We’ve seen plenty of publicity surrounding AC Ryan’s PlayOn! Range both at events and around the web but this is the first time we have come to consider one of their products for review – What impression has the HD2 left us with?

Well it’s definitely a great product to have sat beside your HD TV. You can access any of your favourite movies, music or pictures from a selection of methods – be it USB, SD card or even over the internet. The HD2 becomes extremely useful if your TV doesn’t have WiFi or struggles to handle certain video or audio codecs as the media player itself has a rather extensive list of compatible formats.

WiFi isn’t integrated but must be provided by a USB dongle – something you have to purchase as a separate product, but once you do have this attached, getting the player to interact with your wireless router is very easy. Having this media player attached to the TV with WiFi enabled really does appeal since you can share things with friends and family so much easier on the big screen. The HD2’s strong points are definitely its feature-set of being able to act as a NAS, Client for BitTorrent download, photo slideshow for friends/family and social media. (BitTorrent has been replaced with Transmission in the latest firmware)


It isn’t without some minor weak-points though. The menu system combined with the remote control can at times be tedious due to delayed response and the 40mm fan that AC Ryan have integrated within the media player case to keep the HDD cool can he heard spinning even though it has been classified as “low-noise”. Perhaps this is evident due to the fact that around the TV the neighbouring devices tend not to have a fan attached whereas in an office with a computer its fairly typical to hear a fan spinning.

Price at approximately £158 inc. VAT (GBP) the PlayOn!HD2 we have reviewed today comes with a more than adequate 1TB HDD. You can opt for a version without the drive which will of course be cheaper – this would also mean you can use a faster 7200RPM drive as opposed to the 5400RPM included or even slot in a SATAII SSD. Do bear in mind though the WiFi USB dongle does not come included with the HD2 this has to be purchased for a further £29.99.

The bottom line is: The PlayOn!HD2 is a brilliant media player that brings with it a wide selection of features that will keep most users entertained for a long time. In our experience it enhances your viewing pleasures – sit back, relax and share with friends and family!