Performance

USB 2.0

Connecting the device to the PC via USB 2.0 is nothing out of the ordinary. You do need to wait quite a bit longer for it to show up in Windows, as the PlayON! seems to boot up to a certain point, to give you access to the internal drive. Once connected, it delivers some good performance numbers in both read speed and CPU utilization




The write speeds are fine too, considering there is a 5400 RPM drive inside the box. Sure a 7200RPM would have been a bit faster in this area, but it would be pointless for the purpose and would result in a price increase for the customer.

Ethernet

Not much to say about Ethernet connectivity. The PlayON! DVR TV has a 100 MBit/s interface, thus streaming anything is easily done by simply plugging the unit into the router and then selecting the NET option in the media menu. This simply accesses a shared folder on the TV and streams the contents over the network to your TV and home theater.

WiFi

This connection is easily created by simply plugging in the WiFi dongle and then going to the Settings -> Network screen. There you can search for the SSID and enter all the credentials needed. Sadly, the unit only supports WEP and WPA, but no WPA2. So I had to change my entire network before being able to test the speed of the 54 MB/s based connection. That said, speed are adequate and reception quality is perfectly fine as well. The unit was placed in the living room and both audio and video was streamed from the PC to the device, which presented the content on the TV flawlessly.

I should mention at this point, that the A.C.Ryan offers support for streaming of formats usually not usable on the PlayON! DVR. But to get the transcoding software, you are required to register your device with them first. I am not a big fan of having to pass on personal information just to get some functionality. Either one offers it right out of the box, as a free and unbinding upgrade or not at all.