Mede8er vs PlayOn!HD

AC Ryan with HD Support is R1099 ex vat, AC Ryan Mini No HD Support except via USB R999 ex vat, Wireless Dongle is R299 ex vat.
Mede8ter is R1599 ex vat - Both available at at Esquire.
Through in a 1TB drive at R529 ex vat - All on special until 19 June 2010.

Havent used AC Ryan, but my Mede8ter is working just fine with latest update.
 
Lets get back to the topic, Is the Mede8er R500 better than the PlayOn!HD ?
I want to get one of these next week, but can't find a definitive answer as to which one is better.
 
Well I guess that is a matter of opinion, and how much R500 means to you. I did a lot of research and decided to get the Mede8er because the rave reviews it was getting. So far I have not had a video file that will not play so I am happy. Just get the Mede8er, you can't buy much with R500 nowdays anyway...
 
mm001 said:
Lets get back to the topic, Is the Mede8er R500 better than the PlayOn!HD ?
I want to get one of these next week, but can't find a definitive answer as to which one is better.
Click to expand...

Short answer... NO! And I challenge anyone to provide a reason why they think it is even worth R100 more.

Spark said:
Well I guess that is a matter of opinion, and how much R500 means to you. I did a lot of research and decided to get the Mede8er because the rave reviews it was getting. So far I have not had a video file that will not play so I am happy. Just get the Mede8er, you can't buy much with R500 nowdays anyway...
Click to expand...

Same here with the PlayonHD. You claim you did a lot of research so share your reasons as to why you think it is worth R500 more.
 
In terms of UI, which one is better? From the screenshots it looks like the Mede8er pulls movie information where as the PlayOn does not?
 
Ok, so Esquire is out of stock of the Playon HD. Anyone know where I can get hold of a Playon HD or Mede8er (on special) before the weekend?
 
LancelotSA said:
Short answer... NO! And I challenge anyone to provide a reason why they think it is even worth R100 more.



Same here with the PlayonHD. You claim you did a lot of research so share your reasons as to why you think it is worth R500 more.
Click to expand...

I did this research a while back so I can't remember everything I found. But it was voted the best Realtek based player on mpcclub. Here is a quote from Hi-Jack who is the site admin there comparing the two players-

"They are not the same player but the same platform and using the same platform will off course reveal several things being the same as a lot of the player is standard provided by the platform. That's where the similarites end except maybe their choice of the same off the shelf casing and reference board / remote ends. The difference is made in software...

The Mede8er is more mature in what has been done by Mede8er... even if the only difference when compared one on one (which i'm not sure about either is correct), that's still a big point to make to not have them labeled as the same...

The difference is made by making hardware and using default SDK on it without making changes or doing a little bit of work to enhance, or even a lot of work to enhance... That's what makes the difference on Realtek players as under the hood, they are indeed the same... In case of mede8er having Wireless, special mounted fan extra silent, NFS support and overal better tuned features is a lot of difference to me compared to some of the competition. in fact, it's the only one that can compete against the TviX which does a whole lot of work to be different. ANd then there's the Xtreamer as well we cannot forget having turned the whole system into a slick own red style menu... "

Here is a comparison from another member Y2J -

"Hi all ,This thread Mede8er VS Playon!HD really attracted me to join this forum since i own both players.
I just received my mede8er, and would like to test and compare it with my current player Playon!HD .I want to bring mede8er back to my home country and use it at home,


Like others,i am also curious what are the differences between these two since the design and the remote look identical,and i also realize that both units are using the realtek chipset

Hence i did some tests and comparisons between these 2 players side by side

and here is the result :

1) First of all ,there is a Free Mede8er Carry bag inside the box which i think is very nice bag and useful since i will be traveling back to my home country ^^
2) Mede8er Includes USB Cable and Dongle Docking assembly which i think maybe for much better WiFi dongle placement ?i am not sure i will have to ask mede8er about it?
3) There are control buttons in the front of mede8er med500x ,ac ryan no
4) Mede8er has integrated NAS in main setup menu with "auto turn on" when unit is re powered.
5) Mede8er has In Folder jpeg preview feature,whereas Playon!HD doesnt
6) I find out that actually Mede8er has HD GUI?
7) Mede8er has Time Bar Jump feature which is very useful for me
Mede8er has Jump by file number in Media Library - input number on remote
9) There is a difference in SD card reader, ACRyan cannot remove card with fingers - require some object to remove it.
10) Mede8er has Save and Restore Configuration feature. – ACRyan ??
11) Mede8ar has Remote Navigation button dual use for FF/FW/PLAY/PAUSE/VOL UP/VOL DOWN
12) There are some differences between these 2 In the Media Library section such as -- 9 lines of Folders or files for mede8er – ACRyan 5
13) Mede8er got slightly better GOTO application (well this is my opinion)

Well guys,i am not trying to raise any debates here since i love both players.I am also not 100% sure with all my statements above,so in case if i am wrong, pls correct me and mention which point.And Also i got nothing to do with ac ryan and mede8er,i am just a user that are trying to make a comparison .Although honestly i do have to admit that i like my mede8er med500x more.Well ,again that was just my personal opinion,overall both are very good players"

This may not be worth R500 to you Lance, or even worth R100, but it is to me. The Mede8er is the best Realtek based player at the moment so expect to pay a premium. Oh and the software is developed in "Stunning Africa" so you should at least like that.
 
Spark, I have read that on the forum and it all says very little....

Please fish through that and take out the bullet points you'd like us to discuss. A few I'll pull out :

Carry bag... not sure about others but my media player is not meant to be portable. It is going to sit comfortably in my lounge.

Wireless... as far as I am aware the Mede8er does not come with this as standard either. Esquire are, however, selling the Playon wireless dongle.

You'll find that someone already responding directly to the points raised by Y2J on that forum so I'll not repeat all of them.
 
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Yeah I don't care about a carry bag either. I believe I already did highlight what I thought was important in Hi-Jacks post (just read my previous post to get it in context)- The Mede8er is more mature in what has been done by Mede8er... even if the only difference when compared one on one (which i'm not sure about either is correct), that's still a big point to make to not have them labeled as the same...

Hi-Jack is an experienced and respected reviewer and you can see his review of the Mede8er and Playon HD is quite thorough. (I'm sure you've read them already though)

http://www.mpcclub.com/forum/links/reviews-2009-9/acryan-playonhd-128/

and

http://www.mpcclub.com/forum/links/reviews-2009-9/review-mede8er-med500x-154/

The Mede8er won the MPC Club Best Value award. Considering they reviewed both players and the Mede8er still won the best value award (even with it's higher price) it has to say something.

For me the deciding factor was the software. We already know they are very similar, but their software is developed seperately even though it is based on the same Realtek SDK. I do not have both players, so I can only go on what I read and the general consensus is the Mede8er has better software. I have already gone through a few screenshots of the Playon HD interface and so far I prefer the look of the Mede8er's interface. Either way they are both good players but going on what I have read I feel the Mede8er has the edge.
 
Spark said:
The Mede8er won the MPC Club Best Value award. Considering they reviewed both players and the Mede8er still won the best value award (even with it's higher price) it has to say something.
Click to expand...

The problem is that the best value award is clearly linked to the price of the product... here in SA we have the Playon being sold for R500 cheaper than the Mede8er. In those reviews it shows the Mede8er at €150 including the wifi stick and the Playon at €148 (no wifi stick).

I still think at the current pricing here in SA the choice is not cut and dried based on a "best value" award. That would knock around €50 off the Playon price shown above... which I'm certain would score it some "best value" points!
 
LancelotSA said:
The problem is that the best value award is clearly linked to the price of the product... here in SA we have the Playon being sold for R500 cheaper than the Mede8er. In those reviews it shows the Mede8er at €150 including the wifi stick and the Playon at €148 (no wifi stick).

I still think at the current pricing here in SA the choice is not cut and dried based on a "best value" award. That would knock around €50 off the Playon price shown above... which I'm certain would score it some "best value" points!
Click to expand...

Yeah we are getting ripped a new one here with the pricing of the Mede8er, especially seeing as they are quick to market it as a local product. When I bought the player though I never bought it with "best value" in mind, but rather which is the best.
 
Well, to me it is simply a matter of price. I'm going to recommend the PlayOn!HD to a friend, simply because his budget is around R1000.
 
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