Network Media Tank (Watch your media on your TV)

[Malsua]

Recently, my Boss came to me and asked if an Iomega Screenplay was any good. I was out of the loop. What the heck was an Iomega Screenplay?

Just like other technologies, someone finally came up with a consumer box. This will become clear in a moment, bear with me. For example, back in 1997 when I first got Cable internet, you had to pay for additional IP addresses if you wanted to use two computers to get to the internet. I said, SCREW YOU MAAAAN!. I found software called SYGATE that could do the job for you and become a router. I set up an old PC with sygate and wife and I both could share the cable. All that was replaced with the routers we can buy for $75 bucks these days.

A few years ago, I built a machine to play movies and such from digital sources on my TV. It was my HTPC(Home theatre PC). I got to use it exactly once. It was big and I wasn't allowed to have a computer sitting next to the TV.

Along comes the Screenplay. I look it up and shazam! I gotta get me one of these! I download movies, old ones specially ALL the time. I watch them on my PC as they are usually AVI/DivX or whatever. Not DVDs. Now there's a 'toaster" that will allow me to play movies right to the TV without converting them to DVD and burning the DVD disc.

Boss bought the screenplay and he loves it. I did more research and found something even better.

The Popcorn Hour A-110.

Not only will this play 1080P(Screenplay HD won't), it plays H.264, container formats like ISOs and pretty much every other format you can think of. It also has a built in TORRENT app! Yes, that right, browse for a torrent, click go and a few hours later, the movie is there on the unit.

I purchased the box with the WN-100 wireless N dongle for so that it will connect directly to my wireless router. You can stream over the wireless if the connection is strong. I'm buying a 1TB Western Digital Green drive. Those don't produce much heat but other drives will work and I can drag/drop anything I want onto the unit.

It probably won't show up for 2-3 weeks since it's shipping from China, but i'll add in a review once it is installed.

Many people have DVRs now...the function missing from the DVR is the ability to play your own media. That's what a Network Media Tank is.

If you've ever torrented a movie, you'll understand how great a NMT is. I can't wait.

Screenplay: http://www.iomega.com/about/prreleas...creenplay.html

Popcorn Hour A-110: http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinesto...id=6&main_id=0

Here's a document that shows the different ones:
http://www.mpcclub.com/modules/Revie.../NMT-CLASH.pdf