The Media Player to Kill All Media Players?

venkatcr

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Recently I got some information on a new media player being designed by Cloud Media - the makers of Popcorn Hour. Their new model - A-500 - is being designed to be a combination of a player that can play anything as well as being a high end audio player. If this works as well as the design and concepts envisaged, it should be really good. If it pans out well, this could be the single device to watch movies, and listen to high quality. I have committed $500.

Here is the message I received.

Cloud Media said:
Cloud Media Sdn Bhd unveils the tactfully designed Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO, a Networked Media Jukebox that delivers superior analog sound and astounding video quality. The team is now launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds required to take the Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO into production and distribution by the end of 2015.

Built with best in class SABRE audio DAC ES9018K2M, Cloud Media complements two roles - Hi-Fi stereo and media player - into one device. Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO employs the best in class SABRE audio DAC ES9018K2M in order to deliver warm and airy analog sound with ultralow distortion, unprecedented jitter immunity, and low-level linearity via a patented Time Domain Jitter Eliminator Technology. Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO comprises three analog outputsXLR, Headphones and Stereomaking it the world first media player with XLR analog output. With the delicately designed analog circuit of the signal path for the outputs, Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is able to convey a full, detailed, and truer representation of actual sound.

Learn more about Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO and PLEDGE US at Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1561203377/popcorn-hour-a-500-pro-a-jukebox-for-music-and-mov

Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO uses the Sigma Design SMP8758 1.2GHz ARM Cortex Dual Core with VXP Video Processor. The VXP Video Processor contributes to adaptive de-interlacing, adaptive Film Cadence Detection and adaptive contrast enhancement to ensure you an immersive cinematic experience. With 4K Ultra HD output capability, Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is an ideal player for movie lovers.

Impressive hardware is only half of an equation. A good user interface is the other half. By taking user experience into account, the designers of Cloud Media have freshly designed an active user interface specifically for music home screen. Users can now personalize their home screen to their preference. Not to mention, with Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO, users can take their audio content and play them back from their mobile companion app without having to turn on their TV.

Driven by users need to store their content locally, Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO can be upgraded with an internal 3.5 inch hard disk. The mounted HD quick dock has turned the device into a network attached storage device.

Rigidly constructed, Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is made with an aluminum chassis for effective heat dissipation. Furthermore, Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO employs fan-less passive cooling strategies for a quiet and low energy consumption performance.

Designed with users in mind, Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is developed with dual-boot concept. Users can now boot into Android to enjoy applications from Android ecosystem.

The MSRP for the Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is $599. Angel investors of Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO Kickstarter campaign are eligible for perks such as an early bird discount on a Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO. A limited supply of Popcorn Hour A-500 PRO is available to early backers who contribute $399 (MSRP $599).
 
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These are interesting times. This really looks like a killer product for people with large video/audio libraries.

Auralic has also recently launched the Aries Mini (audio only) for $400. It has the same DAC chip as the Popcorn Hour, and the same Lightning DS control software as is used in its flagship Aries streamer product (but priced at $1500). And even ignoring the inbuilt DAC, $400 is a really good price for a quality DSD streamer with good control software, and LightningDS is supposed to handle DSD quite well.

Auralic Aries Mini
 
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