As a reminder, the R_volution PlayerMini, a new product distributed in France by HD Land, offers an experience similar to that of the Zappiti players and the eponymous application, signed by the company of the same name which recently ceased its activities. In short, the R_volution PlayerMini includes most of the features of the PlayerOne 8K, but with some major differences: the absence of Ultra HD 8K compatibility of course, 120 Hz compatibility, an integrated hard drive rack or even [abc]Bluetooth[/abc].
R_volution PlayerMini and R_video, 100% digital audio-video experience££££
The R_volution PlayerMini is based on a similar principle: offering the possibility of ripping your own film/series or music discs onto the R_volution [abc]Nas[/abc] (network hard drive enclosure, see photo below), and then enjoying them in a completely digital way using a dedicated application, R_video. The latter, graphically superb with animated backgrounds, offers the film poster, all associated technical information, its distribution, etc. The application also allows you to browse your library of titles via various filters (title, actor, director, categories, release date, length, etc.), to automatically group and manage sagas (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, etc.), to launch a trailer, etc. All with unprecedented speed.
In terms of image quality, the R_volution PlayerMini is incredibly well-equipped. Its Amlogic S905X4-K SoC, based on a Quad Core ARM Cortex-A55 processor clocked at 2 GHz, is supported by a Mali-G31 MP2 graphics chip.
The R_volution PlayerMini is therefore perfectly equipped to handle an [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]4K[/abc] 60 Hz signal up to [abc]HDR Dolby Vision[/abc]. In addition, [abc]AV1[/abc] compatibility allows you to enjoy the appropriate content available on YouTube. Of course, [abc]HDR10[/abc], [abc]HDR10+[/abc] are included and the VS10 mode (exclusive algorithm developed by Dolby Laboratories for 12-bit processing of HDR signals), which can be activated on demand on [abc]SDR[/abc] signals to convert them to [abc]HDR[/abc], and vice versa, offers a new image improvement. An [abc]Upscaling[/abc] [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]4K[/abc] is also present. It is also worth mentioning the support for [abc]DTS:X[/abc] Pro for audio decoding of all the main sound processes.
R_volution PlayerMini, multiroom experience££££
Good news, in the presence of several R_volution players, the R_Share function allows a multiroom configuration to enjoy content in several rooms of a home. While it is possible to broadcast up to four [abc]1080p[/abc] quality signals simultaneously, [abc]streaming[/abc] is limited to two streams in 4K Ultra HD quality. And to top it all off, the future R_Sync feature will perfectly and automatically synchronize content between the different players to resume playback exactly where you left off when moving from one room to another.
R_volution PlayerMini, the connectivity££££
Before returning in more detail, later, to the characteristics of the R_volution multimedia player, a visual of its rear face informs us about its connectivity: an [abc]HDMI[/abc] CEC 2.1a output, an [abc]optical[/abc] output, two [abc]USB[/abc] ports (one 2.0 plus one 3.0) and an [abc]Ethernet[/abc] port.
R_video, better than the Zappiti reference?££££
For the rest, all the great functions popularized by the Zappiti application in recent years are here with the R_video application (available at the price of €5.99/month or €50/year, free for owners of an R_volution player): downloading subtitles, pictograms of all kinds to define and label content, posters of films signed R_video (the R_volution database has about 18,000 posters at the time of writing), parental control, customization of the user interface, reading of a film soundtrack while browsing, management of 24 Hz and 23.976 Hz signals…
R_video, Dune player support in sight££££
After developing support for Zappiti players (see our news R_video: application compatible with Zappiti players), the developers of the R_video application are working hard on compatibility with Dune players.
Availability announced for October. Indicative price: 349 euros.
Reminder of the key characteristics of the R_volution PlayerMini:
• Type: Multimedia player
• Processor: Amlogic S905X4-K (Quad Core ARM A55 at 2.0 GHz + Mali G31 MP2 graphics chip
• Ram memory: 4 GB
• Storage memory: 32 GB
• Cache memory: 1 MB
• Codec compatibility: AC3, DTS:X, DTS:X Pro, Mpeg, [abc]AAC[/abc], HEAAC, LPCM, [abc]Alac[/abc], AIFF, [abc]Wav[/abc], [abc]MQA[/abc], VSELP, [abc]Flac[/abc], APE, Ogg/Vorbis (up to 192 kHz/24 bits), [abc]HEVC[/abc], [abc]VP9[/abc], Iso 3D [abc]BD[/abc], Iso BD, BDMV, MKV, M4A, Mpeg-TS, Mpeg-PS, [abc]M2TS[/abc], [abc]Vob[/abc], [abc]AVI[/abc], Mov [abc]MP4[/abc], QT, [abc]WMV[/abc] TS[/abc], [abc]SACD[/abc] Iso, [abc]AVC-HD[/abc]
• [abc]DSD[/abc] compatibility: yes
• [abc]Hi-Res Audio[/abc] certification: yes
• Input(s): 2 [abc]USB[/abc] ports (one 2.0 plus one 3.0) and 1 port [abc]Ethernet[/abc].
• Output(s): 1 x [abc]HDMI[/abc] CEC 2.1a output, 1 x [abc]optical[/abc] output
• Gapless function: yes
• Other(s): [abc]Upscaling[/abc] [abc]Ultra HD[/abc]/[abc]4K[/abc], full auto-framerate function (23.976/24/50/59.94/60 Hz frequencies), Widevine L1 DRM
• Multiroom function: R_Share
• Rec2020 compatibility: yes
• HDR10 function(s)
• Dolby Vision HDR function(s)
• HDR10+ function(s)
• Dolby Atmos function(s)
• Connectivity: [abc]Wi-Fi[/abc] 6 Dual Band
• Application: R_Video
• Gateway function [abc]UPnP[/abc] ([abc]DLNA[/abc]): yes
• Consumption (On/standby): 39 W/0.02 W
• Dimensions (L x D x H): 160 x 24 x 118 mm
• Weight: 0.4 kg