| WD TV Live Digital MultiMedia Player |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Notebook | Compact PC | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Monday, 09 July 2012 | |
WD TV Live Media Player Review
Manufacturer: Western Digital Corporation Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by WD. NOTICE: Since the WD TV Live Media Player was first introduced on October 2011, it has been marketed under the same product name despite design changes and hardware revisions. This article pertains to part number WDBHG70000NBK-01 with model number WDBHG70000NBK-HESN, using firmware version 1.09.10 (released 6/5/2012). Ours is a modern world where physical products have been replaced with digital clones, allowing personal entertainment to reach a new level of convenience. Music, photos, movies... they're all just a small part of the multimedia library that we save and collect. Most of us have been downloading files onto our computer for as long as we've had Internet access, and purchased discs promptly get converted into stored backup copies. Until recently digital multimedia could only be enjoyed on the computer, and with some extra effort it could be shared onto a portable electronic device. But high-definition movies and music are really best enjoyed on a home theater system, with larger screen and powerful speakers. Now that HDTVs and wireless networking are commonplace an era of attached digital media players has begun, and the WD TV Live helps make the transition easy. The WD TV Live Media Player is compatible with every modern file format used to play back multimedia items saved onto local storage devices or connected networks. Watching broadcast television and DVD/Blu-ray movies is old-school, and have been replaced with streaming web content and downloaded multimedia files. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the WD TV Live high-definition digital media player, and we evaluate how well it entertains us.
WD TV Live SpecificationsSource: Western Digital Corporation File Formats Supported
Notes:
File Formats Not SupportedDoes not support protected premium content such as movies or music from the iTunes Store, Movielink, Amazon Unbox, and Vongo Physical Interfaces:
Physical Dimensions
Environmental Specifications
Electrical Specifications
Kit Contents
Closer Look: WD TV LiveThe WD TV Live is a $89.99 (Newegg or Amazon) compact digital media player designed to play high-definition video at up to 1080p (1920x1080) resolution, as well as Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound audio. Western Digital (WD) includes the following items inside the WD TV Live kit: media player WDBHG70000NBK-HESN, WD TV HD Media Player Remote Control WDTV001RNN, 2x AAA batteries, composite A/V cable, 110/220V 18W AC power adapter WDPS038RNN fitted with interchangeable North America socket attachment, and a quick install guide. On the front of the unit is a small translucent plastic window, with a low-output LED light that unobtrusively shines to indicate power state without compromising the device's elegant appearance. A High-Speed USB 2.0 port is available up front, beside a recessed 'Device Reset' button that restores system settings to the factory firmware default values. Additionally, users may toggle between NTSC and PAL by depressing this button for 10 seconds.
The infrared remote sensor is located behind the darkened front window, so positioning the device with a direct line of sight will yield the best performance. WD TV Live is not designed with built-in control buttons, such as you might find on DVD/BD players, so all functions of the device are controlled by the remote. Because WD TV Live features a built-in 802.11-b/g/n wireless adapter that utilizes internal antennas, keeping the device out in the open serves to also improve Wi-Fi reception.
WD TV Live measures only 3.9"L x 4.9"W x 1.2"H, and weighs a mere 7oz without attachments. An infrared media-center remote control is included with the kit (shown below in actual size), that measures 6.5"L x 2.3"W x 1.2"H and fits comfortably into the hand. For best results there should be a direct line of sight between devices, which can degrade if you or the device is positioned at an extreme angle. The remote control requires two AAA batteries (included), and features a robust set of multimedia functions. Soft rubber keys are adorned with white labels, but the remote does not offer button glow or backlighting. As a unique extra, WD TV Remote software is available free for download to WD TV Live owners who want to replicate the remote's functionality on their Apple iOS and Google Android phone or tablet devices.
In addition to the remote control, WD TV Live supports keyboard input for some services such as Facebook and YouTube or can be used for renaming files. In testing all of our wired and wireless keyboards offered this functionality, but mouse movement was not supported even when integrated into the keyboard. With so much real-estate available on the front and sides of WD TV Live there is certainly room for items like additional USB ports, a multi-card reader, or an eSATA port. Unfortunately these items were not included because Western Digital needed to maintain a conservative power profile while reducing the unit's heat output. All other input/output ports are located at the rear of the device.
You'll find the majority of connecting points along the backside of WD TV Live (version WDBHG70000NBK-HESN). The AC power adapter input shares space with an optical SPDIF digital audio port that supports high-definition 7.1 surround sound output (TosLink cable required/not included). Nearby is a RJ-45 10/100 Ethernet port, HDMI 1.3 digital A/V output, and the second available USB 2.0 port. WD has made provisions for obsolete component video outputs by including an analog AV output for the included composite cable bundle.
WD TV Live is one of two media players available from Western Digital; the other is the WD TV Live Hub which adds an internal hard drive and DLNA streaming to any device. Both offer the same playback features and streaming media services, but only WD TV Live includes built-in Wi-Fi functionality. In the next section, we put the WD TV Live to the test... WD TV Live Test ResultsLike most discerning home theater enthusiasts, I'm critical of digital media player devices. Benchmark Reviews has tested several products designed for the Home Theater segment, from fancy HTPC enclosures to efficient compact computer systems. But of them all, very few have ever offered the level of multimedia performance found on desktop computer systems. My criteria for the "perfect" digital media player has never been terribly strict, but a man's home theater is a trophy onto itself. The ideal system needs to offer wireless Internet access, comfortable web browsing, fast file transfers, and display multimedia content over HDMI without frame loss or stutter. This section discusses how well the WD TV Live digital media player performs, and the various features it offers. From the first moment you power on the WD TV Live, the device begins to impress. Within a few seconds I was greeted with a beautifully colorful background, and then prompted to confirm my language preference. Immediately afterward, WD TV Live searched for available networks and was easily joined to my wireless connection. A few seconds later the system date and time were automatically updated, and an update notification appeared prompting me to download the latest firmware. A few minutes later WD TV Live restarted to install the new firmware, then after a few more minutes the updated device greeted me with a large navigation menu.
The setup screen is easy to understand and straight-forward. I'm the type of person who has to check every option to ensure I've tweaked the system to its fullest potential, but with the WD TV Live I was pleasantly surprised that nearly every configuration had been optimized for my connected hardware. The only item that really needed any attention was the Day Light Savings option for the date and time, both of which were automatically detected and set when the device first connected to the Internet. Optionally, I chose to display my local temperature beside the time by adding my city to AccuWeather (Services → News and Weather). Users can customize the theme and background image on WD TV Live, similar to any Microsoft Windows PC. At the time of this writing there were several different background images to choose from, all part of professionally taken photo sets, along with a few different (and truly unique) themes. Additionally, users may utilize their own images for the background. Some aftermarket themes are more ergonomic than others, but because I had become so used to the default theme it remained my favorite.
Each Video, Music, and Photo library has the option to configure their visual layout to suit your tastes. For example, I like to see as many gallery icons as possible in my multimedia library, but other people might prefer large thumbnails with extra detail visible. All of this is available in the Setup menu, and from within each menu itself by using one of the color-coded shortcut keys on the remote. Whenever these icons are present in the upper-right corner (on the default theme), users can alter the layout of the screen. The WD TV Live automatically recognizes connected storage devices formatted with FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and HFS+ file systems; however exFAT drive partitions were not detected. Personal electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets can also be connected through the media player's USB interface, which then mounts any available storage partitions. Alternatively, network storage devices and multimedia servers can be mapped and configured as additional media sources. WD TV Live will actively search and index media files as new storage devices are attached to the system, which populates the library menu inside Video, Music, and Photo catagories. However, if a large-capacity storage device filled with many files (such as an external hard drive) is attached, background indexing could take a while.
WD TV Live will automatically attempt to locate media information for all indexed files, if configured to do so in the settings. This works well overall, but occasionally a folder is given an incorrect icon that doesn't match the contents. Alternatively, users can replace folder icons simply by adding an image into the directory. Multimedia items are represented as thumbnails icons, with the complete file name (and file extension) displayed below. WD TV Live also offers a preview function for highlighted files as one of the layout styles, including sound with the item being previewed that can also be expended into full-screen view.
WD TV Live delivered lossless video playback from digital sources encoded with several popular codecs. I've converted many Blu-ray and DVD movies into MP4 and MKV file formats, in addition to an older library of MPG, AVI, and WMV movies joined by hundreds of FLAC, WAV, and MP3 music. Everything played flawlessly, and I didn't come across a single unsupported audio or video file type (although *.xvid file extensions must be renamed for the file system to discover and play them). The WD TV Live is more sensitive than other media players, and requires that the file extension correctly match the media codec in order to properly play back digital files. For example, one particular multimedia file obtained over the Internet incorrectly ended with the *.mp4 file extension (MPEG-4 container) despite actually being encoded as *.mkv (Matroska container). Open source applications played the file without issue on the PC, likely because they're designed to inspect the codec container instead of depending on file extension, but the WD TV Live would not. After checking the media info and correcting the extension to *.mkv the file played without issue on WD TV Live device. Unlike every other digital media player we've tested up to this point, WD TV Live features a working playback timeline that displays overall progression and total run time. Not only does it work, but it works extremely well: WD TV Live has the unique ability to jump playback and begin directly from a specifically entered time. This useful feature suppliments the ability to scan forward and reverse up to 16x, or skip forward and back in ten minute segments. The enhanced playback features are especially useful when resuming from extended-length multimedia files, and Western Digital succeeds in delivering playback tools that have gone overlooked by competing media players.
Because multimedia files are encoded from a myriad of differing sources using dissimilar software and hardware, it's unreasonable to expect audio level equalization across all media files and types. Although most multimedia files play back with similar audio levels, many times it was necessary to adjust volume. So despite the many great features that WD TV Live offers, one key item is missing: volume control. Most people have a separate remotes for their HTPC or A/V Receiver, but having command of volume levels from the same device that controls playback adds an appreciated level of convenience. Now that we've covered multimedia playback, let's get into the other features available on WD TV Live... WD TV Live Games and ServicesMy large (and continuously growing) multimedia library usually manages to satisfy the family's entertainment appetite, but there are times when music and movies give way to fun and games. The WD TV Live is a media player first and foremost, but it came as a surprise that the device also offers many parlor-style video games such as Blackjack, Poker, Chess, and Sudoku.
All of the games featured on WD TV Live are free, and do not require any premium account to enjoy. funspot offers a staple selection of 2D games that have been designed to work well with the remote control, but Games by PlayJam takes things a step further and delivers unique arcade games as well as multiplayer gaming tournaments (for players who have created a free PlayJam account online). Considering the $89.99 price tag for WD TV Live (from Newegg or Amazon), Western Digital certainly packs a lot of value into this little media player.
Western Digital has included dozens of popular media sources on the WD TV Live, most of which are streamed in high definition and completely free. I found most of the services to be useful, albeit occasionally limited, at delivering entertaining multimedia content. While WD TV Live offers namesake features like 'Live TV' services, both Skitter TV and SlingPlayer require a previously established account (although it doesn't appear that Skitter's service is ready for prime time, and does not offer end-user accounts). Unfortunately, if you want cable television-level entertainment programming you'll need to subscribe to a premium service like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Flixster, and MLB.tv.
Many of the free services offer a lot more than you might expect, and occasionally offer full-series programming. I wasn't the target audience for some shows, but others were right up my alley. AOL HD (Services → Web Video) offers plenty of high-definition programming that's on-par with premium services, and gives WD TV Live owners free access to shows like Engadget TV (below). One noted concern was the lack of visible playback buffering, since each item would begin immediately and occasionally stutter at the start. This wasn't an issue for every service, but it did indicate that buffering might not be controlled at the device level. Western Digital offers a full catalog of their available services, complete with details and requirements.
There are plenty of music services available from big names such as Pandora, Shoutcast, and Spotify, so streaming your playlist over WD TV Live is always an option when your eyes are occupied elsewhere. Flickr and Picasa are convenient photo services for showing off your latest pictures to a captive audience, presuming you don't already have them indexed on the device. Social networks are fun, and have grown in popularity over the past ten years, so it's not surprising to see Western Digital include the most popular among them on their WD TV Live media player. Twitter hasn't been added (yet), but Facebook is included as a reduced-functionality version of the social media website. As of firmware 1.09.10, this particular service does not load post images and consequently makes some conversations seem out of context. It works at the most basic level, which is probably sufficient for most users, but videos saved to Facebook wouldn't play.
Considering how limited most other media players we've tested have been, it's refreshing to see so much attention given towards developing the WD TV platform. Firmware updates are frequently published and pushed out to the devices with very little user intervention needed, so I expect WD TV Live to only get better with time. There are a few things missing that we've seen elsewhere, such as public-access Internet TV/Radio tuning and web page browsing, so hopefully Western Digital continues their pursuit to include everything under the sun inside WD TV Live. WD TV Live ConclusionIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. When shopping digital media players, most consumers simply want to know how well it plays video. In the case of Western Digital's WD TV Live media player: it plays them effortlessly. In fact, playing back media is such a mundane task for WD TV Live that it's overqualified for the title 'media player'. If you've got images, audio, and video files somewhere on your computer, it will accept them. For someone shopping media players, WD TV Live already does what they all do, and then adds streaming multimedia services, games, photo albums, and access to social media. Here's a recap of the file types WD TV Live supports:
WD TV Live has a very small footprint on the home theater system, as it measures a mere 3.9"L x 4.9"W x 1.2"H and weighs only 7oz. The semi-gloss finish looks great beside other home theater devices such as a HDTV, and the lightly textured surface helps to hide fingerprints if handled. One benefit to this media players light weight and small size is the ability to mount it anywhere, even vertically, allowing it to fit in small spaces in the entertainment center. Protected by a thick plastic shell that surrounds the media player, WD TV Live is built durable. Overall construction is amazingly solid, which is further protected by a one-year warranty. Unlike smaller companies, WD can leverage their massive customer base to build a strong online community dedicated towards to discussion of media players. Western Digital has a large customer support infrastructure that's been around for decades, and their customer service leads the industry. If there's ever a problem, they stand behind their product. The built-in wireless-b/g/n network adapter really helps extend the reach of this media player, and the composite AV cable adds a level of backwards-compatibility that other players lack. Western Digital offers several compatible media player accessories, all of which supplement the device. An included media center remote is complimented with control software that converts phones and tablets, but convenience features like volume control are missing. Two High-Speed USB 2.0 ports yield ample expandability, but Firewire, eSATA, and Flash Media Card connections are unsupported. WD TV Live offers tremendous value, and for $89.99 (Newegg or Amazon) you'll get more features and functionality then we've seen packed into any other media player. For the money you just simply can't go wrong with WD TV Live, and it's a better buy then every other media player within this price range. In conclusion, the WD TV Live (and WD TV Live Hub) are outstanding digital media players that deliver unprecedented entertainment features. Compared to the competition very few other devices even come close, and none of them deliver nearly as much for the money. The closest competition that can match functionality costs $100 more, while the recently tested alternatives that occupy the price point are sorely outperformed. If you're looking for a high-definition digital media player with excellent compatibility and plenty of product support, the WD TV Live series is the very best you can find. Pros:
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Comments
Players that won't do this are less useful than my old CD changer, which would at least play one disk after another.
What does this WD TV Live box do in such cases?
Thx
Can I restrict its scan to one folder and below? I will have music as well as movies, and have a great interest in stepping through the former, and no interest in stepping through or playing lists of the latter.
Thanks for your reply and any further time you can take to clarify this. The cost of such a unit is not as important to me as its ease of use and intelligent interface.
I've had my WDTV Live for about 2.5 years now. I rarely have problems playing videos through it. Occasionally I run into something encoded with the wrong aspect ratio; that can be fixed using mkvmerge, or MPEG4 Modifier. Header compression has sometimes been a problem with mkv files, but mkvmerge can be used to fix that. The zoom function is particularly valuable for dealing with letterboxed (non-anamorphic) widescreen DVDs, after ripping them to mkv using Makemkv.
eg: like the Seagate GoFlex Home 3TB Network Attached Storage device.
thnx
I got a cheep older laptop with an HDMI connection instead and running VLC - works perfect.
This unit replaces an Iomega 35045 ScreenPlay TV Link media player with a consistently balky remote control. We have another one plugged into a different TV and it plays dlna-served video perfectly. Since it's remote control works great, we're keeping it.
The WD can list 16 videos on screen at once, while the Iomega can only display 8. The Iomega has a large r/c with a qwerty k/b and volume controls.
One other point is that the Iomega has a "fast boot" mode, which is probably in actuality "wake from sleep". Whatever is happening behind the scenes, though, it's ready to work much faster than the WD.
The lack of volume control is indeed *very* annoying, i don't understand why they left it out. They could easily remap the up/down arrow keys to control volume.
My use for the device is to play media in the car :)