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WD TV HD Media Player (Recertified)

Neat setup, FYI it struggles with high-bitrate 1080p MKV files (like 10,000kbps). I switched over to a dedicated Media Center mainly due to this.
 
I know it's not exactly on the subject, but since this device can only play what's stored on an attached storage, is there something out there in the same or close to it for factor with dlna playing capability from a dlna media streaming server? I am looking for something in the same price range as well. If this one could do it, I'd be set, because of the 1080p over HDMI is what i wanted. Thanks!
 
Originally posted by: videopho
Originally posted by: Kaido
...dedicated Media Center mainly due to this.
Click to expand...

Would you elaborate of what this MC is?
Is it Window Media Center?
Click to expand...

Originally I did Vista Media Center with a pair of tuner cards, but then I switched over to a Mac Media Center using Plex Media Center. I like Tivo better than Windows Media Center for DVR and Plex is a lot cooler to look at and easier to navigate than Windows Media Center is. With the right hardware, Plex has no problems streaming high-bitrate 1080p material over my Gigabit network. The only downside is that it's more pricey for a Mac Media Center - $600+ for a Mac Mini or $350+ for a Hackintosh, which is over 3x as expensive as a WD TV HD. Also, I like to store my media on a NAS so I can stream it to any computer/TV in the house (downside to that is that hard drives fill up faaaaaaaaaaaaaast!), which is something I can't do with the WD unit as it requires a direct connection.

So currently Plex + Tivo 🙂
 
Originally posted by: GilletteCat
I know it's not exactly on the subject, but since this device can only play what's stored on an attached storage, is there something out there in the same or close to it for factor with dlna playing capability from a dlna media streaming server? I am looking for something in the same price range as well. If this one could do it, I'd be set, because of the 1080p over HDMI is what i wanted. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The Popcorn Hour can do it:

http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/

I had one and sold it - I didn't care for the interface. I'm not sure if it can handle high-bitrate files or not - you'll want to research that. But aside from a dedicated Media Center PC, this is the best network media player on the market.
 
Originally posted by: isekii
is this a good unit if you're not watching mkv... but h.264 and divx, avi etc.. ?
Click to expand...

Yeah most stuff I tested played fine, high-bitrate MKV files were pretty much the only exception!
 
Why is this thing a "good buy"?

Combined with a My Passport portable drive (sold separately), this player is the most convenient way to play HD movies or user-generated videos, listen to high-quality digital music and show high-resolution slideshows of your family photos on your TV. Also works with popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices.
Click to expand...

No network. No thank you.
 
Originally posted by: CupCak3
Why is this thing a "good buy"?

Combined with a My Passport portable drive (sold separately), this player is the most convenient way to play HD movies or user-generated videos, listen to high-quality digital music and show high-resolution slideshows of your family photos on your TV. Also works with popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices.
Click to expand...

No network. No thank you.
Click to expand...

My point exactly! For less money you can get a Philips upconverting dvd player. It has a usb 2.0 host. Plays every format of divx/xvid and your dvds, plus 1080p upconversion on HDMI port. FOR LESS! It also has no network, but this thing has no function of it's own. If only it was networkable...
 
Originally posted by: GilletteCat
Originally posted by: CupCak3
Why is this thing a "good buy"?

Combined with a My Passport portable drive (sold separately), this player is the most convenient way to play HD movies or user-generated videos, listen to high-quality digital music and show high-resolution slideshows of your family photos on your TV. Also works with popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices.
Click to expand...

No network. No thank you.
Click to expand...

My point exactly! For less money you can get a Philips upconverting dvd player. It has a usb 2.0 host. Plays every format of divx/xvid and your dvds, plus 1080p upconversion on HDMI port. FOR LESS! It also has no network, but this thing has no function of it's own. If only it was networkable...
Click to expand...


this thing does play 720p mkvs and such. even a dvd divx player is more hassle than just copying something over to a thumb drive. plus dvd players tend to be rather picky on files they do play.
neitheris good as networked, but i wouldn't compare a dvd player to this at all.
 
Is the audio output analog or digital, looks like just 3x RCA's, yellow, white, red for analog, aka composite AV.
 
Version 1.02.07 Now Available!

We've received tremendous feedback on WD TV and some great suggestions to improve the product even more. In response to your requests, we're pleased to offer release product enhancements to make your viewing experience better than ever. Updating your media player is simple. Just follow the instructions below, grab your remote and enjoy the show!

What's New?

Release 1.02.07 (4/27/2009)
(includes all previously released updates)

* Enhanced cover art, album art, and thumbnail support for media files and folders
* Additional subtitle languages and decoding support
* Improved media playback and navigation
* More audio formats for MKV container
* Fixed bugs reported by the WD TV user community

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/wdtv/

i remember avs or one of those forums had a break down on what 1080p videos it would play. it was a matter of settings.

this unit is close to the mark. if only it had wifi or just a lan port.....

as far as i know no one else makes such a thing at the 100 dollar mark yet🙁
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
Version 1.02.07 Now Available!

We've received tremendous feedback on WD TV and some great suggestions to improve the product even more. In response to your requests, we're pleased to offer release product enhancements to make your viewing experience better than ever. Updating your media player is simple. Just follow the instructions below, grab your remote and enjoy the show!

What's New?

Release 1.02.07 (4/27/2009)
(includes all previously released updates)

* Enhanced cover art, album art, and thumbnail support for media files and folders
* Additional subtitle languages and decoding support
* Improved media playback and navigation
* More audio formats for MKV container
* Fixed bugs reported by the WD TV user community

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/wdtv/

i remember avs or one of those forums had a break down on what 1080p videos it would play. it was a matter of settings.

this unit is close to the mark. if only it had wifi or just a lan port.....

as far as i know no one else makes such a thing at the 100 dollar mark yet🙁
Click to expand...

Yeah if they added LAN + high-bitrate 1080p MKV playback, this would be a winner for sure!
 
I bought this product new, at a much higher price, and I HIGHLY recommend it! There are plenty of negative reviews out there, but if you know your formats, and you know what you are doing, this device is AWESOME. I had zero problems with it, and I am very satisfied.
 
I have one of these, it plays mkv files great (including 1080p content) in fact it plays everything I throw at it. Awesome firmware support and great interface.
 
bought this for $99 when it was on sale at BB and have to say it's one of the best purchases i've ever made. i've only found 1 file it didn't like, and that was an early rip of a blu-ray disk i made. everything i've ripped recently (since i changed software & settings) has worked without a problem.
 
Originally posted by: foolish501
bought this for $99 when it was on sale at BB and have to say it's one of the best purchases i've ever made. i've only found 1 file it didn't like, and that was an early rip of a blu-ray disk i made. everything i've ripped recently (since i changed software & settings) has worked without a problem.
Click to expand...

A big reason I never purchased one is because it will not play Digital Video AVI files taken with my DV cameras, edited, and rendered to the common DV AVI format. A very very common format like that should have been included.

And neither will the Popcorn Hour player for all the extra money it costs.

That's been a non-starter for myself and many others.

John

 
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