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Misha

8:56 AM on 1 March, 2010

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Now all is required is the capability to plug in a freeview dongle for PVR functionality,

I don't really understand why media player manufacturers don't do this - it would allow to dispose of an extra box!

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TechnicPuppet

9:44 AM on 1 March, 2010

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How is the picture quality?

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139sroberts

10:06 AM on 1 March, 2010

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Does this come with an internal Hard dive? Or are you supposed to hook one up via USB? thanks.

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PoisonJam

10:08 AM on 1 March, 2010

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Great review :) The original unit passed me by so I'm happy to see this.

A bit OT, but what would you recommend for wirelessly streaming only music from my PC to my HiFi in the same room? Would prefer to continue to use Winamp on the PC to control my playlists and don't want to rely on the existing wireless newtork as signal strength is weak. Something very simple and preferably cheap would be ideal. Just using a 3.5mm to phono lead isn't an option unfortunately.

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Wildkard

10:09 AM on 1 March, 2010

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No internal HDD, the full sized Playon does though, I believe.

I think it'd work better the other way round w/r to PVR functionality - Virgin, Sky etc integrate media streaming into their PVR boxes.

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timple

12:06 PM on 1 March, 2010

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I agree with Misha - add PVR and iplayer and then you have the perfect box.

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daniel

1:54 PM on 1 March, 2010

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@PoisonJam

go for a squeezebox for streaming music. can' do better than that. you could probably pick up a squeezebox v3 on ebay for relatively cheap. i got mine a year ago for a hundred quid. excellent device

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Retset

2:12 PM on 1 March, 2010

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As timple says - you really want iplayer as well. This is why I hunted in the loft for an old Shuttle unit, clean installed XP SP3, added a quiet fan and wireless keyboard/track pad (£29 for both) and was sorted with a cheap media PC that will stream, play from cards/USB and do iplayer etc. VGA connection from integrated graphics to TV.

You get so much more flexibility from a PC, even an all in one unit like the Acer Aspire Revo R3610 - I was going to buy one of these till I found the Shuttle fulfilled our modest needs.

Not to mention that it is available for couch browsing ;)

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GaryRW

8:23 PM on 1 March, 2010

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"we can’t think of a single important format or file system that’s left out"

I know it's not terribly fashionable to like MS stuff, but the lack of .dvr-ms or .wtv support on these boxes kill them for me. These would be a secondary box for me in the kitchen, and in the kitchen I want to be able to watch tv that was recorded on the HTPC in the living room.

Windows Media center is almost Apple-like in the way it just works (for me at least) when it comes to recording tv. & of course it's an absolute doddle to set up, which is more than can be said for yet another failed attempt of mine to set up MediaPortal over the weekend - this time it was an SQL problem that put paid to that little foray away from WMC.

Getting back on topic, without pvr functionality, or support for .wtv or dvr-ms, then these boxes have limited appeal for me. I know I could use DVRMS Tool box to auto convert to something this can support, but that means having two lots of recordings, one for the lounge and one for the kitchen. Not great for the WAF....

Having said all that, the price is tempting!

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PoisonJam

10:02 PM on 1 March, 2010

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QED's Live uPlay Receiver is finally out and is £65 at audiovisualonline.co.uk

Looks like that is my ticket :)

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Ardjuna

9:31 AM on 2 March, 2010

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@Alan Clinch:

Picture quality is pretty much as good as your source file, though obviously the player will scale material of resolutions lower than your monitor/TV.

@139sroberts:

As Wildkard said, it doesn't have an internal drive nor room for one. You can tell by its size. You can use any form of USB or networked storage.

@PoisonJam:

Daniel's recommendation is pretty good :)

As for iPlayer functionality, we can but hope it will be added at some stage, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

@Retset:

A PC is always going to be more flexible and offer more features, but even without extras like the remote thrown in is bound to be more expensive - unless you dig up an old/preowned model like you did; always a good option to keep in mind.

And... your Shuttle is connected over - shudder - VGA? ;)

@GaryRW:

You like MS stuff?! Admittedly we kinda liked Windows 7...

Some of these boxes do support PVR. In fact, A.C.Ryan offers some, though none as far as I'm aware with HD support...

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ffrankmccaffery

2:14 PM on 2 March, 2010

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LaCies's LaCinema Black MAX includes a TV tuner for those that are after PVR functionality too. However it's a lot more expensive aswell.

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Ironduke

7:52 AM on 5 March, 2010

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So is this the best bang for buck media Player?

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G Hell

2:16 PM on 5 March, 2010

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The fact that this unit doesn't come with Freeview is a plus point for me. I got rid of the telly a year ago. Now I don't have to pay for a TV licence and I like having that choice. I'm really annoyed at the way monitors and televisions are merging. I'd like a reasonably priced no-freeview monitor to plug my HDMI DVD player in to.

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corrsfan

3:35 PM on 14 March, 2010

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G Hell - i see where your going with that. Just be carefull you dont watch anything live on iplayer/itvplayer/tvcatchup etc, as that WOULD be breaking the law without a current TV licence. Stuff thats not live seems to be fair game with the usual caveats of personal home use etc, but i wouldnt like to fight any of these minor points in court...

from here:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/what-if-a-tv-licence-is-not-needed-top12/

"The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and DVD/VHS recorders.

You don't need a licence if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV {snip}"

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nMeden

12:24 PM on 15 March, 2010

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Dealbreaker: How well does it work, streaming from a computer with Windows 7?

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djzigy

8:48 PM on 16 March, 2010

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Same question as nMeden. carnt get my hyundai HDR-350q to connect to w7 for love nor money. can connect to my vista laptop but only get public and user folders, which are on "C" drive. Will this stream from my w7 desktop and access all my shared folders which are spread over several drives ?

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Stuart 11

4:16 PM on 17 March, 2010

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Similar question to nMeden & djzigy – What about streaming from a Mac?

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Ellenve

1:25 PM on 15 November, 2010

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Hi,

I'm not looking for a lot, just a simple media player for playing .avi with subtitles, but one that really plays every .avi.

Before I had a LaCinema and it wouldn't play half of the .avi's or sometimes it wouldn't play the subtitles.

Which one would you recommend?

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A.C. Ryan's Playon!HD Mini is the best and most versatile media player we've yet seen for its bargain price. This is definitely the media player to go for as its format and feature support are simply unrivalled. Read full review

Overall

8/10

Write your own review

By Ardjuna Seghers
Reviewed 01 March 2010
Updated 25 January 2012

Price as reviewed

£87.09

Awards

A.C. Ryan Playon!HD Mini details

Value: 9/10
Features: 9/10
Design: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Pros & Cons

Pros

Fast boot time
Internet radio support
Extensive format support

Cons

Odd remote control layout
Lack of Wi-Fi

Manufacturer

A.C.Ryan

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Overall

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A.C. Ryan Playon!HD Mini details

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Price as reviewed

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