Asus OPLAY_HD2/1A/NTSC/AS Digital Device - Black

Pros:

support all formats you can think of.

nice looking box with blue LED light at the bottom.

easy GUI control.

stream media files from network locations.

firmware update via internet is easy.

Cons:

can not copy files from networked resource locations.

copy files from external USB2.0 HD to installed internal HD takes very long time.

no multitasking. can't copy files and play media files at the same time. NAS features can only be turned on via GUI using remote control. imaging to FTP files to this device from your computer, you would need to turn on your Asus HD2, turn on your TV, turn on FTP service, ftp files from your computer. works for English titled files, will mess up Chinese titled files. changed file names to ???.

Web GUI is for information and status only. wish i could turn on NAS services via http.

indexing is annoying.

while navigating through GUI, resolution does not stay on 1080p. sometimes, it blows out of proportion, and it takes about 2-3 seconds to adjust it back to 1080p.

can not power off most of the time(latest fw loaded). GUI goes away, internal hard drive keeps spinning, LED light stays on. have to unplug power cord everytime.

I am happy with the purchase for $100. hoping Asus will work out the feature enhancements and bugs soon.

I have had a Patriot Box Office media player for about the last year and love it. I picked up this Asus media player mainly because it is currently 1 of the few that allows installation of a 3.5" HDD. Of the players offering that feature, I'd say the Asus one is the best I've tried. If you need 3.5" storage, this is your machine. Otherwise the Patriot Box Office (which allows 2.5" storage) is a much better option and is 1/2 the price!

Pros:

Plays everything

Allows installation of up to a 3TB hard drive!

Fairly small footprint

Good fast forward and rewind functionality

Good networking/online features

Ran it overnight copying files and it didn't have any overheating issues

Cons:

Has locked up a couple times when browsing files (latest v2 firmware is installed)

Interface just isn't as nice as the Patriot Box Office. For example, the Patriot shows you the file size and preview of the file you currently have selected (including movies). With the Asus you see none of that so if you have 2 files similarly named, you may not have any idea which is better quality or which you may want to delete unless you individually begin playing each one.

Interface is a little slower than the Patriot.

Patriot Box Office is smaller...but only allows install of 2.5" HDD so it's a trade off.

Patriot Box Office will restart a movie right where you last left off, the Asus won't. It does have a "goto" feature so you can jump to a specific time...but you will have to remember the time rather than the machine remember it.

Defaults to showing all files in 1 big list rather than a more traditional "computer-like" directory listing. That may be a pro for some...for me it's a con...and you can change it so the lists are more like individualized directories but you can't save that as a preference.

Overall it's a nice machine and I'm glad I got it...but I'll be sticking with the Patriot Box Office for my main player.

Buy Asus OPLAY_HD2/1A/NTSC/AS Digital Device - Black Now

Being a fan of Asus products I have bought many of their O'Play Media Players from Amazon. I bought the "Asus OPLAY_HD2/1A/NTSC/AS Digital Device Black" last month from ANTOnline and although I am happy that it was able to play more files than the previous version, this particular unit "resets and freezes" when I scroll the list of files. The wait for reset is very long and troublesome. Initially I wanted to return the unit and buy another but since I have read other feedbacks stating this similar issue, I don't want to go through the hassle of returning again. I am writing to you (ANTOnline) and CC'ing to Amazon to let you know I would like to return this product with a refund back. Per your statement on the Special Return Policies, "Please note that 99% of initially diagnosed "Potentially DefectiveProducts" turn out to be configuration or compatibility issues and are not "Defective Products". I am not an extreme tech savvy individual. If myself and others are having the same issue which disables us from scrolling a list, it is a defective product. Not happy with the return policy.

Read Best Reviews of Asus OPLAY_HD2/1A/NTSC/AS Digital Device - Black Here

The ASUS O!Play HD2 plays many formats and plays them well.

I primarily use NAS (Network Attached Storage) for my media storage. The ASUS found the NAS without any issue.

I had no problem playing .mkv, .iso and .vob files for video and .flac files for audio.

In wireless mode it had some problem playing high defintion .mkv files. There was stuttering and jittering. Switching to a wired network connection played all media smoothly.

The O!Play HD2 starts up fast from standby position.

My two issues have to do with accessing the media.

First Issue: The sort function does not seem to work. The ASUS has 4 sort options (A-Z, Z-A, Newest First, Oldest First). Depending upon which NAS drive or USB drive I used, the media files are presented in alphabetical order (A-Z) or COMPLETELY RANDOM! In either case, attempting to change the order has no effect. This is a biggie if you have hundreds of files in a folder and you are looking to play a certain one. Several people have complained about the sort order issue in the forums, but ASUS has not replied. I wrote to customer support and after several email exchanges and me pointing out that others have noted the same issue, I was told that I must have a defective unit and to return it to the retailer (not ASUS).

Second Issue: This issue has been with ASUS media player products for years. The media player does not remember the last location of media played. Every time you have to click thru the network and directory structure. In my case, because of NAS storage, it ends up being 6-7 clicks (and the several seconds pauses between the clicks) to choose the NETWORK, WORKGROUP, choose the NAS, choose the USB drive connected to the NAS and then 3 or 4 more clicks to get to the folder I want to play media from. After selecting NETWORK, there is a choice called My_Shortcuts, but it is of no use. The customer support person could not even explain what it is for. He did say that it is not for pointing to a specific folder. Since this issue has been around for years and many people have complained about it and ASUS has ignored it, I don't expect it to get fixed anytime soon.

I am debating whether to return the unit due to the above 2 issues or to live with them. I have had a Popcorn Hour A-100 and a WD TV Live. I like the ASUS better than the PCH A-100 in that it allows me to change settings while the media is simply paused and can continue from that moment once the settings have been changed. It also seems to work better in fast forwarding and rewinding video in .mkv format. Compared to the WD TV Live, the ASUS plays a lot more formats. The WD TV Live claimed to play .flac audio files, but it could not and it had trouble with many .mkv, .iso and .vob files that the ASUS just breezes through.

Compared to the Popcorn Hour, support for the ASUS product is much worse. The PCH people constantly monitor their forums and respond with answers and firmware upgrades. ASUS seems to completely ignore their forum.

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