Introducing the latest product launch from the multi-award winning Playon! series, the Playon!HD Essential.



The Playon!HD Essential allows you to store and enjoy all of your precious movies, music and photos in the comfort of your own living room. Free your media content from the limitations of your PC and let the Essential bring them to life in Full HD quality on your TV.

The Playon!HD Essential is designed for users who prefer an easy to use media player without the fuss of networking. Setting a new standard of performance in the class of non-networked media players, this inexpensive, user friendly, no-network media player supports the most file formats including Blu-ray and DVD ISO. With exceptional quality and ease, the Playon!HD Essential, plays your media files from external drives (USB disks, USB harddisks, and media cards such as SD Cards). The pre-installed eco friendly, low noise, low power consumption HDD up to 2TB allows you to conveniently store all your media files in one central location.

The Playon!HD Essential makes entertainment simple and enjoyable for you, your family and friends. Simply transfer, store and play your media content with the Essential and enjoy High Definition entertainment, the way it should be.

Measuring at only 185 x 150 x 55 mm, the Essential supports a built in 3.5" HDD storage up to 2TB, with 2x USB host ports at the side and a media card slot that supports SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/MS Pro cards.





Rear connections with Essentially the outputs for Composite Video and HDMI 1.3 High Definition 1080p Video, with audio ports supporting SPDIF Coaxial and Optical TOSLink, and to cooling it off with a 40mm Low-Noise fan.



The Essential remote control is just palm-sized, with all the commonly used buttons at a comfortable reach.





The Essential comes with a brand new awesome GUI !!! - we call it Playon!GUI 2.0
(Coming your way to current POHD and Mini users, expected as early as early Dec and DVRHD users in Dec)

With the Smart Media Library, all your media files will be nicely indexed and sorted accordingly into Movies, Music Photo, where you can gain quick access to them.



The home screen also displays Recently Added Music and Video, where you can navigate and instantly play it.





Selecting from main screen shortcuts will play that particular media instantly. - Now that's handy!!!



A new GOTO interface, where users can key in the time, title or chapter to skip playing to.



Selecting different audio at the touch of a button on the remote control



Subtitles switch and other options in a new menu interface



Pressing the Menu button on the remote control brings up more options such as Repeat modes and Video Settings that you can apply instantly while playing your movie!





The Playon!GUI 2.0 sports displaying your media in 3 styles, by Thumbnails / List / Preview







You can also sort titles according to Name, Size, Most Viewed or Recently Added



After sorting by Name



After sorting by Most Viewed



You can also do a search among your mountain of collection!



A new keyboard layout with input history that you can roll back to at an instant.



That's it now for the sneak preview of our Playon!HD Essential, enjoy!

Great!

(lets hope I've got not only a beautiful POHD but a stable too....)

I have one question about the "Smart database".

Can you give a little explanation how it works? Does the firmware look up your directories and search titles from imdb or something similiar service? Like Plex/XBMC/Boxee does?

That's the best part of this post!

And I have a question: in terms of CPU speed, is essential equipped in better CPU, or is it the same as standard PoHD?
Because if it's the same, I am wondering, why would AC Ryan design new model, which looks exactly the same as PoHD. Unless old PoHD is going to be discontinued from production.
But if the CPU is different - more powerful, maybe I should consider selling my Mini and getting the new one

It's not exactly the same. The essential doesn't have network connection (don't know if it will work with usb wifi dongle?). POHD won't be discontinued.

I'm wondering this as well and if the "Smart database" will be implemented on other devices.

I wonder if this new GUI could be put to POHD devices.

Much better design.

I still believe that AcRyan will respect the POHD users...

Please MAKE.it.BELIEVE....

My mouth is droowling i want the new gui


Nice work guys

I know as insider that they work really hard to get this done

Keep up the good work.

Nice since I dont use network. Just wonder whether there is chance of having Essential Mini? Prefer to use external harddisk, easier to transfer files.

Nice gui. can have view of the main menu (when it just power up) ?
Does it have the "watched" tag/option?

Look forward to try the new gui on my mini.

As far as I know, the Essential will be available without HDD, too.