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This thing kicks ass. Plays all your divx/xvid and any other video format files you throw at it with a quick hack.

tons of plugins let you watch video from every online video portal.

I canceled my cable and just watch stuff off of this now.

Hmmm...that phrase "quick/easy hack" seems to be a familiar one...too bad there isn't more information on "how".

Is it possible that someone would enter two similarly glowing reviews on a website, just a few days apart? What would their motivation be...?

The Popcorn Hour is $179 without rebates. Supports modern codecs and containers.

Let's hope they don't have the same incompetent foreigners working on their buggy, infrequent firmware as they did for the 320 and 520. *smirk*

Only 720p and no Internal Hard Drive. Popcorn hour is 1080p capable and has hard drive bay.

Does anyone here actually have experience with both the Popcorn Hour and the DSM-330? I have a DSM-520 on one TV and am definitely looking for something for my other TV. A DSM-520 will work but I am hoping that the last 2 years would have brought significant advances in this and/or other units -- and it has not. I am worried that the DSM-330 will be more of the same... Anyone?

One more question: Can anyone share their opinion on how this compares to a gaming system (hacked or native) that can play network-based content from a uPnP and/or DLNA compliant media server? Thanks!

I have two... I was part of the initial beta (1st box) and bought box #2, so I've seen the thing evolve over the past year. The team is US-based and VERY responsive on their labs.divx.com forums. The UI is very responsive and rich, compared to the other devices out there, and it doesn't need a hard drive because it's based on getting content over the network (including Internet content), which works really well if you want your content in more than one room (rather than it living on one enclosure like the 'others'). Plug-ins are rolling out all the time, and I even heard they demo'd a Hulu plug-in at the US launch. Anyway, I recommend checking out the video snippets floating around on the nets that show you the interface and how it works... nothing else this slim, light, quiet and cheap compares, and I have used AppleTV, XBMC and PS3. As for the codec "hack", it's just a matter of running 3 installers that someone posted in a single RAR, which you can also get at the DivX labs forums. I've never once had to contact D-Link for support, because the labs site has put me in direct contact with developers and fellow users... I feel like I got way more than my monies worth!

Thank you pioupioun, much appreciated! Have you ever used the DSM-520? How would you rate it compared to the 330?

#8 sounds like a D-Link marketing department employee. The plain fact of the matter is that devices like this DO need hard drives now, since people want to be able to download movie rentals, doing nothing more than using their remote.

I don't see anything this can do spec wise that the DSM-520 doesn't. The 520 has appalling DivX playback issues, and can't even display album art correctly. How is this D-Link product any different?

Obviously Apple TV is better, and it's more "hackable".

*smirk*

#10 you don't get the server-client concept. You get to store your media on your central Upnp server (could be media center but there are more) and then SHARE it across a few devices in your house. It's a client device, not the storage element.

Hey Cyberwolf, no I haven't used the 520, but DivX/Xvid playback on the DSM-330 is instantaneous an flawless (hardware decoded)... WMV is PC-transcoded, but works without any problems. Then, after applying the codec hack, I was able to expose my podcast downloads directory on my PC and bring in MOV's and MP4's, too. #10, as for being on D-Link payroll... sorry, they're not paying me... after the beta I became a DivX Connected fangirl.

Also, what happened to Stage6? Wasn't that meant to be a huge part of the 330? *smirk*

Thanks again pioupioun... One of my goals is to not have to run any DLink software on any of my computers. Right now I have a Thecus N5200BR NAS device which runs the uShare module and acts as a uPnP/DLNA compliant media server. I only run the MediaMall Server software when I want to access internet-based content, but not my DVD collection that has all been converted to XVID. Does the 330 *require* a computer running their software for media that is *not* Internet-based?

Hmmmm I wonder if we want to switch this to private messaging instead, although, I figure others would benefit from the information as well.

Regarding the Client-Server discussions: If you have multiple Popcorn Hour devices on the same network, do you just choose from any of the available content or do you first have to choose which device's drive you want to explore and THEN pick the content? If it is the former then they deserve kudos. If it is the latter then they missed the boat and need to reconsider what a distributed client-server environment should look like in order to be user friendly. Grrrr.

Does anyone feel like these devices are "there" yet? I keep getting the feeling they are "close" but not "there" yet. Which one is the closest? Like I said earlier, the DSM-520 does the "media delivery" job but can certainly use a number of major improvements.

Yes (to needing a PC running software) you need to install "DivX Connected", and it is NOT manufactured by D-Link, in fact, you can get unbranded beta versions of this software from DivX Labs and use it just fine with the D-Link box. The server also has intentionally left open back doors for people to apply hacks, etc (no screwdriver required). In fact, you can download the software and a developers PC-client to test it out for yourself (today). The PC-client is a little clunky because it's meant mainly for developers, but it gives you the idea of what the interface looks like and how your library will be displayed.

re #15

you do have to have software running, but its not D-links its from DivX and it simply points out where your media is on the PC and such.

I agree these devices are evolving. this one is quite nice. check out labs.divx.com and you can download a PC version of the client interface and try it out on your PC.

Apparently no-one wants to answer my legitimate questions.

Here's another... how has the 330 resolved the issues with FF and REW in video content that has plagued the 320 and 520? *smirk*

#18, I can't tell you how, but I can tell you these problems do not exist for DivX/Xvid playback on the DSM-330... you can FF/RW up to 300X and as soon as you press play again it resumes fine. Download the server and PC client and try for yourself. Sorry I can't tell you how, but I can tell you it's not a problem for the 330. This platform shares NO software with the 320 and 520, so it's a totally different solution.

Do you really need to run PC software if you have a uPnP and/or DLNA compliant media server in another device? Why would you also need a PC with separate media server software running? Ridic.