I got my dad the WD HD TV last Christmas, and he loves it. I love it because it just works right out of the box and plays every format I throw at it, yet it's simple enough for a 65 year old man who's afraid of the iPhone to use. I bought a 2 pack of seagate 2.5" external drives from Sams Club for 130 bucks back in January, and once a month I'll pop over to my folks house and swap out the drives, leaving him with fresh movies and tv episodes to watch. He loves to brag to his friends about how his kid is so sneaky, and gets him "Hollywood movies that are still in theaters."
He's happy, I'm happy, WD TV gets two thumbs up. #hdmediaplayers
@Cash907Censored: The WDTV is the first gen with out ethernet, this article is about the WDTV Live also know as WDTV 2. Its got eithernet and some other differences. #hdmediaplayers
@bigdave914:
Yeah, I'm aware of that thanks. Thanks to a recent firmware update, the only difference between the WD HD TV and the WD TV Live (version reviewed above) is the newer model has an ethernet port. #hdmediaplayers
Good article. I have been looking over this info for a while now and glad to see it collected.
i like the idea of the Patriot, BUT I just don't see them following up with sequential firmware updates like WD will do (and has done with the previous WD TV).
I LOVE the specs of the Popcorn Hour box, but at that price and size, I would go for a PS3.
For features, support, and price, I think I am going with the WD TV Live (as soon as it actually freaking shows back up in stock somewhere). #hdmediaplayers
@Unknown2U: You'll be happy, this I know from experience. The Creton 6 tuner card will cost more than any of these boxes however. These are all in one single purchase devices. It's not a apple to apple comparison. #hdmediaplayers
@Unknown2U: I understand. Currently I love my CC tuners and will probably build a new WMC box with a Centon Tuner. What I'm saying is that these boxes serve a simpler task and even the most expensive of them is $300. #hdmediaplayers
do you really need to kill apple tv? its not like it's popular like an ipod. Isnt' this kinda like saying, "which soft drink will be the Fresca killer?" #hdmediaplayers
@dallasmay: I've been thinking of going that route, mostly because the WD doesn't have Netflix/Hulu, etc. With a Mini, I can play literally anything (including the Flac-HD files that I can't burn to a disc that's readable by my Sony BD player).
I'm hoping WD will add those, or Roku will add Hulu and the ability to play media off a connected drive (which is rumored). But, if neither of those things comes to fruition by the end of the year, I'll probably go with a Mini. #hdmediaplayers
When you mix a bunch of couple codecs, and a couple of containers. I know this is probably how Giz got the info, but just because it supports a codec, doesn't mean that it supports all the possible containers for that codec. Also what about audio codecs? will it decode HD audio or pass it through?
Your question makes no sense, and I'm convinced you have no idea what you're talking about.
MKV is THE container for almost any codec you can imagine. Therefore, because it supports MKV, it probably supports all the codecs that could be contained in said format.
"Also what about audio codecs? will it decode HD audio or pass it through"
for that cost, you may as well build your own semi-decent HTPC with a Blu-ray player... you'll end up with a system much more capable and upgradeable than this thing!
This thing looks very old skool. Just a big black box with a tiny LCD window. I am almost surprised that it isn't a pop-up-top-loader like a circa 80s VHS deck.
11/06/09
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He's happy, I'm happy, WD TV gets two thumbs up. #hdmediaplayers
11/06/09
11/06/09
Yeah, I'm aware of that thanks. Thanks to a recent firmware update, the only difference between the WD HD TV and the WD TV Live (version reviewed above) is the newer model has an ethernet port. #hdmediaplayers
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
i like the idea of the Patriot, BUT I just don't see them following up with sequential firmware updates like WD will do (and has done with the previous WD TV).
I LOVE the specs of the Popcorn Hour box, but at that price and size, I would go for a PS3.
For features, support, and price, I think I am going with the WD TV Live (as soon as it actually freaking shows back up in stock somewhere). #hdmediaplayers
11/05/09
My PC has Windows 7, I purchase this thing next year: [www.cetoncorp.com]
I rent 1 cable card for $4 a month. That device will allow me to record up to Six Live HD Channels Simultaneously.
Then I just use my Xbox 360 to watch TV.
Beats the PS3, let's face it. Most people watch more TV than they do movies. #hdmediaplayers
11/05/09
11/05/09
The card pays for itself in one year if I get ride of my two DVRs from the cable company. #hdmediaplayers
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11/05/09
[store.apple.com] #hdmediaplayers
11/05/09
I'm hoping WD will add those, or Roku will add Hulu and the ability to play media off a connected drive (which is rumored). But, if neither of those things comes to fruition by the end of the year, I'll probably go with a Mini. #hdmediaplayers
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
01/09/09
When you mix a bunch of couple codecs, and a couple of containers. I know this is probably how Giz got the info, but just because it supports a codec, doesn't mean that it supports all the possible containers for that codec. Also what about audio codecs? will it decode HD audio or pass it through?
"DivX/XVid/WMV9/H.264/MKV" files
01/09/09
Your question makes no sense, and I'm convinced you have no idea what you're talking about.
MKV is THE container for almost any codec you can imagine. Therefore, because it supports MKV, it probably supports all the codecs that could be contained in said format.
"Also what about audio codecs? will it decode HD audio or pass it through"
Now you're just being facetious AND stupid.
01/09/09
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01/09/09
It looks like it most certainly does.
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01/09/09
if only my PS3 could do this...