Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player
by Western Digital
|
Our Price: $312.75 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $59.99 (click here) Category: Home Theater See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player
Customer Review: Best Media Player for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player
This is an awesome player, highly recommend it to those that want to watch digital files on TV. I previously used an Archos 604 wifi at 3 times the price, and it doesn't even compare to the WD HD TV Media Player.
Pros
-Simple set up - takes 2 minutes to hook up a ac power and HDMI cable, then it's ready to play
-Plays all common files without skipping a beat. I mostly use AVI and MKV at 720p HD.
-Can add subtitles to your files and it will play them too.
-Small size makes it portable.
-External drives makes it easy to load/transfer files. I've tried wireless before with my Archos and it was a pain to set up and the stream would stutter depending on the file size.
Cons
-Thumbnail Browser display - This feature is weak. Thumbnails have to be embedded into the file and it doesn't work on MKV files. Looks better in list view.
-Media Library - not really sure the point of this feature. Much easier to turn this off and use folders.
-No skip Rewind/Fastfoward - There is no skip rewind/forward feature. If you have a 2 hour movie and you want to get to the middle of it, you need to fast forward at 16x. It takes minutes to get there. Very surprising that this awesome piece of equipment would lack such a basic feature that is on every DVD/media player on the market.
-Remote Control - slow response
-Slow scroll speed in List View - There is no skip up/down feature on the list view. If you have 200 files not in folders, you need to click through each one. Should be able to click a button and jump to next page.
Even though this item is missing some basic features, it is still worth the money. It's the best media player on the market and hopefully WD will add some of the basic features in future firmware updates.
Customer Review: MKV MKV MKV...!
Summary: 5 Stars
Update...It played an ISO file! even my computer can't play ISO's it only allows you to copy them on DVD's!!
That is the only reason I bought this for and as far as I can tell it's the only decently priced player that can play the matroska files, not saying that I didn't like all of the other extras, some of the reviewers noted the the new firmware was on WD's site so before I even got it I downloaded the update and out of the box the that was the first thing I did(fast and simple).
It played all of the audio and video files I had, only problem was with a couple of videos that were shot with my camera(.MOV), I used quick time to watch them on my computer, the message I got was use the software to convert files,so I did and it played perfectly (converted to .avi), I did have other .MOV files that played without problems.
Operation is easy enough, it doesn't overheat and it's really quiet but once you turn it off the external hard disk stays on!, even when I used the eject disk option it was still on(using WD drives), there is a little delay time for picture viewing (compared to the XBOX 360 and the PS3)but I'm sure that upcoming software updates will take care of that.
You will not believe how small this player is, you can take it anywhere, it has a 110-240 volt input so you can even travel with it, it's remote is the size of a laptop remote only thicker, the player & remote have a glossy black finish that looks great but will (as with all of the WD passport drives) scratch and collect a lot of dust over time.
HDMI was at 1080p and audio output was digital (fiber optic cable),you will need a separate audio connection if you're using the HDMI, it has two USB slots and from the menu you can choose the slot you want to use (if you have two external drives connected).
Overall a great player.
Customer Review: I have recommended this to everyone I know
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this little gadget! I was so sick and tired of burning DVDs, and getting glitches in the burn about 25% of the time. This media player is WONDERFUL! No more burning!
The set up is so quick and easy, I was astounded. Like most people, I have far too many components hooked up to my tv: surround sound, dvd player, DishNetwork box, digital converter and antennae. Because of this I was a little leary of trying to navigate my way through the tangles of cords and wires to attach another component. Fortunately, it was like hooking the Xbox to the tv, with easy hook up and removal. This is great because I can easily take this to any tv in the house, or even over to someone elses home with no hassle.
I already had a WD 500GB MyBook where I kept all my videos, so it was nothing to plug that into the side of this media center and start watching. Other than that, everything you need to get up and going is right inside the box. If you want to hook it to your TV with an S-Vid cable, you will have to purchase that, but we have had no problems with the standard cables that come with the unit.
***Be Warned!!!! This media center does NOT have any storage of it's own. You MUST have an removable hard drive with your files on it!***
When you plug your hard drive in, the media center will automatically search through your entire hard drive to find music, photos, and videos. You can then view the list items you have and easily play what you want to watch.
The one thing that concerns me is that there are no controls on the unit itself. You have to have the remote, which is tiny, to control it. With the way remotes randomly disappear and reappear around my house, I feel it is only a matter of time before it it gone and we are unable to use the media center.
Customer Review: Good deal, and it works...
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't go over what has already been said, but this does work, and what you get for the money is like I say in my title, "Good deal, and it works...".
I gave it FIVE STARS because I just love it!
The only problem I have run into so far is it wouldn't play hardly anything at first out of the box, so I updated the (really recent) FIRMWARE and it works just as it should.
That to me is odd though, because you would think that it would play what they say it will, but it wouldn't, like .avi's, .DiVx, and also, .mov...
After the update, all was good though.
I will say, out of the box, the only thing I could make show up was images, such as .jpegs, I didn't try any more formats for images, because I was wanting to watch shows, not do a slide show, which is something that most any computer nowadays can do easy.
I'm not worried about losing the remote, I have never, ever lost anything in my house, temporarily misplaced, yeah, but not lost... :)
I wouldn't doubt that if a person did lose one, they could use a universal remote, it may take a little time to find the correct codes, but it'd be what I'd try.
If not, I'd try WD to see if they sell them by themselves, this is such a new product, they probably don't have them online yet.
I know, that is not the point if you lose one, there should be buttons on the box itself, but it doesn't, and I knew that going in, and I'm willing to suffer the consequences at this price.
Anyway, I've only had it a few days, and have not played around with it as much as I would have liked, but it's playing movies, and that's what I wanted it to do.
(Oh yeah, I had no problems at all fast-forwarding, or freezing up on anything, and I hope I don't)
REC
Customer Review: Stunning little media player
Summary: 5 Stars
Absolutely a stunning piece of work this little thing is. Plays almost any video file format (plus subtitles for you anime fans), music along with photos, great resolution that look almost exactly like the images on your PC (with HDMI connections), and stutter, smooth and error free.
Positives - Small, compact YET 2 USB drives for expansion. Load as much videos, pictures, music as you like. Takes just a few minutes to index and play. Onced index, playback automatic.
Plays vidoes in full screen HD. Smooth and error free.
Plays darned near any vid format and subtitles.
Easily transportable to a different TV for showing off videos and photos at parties.
Free software conversion for those video and audio formats that it cant play (there wont be many, trust me).
Cons: Slideshow is kind of simple and little effects. Apple's slideshow is much prettier.
If this is your only remote, it kinda sucks. Small, plastic and flimsy. I have a Logitech Harmony and I program its functions so its a non issue for me.
Interface is a bit clunky and need more clicks to get to vids. Also, no thumbnails for videos.
I was trying to decide on an Apple TV and this thing. The price tag along with its unlimited space/expansion capabilities made it a no brainer. Apple TV cannot expand (without hacking it) and when I saw how it performed, it BLOWS away anything out there IMO. For price, performance and capabilities, it nearly impossible to beat. Minor flaws but honestly, I think a firmware upgrade can fix fairly easily.