcorn Hour A-400 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.
  • Page 19 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 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.
  • Page 20 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.
  • Page 21 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 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. 2001-2012© Syabas Technology. All Rights Reserved...
  • Page 22 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.
  • Page 23 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Your setup is complete. Press the GREEN button to finish and return to the HOME menu. 2001-2012© Syabas Technology. All Rights Reserved...

  • Page 24: Setup

    9. Setup Advanced settings such as video/audio output, color-space, subtitle languages, and parental controls can be setup here. Note: If you have completed the setup wizard steps, the corresponding settings can be found and update here.

  • Page 25: Preferences

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 9.1 Preferences A unique name to identify your device on your network. Device Name Only applicable if you install NMT apps System Language Display language for the user interface Subtitle Language Default subtitle track for video playback...

  • Page 26: Audio

    9.2 Audio Codec HDMI Audio 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 signal.

  • Page 27: Video

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 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. System automatically selects the most suitable video resolution for your display (Should only...
  • Page 28 Video Zoom Setup how you like the media player to handle your video zoom level. Actual Size Disable video zooming Fit to screen 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...
  • Page 29 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 3D Output If you do not have a 3D enabled TV, you may turn this option off. VXP - Adaptive Contrast Enhancement This option allows you to test drive the enhancement by splitting the screen into half.

  • Page 30: Network (Configure Ip)

    9.4 Network (Configure IP) MAC Address Your unique NIC MAC address. This is needed when engaging support services or trouble shooting. Mode Select this if your media player is connected to the router via an Ethernet Wired cable Select this if a wireless dongle is inserted and you have a wireless network Wireless you want to connect to Note: Wireless is not available when the media player does not detect a compatible wireless...

  • Page 31: Network Share

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 32: Add Share

    Enter the IP address or host name of the device that you are connecting Share Folder The name of the network share that you are trying to access The display name for this network share in the Popcorn Hour’s Network Share Name devices list...

  • Page 33: Browse Share

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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. 2001-2012© Syabas Technology. All Rights Reserved...

  • Page 34: Edit Share

    The protocol, IP/host name and shared folder information is automatically added for you. If required, you can add a username and password at this stage and then save this share. 9.5.3 Edit Share Choose the shared folder that you want to edit or remove.

  • Page 35: Parental Control

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 9.6 Parental Control Setup Lock Setup Lock Default Lock the setup page to prevent unauthorized changes to your settings. The Default password is 4896 Tip: Press SETUP – PLAY to disable the Setup Page Lock option.

  • Page 36: Bd/Dvd/Audio Cd

    Auto Play Default Automatically playback when external optical disc detected Note: Require external optical devices. Popcorn Hour A-400 does not support commercial Blu-ray disc. BD Navigation When you select a BD IFO you can browse the folder contents. BD ISO...

  • Page 37: Maintenance

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 38: Firmware Update

    WARNING: DO NOT DISCONNECT THE POWER TO THE DEVICE DURING THE FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCESS. Doing so may cause the device to become inoperable. Tip: The Popcorn Hour A-400 supports offline firmware updating. Please visit our support website for more information. Reset to Factory Setting If you ever need to reset all your device settings, you may do so here. You should do this after...

  • Page 39: Apps Market

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 10. Apps Market Get access to the 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 and geospecific so check back to expand your multimedia lineup.
  • Page 40 Install by pressing ENTER on your remote or exit by press the INFO button. The installed apps will appear in the My Apps category. Tip: To uninstall any app, press the INFO button on your remote.

  • Page 41: Login To Apps Market

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 42: File Browser

    Local Media portable HDD, USB Thumbdrive, and optical device. You can also elect to install a hard drive inside the Popcorn Hour A-400 to store media files on the device itself 11.1 Settings In the file browser, press the LEFT arrow on your D-pad to bring up the menu options.

  • Page 43: View Mode

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 11.2 View Mode View Mode This will allow you to switch between list view and thumbnail view. Listing A traditional file list with filename, date and size Thumbnail This view displays the thumbnail (if available) and information for the currently selected file 2001-2012©...
  • Page 44 File Listing Info None Disable date and size information display in the file browser Auto Automatically displays date or size when using the sort options Size Only Displays the file size only Date Only Displays the file’s modified date only Date and Size Displays both date and size information Show Tooltips...

  • Page 45: File Manager

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 46: Movie Meta Data

    12. Movie Meta Data One of the main features of the Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 47: Movie Info Page Walk-Through

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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 Fanart. 2. Movie Poster or thumbnail. 3. 4 options are available here. Movie synopsis gives you an overview of the movie. Including Synopsis parental ratings, casts, director, plot, etc.

  • Page 48: Download Movie Thumbnail And Meta Data

    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 Internet and displayed on your screen.
  • Page 49 Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 50: Edit Or Update Movie Information

    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.
  • Page 51 Popcorn Hour A-400 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.
  • Page 52 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. Tip: In order to download meta data, you must ensure that your Popcorn Hour A-400 is connected to the Internet.

  • Page 53: Download Subtitles

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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.
  • Page 54 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.

  • Page 55: Networked Media Jukebox

    With the Network Media Jukebox you can! Without the need of additional PC software, the Popcorn Hour A-400 will scan your movie and TV show library and download the poster, fanart and meta-data for you. When you want to watch a movie, you can sort through and view your collection using the posters, just like if you were at a movie store.

  • Page 56: Configuring Nmj

    13.1 Configuring NMJ The Networked Media Jukebox, or NMJ, software works by creating a database for your storage device. This database 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 database, use the file browser to navigate to your media storage device.
  • Page 57 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual NMJ Scanning Configuration NMJ will automatically scan the entire folder for supported media Scan Entire Folder and add it to the NMJ database Specify Scan Allows you to specify which folders the NMJ software will scan and Target(s) add media from.
  • Page 58 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. You may add “no_xxx.nmj” files to stop certain folders or images being included in the NMJ output.
  • Page 59 Popcorn Hour A-400 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.
  • Page 60 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.

  • Page 61: Navigating In Nmj

    Popcorn Hour A-400 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. MOVIES Recent Scanned This will display all your recent movies and TV shows recently scanned...
  • Page 62 MUSIC Recent Scanned Recent Scanned - This will display all of your songs recently scanned By Album This will display all your music by album By Playlist Displays a list of playlists in your NMJ database By Song Displays music tracks alphabetically in a list By Genre Displays albums based on Genre By Artist...
  • Page 63 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual PHOTO Recent Scanned This will display all of your photos recently scanned. Displays a list of years, once selected all photos taken in that year By Date are displayed Displays a list of albums, once selected all photos in that album...
  • Page 64 Exit the NMJ and return to the file browser Tip: The Popcorn Hour A-400 remembers your preferences for different storage devices. If you were using the NMJ view the last time, it will automatically launch NMJ the next time you select that device. If you want to exit back to the file browser, use the Jukebox Manager or...

  • Page 65: Updating Nmj Information

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 13.3 Updating NMJ Information Sometimes the scanner might download the wrong information for your video file. To fix this, you can 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 press ENTER on the remote.
  • Page 66 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.
  • Page 67 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Depending on the movie title, multiple results 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.

  • Page 68: Networked Media Jukebox Manager

    13.4 Networked Media Jukebox Manager Add additional directories for the NMJ to monitor and add to the Add folder(s) NMJ database Scan All Will scan and add any new files added to the monitored folders Rescan All This option will rescan all media and download everything again Delete All This option will delete the NMJ database Scan Option...
  • Page 69 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Scan Option Auto Download Fanart Enable or disable automatic download of fanart for videos Specify which language to download meta data in (if not Scan Language 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.

  • Page 70: Nmt Apps

    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-400, you will need to enable SAMBA Server. Specify the samba workgroup you’d like the Popcorn Hour A-400...

  • Page 71: Installing Nmt Apps

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 14.1 Installing the NMT Applications In the Setup menu, select Maintenance and then NMT Setup Wizard. Note: 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.
  • Page 72 Select the storage device that you want to install the NMT applications on. Please note that you can install the NMT applications on an 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.
  • Page 73 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Choose which disk you want to store your media files. In this example we chose the Online option. If you choose this option, you will be presented with the release notes and terms and conditions.
  • Page 74 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-400 will restart. Once the NMT applications are installed, you see a new option in the Setup menu titled NMT...

  • Page 75: Using The Ftp Server

    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-400 via FTP, you will need to use an FTP client. Some free clients are FileZilla and Winscp.

  • Page 76: Using The Torrent Client

    14.4 Using Torrent Client The Popcorn Hour A-400 has a built in torrent client, called Transmission. 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.

  • Page 77: Using The 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-400, as part of NMT Apps, and the files can be downloaded directly to the local storage formatted in the NMT Setup Wizard.

  • Page 78: Setting Up Nzbget

    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.
  • Page 79 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 Popcorn Hour A-400. For example: 192.168.1.101 or A-400. To log in, use the following access username and password (unless you changed the password):...
  • Page 80 After the download is finished and the NZB file set contains par2 files, your download will be checked and repaired if necessary. The unpack script in .nzbget will be called and your download will be unpacked. The unpack script of the Popcorn Hour A-400 is able to unpack .RAR packed files.

  • Page 81: Updating Firmware

    Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual 15. Updating firmware During the lifespan of the Popcorn Hour A-400, 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.
  • Page 82 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;...
  • Page 83 Popcorn Hour A-400 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.

  • Page 84: Troubleshooting

    Remove all Apps from My Apps quickly. To remove all apps installed on your Popcorn Hour A-400. You may want to consider resetting the player to factory default. This will flash the memory on the device and you have a fresh Apps...
  • Page 85 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual My ip starts 169.254. what happen? Your device cannot obtain an ip from your local network. Check your cables, router, and try an internal static ip. Do you have a hardware compatible list? Yes, we do. Please visit http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki for the most current list.

  • Page 86: Nmj Navigator

    17. NMJ Navigator The NMJ Navigator is an iPad app that transform your iPad into a 2nd companion screen for your ® ® NMJ database. In order to enjoy this app, your are require to setup at least one NMJ database. Scan this QR code to download the NMJ Navigator.
  • Page 87 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual Main Screen Your movies collection cover-art displaying in the main screen Browse Tab Browse by Genre Source - Bring back to home screen for source selection Now Playing - Show what media is currently playing in your More..
  • Page 88 Soft remote Full function remote for your NMJ Twitter Share with your friends on twitter what you are watching now Play Play selected movie...
  • Page 89 Popcorn Hour A-400 User Manual THE END 2001-2012© Syabas Technology. All Rights Reserved...

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