Final thoughts and rating
The A.C. Ryan HD2 is an improved version of the popular Playon!HD media streaming player. Now with USB 3.0 connectivity, Gigabit LAN, easy-access hard-drive mounting and a newer, fresher interface with social media apps thrown in, it arrives at retail with a £130 tag for a barebones model, which rises to £175 for a 1TB (3.5in) drive in situ.
We suggest A.C. Ryan throws in chassis-integrated WiFi as standard, throws in a regular USB 3.0 port, and works hard to curb the noise produced by system when idling, but that's our list of grumbles.
Sharp video and audio quality and firmware-upgradeable for implementing new features, it's a good buy if you're in the market for a good under-the-TV player that won't break the bank.
The Good
Brings the Playon!HD line right up to date
Easy-access drive is great
New GUI so much better
The Bad
Unit can be heard with low-volume video
HEXUS Rating
HEXUS Awards
HEXUS Where2Buy
TBC.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.