Western Digital - WD TV Live Media Player (WDTV2) [Text View] - Page 2

srauly

10-09-09, 08:24 PM

Anybody have seen the network interface on video (i.e. youtube or anything)? It appears to be only 100mb (instead of a gigabit connection) and I want to know if will stream from a whs 1080p without having to setup nfs (like you had to on the wdtv 1)Based on that link I provided to Realtek's site, that page talks about 10/100Mbps. It doesn't mention Gigabit.

But I'm not sure why you should need more than 100Mbps to do 1080p. I have no experience with WHS, so I'll assume that there's some issue specific to that.

slick316

10-09-09, 08:30 PM

ken984

10-09-09, 08:30 PM

Someone else asked about the hard drives shutting down when the unit is off. Yes they do turn off. I have a Seagate 1.5TB and it usually worked properly with the original WDTV, my WD MyBook NEVER turned the leds off with the old one.

speedbal

10-09-09, 08:32 PM

Based on that link I provided to Realtek's site, that page talks about 10/100Mbps. It doesn't mention Gigabit.

But I'm not sure why you should need more than 100Mbps to do 1080p. I have no experience with WHS, so I'll assume that there's some issue specific to that.

I actually think it was more related to the pieced together firmware (since wd never provided all of the files for open source) that the team on this board and others had to use to get the usb network adapters working..... but that is just me. I agree 100mb should be able to support 1080p, but the wdtv 1 had to use nfs to get it to playback smooth (tried on WHS, WinXP, and Win 7 beta).

ken984

10-09-09, 08:32 PM

I could not get my Vista machine to work earlier, but I was at work and did not want to change too many settings. My Win7 pcs work perfectly though. I just put the files in the library and they were visible.

How did you guys set up streaming?

I've been trying for an hour now. I have a desktop with Vista on it. Both the WD TV Live and my desktop are wired to my router. I have a drive that has all my ripped DVD's on it (I ripped them as mp4 to stream to my Apple TV).

How do I get the WD TV Live to see my drive with all my movies on it?

My computer can see the WD TV Live, and my WD TV Live allowed me to stream some sample videos on my computer (No idea where they came from, one was a video about a bear).

Any suggestions?

ken984

10-09-09, 08:35 PM

I am seeing about 9MBps across my fast ethernet network. I was streaming 1080p from my laptop earlier, worked perfectly.

bigjsouth

10-09-09, 08:37 PM

Could we do some file checks with this unit also??
Thanks everyone for posting pics and details! Thats more info than what WD has provided us.

-Could one of you please check and see if it plays-

*M4V (If it plays then can it fast forward and rewind also?)
*WMV
*EVO (LOL I doubt it!)

Post some UI pics too please
And some Ethernet results would be great. Thanks again everyone.

tacom8

10-09-09, 08:47 PM

Where is everybody? I'm disappointed in all of you! ...

I think you did your part, good work dude. I wouldn't risk breaking anything. I think we are going to need to allow the alpha-nerds to do their thing to unravel this mystery.

I thought that pdf posted earlier said it supports web services? any test on that yet?

gmanhdtv

10-09-09, 08:48 PM

How did you guys set up streaming?

I've been trying for an hour now. I have a desktop with Vista on it. Both the WD TV Live and my desktop are wired to my router. I have a drive that has all my ripped DVD's on it (I ripped them as mp4 to stream to my Apple TV).

How do I get the WD TV Live to see my drive with all my movies on it?

My computer can see the WD TV Live, and my WD TV Live allowed me to stream some sample videos on my computer (No idea where they came from, one was a video about a bear).

Any suggestions?

I have a HTPC with Vista also and I am trying out the Seagate Theater+ as the WD was not available in my BB store. I can see the Vista PC and the drives, but have no access to the folders on the drive. When trying to enable "sharing" on the HTPC I get the "not allowed" message from Vista. So I have not been able to stream to my device from a Vista pc either.

Maybe someone with more knowledge of Vista and networking will chime in???:(

csgamer

10-09-09, 09:11 PM

Is the GUI same as old wdtv?

fixxture

10-09-09, 09:17 PM

Is the GUI same as old wdtv?

That's what I'd like to know about it.

BowerR64

10-09-09, 09:22 PM

i'm sure some of you guys feel like you have a legit beef with WD for regarding the WDTV, but personally I love mine. I haven't had any major issues with mine. I've got a crap-ton of films with a number of codecs & formats that the device has handled well. For a first-generation type product I've been pretty impressed. All that said--the WDTV Live might not be as good a box as others on the market. I'll wait till it's out to figure out which one to buy.

Here's the current link to the WDTV Live at MacMall:
LINK (http://is.gd/2usdo/kqztpt)

I love mine as well, i do want the drives to power off with the unit but other then that i dont have any other problems with mine its been a pretty solid machine since i got it over 7-8 months ago. I just got my second 1TB drive in today to fill. My first one i put around 250 movies on.

I like the idea of being able to carry around a whole shelf full of movies in a little box.

Derelict_Drvr

10-09-09, 09:23 PM

I think, in a word, your problem is "Vista". I hate the freaking OS. I feel Billy Boy went out of his way to make it difficult so the computer illiterate can't mess it up. I also think the Vista is the 21st century version of Windows ME, for it too was a POS operating system.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled program.

Derelict_Drvr

10-09-09, 09:29 PM

@BowerR64-

My beef is not with WD at this point. They have released the WD TV Live a couple of days earlier than was rumored. My issue is with Amazon. I ordered mine on 9-27 and a couple of days later they took the page down. When I emailed them to ask about it, they told me that their supplier is having problems getting the unit. So why oh why did Amazon not find a different supplier?

joshjoshlol

10-09-09, 09:39 PM

putting more emphasis on my earlier post...

DVD menus aside, can somebody put this through more standard tests to see what the limits are of the hardware? this seems to be the most common bunch of video files to use...

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/132004/Planet_Earth_From%20Pole_to_Pole_1080p_sample_16ref.mkv
http://files.getdropbox.com/u/132004/basketball%2060fps%201080p%2010000kbps.mkv

try direct connection through USB first, then streaming.

and there's a host of files in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1181902

let's be as thorough with this as possible, so that people will no longer hold off on purchasing other devices should this not live up to a golden standard. my train of thought is, networking tests are nuanced by the individuals set up, so direct connection tests are a must.

dmoney94

10-09-09, 09:41 PM

just try those mkv file no problem.they work fine.

fixxture

10-09-09, 10:04 PM

just try those mkv file no problem.they work fine.

What is the interface like in the new version?

ken984

10-09-09, 10:11 PM

The interface is almost identical to the first. But at least 3 times as fast. There are more options of course. Deep color support 8bit 12 bit selectable.

fixxture

10-09-09, 10:13 PM

The interface is almost identical to the first. But at least 3 times as fast. There are more options of course. Deep color support 8bit 12 bit selectable.

Thanks for the speedy response, bro.

4public

10-09-09, 10:20 PM

Thanks for this picture. You are the MAN
Just compared with old WDTV pictures on maddhat.com/?p=31
The cpu radiator is identical
Guessing that they did not change CPU model at all

OK, I did it. Please pray for me that I can put this thing back together. I tried a new approach: I pried open a crack between the light gray and dark gray plastic, stuck my screwdriver in there, and pried it open slowly, moving along the entire length.

Once, I freed the outer gray plastic from the inner lighter gray plastic, there were four screws visible. I removed those, and the metal casing lifted right off.

Here's a photo of the inside board:
farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/3996227655_329867ee46_b.jpg

Note: These photos were taken with my iPhone 3GS. I have the 3rd party app Camera Zoom which allows me to do some digital zooming. I tried taking a macro shot of the Realtek chip, but the writing was too small to make out with the photo, so I'll just tell you what it says:

RTL8201EL
97V99S3
G932 TAIWAN

Hopefully I got that right. The text is *REALLY* small, and I'm getting old.

srauly

10-09-09, 10:20 PM

So this is my first WDTV unit. I had no personal experience with the 1st gen unit. I do have a lot of experience running XBMC on classic XBoxes.

So I got this thing plugged in and booted up. Love the small size of the unit and the silent operation. Was able to navigate to my shared drive. Was even able to play a Blu-ray rip .ISO file (main movie only, Dolby Digital soundtrack). PQ looked great.

That's the good. The rest is bad:
- My Blu-ray rip .ISO didn't start off at the beginning. This could be a problem with my rip software, but I don't think so.
- Where are the previous/next chapter buttons? I see a PREV and NEXT button on the remote, but it doesn't navigate through chapters. Rather, it moves to the previous/next movie in my list.
- The grid display of movies is awful. The thumbnails are way too tiny. I want a list view, with a long list of movie titles on one side and a large boxart or fanart image of the highlighted movie. Can't seem to do that.
- I've got a user/password set up on my share. So I enter that info. OK. But every time I select Video/Network Shares, it brings up the user/password prompt (pre-filled with what I used previously). Why is it bothering me with that?

Based on what I've seen so far, this UI has a very poor WAF. Strike that. The UI scores poorly on my own acceptance factor.

fixxture

10-09-09, 10:27 PM

- Where are the previous/next chapter buttons? I see a PREV and NEXT button on the remote, but it doesn't navigate through chapters. Rather, it moves to the previous/next movie in my list.

They STILL haven't fixed this? That was a huge gripe I had with the original unit. I might have to pass. Yes, it's that big of a deal to me.

bigjsouth

10-09-09, 10:28 PM

@ srauly On the first WD-TV to access previous/next chapter you press fast forward then press next or press rewind then press previous so I would assume you can do this also.

On the first WD-TV you can set your media browsing experience up so that you can see the thumbnails so I would assume you can find some way to set up here too.

ken984

10-09-09, 10:29 PM

The unit does not support menus from dvd or bluray, all you get is the main movie. The chapter select is in the options menu when the movie is playing, however it will probably not work with an iso, it does work with mkv. Prev and nextdon't do much at all. There is a setting to save the login credentials on the WD, I found it tonight in the settings somewhere. So this is my first WDTV unit. I had no personal experience with the 1st gen unit. I do have a lot of experience running XBMC on classic XBoxes.

So I got this thing plugged in and booted up. Love the small size of the unit and the silent operation. Was able to navigate to my shared drive. Was even able to play a Blu-ray rip .ISO file (main movie only, Dolby Digital soundtrack). PQ looked great.

That's the good. The rest is bad:
- My Blu-ray rip .ISO didn't start off at the beginning. This could be a problem with my rip software, but I don't think so.
- Where are the previous/next chapter buttons? I see a PREV and NEXT button on the remote, but it doesn't navigate through chapters. Rather, it moves to the previous/next movie in my list.
- The grid display of movies is awful. The thumbnails are way too tiny. I want a list view, with a long list of movie titles on one side and a large boxart or fanart image of the highlighted movie. Can't seem to do that.
- I've got a user/password set up on my share. So I enter that info. OK. But every time I select Video/Network Shares, it brings up the user/password prompt (pre-filled with what I used previously). Why is it bothering me with that?

Based on what I've seen so far, this UI has a very poor WAF. Strike that. The UI scores poorly on my own acceptance factor.

fixxture

10-09-09, 10:33 PM

@ srauly On the first WD-TV to access previous/next chapter you press fast forward then press next or press rewind then press previous so I would assume you can do this also.

That's doing nothing with chapters. It's simply jumping forward in 10 minute intervals.

bigjsouth

10-09-09, 10:38 PM

@fixxture Yea I see what hes wanting to do now, its to scan through chapetrs like DVD support and not skip 10 minute intervals, ok.

srauly

10-09-09, 10:49 PM

Actually, I don't personally need to skip the "real" chapters. I'd just want to skip a large chunk of a time, so the 10 minute skip would work for me.

I also don't need (or even want) DVD/Blu-ray menu support. I'd like to be able to play an .iso simply because I like having my movies encapsulated in a single file. I already have a large collection of DVD .iso files (main movie only, sometimes multiple audio tracks, and English subtitles - no menus or extra content). I'd like to have a one-click 1-2 hour rip solution for Blu-rays as well, and I've been playing with the latest beta of DVDFab for that.

My bigger concern with my Blu-ray .iso test file (aside from lack of chapter skip, which the 10 minute skip would satisfy), was the fact that it didn't start at the beginning of the movie.

ken984

10-09-09, 10:57 PM

Some blurays are cut up in to a LOT of small files. Your best bet is makemkv or ripbot264. Make one file with subs and chapters and DD 5.1.

Derelict_Drvr

10-09-09, 10:58 PM

@srauly-

I don't know for sure, but that sounds like a rip issue to me rather then a player issue.

Just sayin'...

joshjoshlol

10-09-09, 11:31 PM

just try those mkv file no problem.they work fine.

even the Planet Earth 1080p mkv with 16 reframes played well? you played this one, all the way through? i can't think of a single non-HTPC media box that has been able to play it, and to think that the WDTV Live could at a $140 price tag is... crazy? i dunno what word i'm looking for.

jlaroco525

10-09-09, 11:36 PM

Just picked one up today at my local Best Buy. Very excited to set it up and use it! The finish on it has kinda of a nice subtle metallic flake too.

Don't know if it's been posted yet, but if anyone wants to pick it up at best buy and you're a rewards member, there's currently an active coupon you could use toward the unit.

10% off valid 10/09/09 - 10/12/09
http://image.emailinfo2.bestbuy.com/lib/fef41d77766c04/m/2/RWZ_ESE_20091007_RZCore_Couponsv2.pdf

The very first coupon is the one I used and it saved me $14.00! Since I live in Chicago and we have like the highest sales tax in america, 10%, the tax is pretty much all it saved me. :rolleyes:

blackssr

10-09-09, 11:51 PM

zoro

10-10-09, 12:53 AM

even the Planet Earth 1080p mkv with 16 reframes played well? you played this one, all the way through? i can't think of a single non-HTPC media box that has been able to play it, and to think that the WDTV Live could at a $140 price tag is... crazy? i dunno what word i'm looking for.

wont lg bd 370 for $130 a better pick, includes bluray player lol.

joshjoshlol

10-10-09, 01:42 AM

i've not seen any definitive specs on that lg model that say that it can handle 16 reframes. could you point me to a comprehensive list of what it supports? the lg site is all but useless and the search function on the board isn't giving me direct answers.

Asure

10-10-09, 05:08 AM

It would be really interesting to see what sort of cpu is inside the WDTV live. Because in Europe, Eminent released the EM7075 player, and there's pictures of the mainboard showing a SMP8655. No Realtek lan chip. The GUI they use in the Eminent is also _really_ similar to the first WDTV (check youtube for 'em7075', as newbie i cannot post links). I'm holding off on what to buy since there is so many players on the market now, i don't know what to choose yet. :)

tzyn

10-10-09, 06:15 AM

Could you post a detailed information about the settings? Or make some pictures? That would be nice.

Is 1080p@23.976Hz integrated and works? Or just 24Hz mode? What about "auto"? Does this function detect the framerate and set the correct frequency or does it just pick the highest available frequency for the tv (like the old wdtv - absolutly useless, because here in europe only 24 and 50hz are necessarry).

fits79

10-10-09, 06:32 AM

Probably still Sigma (8635) chipset ?
This chipset is in the wd hd tv 1?
With what we are born the following questions - questions:

1. We know prices; Where i can buy it?
2. What chip would wear; Same as the first model; or same as wearing the popcorn hour c-200

However, the official of the western digital Content we are not showing anything yet for the new machine.

grisly

10-10-09, 07:25 AM

@srauly What’s under Villa 1.0.1.00 U13 sticker? Could you remove it? Thanks in advance.

delphiguru

10-10-09, 07:32 AM

Is available in Europe , already now ?

srauly

10-10-09, 08:41 AM

@srauly What’s under Villa 1.0.1.00 U13 sticker? Could you remove it? Thanks in advance.I already put it all back together. Sorry.

MenaceInc

10-10-09, 09:23 AM

That is ok. Don't break it again. Just let someone else do the dirty job, I'm sure we will know very soon.

Thanks!

I already put it all back together. Sorry.

ken984

10-10-09, 09:44 AM

I do not see any settings for resolution/frame rate like in the original WD. The only settings are Video Output-HDMI-Component-Composite. And Deep Color-8 bit or 12 bit. My tv is reporting 1080p resolution, its a 60p tv it can't accept 24hz input. I will try to hook it up to my other tv and see what it reports, it will accept 24hz.

Could you post a detailed information about the settings? Or make some pictures? That would be nice.

Is 1080p@23.976Hz integrated and works? Or just 24Hz mode? What about "auto"? Does this function detect the framerate and set the correct frequency or does it just pick the highest available frequency for the tv (like the old wdtv - absolutly useless, because here in europe only 24 and 50hz are necessarry).

blackssr

10-10-09, 10:55 AM

blackssr

10-10-09, 11:01 AM

Maybe some of you Network Gurus can help me out here... My WDTV HD player is giving me grief with regards to Dlink NAS 323. It sees the NAS but tells me "no media found in folder" when trying to access movies on drive. The Asus O!Play is on the same network and see the media fine. I have limited knowledge of Networking so please take it easy on me. I have no passwords or security on the NAS and every user/PC in the house can access without restriction. Any ideas would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

drcos

10-10-09, 11:50 AM

Best Buy at University Town Center in Sarasota had two. They were right next to the 'old' version. No shelf tag.
The box is the same size and looks virtually identical, so I almost missed them.
SKU on the receipt is 9539591 WDBAAN0000N
Rang up for 139.99, got 14.00 off with the 10% coupon.

Good news, I found (accidentally) it does pass Dolby TrueHD (the new Dolby bumpers - Google is your friend) and DTS-MA to my Yamaha. It also recognizes DD Plus. It is passing multichannel HD audio over HDMI (EDIT: The DTS-MA is passed as 5.1 DTS).

Now I play with my network.
Note: The WDTV Live sees my ushare music on my NSLU2, but not the Firefly server which I had thought was Bonjour compliant (there is a Bonjour logo on the WDTV Live box).

joshjoshlol

10-10-09, 12:33 PM

can one of you gents independently confirm that the mkvs posted last page by me are working fine on the WDTV2? i still can't believe that the Planet Earth 16 reframe one played flawlessly.

pirateincognito

10-10-09, 01:18 PM

Newbie here. Hello. I rip my DVDs using h264 and AC3 pass thru. IIRC that's also called Dolby Digital.

Will the WDTV Live be able to play my AC3? Also the AC3 passthru is 5.1

Will the 5.1 be output via HDMI or optical?

Sorry for the newb questions.

EDIT: The ad mentions Youtube. Does it have a full web browser?

delphiguru

10-10-09, 01:19 PM

which is the firmware version ?

SyXbiT

10-10-09, 01:25 PM

also, could someone confirm the size of the flash ROM and RAM.
original WDTV has only 32MB ROM, which limits firmware hacking :(

nube

10-10-09, 01:43 PM

jlaroco525

10-10-09, 01:54 PM

Thanks for the Tip you just saved me $ 14.00...

No problem! Glad to see people taking advantage of the deal.

zoro

10-10-09, 02:22 PM

from jr.com, on its way cost me Z$112.97, paid via paypal.

Grimshaw23

10-10-09, 02:31 PM

@ zoro, how did you get it for $112? If I use Paypal myself, I would get it for $119 including shipping($10 paypal promo). Besides, aren't you worried that it might not be the correct new model? That's what I'm worrying about. I know it says the right model # and all but you'll never know. Can't be sure since it's not the right pics and description.

csgamer

10-10-09, 02:39 PM

Wait, WHAT???

You're positive it's passing both HD audio formats via HDMI? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can others please verify this?

Hmm, yes can others verify

bigspndr

10-10-09, 03:47 PM

just picked mine up today @ BB and so far so good. Plays all my movies!!

Put my other one in bedroom. I did like the older versions piano black finish,but

no fingerprints on this one.

slick316

10-10-09, 03:54 PM

zoro

10-10-09, 04:09 PM

zoro

10-10-09, 04:10 PM

just picked mine up today @ BB and so far so good. Plays all my movies!!

Put my other one in bedroom. I did like the older versions piano black finish,but

no fingerprints on this one.

I really like look of this! have not seen it with my own eyes yet! Can some post a pic of unit/remote

Derelict_Drvr

10-10-09, 04:19 PM

@slick316

I don't have Vista, but I saw this on another thread on setting up Vista/Win7 to talk to another device.

Hope this helps

run "local security policy" applet under administrative tools. If you dont see administrative tools enable it under the properties of the start menu

under local policies>user rights assignment "deny access to the computer from the network" REMOVE user "guest"

under local policies>security options> Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords. Change to "disabled"

under local policies>security options> Network Access:Shares that can be accessed anonymously- put in the name of your share

Enable the guest account
set the guest password to blank

Check the share permissions on your share and make sure it has EVERYONE "read"
Check the file permissions on the files in your share and make sure it has EVERYONE "read"

TY doc media

slick316

10-10-09, 04:24 PM

@slick316

I don't have Vista, but I saw this on another thread on setting up Vista/Win7 to talk to another device.

Hope this helps

TY doc media

Thanks for that info, but I ended up figuring it out.

I was capitalizing the first letter for my login because thats how the login for my computer is. I guess the WD TV didn't like that, it wanted all lower case. Now it works.

Thanks again.

daskino

10-10-09, 04:56 PM

any news on where to buy this one online in canada bestbuy?

kevin2

10-10-09, 05:40 PM

Here's some pics of a new WD TV Live and my WDTV that I bought last Nov. Also a pic of the remotes. They are virtually identical on the outside except for the rear panel and the color. They use the same Aisian #WA18G12U power supply and the remotes are interchangeable.

speedbal

10-10-09, 06:38 PM

Finally got one!!!!!!! (after 4 BBs)

Few test I have run so far have worked flawlessly. It accesses the file MUCH MUCH faster than the hacked firmware of the original. I am watching a 1080p rip of "From the Earth to the Moon" now. It is running flawlessly (15 mins in). This video required me to setup a nfs server before (original wdtv), however now I am running it off the built in network fuctionalilty.

Some notes:
On screen menu is similar to the original (minor tweaks, but very similar)
Firmware version: 1.01.00
has the ability to update firmware via the internet (just checked, it said I had the latest)

More later..... Speedbal

joshjoshlol

10-10-09, 06:41 PM

nube

10-10-09, 06:58 PM

i just got a tweet from ScottWD confirming that the Planet Earth vid works, which opens the floodgates to insanely high reframes in 1080p content. it appears that the WDTV team honestly looked at where we found the most faults (HD audio, network, raw power) of the original WDTV and supercharged the bloody thing. from where i stand, my hat's off to them. i'll have to get one of these soon and test it out!

Wait a second. I don't see any confirmation from WD, or anyone but one user on here, nor do I see it listed in the specs, that the WD understands and deals appropriately with HD audio.

Please prove me wrong by giving us a video of your receiver clearly displaying the HD audio formats when connected to the WDTV Live, specs that show HD audio (Dolby-HD and DTS-MA HD formats) bitstreaming, or a press release or forum post by a WD representative to this effect, because until one or more of these things happen, I refuse to believe the speculation.

speedbal

10-10-09, 07:00 PM

DVD menus aside, can somebody put this through more standard tests to see what the limits are of the hardware? this seems to be the most common bunch of video files to use...

http://files.getdropbox.com/u/132004/Planet_Earth_From%20Pole_to_Pole_1080p_sample_16ref.mkv
http://files.getdropbox.com/u/132004/basketball%2060fps%201080p%2010000kbps.mkv

try direct connection through USB first, then streaming.

and there's a host of files in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1181902

I can confirm that both of the files on dropbox work flawlessly (over the network even).
Basketball file plays great (however it doesn't have audio because I don't have the wdtv live running through a receiver yet).
The Planet Earth file plays great as well via network. Audio works without receiver as well.

Speedbal

paramex

10-10-09, 07:03 PM

Hey guys does anyone know if WDTV2 will support upnp? I'd really love to have Playon on it.

And if anyone has this and a cinematube, do you notice any difference in picture quality?
Reason I asked is because some said Asus O!play (same chipset as CT) is considered inferior in PQ to WDTV.
Thanks.

Derelict_Drvr

10-10-09, 07:07 PM

Well, finally found a reputable website that has them. Proadvantage. Got one on order and should be here Wed. Same price as Amazon, but without the free shipping (Prime member here), but still cheaper than BB with the tax.

I am so excited I might just... Nevermind. TMI!!!!!!

joshjoshlol

10-10-09, 07:09 PM

Wait a second. I don't see any confirmation from WD, or anyone but one user on here, nor do I see it listed in the specs, that the WD understands and deals appropriately with HD audio.

Please prove me wrong by giving us a video of your receiver clearly displaying the HD audio formats when connected to the WDTV Live, specs that show HD audio (Dolby-HD and DTS-MA HD formats) bitstreaming, or a press release or forum post by a WD representative to this effect, because until one or more of these things happen, I refuse to believe the speculation.

i was referring to this post:

Good news, I found (accidentally) it does pass Dolby TrueHD (the new Dolby bumpers - Google is your friend) and DTS-MA to my Yamaha. It also recognizes DD Plus. It is passing multichannel HD audio over HDMI (EDIT: The DTS-MA is passed as 5.1 DTS).

further tests are of course warranted to peg down the exact specs with which the WDTV2 can work, but that sounds pretty promising.

speedbal

10-10-09, 07:14 PM

DTS downmix is working well as well. I just tried playing some DTS files and they play (and audio is in sync) without a receiver.

Speedbal

awmR

10-10-09, 07:16 PM

Has anyone streamed from Vista to the WD TV Live yet?

I can't figure it out. My WDTV is asking for a login and password but I have no idea what to give it. I don't have a password set for my computer.

Took me to 2 minutes to get my MacBook streaming to it, but not my desktop that has all my movies on it.

Any suggestions?

slick316: could you (or anybody) help me out?

I'm having some problems connecting mine to my imac. I'm hooked up via ethernet to my router, and things like you tube and pandora are working fine. But when i try to go into shared media, nothing happens.

any tips from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

speedbal

10-10-09, 07:25 PM

slick316: could you (or anybody) help me out?

I'm having some problems connecting mine to my imac. I'm hooked up via ethernet to my router, and things like you tube and pandora are working fine. But when i try to go into shared media, nothing happens.

any tips from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Under the settings menu/network, are you able to connect to your files? I started there. Can you see your computer name in the list that appears there? All my computers were list on this screen and when I clicked on one of the computers it asked me for a login/password.

Speedbal

bcsarge

10-10-09, 07:26 PM

awmR

10-10-09, 07:30 PM

Under the settings menu/network, are you able to connect to your files? I started there. Can you see your computer name in the list that appears there? All my computers were list on this screen and when I clicked on one of the computers it asked me for a login/password.

Speedbal

Speedbal - thanks for the quick response.

under "network Settings" - I don't see any other machines on my network.

Where would i see them? "wireless favorites"?

all of the entries in there just say "(EMPTY)"

Goba

10-10-09, 07:42 PM

How about the 1080p 24Hz? Do it work perfect for 23,976fps movies?

How about the subs? Are they perfect? There are more options like position, colour, "on the fly" sync?

Glad to see that the player can read 1080p 16 reframes... they could have thought about that before releasing WD TV 1 for it to read at least more than 5 reframes!

speedbal

10-10-09, 07:50 PM

Speedbal - thanks for the quick response.

under "network Settings" - I don't see any other machines on my network.

Where would i see them? "wireless favorites"?

all of the entries in there just say "(EMPTY)"

I mispoke earlier when I said under the network menu (sorry). Can you see your other computers under the "file management" item in the settings menu? That is where I saw the list of my computers on my network. That is where it asked me for my l/p info.

speedbal

speedbal

10-10-09, 07:55 PM

To the person that streamed successfully with their Macbook.
How are you sharing your files?

Currently I have file sharing set up on my Macbook with is connected wirelessly to my Airport. The WD Live is connected to the Airport. I can access the drive and move files to it from my Mac, but no luck on accessing my Mac to play video on the WD Live.

Any suggestions?

In the video menu are you using the "Media servers" entry or the "network shares" entry? While I haven't tried anything from my mac yet, I can access my files with the network shares option, it doesn't let me do anything on the media servers entry (for a windows computer). If I get time I will see if I can stream from my imac (however, no promises since the kids want to watch a movie on this thing now).

speedbal

awmR

10-10-09, 08:03 PM

I mispoke earlier when I said under the network menu (sorry). Can you see your other computers under the "file management" item in the settings menu? That is where I saw the list of my computers on my network. That is where it asked me for my l/p info.

speedbal

speedbal -

under file management, i only see the 2 usb drives that i have plugged in directly to the wd tv.

is there something i have to set up on my mac first?

i should mention that when i first connected my ethernet cable to the wd tv, it never asked me "wired or wireless", as the wd tv user guide said it would.

but i have to assume that i'm connected since you tube and all that work, and i can run the network test and it checks out ok

delphiguru

10-10-09, 08:07 PM

WDTV2 can play video direct from Youtube ? ( good quality ? )

and...

when i turn off WD2 from remote control , USB is always active ? ( bug hardware... of WD1 )

ScottWD

10-10-09, 08:09 PM

http://twitpic.com/l1ual - Enable SMB file sharing on your Mac

speedbal

10-10-09, 08:10 PM

speedbal -

under file management, i only see the 2 usb drives that i have plugged in directly to the wd tv.

is there something i have to set up on my mac first?

i should mention that when i first connected my ethernet cable to the wd tv, it never asked me "wired or wireless", as the wd tv user guide said it would.

but i have to assume that i'm connected since you tube and all that work, and i can run the network test and it checks out ok

I have my mac with windows file sharing enabled.....

see here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8201.html

speedbal

10-10-09, 08:12 PM

http://twitpic.com/l1ual - Enable SMB file sharing on your Mac

Damn.... you beat me to it...

How's it going Scott? This device is working great for me.... GOOD WORK at WD!!!

speedbal

10-10-09, 08:20 PM

Those of you looking for an unboxing video.... here is one on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzcvQqP0buk

(not me by the way, I was looking to see if anyone did a video on the interface)

speedbal

ScottWD

10-10-09, 08:20 PM

Damn.... you beat me to it...

How's it going Scott? This device is working great for me.... GOOD WORK at WD!!!

Heya speedbal, glad you like it. We've been busy with all these new products for the holidays. Stay tuned for all the news and launch details!

-ScottWD

awmR

10-10-09, 08:23 PM

Damn.... you beat me to it...

How's it going Scott? This device is working great for me.... GOOD WORK at WD!!!

ok - i'm almost there - you guys are a huge help

so now i can see my public folder on the wd tv.

all of my media is in itunes, which pulls from an attached drive to my mac via firewire

i thought i could just put an alias for the parent folder of all my itunes content into my public folder - but all i see in my public folder is my drop box.

any ideas?

again - much thanks for this

speedbal

10-10-09, 08:26 PM

Heya speedbal, glad you like it. We've been busy with all these new products for the holidays. Stay tuned for all the news and launch details!

-ScottWD

All of these products...... there is more?????? Hmm... wondering if I should have waited to see what is in store.

The announcement details eminent?

ScottWD

10-10-09, 08:31 PM

ok - i'm almost there - you guys are a huge help

so now i can see my public folder on the wd tv.

all of my media is in itunes, which pulls from an attached drive to my mac via firewire

i thought i could just put an alias for the parent folder of all my itunes content into my public folder - but all i see in my public folder is my drop box.

any ideas?

again - much thanks for this

Open File Sharing > drag your Mac HDD or whatever folder you want over > make sure the everyone group has at least Read Only.

awmR

10-10-09, 08:44 PM

Open File Sharing > drag your Mac HDD or whatever folder you want over > make sure the everyone group has at least Read Only.

perfect.

thanks so much - to both of you.

you just saved me the trouble of explaining to my wife that i just dropped $140 on something i'm too stupid to use.

loving this device by the way - pandora was a great addition.

time to move the old wd tv up to the bedroom

thanks again!

drcos

10-10-09, 08:53 PM

You're positive it's passing both HD audio formats via HDMI? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With audio out set to digital:
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and 7.1 come through on HDMI as TrueHD (Dolby City Redux is 7.1, Dolby Countdown is 5.1, DDPlus bumper is 7.1. My Yamaha sees them as TrueHD and DDPlus.
DTS-MA is apparently being output as DTS core (5.1 @ 768k) on both the DTSMA trailer and ST:TOS episodes from S1 and S2.
No output for AAC (Apple trailers).

With audio out set to stereo:
Dolby TrueHD and DDPlus are still being passed through as multichannel (5.1/7.1).
DTSMA is output as stereo PCM.
AAC is output as stereo PCM.

Firmware is 1.01.00, up to date according to 'update device'

Now if I can figure out how to get the DDPlus off of my HD-DVDs...

srauly

10-10-09, 09:25 PM

I wanted to follow up with some things I learned since my last "first impressions" post. At that time, I was ready to box it up and return it. I had already bought an Acer AspireRevo with the intention of installing XBMC on it (I'm a long time XBox w/XBMC user). I may still end up going that route, but I did want to provide some updates on my prior criticisms of the WDTV Live...

My Blu-ray rip .ISO didn't start off at the beginning. This could be a problem with my rip software, but I don't think so.Derelict_Drvr suggested that perhaps my .ISO rip was the problem here, and I'm willing to accept this theory. I haven't been able to play the .ISO at all on my Acer AspireRevo running XBMC and I'm not sure what Windows apps can play .ISO files (I've tried PowerDVD 8 and Media Center Classic Home Cinema - any other ideas?), so I have no way to confirm this.

Where are the previous/next chapter buttons? I see a PREV and NEXT button on the remote, but it doesn't navigate through chapters. Rather, it moves to the previous/next movie in my list.One or more people pointed out that if I went into FF mode, I could then use the "Next" button to jump 10 minutes. That's more counterintuitive than I'd like, but I'm also a long-time TiVo user, so it's not that different than what they do. In any case, it gets the job done.

The grid display of movies is awful. The thumbnails are way too tiny. I want a list view, with a long list of movie titles on one side and a large boxart or fanart image of the highlighted movie. Can't seem to do that.No one recommended it, but I did discover that there are two other view modes (list mode and preview mode). Ideally, I'd like a list mode with boxart or fanart (or even just decent-sized thumbnails). Is such a thing possible?

I've got a user/password set up on my share. So I enter that info. OK. But every time I select Video/Network Shares, it brings up the user/password prompt (pre-filled with what I used previously). Why is it bothering me with that?

Based on what I've seen so far, this UI has a very poor WAF. Strike that. The UI scores poorly on my own acceptance factor.[/QUOTE]Thanks to blackssr for the tip about setting "auto log in". One problem solved.

When all is said and done, the UI is still horrible IMO. But I mainly use my XBox w/XBMC to play back my ripped movies, and I could probably get by with the WDTV Live's awful UI for that purpose. The small size, low price, and high-bitrate content compatibility are certainly compelling.

speedbal

10-10-09, 10:03 PM

Here is a video of the interface..... Let me apologize in advance.... it is not very good quality and it does shake some (it was done from an Iphone).

It will at least give you an idea of the interface (very similar to original wdtv).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQdSLOhrVMc

once again... I apologize for the the quality... maybe someone with a better camera can do a better job

speedbal

bigjsouth

10-10-09, 10:52 PM

@ speedbal

Thanks for the video! Wheres the thumbnail mode? 154960 As seen in this attachment WDTV 1.

joshjoshlol

10-10-09, 11:14 PM

i'm wondering if the WDTV team included tag hiding in .ssa/.ass subtitles. can anybody mux this subtitle file into an mkv along with any old video and see if the tags within {} braces are hidden/displayed on the WDTV Live?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6z0mp7

i've put in a variety of tags, such as bold, italic, place movement, translator comment, etc. greatly appreciated if anybody could test it.

speedbal

10-10-09, 11:27 PM

@ speedbal

Thanks for the video! Wheres the thumbnail mode? 154960 As seen in this attachment WDTV 1.

Still there.......

speedbal

zoro

10-10-09, 11:30 PM

did every one cancel their amazon orders? I am waiting just to confirm, if jr send me the right unit lol

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 12:20 AM

@zoro-

I haven't canceled mine yet. I am waiting to see if Provantage sends me the one I ordered from them. If Amazon has not at least told me when the unit is coming in by then, it's all over but the crying for them. It is going to cost me an extra $20, but WTF. At least I am going to get one by Christmas.

zoro

10-11-09, 12:36 AM

techflaws

10-11-09, 02:10 AM

Why?
DVD Menus? So you can select the 7th Family Guy episode instead of having to skip all the way though? And no, I'm not re-reripping my originals.

When all is said and done, the UI is still horrible IMO. But I mainly use my XBox w/XBMC to play back my ripped movies, and I could probably get by with the WDTV Live's awful UI for that purpose.
Actuall, I think the WD TV UI is the most attractive of all standalone players so far, right next to XBMC. Far better than the Asus O!Play (http://blog.techflaws.org/2009/08/21/asus-oplay/) GUI for example.

iboum

10-11-09, 02:43 AM

The WDTV interface is lots better than any of the Realtek players so far. If it also plays back the bird scene, and copes with Dolby TrueHD / DTS MA, then we have a very interesting proposition on our hands.

Could someone who has one please open up the top, remove the stickers from the tops of the chips, lift up the heatsink (if poss) and photograph the inside in detail? Please?!

Based on posts here, the WDTV Live appears to be considerably more powerful than any previous player. :eek:

vaust

10-11-09, 02:55 AM

daskino

10-11-09, 02:57 AM

have not heard of a SIgma SMP8635 chip that could handle a 16 ref frame movie yet, Could the WDTV2 be packing a Sigma 8655 SoC chip?

hijack

10-11-09, 03:52 AM

Scott can you post the list of the storage devices compatible with WT tv Live? Are WD Share Space units compatible threw streaming and are we able to play all the Wdtv Live supported formats using WD Share Space? Thanks in advance.

nube

10-11-09, 04:21 AM

So, if this WDTV Live is sporting the Sigma 8655 chip, we're looking at a really enhanced feature set, replete with true HD audio bitstreaming support, and support for BD & DVD ISO, according to my interpretation of the information disseminated in this thread over at NMT.com. (http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showthread.php?tid=28739&page=1) Is this approximately correct?

AXN

10-11-09, 04:21 AM

Really Looking forward to the WD HD TV Live

tzyn

10-11-09, 04:56 AM

Hm, no settings for resolution and frequency?! Is autoframerate-detection working? Anyone with a TV with 24p Support checked this? A working 24p mode is very important.

And what about zoom-options for movies (options key at playback)? Are there only 2x,4x,... or also 1.1x,1,2x or something like that?

grisly

10-11-09, 06:48 AM

@ScottWD What's version of Sigma SoC?

P.S. Please don't forget wdtv1 customers.

rppacis

10-11-09, 06:51 AM

Looks like you can now officially buy this from BestBuy for $119.

WDTV Live - BestBuy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9539591&st=wdtv&type=product&id=1218121172453)

drcos

10-11-09, 07:17 AM

Knowing that it passes Dolby TrueHD, could a firmware upgrade allow it to pass DTSMA native as opposed to DTS core?

srauly

10-11-09, 07:52 AM

Has anyone else had luck playing Blu-ray .ISO files (I'm not talking about menu support, though feel free to comment on that)? As I reported previously, I could play a Blu-ray .iso main-movie rip of mine, but it wasn't starting at the beginning, so I wasn't sure if this was a defect with my .iso rip, or a defect with the WDTV Live. I'm leaning towards the former right now.

hijack

10-11-09, 08:21 AM

Scott: will there be good news any time soon for the owners of the previous model? (WD TV 1)?

video321

10-11-09, 08:24 AM

canadiankorean

10-11-09, 08:48 AM

Can the WD Live play .FLV files?

ScottWD

10-11-09, 09:19 AM

or scott here could just give us the information thus saving the hassle or possibly breaking brand spanking new wdtv:p

No need to break open your boxes... It is using the Sigma 8655.

-ScottWD

Goba

10-11-09, 09:26 AM

Nice! But why not use sigma 8645 has this chip is more powerfull and recomended for Media players... Popcorn C200 uses sigma 8645! The Sigma 8655 was made for IPTV boxes...

And how about the WD TV 1? When will we have a decent firmware? The last one broke the 1080p 24Hz option again...

;)

joshjoshlol

10-11-09, 10:16 AM

Scott, will we be seeing the WDTV Uservoice page updated soon? that would probably be the most efficient way to let us all know once and for all what kinds of features were implemented.

beefjerky_7

10-11-09, 10:56 AM

Provantage also shows it in stock at the moment. A little cheaper than J&R/Buy.com, after shipping is added in...

Just placed my order there for $127.53 shipped.

It's using the old WD TV as it's picture though...

Can anyone confirm that it's the WD TV Live? Just want to make sure before I get it.

SyXbiT

10-11-09, 11:06 AM

do we know the amount of FLASH memory it has?
original had 32MB ROM, which limited what developers could do (current firmware is around 32MB (at least the b-rad firmware I use)
hopefully this is rectified, and it has >64MB (Asus O!Play has 128MB!)

AXN

10-11-09, 11:19 AM

@ ScottWD, could you please confirm my question in post #362?

I am willing to swap/sell my 2 Eminent EM7075s, to buy 2 WD TV Live's, if that is confirmed working.

vaust

10-11-09, 11:20 AM

No need to break open your boxes... It is using the Sigma 8655.

-ScottWD
Thanks for the information.:)

grisly

10-11-09, 11:33 AM

Popcorn C200 uses sigma 8645!Sigma Designs SMP8643

original had 32MB ROM, which limited what developers could do (current firmware is around 32MB16MiB (current firmware is around 16MiB

grisly

10-11-09, 11:34 AM

@ScottWD Can you share firmware? I’d like to start preparation of the lilibabe's OSD Mod (http://wdtvforum.com/main/index.php?topic=1414.0).

daskino

10-11-09, 11:43 AM

DTS-HD, 16 reference frames and a lush interface at $119 this may be the best offer for a media player on the market just now.

cc1995

10-11-09, 11:53 AM

Bought the WDTV Live at bestbuy in Massachusetts yesterday for $139 and used the 10% rewards coupon I found on this site. Then today I noticed it on bestbuy.com for $119. I went back to store and it's still listed $139 instore which is normal according to them. They say the local stores and bestbuy.com sometimes have different prices since one is local and the other is the corporate. So they price matched the online for me and I had to hassle with them to give me the 10% Rewards off the $119. Usually they don't allow the 10% off for online but I spoke to the manager and she relented. Got it for $107 after tax.....sweet.

Quick question. I noticed you have a choice of 8-bit color or 12-bit color. It defaults to 8-bit....but if I use 12-bit will it make a difference in picture quality? and if I use 12-bit will it affect performance of the machine since by using the 12-bit the memory will cause any lagging? Since the picture looks great in 8-bit already...I would much rather have non stuttering playback vs a bit better picture. Just wondering if anyone knows about this? ScottWD?

Also...why decide to use the 8655 vs 8643 since one is for blu-ray (8643) and the other is for IPTV (8655)? I don't care much as long as it plays everything correctly, but I figure there must be a reason.

Thanks and the new version is an awesome improvement thus far by what I can tell...especially the DTS Downmix for when I travel and don't have a receiver to decode a 5.1 soundtrack.

nube

10-11-09, 11:55 AM

Sigma Designs SMP8643

16MiB (current firmware is around 16MiB

Wait, what? The ROM is only 16MB in size? I find that _very_ hard to believe, given the issues with space limitations in the last WDTV, plus the total, drop-in chip replacement cost of upgrading that to 128MB is almost negligible, like $0.15 in lots of 1000 (or less), and is a direct pinout drop-in replacement, and doesn't require any different voltages or traces whatsoever. If that 16MB ROM is true, it would be an enormous engineering blunder.

I'm shocked that this thing has been in the wild for several days and there's no concrete information available from the manufacturer. That's really suspect in a place like AVS where almost everyone is significantly more informed than the guy on the street. It's odd for such a developed, multi-national corporation with huge marketing resources to also botch this release so monumentally. The amount of misinformation and speculation contained in this thread alone is astonishing since the product is available on retail store shelves. We simply don't know much at all other than it's a Sigma 8655 (IPTV) chip.

I guess maybe it's possible that these devices aren't supposed to have been available yet, and that WD is, in fact, scrambling to get the pieces in place to support and market the device. However, I'm always dubious of a product that's launched without even a press release and accompanying product page on the mfg's website.

I would think you have hundreds of forum members and lurkers hovering over this thread on a daily basis, just waiting to pull the trigger with the right info and a reliable place to purchase. I know there is a lot of activity associated with threads pertaining to this device and the Asus O!Play on deal websites (who, by the way, have millions of registered users). Time to step it up, WD, and provide real support and engage the community.

reecycup

10-11-09, 12:04 PM

I noticed it looks for wireless with adapter
What kind of An Adapter does it need?
I only have a usb dongle

swmeister

10-11-09, 01:04 PM

tzyn

10-11-09, 01:19 PM

Maybe they choose the 8655 because it's cheaper and the power of the 864x isn't needed.

And where do you all get the information that the 8655 is specifically for IPTV?! Where is the difference between IPTV (also with HD) and a MediaPlayer!? Just because it is used for IPTV doesn't mean its only for IPTV. The Eminent MediaPlayer also come with the sigma 8655. And i think it's just a price question.

iboum.com wrote the difference between 864x and 865x is, that the 864x "is clocked faster than the 865X (667mhz vs. 500mhz) and also has more audio processing power". That could be the reason why it's cheaper and used for the low-price-product wdtv live.

@swmeister
dvd iso's (without menu) worked at the old wdtv, why it should not work at the new wdtv live?!

jhoro

10-11-09, 01:37 PM

if the chip is SMP8655 (http://www.sigmadesigns.com/Products/SMP8650/pdf_files/SMP8650_br.pdf) Sigma lists IPTV, Cable and NMT as target markets

I actually like the IPTV/ATSC facet of it. It says it can be used as a thin client for ATSC - so it should be able to stream from my HDHomeRun one day. I just hope it has more memory than the original one does.

C17chief

10-11-09, 01:41 PM

picked one of these up at best buy for the aforementioned online price + the reward zone coupon.

Since it can do you tube and all, too bad it cant do Hulu and the like as well. That would be awesome. A plugin for that weather official or hacked firmware would be awesome. Would be a nice not to mention usefull addition.

sinker442

10-11-09, 01:45 PM

No wonder it does 1920x1080 16reframes...
That's a 500+333 Mhz CPU (kind of a "dual core") vs the 300 MHz of the previous model...
It looks that the 8655 chip can only do 5.1 audio though: http://www.sigmadesigns.com/Products/selection_guide/selection_guide.html...

Overall, many improvements (better chip/dts downmix to stereo/component/ethernet) for the same price.

I guess all that whining/bitching/moaning pays off;) (they listened hard to what the users wanted, then offered it with the next model:p).

This will be the best seller of the "cheap" media players. If the firmware is right (btw working 23,976fps out for .m2ts and .mkv or I'm not buying)...

zoro

10-11-09, 02:06 PM

best buy online has it 119 now! i cancelled my previous, placed a new one

TentacleNo1

10-11-09, 02:22 PM

I noticed it looks for wireless with adapter
What kind of An Adapter does it need?
I only have a usb dongle
I would like to know this as well. And does anyone know how it looks on a CRT tv with the "AV out" Is this as good as a normal composite output? (yellow tulip)

blackssr

10-11-09, 02:28 PM

What would be the benefit of ISO BD rip verses MKV BD rip on this player? I tried both and by visual inspection they appear to be the same. Can the experts chime in here please. Thanks in advance.

nube

10-11-09, 02:34 PM

What would be the benefit of ISO BD rip verses MKV BD rip on this player? I tried both and by visual inspection they appear to be the same. Can the experts chime in here please. Thanks in advance.

I think for most this would present the difference between playing rips from your own BD collection, or playing downloaded content of questionable copyright status. It's possible some people rip their own BD collection to mkv to save space, but I imagine a lot don't since it's a long and involved process.

Nathan_Explosion

10-11-09, 02:35 PM

Can anyone check if dvd-menu's are now supported?

bubbarayhick

10-11-09, 02:45 PM

I think for most this would present the difference between playing rips from your own BD collection, or playing downloaded content of questionable copyright status. It's possible some people rip their own BD collection to mkv to save space, but I imagine a lot don't since it's a long and involved process.

i pull out the main movie and audio from my discs and mux them to mkv, and i can say its much quicker than a 8gig download.... plus all those on the web are encoded down so loss of quality...

if the iso is read completely with menu's, then of course that means you just need anydvd to make the iso for you and your done.......

Goba

10-11-09, 02:46 PM

Can anyone check if dvd-menu's are now supported?

As far as I saw here, DVD menus are still not supported!

AXN

10-11-09, 02:47 PM

I'd really love if someone could confirm something in regards to networked setup:

When accessing files off a network share (over ethernet) does the WDTV Live have the same UI as when accessing from USB connected drives? Meaning: do you still get thumbnail support, etc.?

The ASUS O!Play's UI was terrible compared to the WDTV (first gen) so I returned it in anticipation for the WDTV Live.

I just hope I get the same UI when using it over a network... I really hate browsing folders/sub-folders/filenames... The thumbnail display gave it that much-needed WAF.

P.S. $140USD?! I get the feeling WD is going to HAMMER us Canucks...

Yes the gui is the same from the network as it is from the usb. Thumbnail support and all.
I am transferring files from my pc to the usb connected HD now. Deleted some files from the usb drive from the computer as well, smooth as glass. Loving the network access!

Can someone please confirm this?

I myself bought an Eminent EM 7075 here in Europe yesterday.
By looking at the UI video posted here, i can see a lot of similar things and options, the UI is almost the same.

BUT , the EM7075 doesnt have the same UI when accessing from network shares.... no thumbnail support then. (yeah you ll see an folder icon, no movieposter or whatsoever..), and no library mode, so that the media is visible when entering the corresponding tabs.
So you will have to browse all the folders to play an movie.

Is there an option (just like XBMC) where you specify your shares (network etc), and then go into some sort of library/movie mode, and see al your movies/music/photos, when entering the corresponding tabs? And with thumbnail view there?

The EM7075 also displays both the subtitle file and the movie file when browsing.... so youll have a lot of files, and some arent even movie files. Really annoying.

EAS

10-11-09, 02:56 PM

AXN, its not exactly good forum behavior to repost the same content from previous posts in the same thread. I noticed you took this last post from a previous posting and edited the previous posting to something different. Its a weekend. You might want to be a little more patient.

You edited this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17334533#post17334533

leoleu

10-11-09, 02:57 PM

As far as I saw here, DVD menus are still not supported!

I have the information from WD that DVD menus support for both players will come in next fw update very soon.

C17chief

10-11-09, 03:27 PM

If anyone is familiar with Playon media server.....it works great with this since this version is network capable with Upnp/DLNA support. It really opens up a lot of internet content such as Hulu and the like.

blackssr

10-11-09, 03:30 PM

Goba

10-11-09, 03:38 PM

I have the information from WD that DVD menus support for both players will come in next fw update very soon.

Where did you heard that? can you post a link to a respectful source? Otherwise that is just vaporsoftware! ;)

zoro

10-11-09, 04:40 PM

jericko76

10-11-09, 04:45 PM

Hey guys, sorry for the novice question, but how do you get the DVD covers to show up?

sssly

10-11-09, 04:52 PM

jhoro

10-11-09, 05:11 PM

Can someone telnet and "cat /proc/meminfo"
or something. I really want to know how much memory's in this player.

SyXbiT

10-11-09, 05:47 PM

Wait, what? The ROM is only 16MB in size? I find that _very_ hard to believe, given the issues with space limitations in the last WDTV, plus the total, drop-in chip replacement cost of upgrading that to 128MB is almost negligible, like $0.15 in lots of 1000 (or less), and is a direct pinout drop-in replacement, and doesn't require any different voltages or traces whatsoever. If that 16MB ROM is true, it would be an enormous engineering blunder.

I'm shocked that this thing has been in the wild for several days and there's no concrete information available from the manufacturer. That's really suspect in a place like AVS where almost everyone is significantly more informed than the guy on the street. It's odd for such a developed, multi-national corporation with huge marketing resources to also botch this release so monumentally. The amount of misinformation and speculation contained in this thread alone is astonishing since the product is available on retail store shelves. We simply don't know much at all other than it's a Sigma 8655 (IPTV) chip.

I guess maybe it's possible that these devices aren't supposed to have been available yet, and that WD is, in fact, scrambling to get the pieces in place to support and market the device. However, I'm always dubious of a product that's launched without even a press release and accompanying product page on the mfg's website.

I would think you have hundreds of forum members and lurkers hovering over this thread on a daily basis, just waiting to pull the trigger with the right info and a reliable place to purchase. I know there is a lot of activity associated with threads pertaining to this device and the Asus O!Play on deal websites (who, by the way, have millions of registered users). Time to step it up, WD, and provide real support and engage the community.
couldn't agree more.
1, There should DEFINITELY be 128MB ROM
2, I agree that there are probably hundreds of people willing to buy if we could just get an authorized SPECS LIST! (ideally with reasoning from a WD employee :) )

blackssr

10-11-09, 05:47 PM

Can someone telnet and "cat /proc/meminfo"
or something. I really want to know how much memory's in this player.

Why may I ask? Is that a deal make or break?

ScottWD

10-11-09, 05:52 PM

Can someone telnet and "cat /proc/meminfo"
or something. I really want to know how much memory's in this player.

512MB Flash & 512MB RAM :)

-ScottWD

bigjsouth

10-11-09, 05:57 PM

Will it play dvd iso files? Lot's of theories posted, but no confirmations.

I have two of the cinematube players and still need one more media player for the bedroom, but I have been converting my collection to DVD ISO files.

I am using .m2ts files for the blue ray dvd's as the ISO files would take up too much space.

swmeister

You're sure to run out of space in no time with the m2ts files. Are you using some kind of shrink ware? As in the ability to shrink down your Blu-Rays? I have "Home Alone" for example in m2ts and it is around 35 GB! Thats a huge file. How large are the DVD ISO's running? I need to upgrade already to the 2 TB Drives and would like to try ISO's if the size is not too bad.
WD This is a very strange launch! :confused:

nomoreshaq

10-11-09, 06:14 PM

512MB Flash & 512MB RAM :)

-ScottWD

:eek:eek:
really???

delphiguru

10-11-09, 06:34 PM

ScottWD

with WD Live, there can always be modified Firmware ? ( B-rad.. )

srauly

10-11-09, 06:52 PM

I ripped a Blu-ray disc using AnyDVD. Movie only (no menus or interactive content), but all audio tracks. Ripped to a single .iso file. Resulting size was over 40GB.

Tried playing it across wired 100Mbps ethernet and here are two problems I ran into:

1) Audio track 1 was Dolby TrueHD. I'm hooked up directly to an LCD TV via HDMI. For some reason I had thought this would downmix TrueHD to regular 5.1 or stereo, but I got no sound. Audio tracks 2-4 were foreign languages, so those were no use to me.

2) After a few seconds of smooth playback, the video was stuttering constantly. Is a straight, uncompressed Blu-ray rip too much for the WDTV Live? Or do you think this was an issue with my network?

tzyn

10-11-09, 07:18 PM

1)
Downmix only for DD and DTS.

2)
Just extract the movie-m2ts file from that iso and this should work perfectly. The old wdtv could play uncompressed bluray-m2ts files with 40-50mbit without problems.

But you should also test this over usb instead of network.

Abbazabba

10-11-09, 07:30 PM

Anyone else have a problem where the HDMI will not work? I picked up one @ BB this morning and the HDMI wouldn't work. I exchanged and it still doesn't work. Vizio VOJ320 1080p 32" lcd.

It just says "no signal". I have an original wdtv and it works fine as does my blu-ray player.

jericko76

10-11-09, 07:33 PM

512MB Flash & 512MB RAM :)

-ScottWD

Awesome, the specs Scott has released makes it more advanced then the PCH A110. My wife loves the GUI, she thinks its really easy to use.

4public

10-11-09, 07:42 PM

Hi Scott
Can you give us the source of your spec about SMP8655 and memory size?
At list memory size looks like joke
Do yo have picture of motherboard without radiator and without sticker on memory chip?
Thanks in advance if your info is a TRUE
Awesome, the specs Scott has released makes it more advanced then the PCH A110. My wife loves the GUI, she thinks its really easy to use.

dan35

10-11-09, 07:44 PM

Nevermind!

sssly

10-11-09, 07:49 PM

Abbazabba

Did you set video to hdmi in settings?

Mine came with that as the default but might be worth checking.

guitz

10-11-09, 07:50 PM

Just got this today...looking only at the music features, I'm very pleased to be able to search/sort by album, artist, and especially genres..and it also recognized all the playlists I'd made in media player, very, very cool...the thumbnail album covers is nice too...now to convert about 1200 wma lossless files to flac, the only bummer...

network setup was surprisingly painless...I can actually play different tunes simultaneously thru the home theater in one room and also on the now networked USB drive from my pc...I like it.

srauly

10-11-09, 08:12 PM

1)
Downmix only for DD and DTS. So is it common these days for Blu-ray discs main/only English track to be Dolby TrueHD? How would I go about ripping it so that I could, a) Maintain the TrueHD track for when playing in my home theater, and b) Downmix the TrueHD track to a format that other rooms in my house with only a stereo TV could be able to play it?

2)
Just extract the movie-m2ts file from that iso and this should work perfectly. The old wdtv could play uncompressed bluray-m2ts files with 40-50mbit without problems.

But you should also test this over usb instead of network.Yeah, I was going to try copying the file over to my USB external drive, and then hooking that up to the WDTV Live, just to see what that does. But I'm just curious if anyone else here has had any success streaming full, no-added-compression, Blu-ray rip .iso files.

bigjsouth

10-11-09, 08:21 PM

Hi Scott
Can you give us the source of your spec about SMP8655 and memory size?
At list memory size looks like joke
Do yo have picture of motherboard without radiator and without sticker on memory chip?
Thanks in advance if your info is a TRUE

Scott IS Western Digital guys! He's a tech from Western Digital. Thanks Scott for coming back on AVS its nice to see you! Keep us informed please.

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 08:22 PM

When I was ripping Bluray discs, one of the steps I used was to convert all the m2ts files extracted with AnyDVD to a single m2ts file using tsMuxeR. In tsMuxeR there is an option to downmix Dolby TrueHD to AC3. This step only took about 20 minutes on my quad-core machine.

I will grab one of my BR discs sometime tomorrow and try this out for sure. Been a while since I did it, so I might be mistaken.

liquidmetal

10-11-09, 08:31 PM

scottwd:

it looks like "network shares" might have a problem with a username with
a space in it? I have vista ultimate and xp pc and I can't log into either.
I have a space in my username, although that might not be it. I can see
my shared media however. can you look into this?

fabianvs

10-11-09, 08:36 PM

liquidmetal

10-11-09, 08:47 PM

do you have a space in username too?

fabianvs

10-11-09, 08:54 PM

no i dont, its Fabian7 or Fabian7-PC im not sure which to use but also if i have to set a password or not? im on windows 7

liquidmetal

10-11-09, 08:58 PM

I use a password to get around to computers on my lan. I enter
same username and password in WD that I normally do. Does not work!

jhoro

10-11-09, 09:05 PM

512MB Flash & 512MB RAM :)

-ScottWD

Thanks a lot Scott! That should make it very tweakable:)

mateo222

10-11-09, 09:05 PM

Anyone had any luck getting Windows 7 file sharing to work with this? Macbook works just find when sharing.

EDIT: I can see the WDTVLIVE device from my windows 7 PC just not vice-versa.

blackssr

10-11-09, 09:22 PM

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 09:27 PM

@mateo222-

go to Page 11, post 317 of this thread. Instructions are there to set up file sharing in Windows 7.

mateo222

10-11-09, 09:42 PM

@mateo222-

go to Page 11, post 317 of this thread. Instructions are there to set up file sharing in Windows 7.

Thanks - didn't see that before as I quickly went through the thread. It started working without doing those steps. Not sure what happened but it finally found the share. The steps above seem a bit unsecure IMO.

nube

10-11-09, 09:43 PM

Thanks, ScottWD for your input. I doubt you're a decision maker at WD, but can you prompt the higher-ups to trickle down some info to the community? Much appreciated.

swmeister

10-11-09, 09:45 PM

You're sure to run out of space in no time with the m2ts files. Are you using some kind of shrink ware? As in the ability to shrink down your Blu-Rays? I have "Home Alone" for example in m2ts and it is around 35 GB! Thats a huge file. How large are the DVD ISO's running? I need to upgrade already to the 2 TB Drives and would like to try ISO's if the size is not too bad.
WD This is a very strange launch! :confused:
DVD ISO files are running 6-8GB and bluray m2ts files run 26-35GB. The full ISO of a bluray runs >50GB in size which did exceed my tolerance level.

I am resisting the down conversions as I don't like the painful and CPU intensive process. I have 4TB of disk space on a NAS drive and can expand it up to 8TB. If we buy too many bluray movies I will need to expand soon.

I mainly use my media player for use as the kids dvd changer. It doesn't seem practical for use as bluray streaming as most home networks and/or computers can't keep up with the required data rates and still must use local storage.

I would like to see these devices support ftp transfers to the USB attached storage to enable easy transfers of bluray material for local play.

I haven't looked into the history of the previous WDTV to know what all hacks are available. I would appreciate a link to a summary somewhere.

swmeister

liquidmetal

10-11-09, 09:46 PM

Ok, here is what I've found:

1. Dolby TrueHD 7.1 does indeed bitstream!
2. The audio takes a couple seconds to kick in on my receiver when starting
a video. Could be wdtv or receiver (denon 3808ci). So, you get video, but no audio for a second or two.
3. Network share login is broken. 2 pc's, one xp, one vista, neither works. Can see folders when logging in pc to pc, or laptops to pc's.
4. DTS-HD MA does not bitstream. It sends DTS 5.1 CORE only. I hope they
can fix this!

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 09:55 PM

Again.....
Somebody please......

1. Will this play Video_TS folders? With chapters or just the jump feature?
2. For thumbnail mode, I have high quality, large, folder.jpg in each Video_TS folder. Will it show those or will they not be shown because of their large sizes as I've seen mention of 120x180 sizes needed?
3. I would also like to know about zoom modes for non-anamorphic DVDs.
4. I'm not doing bluray at this time, but may soon. I would only care for the .m2ts file (are all BDs .m2ts??). Can it play those and play it through the composite (NOT component) video output (I would like to have one of these connected to a composite matrix system for bedroom TVs)?

Thanks everyone!

As #4 above, the following should solve the problem of playing TrueHD audio thru composite or component connections.

When I was ripping Bluray discs, one of the steps I used was to convert all the m2ts files extracted with AnyDVD to a single m2ts file using tsMuxeR. In tsMuxeR there is an option to downmix Dolby TrueHD to AC3. This step only took about 20 minutes on my quad-core machine.

I will grab one of my BR discs sometime tomorrow and try this out for sure. Been a while since I did it, so I might be mistaken.

This will not work for converting DTS to 2 channel stereo. Only way I know how to do that is to rip the Bluray to mkv, then run Popcorn Hour Audio Convertor.

Why not use MAKEMKV? Couple of clicks and finish... No AV sync issues and containers play perfect on WDTV Live.

Because Video123 said they wanted m2ts. Also because MakeMKV blows. I have had problems with it making a good rip, and it does nothing about the Dolby TrueHD audio being played through composite or component connections.

Besides, I am not sure that WD TV Live will play Dolby TrueHD through the HDMI cable. All I see is Dolby Digital advertised, not TrueHD. Even if it does, it is only pass-thru via optical, or downmixed via HDMI. I hope I am wrong on this one though.

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 09:56 PM

Thanks - didn't see that before as I quickly went through the thread. It started working without doing those steps. Not sure what happened but it finally found the share. The steps above seem a bit unsecure IMO.

This is a heck of a lot safer than messing with the LanMan Hash, and/or turning off the firewall.

nube

10-11-09, 10:06 PM

Besides, I am not sure that WD TV Live will play Dolby TrueHD through the HDMI cable. All I see is Dolby Digital advertised, not TrueHD. Even if it does, it is only pass-thru via optical, or downmixed via HDMI. I hope I am wrong on this one though.

Although TrueHD isn't advertised, we now have multiple people reporting that their WDTV Live is bitstreaming TrueHD to their receivers (which are capable of decoding it). That's almost enough for me. I'm just waiting to see DTS-MA HD and DVD + BD ISO menu support and I'm in for two + associated external drives, maybe a third as a xmas gift..

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 10:35 PM

Although TrueHD isn't advertised, we now have multiple people reporting that their WDTV Live is bitstreaming TrueHD to their receivers (which are capable of decoding it). That's almost enough for me. I'm just waiting to see DTS-MA HD and DVD + BD ISO menu support and I'm in for two + associated external drives, maybe a third as a xmas gift..

This is fine, streaming TrueHD, but what about those that don't have a full blown theater system, or even a HDTV? My reply was to an individual that asked about composite connections. Now, I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt that the WD TV Live streams DTS or Dolby TrueHD through composite/component cables.

Just sayin'...

SyXbiT

10-11-09, 10:37 PM

If the 512MB RAM/ROM is true this is incredible.
I'll definitely replace my WDTV 1 :)

stumlad

10-11-09, 10:52 PM

Picked mine up from Best Buy tonight. Just got the Asus OPlay last week... Going to keep both as both have different things I like about them....

Some things I've discovered

TrueHD -- I will be yet another one to confirm this bitstreams. Actually this is the first device I've had to actually bitstream TrueHD where I can see the lights on my Onkyo... Everything else to this point either didnt support TrueHD or didnt bitstream (decodes on ps3).

DTS-HD MA - I've seen people say that they got this to bitstream the Core 5.1, but for me, it seems like it's decoding it and downstreaming to 2.0 PCM. I haven't had a lot of time to play with this, so it's possible that I dont have a setting turned on somewhere.

DVD ISO - it can play it, but no menus as others have mentioned.

M2TS - plays these as well. As I mentioned above, with trueHD, it's fine, but with DTS MA, it seems to be downconverting to 2.0.

Zoom, has 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.0, etc... I like the 1.2 because it lets me zoom in on non-anamorphic widescreen, but perhaps 1.4 or 1.5 may have been better.

Subtitles worked on one MKV that i tried

One weird thing and this will be a non issue for most people... I hooked it up to my old crt tv to see how it handles playback of high def stuff on regular tv via composite... for some reason if you switch from widescreen to normal, files tend to have black bars on the sides.. need to play with it more to know why... other than that it looked pretty good for what its worth... All of my other playback has been HDMI

There is a 24hz and 23.97 (or whatever the correct number is) setting... So if you have something encoded at exactly 24fps, I guess you can play it back like that...

I also tried network play, and indeed it was better than the ASUS.

Some asus things i like better: better remote, full DVD ISO support, DTS core seems to work for me on that (though it could be a setting i'm missing on the WD). Asus has a longer power cord.... though from what i've seen, the WD is probably worth the $20 extra...

So can anyone confirm that this plays blu-ray ISOs? I havent tried one yet

essentialjpm

10-11-09, 11:18 PM

I searched this thread and couldn't find anything from anyone who tried it.

Can anyone verify if this works with PlayOn, specifically Hulu and Netflix? The specs said it was DLNA/UPnP, but before I go buy one to replace my WDTV-1, I want verification.

nube

10-11-09, 11:19 PM

This is fine, streaming TrueHD, but what about those that don't have a full blown theater system, or even a HDTV? My reply was to an individual that asked about composite connections. Now, I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt that the WD TV Live streams DTS or Dolby TrueHD through composite/component cables.

Just sayin'...

It is not possible to do so due to the specification of those lossless HD audio formats. They can ONLY be bitstreamed through HDMI. Nothing else, afaik, because of the DRM (similar to or including HDCP).

nube

10-11-09, 11:22 PM

Derelict_Drvr

10-11-09, 11:27 PM

It is not possible to do so due to the specification of those lossless HD audio formats. They can ONLY be bitstreamed through HDMI. Nothing else, afaik, because of the DRM (similar to or including HDCP).

Hence my post about converting Dolby TrueHD to AC3. Believe it or not, but many people that only own a crt set would like to use a WD TV Live networked Media Play too.

nomoreshaq

10-11-09, 11:30 PM

so i picked up this unit today at BB. i have an older tv (samsung txm2756 - 27 inch analog unit). it has component in and i have my dvd player hooked up using component.

i cannot get the wdtv2 to work with component, there's an image but its just total interference/static/noise.

i noticed that the WDTV2 seems to only support 480p and above with component and i *think* my tv only supports 480i?

am i stuck with composite or is there any way i can get component working on my older non-hdtv?

Darknyt

10-12-09, 12:24 AM

Here's a stupid question along the same lines as the post above.

My HDTV only does 1080i (not 720p) - I assume this WDTV Live will just rescale the content to my resolution or no?

For example, a 1080p file I assume will just play at 1080i, similar to what a BR does, however what would a 720p file do? Upscale to 1080i or drop to something else?

Not very familiar with the box's scaler and been holding out for the Live since I only have component.

uefa_007

10-12-09, 01:25 AM

falconman515

10-12-09, 01:31 AM

This sounds great.... I am a current WDTV1 user and when I go pick mine up at BB tomorrow I will let you all know what I find and my thoughts as well!

paramex

10-12-09, 01:53 AM

voggers

10-12-09, 02:08 AM

Anyone tried Flickr on the box?
Does it let you log in so you can view your private photos?

lone-ranger

10-12-09, 02:38 AM

wow 512mb that does sound nice

joshjoshlol

10-12-09, 02:55 AM

sorry to be a nag in all this, but if i may resurrect an older request of mine that's been buried in this thread...

i'm wondering if the WDTV team included tag hiding in .ssa/.ass subtitles. can anybody mux this subtitle file into an mkv along with any old video and see if the tags within {} braces are hidden/displayed on the WDTV Live?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6z0mp7

i've put in a variety of tags, such as bold, italic, place movement, translator comment, etc. greatly appreciated if anybody could test it.

thanks for anyone who will take this one up.

Goba

10-12-09, 03:45 AM

So there is a 1080p 24HZ and 1080p 23,976Hz option?

Can someone test a 23,976fps Mkv with the option 1080p 23,976Hz, to see if there is stutter or 40 second lost frame, like happens with WD TV 1?

Does WD TV Live do Autodected frame rate? Or do we still have to change manually the refresh rate depending on the movie fps?

Thx!

daskino

10-12-09, 04:49 AM

From the manual I can see the following features and new features

WD TV Live Manual (http://drop.io/wdtvlive)

New Functions

* still has 2 usb ports, great for adding ie a wireless adapter and a hd

* Search function for all types of media, and on-screen keyboard for input

* support and cables for Component og Composite and HDMI (no HDMI cable included)

* Music can be sorted by album, genre, Artist, Number, and it can read Itunes and normal playlists

* Network DHCP or static IP adr.

* Option for adding wireless adapter by USB port, and support for wireless setup in the menu with WPA2

* a connected usb harddisk can act as a network harddive when connected to the wd tv, other clients can see and acess the harddisk.

* flickr, youtube, 365 og Pandora web services built into the menu with login and search

* file magement for delete, copy, move on usb harddisk

* change of border and size of subtitles

* Photo scaling size, Diff transitions in slideshow and interval between pics in slideshow

ff_mark

10-12-09, 05:26 AM

anyone know if these are available in the UK yet ?

Thanks
Mark

daskino

10-12-09, 05:27 AM

wonder how the media library will handle search and indexing of network drives? Will it scan and build an index when you add a share to the player?

tzyn

10-12-09, 05:28 AM

@stumlad
You have set the audio output to "digital"? I think you have it set to "analog" and so the wdtv live downmix if he can (just für DD and DTS supported).

Could you tell us where you found the "23.976/24Hz" mode? Because in the interface video on youtube there was no option for 24p. But maybe the wdtv live detect and only show 24Hz if the tv support it.

@uefa_007
Dunno what you mean, but the old wdtv also scaled every file up/down to the selected resolution afaik. I use 1080p for all my files, SD and HD.

hijack

10-12-09, 05:38 AM

So, the support is over for the WD TV 1? Any updates on that???

Goba

10-12-09, 06:22 AM

So, the support is over for the WD TV 1? Any updates on that???

+1

Firmware is 90% of a player...

joshjoshlol

10-12-09, 06:22 AM

i would doubt it hijack; one could easily envision western digital trying to establish a brand identity with the WDTV line and as such they probably wouldn't want to overtly flaunt any sort of planned obsolescence with their products. they want returning customers throughout the numerous iterations, and if the incentive for buying the next new thing is that the previous is completely killed off... well, nobody would even bother with such a company in the first place and just go with the competition.

short version: they'll likely still support the original wdtv

kevin2

10-12-09, 06:39 AM

sorry to be a nag in all this, but if i may resurrect an older request of mine that's been buried in this thread...

thanks for anyone who will take this one up.

I tried this and the subtitles were there but the formatting bold, italics, and placement were not and the comment showed up too. They all played on the bottom of the screen.

So my take is that it doesn't work like you would like, but this was the first time I ever tried this so I might have missed something. I used mkvmerge and a sample video that came with Vista.

uefa_007

10-12-09, 06:43 AM

@stumlad
@uefa_007
Dunno what you mean, but the old wdtv also scaled every file up/down to the selected resolution afaik. I use 1080p for all my files, SD and HD.

Yeah mate .. Look however it can upscale a 480P to 720P , clarity wise there will be improvement. However even though u play it at 1080P , it has the same clarity of 720P..

fits79

10-12-09, 06:50 AM

Scott don't answer to any pm?
And these two videos:
1. basketball 60fps 1080p 10000kbps
2. Planet_Earth_From Pole_to_Pole_1080p_sample_16ref

It don't play well on the wd hd tv 1 but it play normal on wd hd tv live?

stumlad

10-12-09, 06:53 AM

@stumlad
You have set the audio output to "digital"? I think you have it set to "analog" and so the wdtv live downmix if he can (just für DD and DTS supported).

Ah yes... I found it. DTS core is coming through now. TrueHD was bitstreaming even with analog/stereo option on.

Could you tell us where you found the "23.976/24Hz" mode? Because in the interface video on youtube there was no option for 24p. But maybe the wdtv live detect and only show 24Hz if the tv support it.

Settings menu, then choose Audio/Video, then choose Video Output (should be hdmi by default)... if you click OK on it, you'll have 3 options (Composite, Component, HDMI), click OK on hdmi, another menu will popup... the last 4 options: 1080p 23.976, 1080p24, 1080p50, 1080p60.

I think it will show 23.976/24 on all tvs, but try it out.

Can someone test a 23,976fps Mkv with the option 1080p 23,976Hz, to see if there is stutter or 40 second lost frame, like happens with WD TV 1?

I can try it with a blu-ray m2ts, but I'm not sure how I'd determine if the frame is lost. Is it really noticeable?

liquidmetal

10-12-09, 06:54 AM

For those that have network shares working (I don't), can you let us know:

1. What OS?
2. Blank password or not?
3. Any other details?

tzyn

10-12-09, 07:04 AM

@stumlad
So that mean there's already no working autoframerate-selection and you need to select the correct resolution/frequency by yourself?

About 23.976:
First of all it would be interessting what info your tv gives you if you select 1080p/23.976Hz. The old wdtv1 has this option, too, but it jumps to 480p/60Hz (so it was useless/out of function). But if it shows you 1080p@24Hz and/or the bluray m2ts runs smooth, then everything should be ok.

ps: I ordered a wdtv live yesterday (here in germany it seems to be available in the next 1-3days) and I hope it will be delivered by weekend. So I can compare the old one with the new one. :)

spark9990

10-12-09, 07:31 AM

And these two videos:
1. basketball 60fps 1080p 10000kbps
2. Planet_Earth_From Pole_to_Pole_1080p_sample_16ref

It don't play well on the wd hd tv 1 but it play normal on wd hd tv live?

Post 324 answers your question. (its yes, they play flawlessly)

liebowa

10-12-09, 07:34 AM

Post 324 answers your question. (its yes, they play flawlessly)

Just to expand on this - did you play these over USB, or a network?

BounceMeister

10-12-09, 07:41 AM

I have the information from WD that DVD menus support for both players will come in next fw update very soon.

ScottWD, can you please confirm this?

ChayesFSS

10-12-09, 07:43 AM

Any Hulu or Netflix going on here yet?!?!

YukonJack

10-12-09, 07:56 AM

Has anyone tried Pandora on the new unit? That is my primary interest in getting one, and of course to transfer my ripped DVDs through my network without having to copy to another drive and then manually transferring them.

Greg

hijack

10-12-09, 08:01 AM

hijack

10-12-09, 08:03 AM

ScottWD:

Any WD TV1 support news?

spark9990

10-12-09, 08:04 AM

Just to expand on this - did you play these over USB, or a network?

It wasn't me, but if you read the post it says that the test was done over the network.

stumlad

10-12-09, 08:11 AM

For those that have network shares working (I don't), can you let us know:

1. What OS?
2. Blank password or not?
3. Any other details?

I tested it out with WHS. I am able to connect to it as a media server, AND i can connect to it as a network share. When using it as a network share, it asks for user/pass.

So that mean there's already no working autoframerate-selection and you need to select the correct resolution/frequency by yourself?

About 23.976:
First of all it would be interessting what info your tv gives you if you select 1080p/23.976Hz. The old wdtv1 has this option, too, but it jumps to 480p/60Hz (so it was useless/out of function). But if it shows you 1080p@24Hz and/or the bluray m2ts runs smooth, then everything should be ok.

There is an AUTO selection, or you can choose anywhere from 480p (even 576) all the way to 1080p60 (including the 23.976/24). I only have one device that supports 1080p24 (my projector) so I'll have to test it out tonight and see how it works. Will post a followup.

csgamer

10-12-09, 08:18 AM

Chadillac

10-12-09, 08:22 AM

I've tried Live365 and Pandora on the new Live Media Player. Both worked great - for Pandora, I just logged in using my existing account info. All of my stations were there - Brilliant!

tzyn

10-12-09, 08:26 AM

@stumlad
Yeah thanks.

The resolution-settings-menu is the same. But you could also try what happen if you select Auto and play a bluray file. The old wdtv just select 1080p/60Hz with auto, also for PAL and 24p files.

Darknyt

10-12-09, 08:38 AM

hdtvforme

10-12-09, 08:45 AM

Any Hulu or Netflix going on here yet?!?!

Yes it supports PlayOn via UPnP.

From my limited testing so far Netflix has streamed perfectly including HD content. Navigation is through a folder system and it displays DVD covers.

nube

10-12-09, 09:10 AM

If you connect a 2TB My Book Essential Desktop Hard Drive threw usb to the wdtv2 does it work as a NAS? I mean, can you place content on the drive remotely and play it on the wdtv2? This would be better than streaming.

That has already been answered by this post from daskino pulled directly from the userguide, which is also posted as a link in this thread.http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17339226#post17339226

Not to be rude, but look for yourself before clogging up the discussion with questions that are answered on the same page you're looking at. Use the search feature. View the internet as self service information. Be independent and self sufficient :).

hijack

10-12-09, 09:13 AM

Any news on the usb adapter?

christoofar

10-12-09, 09:15 AM

That has already been answered by this post from daskino pulled directly from the userguide, which is also posted as a link in this thread.http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17339226#post17339226

Not to be rude, but look for yourself before clogging up the discussion with questions that are answered on the same page you're looking at. Use the search feature. View the internet as self service information. Be independent and self sufficient :).

daskino's link to the wdlive manual is dead, btw

hijack

10-12-09, 09:17 AM

nube

10-12-09, 09:17 AM

Just ordered one. 3-5 day until shipping wait.

Now i need to order a hard drive. Hmm, what to get. 2.5" usb powered, kinda expensive, low GB amount. Pre-made external drive, less warranty, possible crappier drive inside, crappier enclosure. Get my own 3.5" internal drive and pick my own external enclosure. Or use a docking station. Don't know much about those NAS thingies but they are expensive. Hmmm.

Anybody using a 3.5" internal drive with a docking station with the wdtv? Newegg has a combo deal, wondering if that would be a good idea.

csgamer:

I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm leaning towards getting several of the internal 3.5" SATA "Green" drives from Seagate, WD, or Samsung (ones with 3 or more years warranty) and sticking them in USB enclosures. At the moment, I'm not sure which, but I'm watching www.slickdeals.net and www.************** for deals on this stuff.

In general, I don't trust the reliability of 2.5" laptop drives, although they are easier to portage.

nithos

10-12-09, 09:20 AM

Yes it supports PlayOn via UPnP.

From my limited testing so far Netflix has streamed perfectly including HD content. Navigation is through a folder system and it displays DVD covers.I might just have to pick one of these up for my wife then. Maybe I can get my Xbox 360 back.

Indus3al

10-12-09, 09:25 AM

nube

10-12-09, 09:26 AM

daskino's link to the wdlive manual is dead, btw

Ok, I put it up on FileFront. Download the WDTV Live USER MANUAL here. (http://www.filefront.com/14707853/WDTV%20LIVE%20USERGUIDE.pdf)

I was asking about that particular hard drive.

The user manual refers you to WD Support Knowledge Base Answer #2581, which says it includes up to 2TB drives, and lists that series/model specifically, but does not associate the 2TB size specifically. (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2581&p_created=1217959442&p_sid=pIm4ZdKj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_srch=1&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ 9MSwxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9 zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD0yNTgx&p_li=&p_topview=1) Hope that helps (and that the link works).

nithos

10-12-09, 09:32 AM

csgamer:

I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm leaning towards getting several of the internal 3.5" SATA "Green" drives from Seagate, WD, or Samsung (ones with 3 or more years warranty) and sticking them in USB enclosures. At the moment, I'm not sure which, but I'm watching www.slickdeals.net and www.************** for deals on this stuff.

In general, I don't trust the reliability of 2.5" laptop drives, although they are easier to portage.

The issue with the 3.5" enclosures is power. With the 2.5", you can just hook it up via USB and be done with it. I like the way that Seagate designed there media streamer with a hot swapable 2.5" dock, but the UI looks horrible.

daskino

10-12-09, 09:35 AM

ScottWD

Please build in a NFS client into the next firmware

Many users use NFS linux filesharing and NFS servers for the org. wdtv, much faster than SMB and better for UDP and large bitrate files.

see more at wdtvfourm.com

NeilF

10-12-09, 09:36 AM

The issue with the 3.5" enclosures is power. With the 2.5", you can just hook it up via USB and be done with it. I like the way that Seagate designed there media streamer with a hot swapable 2.5" dock, but the UI looks horrible.

Just get a Intelli plug for £5/$5... When you turn your media player on, the 3.5" will (should) get powered up too...

hijack

10-12-09, 09:39 AM

Ok, I put it up on FileFront. Download the WDTV Live USER MANUAL here. (http://www.filefront.com/14707853/WDTV%20LIVE%20USERGUIDE.pdf)

The user manual refers you to WD Support Knowledge Base Answer #2581, which says it includes up to 2TB drives, and lists that series/model specifically, but does not associate the 2TB size specifically. (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2581&p_created=1217959442&p_sid=pIm4ZdKj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_srch=1&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ 9MSwxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9 zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD0yNTgx&p_li=&p_topview=1) Hope that helps (and that the link works).

Thank you. I did read that but I wasnt finding the support ticket.