ASUS O!Play Mini player ditches the USB 3.0 but keeps the 1080p
The O!Play HD2 may be the first media device to support USB 3.0, but we're guessing that hasn't exactly inspired too many of you to run out and buy the things -- assuming you can actually find one for sale. Maybe a slimmer, shapelier form factor would do the trick. That's the new O!Play Mini, a much more petite entry into the series that makes do with a single USB 2.0 connector along with an SD/MMC/MS/XD card reader up front. Around back are optical audio and an HDMI 1.3 connector, through which it will pump 1080p video and up to 7.1 audio in Dolby Digital AC3, DTS 2.0+, even TrueHD and DTS-HD, plus a variety of other formats. There are also RCA outputs if you prefer your digital steam in audio. File format support looks pretty legendary, including all the usuals plus less commonly supported extensions like MKV, MTS, OGG, and FLAC, even RighTxT subtitles. No word on price or availability yet, but with the HD2 clocking in at $129.99 we wouldn't be surprised to see this slotting in somewhere under $100.
