A.C.Ryan Playon!HD Essential

[aneelr]

Hi fellow members,

Got a chance to test the new product from A.C.Ryan, the Playon!HD Essential. Got a sample piece from the dealer (AQTronics,) The review of the same follows,

It's smaller in size compared to the regular PlayonHD, even it's remote has gone smaller compared to the previous models. It has an option to add a 3.5in SATA drive, no Ethernet port for network and the chip used is Realtek's RTD1055DD.

The box pack comes with the following items:-
-AC Ryan Playon!HD Essential player
-2 AAA Battery for the remote
-Remote Control
-A composite AV cable
-AC adaptor
-User Manual

Video formats I tested includes AVI, MKV, TS, M2TS, MPG, MP4, MOV, M4V, VOB, DAT, WMV, RM, RMVB, BD-ISO. All these played with ease.

Coming to HD audio passthrough, it could only do DD-T-HD, but not DTS-HD-MA. It's downmixing DTS-HD-MA to DTS 5.1 surround.

Video and Audio quality are same as other Playon products. The new GUI redux is quite impressive and easy to use.

But when the device switches ON, the 40mm fan used to support the internal HDD produce a noise level that's clear and obvious even when sitting several feet away from the device. And the new remote is a little sluggish with it's response time compared to it's other models.

The device is selling at INR 5.2k apprx.

Below are some screenshots taken during my testing of the player,

Remote size comparing to PlayonHD's remote.
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Box Pack
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UI
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Some sample files I tested
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cheers.

 

[srinisundar]

Nice first hand review aneel..

But there is no use if it is not passing thru DTS-HD... Looks like there will be impact on media player market if Asus mini is available in market for 3.5K with advertised specs.

 

[aneelr]

Nice first hand review aneel..

But there is no use if it is not passing thru DTS-HD... Looks like there will be impact on media player market if Asus mini is available in market for 3.5K with advertised specs.

Yeah, you're right. If Asus mini proves to play HD audio at that price, it'll beat any player in the market.


Cheers.

 

[humrahi]

@aneelr, is Playon!HD retailing in India? If yes, can you point me to a retailer/distributor in Mumbai. I am basically trying in middle of a buying decision - I want a player capable of playing any file I throw at it and at a good quality. Another contender is WDTV Live Hub. Any pointers on PQ differences between these two? Any other player that I should consider? A very long shot is Oppo BDP 93. Budget - well cheaper the better but will max go to 25k.