AC Ryan PlayOn! HD2 Mini review

Small and almost-perfectly formed

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TechRadar Verdict

Almost excellent, but the simplicity of design is held back by a clunky menu system.

Pros

  • +

    Excellent playback quality

  • +

    Audio and USB ports

Cons

  • -

    Clunky menu

  • -

    Slow boot

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A trimmed-down version of the AC Ryan PlayOn! HD2 networked media player, the HD2 Mini is almost identical in terms of specs with one obvious exception: there's no internal hard drive.

The HD2 Mini is a pure streaming device, which finds videos and music from local computers and NAS boxes via UPnP, network shares or from a selection of internet sources, and puts them on your TV.

That means it's cheaper than the full PlayOn! HD2 and also smaller. Smaller than, say, an Xbox controller. And its glossy black lines are sleek and uninterrupted, save for a glowing logo on the front and a selection of connectors round the back.

These include ethernet and HDMI, as well as surround RCA audio jacks, optical SPDIF and USB ports for attaching portable hard drives full of films or an optional Wi-Fi adaptor.

It's silent, and the picture quality is good. If you've got a lot of videos on a networked drive, what's not to like?

Adam Oxford