Popcorn Hour A-400 Firmware Update

Popcorn Hour has released a major firmware update for their latest networked media tank, the A-400. Here are the details of the fixes and additions made to the new firmware:

Release Date: 12 December 2012

Firmware Version: 05-01-121206-24-POP-422-000

Firmware Fixes

- Fixed SD Card support to allow use of Class 10 speed cards.

- Fixed BD/TS/M2TS Changing Audio or Seek on playback needs long time to recover audio.

- Fixed 3D playback stability issues.

- Fixed an issue where files can’t play back after powering off (screen off) and back on again.

- Fixed blinking playback of video files at 24p frame rates

- Added remember last audio track when resuming playback

- Added faster zooming and panning of video.

- Removed Subtitle Shadow .

- Improved Framerate sync detection.

System Fixes

- Fixed screensaver still can see video at the overscan area of the screen.

- Fixed proxy setting which did not take effect upon the unit is rebooted.

- Fixed incorrect input after pressing QWE / ABC button on keyboard.

- Fixed incorrect icon display after pressing QWE / ABC button on keyboard.

- Fixed wrong error message for those characters which cannot be used when renaming files.

- Fixed issue of unit not booting when both sata and e-sata hard disks are used at the same time.

- Added support up to 16 usb/sata devices.

- Updated French and German translations.

Networked Media Jukebox Fixes

- Fixed NMJ Navigator power key not working when in power down mode

- Fixed wall view mode: just show grey image but not default photo image

- Fixed show undefined for search by artist at Dutch, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish & Swedish.

- Fixed incorrect input after pressing QWE / ABC button on keyboard

- Fixed incorrect icon display after pressing QWE / ABC button on keyboard

- Updated French, Dutch and German translations.

Apps Market Fixes

- Fixed stuck in loading screen for some language setting.

To Be Fixed In The Next Firmware Update

The following are known issues that have been detected and fixed by Popcorn Hour and will be included in the next firmware update:

- Subtitles have too much spacing between the lines.

- Youtube videos will flicker when the screen resolution is set to 1080p24.

- After the playback of any movie file, the photo viewer will show BMP photos too dark.

- Some MKV/M2TS video files with DTSHD audio will flicker (Sigma Designs who produce the System-on-Chip Processor/Graphics for the Popcorn Hour units are working on a fix)

- Samba Network streaming issues

- some MKV files with subtitles will freeze when the first subtitle should appear.

- External subtitles are shown inside the movie instead of in the black bar at the bottom of the screen.

To update your Popcorn A-400 select the option to check for firmware updates in the ‘Settings’ -> ‘Maintenance’ menu. This process will only take a couple of moments to download and install.

For more information on the update and for current news and work-in-progress developments regarding the A-400 and earlier models be sure to check out Popcorn Hour’s user forums at www.networkedmediatank.com

 

£169

Smallest Bluetooth Earphones Ever?

 

We couldn’t believe the size of Jaybird’s newest Bluetooth earphones when we first received in the first stock of the Bluebud X – they’re tiny, but also pack a punch in terms of features!

- High performance drivers specially designed for warm bass, balanced highs

with low mids to reduce listener fatigue.

- The smallest bluetooth headset currently available.

- Softer cord for free movement

- Enhanced Microphone for clearer voice call

- Control your music from your headset

- Take calls on the go, wirelessly

- Compatible with any A2DP Bluetooth stereo device

- Jaybird adapter avaialable for non-Bluetooth devices

- Sweat proof, lifetime warranty against sweat

- Up to 8 Hours of talk time/8hrs audio playback and up to 250hrs Stand by time

- Weigh only 13.8g.

Questions And Answers

We get quite a varied range of questions via our Technical Support phone line and we’re more than happy to help where we can. We’ll feature some of the more regular questions in this newsletter in case any of the answers are of interest.

Does the Colorfly C3 have gapless playback of WAV file albums?

At the moment, the C3 doesn’t support gapless playback. This might be addressed in a future firmware update however we can make no guarantee that this will happen.

When released, new firmware updates for the C3 and C4 will be available on Colorfly’s website at: www.colorfly.eu

I’ve copied my iTunes files to my Xsories Aqua Note but I don’t hear any music?

The Xsories Aqua Note can only play certain types of music files, namely MP3 and unprotected WMA music files as mentioned in the instructions. It doesn’t support standard iTunes music files in either M4A or AAC format.

Using iTunes you can convert a song to a different file format while keeping a copy of the original. For example, you can save a copy of an uncompressed song file such as AIFF or WAV to a compressed format like MP3, AAC, or Apple Lossless Encoder.

When converting from a compressed to uncompressed file format (for example, from MP3 to AIFF) you shouldn’t notice any reduction in sound quality. However, when converting between compressed formats (for example MP3 and AAC), you may notice a reduction in the sound quality. For the best results, if you want your music encoded in a different file format, you should import the music again from the original source using the new encoding format.

To convert a song’s file format:

1)  Open iTunes Preferences.
Windows: Choose Edit > Preferences.
Mac: Choose iTunes > Preferences.

2)    Click the General button, then click the Importing Settings button in the second section of the window.

3) From the Import Using pop-up menu, choose the encoding format that you

want to convert the song to, then click OK to save the settings.

4)    Select one or more songs in your library, then from the Advanced menu,     choose one of the following (The menu item changes to show what’s selected in your Importing preferences):

 

- Create MP3 version

- Create AAC version

- Create AIFF version

- Create WAV version

- Create Apple Lossless version

 

If you haven’t imported some songs into iTunes yet, you can import and convert them at the same time. This will create a converted copy of the file in your iTunes Library based on your iTunes preferences. To convert all the songs in a folder or on a disk, hold down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows) and choose Advanced > Convert Import preference setting. The Import preference setting will match what you chose in step 3.

iTunes will prompt you for the location of the folder or disk you want to import and convert. All the songs in the folder or on the disk will be converted. Note: Some purchased songs are encoded using a protected AAC format that prevents them from being converted. iTunes Plus purchases are not protected and can be converted.

The song in its original format and the newly converted song appear in your library.