Popcorn Hour Update

I finally got fed up with my Popcorn Hour A-110. Right now I’m giving it a solid “not recommended.”

First of all, when it did work, it was marvelous. It did everything it advertised.

Problem was that it only lasted a few months. These are a list of some of the problems I had:

(1) The network functions stopped working after two months. I could no longer stream files from my computer or access the internet from my A-110. My MAC address was all zeros, which I learned, is a really bad thing.

(2) I could no longer connect the A-110 to my computer and use it as an external hard drive. My computer wouldn’t recognize it for some reason. It used to work, but not anymore.

(3) My TV would often get a “no signal” from the A-110. I unplugged it and then plugged it back in and . . . . nothing. I had to unplug/plug it back in a few times for me to get a signal.

(4) My hard drive would become read-only at random times.

(5) The A-110 would randomly declare all files unreadable. I would need to restart the unit to make it play files it played just seconds ago.

So I opened a support case and the services guys really quickly responded and gave me a RMA number. I then disconnect my main board and mailed it back today. Hopefully they’ll fix it or give me a new one.

The A-110 is a great product, just not very reliable in my experience.

EDIT/UPDATE: so apparently, the electricity in my house is really dirty and full of power spikes. These spikes appeared to be the cause of my popcorn hour dying and now I've learned my lesson to ALWAYS use a surge protector. I've been using a surge protector with my fixed popcorn hour and everything seems fine. Less: always use surge protectors for expensive electronics.