In this review, I check out the DRERYRIT Play2Video Pro Magic Box Review. You can buy this 3-in-1 wireless CarPlay dongle for $87.99 (with coupon) from Amazon US > https://amzn.to/3x5CdrZ. Other locations coming soon.
TL/DR: The Play2Video Pro adapter from DRERYRIT is a 3-in-1 device offering wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, media playback, and pre-installed apps like YouTube and Netflix. While it provides basic functionality at a slightly higher cost than a wireless adapter, its performance limitations may not justify the price compared to more specialised adapters on the market.
With a brand focus on wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto adapters and Android OS AI Boxes, there is a niche adapter class that’s tucked away which offers a small middle ground between the two. I like to call them 3-in-1 adapters, or closed OS AI Boxes.
Basically, these adapters are like expensive AI Boxes with all the bells and whistles taken away, leaving a bunch of pre-installed apps that the brand thinks is all you need on your CarPlay display. These pre-installed apps are usually YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Music and sometimes a handful of others. These apps join some additional functionality such as wireless CarPlay and Android Auto and local video and audio media file playback.
The Play2Video Pro from DRERYRIT is just one of these 3-in-1 boxes that offers just enough additional functionality over the cheaper, common wireless adapters for CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also a USB-A port for media playback, IPTV streaming and all the apps I’ve previously mentioned above.
In the box, you get the adapter itself, a couple of paper instruction manuals, and two USB cables to connect the adapter to your car system’s CarPlay port – it will not work with Android Auto-only car systems.
Connecting the adapter and powering it on soon takes you into its rather sleek-looking main menu interface – finally, someone else has spent more than a couple of hours on the user interface on this Play2Video Pro. Alongside a small media playback panel are some large app launch tiles for Netflix, YouTube, YouTube Music, Spotify and IPTV apps. Tapping and holding on these panels allows for their deletion or replacing them with other app tiles; whilst in a smaller panel, there are four customisable smaller app launch icons for updating the adapter’s OS, and launching wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Along the bottom drawer are six launch buttons for Bluetooth calling and audio, local video playback, dump memory, access settings, and to go back to the car system screen.
To the left or right side of the home screen is a persistent side dock that features a home button, a back button, and an app task manager button. Along the top is the local time and status icons for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. Overall, it is a nice interface that many should ‘borrow’ to improve the many lackluster menu interfaces in many AI Boxes selling these days.
It is unfortunate that the Play2Video Pro isn’t packing a beefy CPU. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Without access to the Google Play store, this limited storage will not be tested too much, unless you wish to copy video or music media files directly to the local storage of the adapter. More importantly, the low CPU and RAM will offer up a rather low and sometimes frustrating experience in app launch times and general navigation of its five pre-installed apps. Multi-tasking is also out the window with this kind of spec. Overall, you get what you pay for here, so this experience should be expected for an adapter that costs just a little bit more than a wireless only CP/AA adapter.
With that said, YouTube and Netflix run surprisingly well with an acceptable level of audio delay that doesn’t frustrate. There is around +300-400ms delay in tested YouTube audio, but watching back talky videos, the lip-sync is at an acceptable level. The same can be said for Netflix playback, and scrolling through its menus is smooth enough without being too jarring when browsing for content to watch on your CarPlay display.
For adapters packing CarPlay and Android Auto, I don’t really see the need of including Spotify or YouTube Music apps on these adapters. The experience is much better in Apple and Google’s own car infotainment platforms. Spotify suffers with a lengthy launch time and navigation and playback is very laggy in my experience while using a 4G mobile data connection. YouTube Music also suffers with similar janky navigation and going fullscreen encounters a major UI/UX bug with the adapter’s floating side dock, which covers the app’s fullscreen button and seek bar that lays underneath it.
Heading into the MultiPlay app for wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, I was met with mixed results. CarPlay ran ok, with a little less visual quality of its video stream than cheaper and more dedicated wireless adapters. In short, if this is your primary use, then I would head towards the exit. Android Auto users should also follow you out the door because this adapter renders Google’s platform very poorly. Its overall display is blurry at best and although its performance is similar to CarPlay – which was just ok – its visual quality doesn’t get close to a wired experience, which is a huge downfall for this adapter.
USB media playback rounds up this adapter’s main abilities. You can either playback content from the inserted USB drive or copy these files over to the adapter’s local storage, to remove any hardware from sticking out of the adapter’s end, or free up this port for charging any mobiles via a connected USB cable.
Playback is done in either its dedicated Music or Video app. Playback is sufficient with easy access to files from an overlay popup menu as well as from the media playback panel on the main home screen. Videos were in sync and music seemed to play the most common music files that I gave it.
For anyone on a budget seeking YouTube/Netflix-only functionality alongside wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, these 3-in-1 closed AI Boxes are a great way to access this ability on a CarPlay display. However due to their price, compared to fully fledged AI boxes, some corners have to be cut and performance sadly comes first on the chopping block, and it is this decision alone that results in a poor performing jack of all trades that doesn’t master any of its main abilities.
If brands charged just $20 more and packed these adapters with the correct hardware to offer a better experience in wireless CP/AA and video streaming apps – the two areas that most people care about – then these adapters may just be worth recommending. Right now, I don’t think I could recommend them until that day comes around.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:30 – Unboxing
0:52 – Features & design
2:00 – Demo Boot up & menu interface
4:11 – YouTube & Netflix video streaming test
5:32 – Spotify & YouTube Music test
7:01 – App Updating
8:01 – IPTV app info
8:36 – Wireless Android Auto
10:08 – Wireless Apple CarPlay
12:12 – USB Video & Music playback test
13:24 – My Impressions
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