(2014-07-16, 08:22)premolas Wrote: Hi, just to say looking at all the posts on this forum who share the same problems, poor picture quality etc, I have now given up on htpc and have gone back to my trusted popcorn hour box and a freeview box both with superior picture quality, I could not care less about menus etc, bye!
Well, not sure if you will ever read this, but "I feel your pain." I have flip flopped a couple of times and understand your frustration. Things seem to be getting better and worse at the same time.
As the others have said, not sure what you are looking to gain by your post (except maybe a little venting...) Anyone who has used any type of complicated electronic device has experienced frustration at one point--it not working properly, inadequate documentation, quirky behavior, etc.
The key is to use whatever makes you happy and works for you. I definitely think set-top boxes in many ways are simpler to set up, but often offer fewer capabilities and can cost more.
Two differences in my experience were that the popcorn box was not more reliable than my current XBMC setup nor the Dune player it replaced. I would often have to restart the popcorn for no particular reason. It terms of picture quality, this is much more difficult to address. At times I feel the XBMC setup looks better, and other times not. The Dune was a much more
consistent picture without the ability to output at different resolutions and refresh rates easily. However, setup took no more than a couple of minutes and never needed any adjustment.
Good luck and hope you are happy!
B.