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Zappiti Player Xtreamer TV Popcorn Hour A-400
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Zappiti Player
Overview - Full review
Xtreamer TV
Overview
Popcorn Hour A-400
Overview - Full review
Price
Photos
Zappiti Player
Xtreamer TV
Popcorn Hour A-400
Score
5/5
This product has not yet been reviewed
4/5
User Score
2/5 (4)
Specifications
Specifications
Connections (HDMI/composite/optical/coaxial)1 / 1 / 1 / 1
Hard drive bay (2.5''/3.5'')no / yes
WiFiinternal / N+G - 300 Mbit/s
Ethernet1 Gbit/s
DVB-T tunerno, N.A.
ChipSigma Designs SMP8672
Firmware130222_1831_b5 - 22/02/2013
SD/HD video entriesno / no
Screen (type)yes, VFD
DVD / Blu-Rayno / no
SDHCyes
USB Hostyes
Backlit remoteno
Other
Dimensions430 x 252 x 55 mm
Specifications
Connections (HDMI/composite/optical/coaxial) / / /
Hard drive bay (2.5''/3.5'')nc / nc
WiFinc / N+G - 300 Mbit/s
Ethernet
DVB-T tunernc, nc
Chip
FirmwareN.A. - N.A.
SD/HD video entriesno / no
Screen (type)nc, nc
DVD / Blu-Raync / nc
SDHCnc
USB Hostyes
Backlit remoteno
OtherN.A.
DimensionsN.A. x N.A. x N.A.
Specifications
Connections (HDMI/composite/optical/coaxial) / / /
Hard drive bay (2.5''/3.5'')nc / nc
WiFinc / N.A.
Ethernet
DVB-T tunernc, nc
Chip
Firmware -
SD/HD video entriesno / no
Screen (type)nc, nc
DVD / Blu-Raync / nc
SDHCnc
USB Hostyes
Backlit remoteyes
Other
Dimensions x x
Conclusion
The Zappiti Player is easily up there with the best media centres on the market right now. The interface is well designed and it's easy to set up a media jukebox system—even though that does mean using a PC.
Could the shine be starting to wear off Popcorn Hour? All that's really new in the A-400 is 3D support and a video processor that's more at ease with SD upscaling. There's been no change to the interface and—worse still—Syabas seems to have mistaken its first customers for beta testers!
Pros

+

Excellent multimedia file support

+

Great Zappiti firmware skin and media jukebox

+

Good range of connections

+

Multimedia compatibility

+

3D support

+

Jukebox interface as pleasant as ever

+

Free remote control app for smartphone and tablet

Cons

-

PC required to set up the media jukebox

-

Bulky design

-

A few teething troubles: paying customers shouldn't end up as beta testers

-

Interface hasn't evolved since previous product generation

-

HDD rack design isn't practical