Syabas Popcorn Hour C-200 review

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Verdict:

The C-200 is probably the most versatile media streamer we've ever reviewed, but most people are unlikely to use all its features and should just get a PS3.

Review Date: 12 May 2010

Price when reviewed: £440

Supplier: http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk

Reviewed By: Kat Orphanides

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Although at its heart the C-200 acts like a Linux-based media centre PC, it's still designed to be used with the remote. We were pleased to find that connecting a USB keyboard instantly improved our user experience and made it easier to scroll through our content, search YouTube and add new internet radio stations. It took a bit of experimentation to find keyboard equivalents for some important functions, such as the back button (it's F3) and we really wished for a less restrictive interface and more highly developed keyboard support.

This versatile home entertainment device can handle almost every format under the sun, download and store new content and even share it with PCs on your network. With loads advanced features, it's an enthusiast's toy – you can even develop your own apps for it. However, if your needs are more moderate, then it's worth noting that a fully equipped C-200 costs almost £200 more than a Playstation 3 Slim, which can play Blu-ray movies and stream media, plus play games to boot.

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