AC Ryan Playon!HD mini2

Second in the 2011 range of AC Ryan media centres, the Playon!HD mini2 targets the networked streamer segment. There's nowhere to put a hard drive then, with the accent on social networking and Ethernet Gigabit. AC Ryan has however still been able to use the know-how built up previously, with strong multimedia compatibility and access to a multimedia jukebox, reworked for this new model.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the glossiest of them all?

This casing is taken straight from the HD2 with an entirely glossy surface. It certainly attracts your attention but is also a magnet for dust and finger marks.


The remote is a development on the first generation mini and is slimmer but isn't of much better quality. The buttons aren't very convincing, you often have to press firmly for the command to be registered. Energy consumption is particularly well managed with hardly 5 watts during playback and 0.1 watts in standby.

A nice interface, visually speaking

The navigation interface is identical to the one used on the AC Ryan Essential. It's an improvement on the old one, with good use of the full-HD screen display area. The only fault is that it isn't always the fastest. Each action takes time, less than on the Essential, sure, but still noticeable. AC Ryan seem aware of this problem with the first update partially correcting it.

You can browse files in three ways: tree format, list or by thumbnail (ten per page). Miniature mode is particularly effective for photos with almost instantaneous display. It's a shame that you can't view album covers in the same way, whether internal or external.


Finally, a cataloguing system allows you to search for files according to various criteria. Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily much use with music on this model as only mp3 tags can be read and therefore catalogued. For films and photos, consultation by folder is still more practical.

A high performance video jukebox

There's also an improved, much more attractive, video jukebox. Film and series info is retrieved via computer, using a modified version of the YAMJ system that retrieves very pertinent information.

Handling of series episodes and seasons is particularly good. Various filters can be activated to sort different titles. The only thing we would suggest is being able to display more posters per page.

Compatibility: exemplary

Based on a new generation Realtek chip, this Playon!HD2 didn't really have any problems during our tests. The HD videos all played, even those with very high throughput (Baraka, Avatar, 2012...).

DTS and Dolby Digital tracks can be decoded (downmix stereo or PCM 5.1) or sent to an audio amp in bitstream. Blu-ray and DVD backups are recognised no problem and only Blu-ray menus can't be read.

Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet but in half measure

You get a full range of video outs with HDMI, component and composite. The audio can be transited via the HDMI, in SPDIF (optical and coaxial) or analogue stereo (RCA). Unfortunately the two USB 2.0 ports for peripherals are at the back of the centre, making them a little complex to use.

Next come two particularly anticipated innovations: the Gigabit network (1000 Mbps). There's a clear gain in comparison to the previous model when it comes to networked playback. We're up from a maximum of 24 Mbps to 42 Mbps (x264/KMV). This means that even the heaviest videos can be read without jumpiness. Copying to USB peripherals is however awfully slow, at just 1.6 MB/s. This is down to the calamitous USB support.