Wdtv live plus hd - Page 13

I use several different ripping utilities but my favorite is Mac DVDRipper Pro. I prefer to rip ISO's which give me full access to all normal features the DVD's have like sound options, etc. Rip's ISO's in 15 to 25 minutes on a 4 year old iMac.

I currently have my harmony remote setup to turn the WDTV on and off as needed. However due to the long boot time and inability for it to remember your place on incomplete videos, I'm thinking of keeping it on all the time. Does anyone know of any issues with leaving it on 24/7?

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Hey Guys!

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right thread, but I'm sure that if I'm not, I'll be redirected.

I just bought my WDTV Live Plus the other day, but am not really sure how to use it. Here's my setup:

I have my computer plugged into a router and my wdtv plugged into the same router, but I have no idea how to make them play nicely together. I'd like to be able to share a folder that I designate and be able to watch the stuff in there through the wdtv. My media isn't on externals, nor am I interested in going to get externals, so I just wanna be able to share folders in my drive, or even a whole drive if possible. I've been looking for a guide or some instructions all over the place, and it seems like they all say "go here" and then you go there and it tells you to call customer service or something.

I figured I'd ask AVS since the community here is usually tenfold more experienced with products than customer service.

Anywho, I'm running Windows 7 on my computer and I haven't installed anything or messed with any settings in fear of ruining this setup anymore than it already is. If anyone can lend me a hand, that'd be awesome. Thanks a bunch.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1194088
http://www.wdtvlive.com/articles/vie...g_in_Windows_7

XP and Vista:
http://www.wdtvlive.com/articles/vie...ndows_XP_Vista

The settings in the first thread work, I used them with my plain live and it picks everything up fine now.
Sometimes it took a while to fully read all the folders so it didn't get them for around 6 minutes but it does get them all eventually with those settings.
I think between WD and the homebrew firmwares available the network shares pick up almost immediately now for me with those settings.

I am experiencing issues with the sound when playing Blu-Ray ISO files with AC3 (DD) audio tracks. Everything works fine with DTS HD MA (the DTS Core plays just fine), but with DD tracks the sound goes silent for a second or so every 5 or 6 seconds.

I didn't try any ISOs with TrueHD tracks yet. All my Blu-Ray isos were created with CLownBD with no changes to the Video or Audio - just removed unwanted audio video extras and language sound tracks.

Is anyone else experimenting this same issue? Any workaround other than reencode the DD track into something else? An example of Blu-Ray with DD track is The Shinning.

Thanks

Newbie here. I just picked up a WDTV Live+ for my wife to use downstairs. I'm fairly new at all this media center/HTPC stuff so please forgive my stupidity. Basically I'm using the WDTV live mostly for TV shows and for streaming Netflix and movies on my network. So far I'm pretty happy with the easy of use.

My main question to start off with is about SRT files and I had no idea where to put this question on the forum. So I apologize for posting it here but since I need to know how to make them for use with the WDTV I figured I may as well start out here. Anyway, most of my movies are encoded using AnyDVD and CloneDVD or Handbrake. The problem is that I have no idea how to make .SRT files to go with movies once I have them converted in Handbrake. If it matters I'm using Handbrake svn3090 and had been just burning in the forced foreign language subs. I'd rather have an SRT file if possible though. I looked into SubRip but it was pretty complicated. Is there an easy program to use that I'm missing somewhere?

I'm thinking of purchasing a WDTV gen 2 or WDTV Live Plus. So which would be more reliable/stable?

The most important thing to me is being able to downmix Dts and Dolby True HD sound.

What I'm looking for is a player that will allow me to go to my computer, open windows media player, and right click a song and then click play with... then select the unit. and have it play in the other room through my surround sound. My computer is in the bedroom and the tv and surround sound are in my living room, where the media streamer will be. Will this unit allow me to do that WITHOUT needing to ever turn on my tv in the living room. In other words, will I need to use any menus on the wdtv to get the music playing or can I do it all from the computer?

First, no this player will not do that. Second, you don't need a streamer. You just need an amplifier that supports multiple zones. You can run a wire from your computer to the amplifier in the living room and set it up as a second zone.

Does anyone know when a new firmware will be released?

Thanks. Which part will it not do? Isn't this DLNA play to certified? Or will I just not be able to do it without turning the tv on?

Also, I was looking to avoid running the wire from the bedroom to the living room: looking to do it wirelessly (I know some of the new Denon and Yamaha receivers will do this without a MCE). And the 2nd zone would just allow me to hook up a set of speakers in a room not with the amplifier? I'm just looking to play audio from my computer (bedroom) in the living room without using my tv.

You need something like sonos or Squeezebox or philips NP2500,you connect it to your AV receiver and it will play the music coming from your pc (wired/wireless)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1279117

and

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1279988

I just bought the WDTV Live Plus and started using it. My main reason for getting it was to play HD TV shows that I have recorded on my computer. Secondly, I planed on using it to watch Ripped DVD. I am using it with a 320 GB Hard drive and no network connection. At first I was going to get the Seagate Freeagent because it came with a 500 GB Hard drive but decided on the WD because it was rated better from some sources and seemed to be able to play almost all types of Video files.

So far, I have been happy with it with the exception of the remote. The first problem is that it does not have commercial skip but I knew that before I bought it, and decided that I could get buy with the fast forward. The problem with the fast forward is it does not always stop where you expect it too Sometimes it's completely erratic, even stopping 10 minutes before I started fast forwarding, becoming completely unusable at one time. It did this during a show that I recorded from Fox Network, and I had another issue with this show. However it did play and looked fine. So I'm thinking it is something included in this particular signal.

I noticed this problem earlier in this thread and was wondering if anyone else was experience it and knew of any solutions.

The WDTV Live (and I assume, Plus) is DLNA certified and it does support DLNA "Play to..." functionality from Windows. I've done it myself. Whether or not the TV has to be on depends on how your wired. If you have the WDTV wired directly to the receiver the TV doesn't have to be on. If you have the WDTV wired to the TV, then use the monitor outs from the TV to the receiver, your TV may have to be on. Of course, you receiver hast to be on -- unless it has some auto sensing function where it automatically switches on when it detects audio input (I have a pair of computer speakers that do that).

I bought the OG WD like 2 years ago, just bought the Live Plus and totally love it, great job WD

it's amazing to me that people would actually plunk down 99 bucks for the apple tv when this is so much more powerful? what gives?

Why didn't you buy the Sony smp-n100? I own both the wd and Sony. The Sony is much better.

The Sony file support is VERY limited. WDLIVE+ is much better if you have several different video formats.

Purchased WDTV Live Plus


I held back on the purchase of this unit due to all the negative reviews, however after the use of this player I find it to be flawed but an improved product over WDTV Live. I own all three WDTV devices.


-PROS -

1.) High Quality Playback Of MP4 & M2TS 1080p Files.
2.) Cover Art Loading Time Is Improved Over Previous WDTV Units.
3.) Image Quality Of Cover Art In Thumbnail Mode Is Improved Over Live.
4.) Netflix Service Is More User Friendly Than Samsung's 3D Blu-Ray Player.
5.) MP4 Files That Had Stutter & Lag On Live Play Fine On Live Plus.

1080p images are very sharp on my Samsung 8000 3D LCD. I did not see any lag or jutter with my Blu-Ray MP4 rips. I also got a clear image with my M2TS files. Overall image looked improved over WDTV Live. Ipod style rips with low rez picture and sound (m4v,mp4) played smoother on the Live Plus than with WDTV1 or WDTV Live.

-CONS-

1.) Freezes Up While Searching For Media Content In Folders.
2.) Loading Time To GUI Is About 25-35 Seconds.
3.) Issues With Rewind/Fast Forward When Playing Ipod Ready MP4's.
4.) M2TS Files Skip Ahead Or Backward Too Far When Rewinding/FF.
5.) Unit Must Be Turned Off And On Several Times To Correct Issues.

I have a large collection of DVD rips across several hard drives. In my 2TB drive I have 1,854 movies. I have custom cover art for each folder and genre so I enjoy looking over the collection. When using the WDTV1 I would encounter an automatic reset if I looked up too many folders at one time. With the WDTV Live Plus the unit will freeze up and need to be turned off and on several times in order to correct certain issues such as getting the frozen browse icon. This is by far the worst aspect of the unit. After I have turned off the player then turned it back on the unit runs better.
Most MP4's have an issue with rewind or fast forward so I must stop play and resume in order to fix it. This issue also affects M2TS files.

-ODD-
1.) WDTV Live Plus Remote Control Is Less Responsive.
2.) Youtube Quality Is Less Than Live.
3.) Fails To Display Cover Art For 1 Out Of Every 100 Files.

The remote control that came with WDTV1 is not that responsive and requires the user to point the control directly at the unit in order to get the best results. This also may require you to click buttons twice to get a response. The WDTV Live remote was vastly improved and works better with both the WDTV1 and Live. The Live remote let you breeze through WDTV1 menus and you can be almost anywhere within the area of the unit and still get response. AVS user LT.Dang and I went over the control issues in length when the Live came out. How odd is it that the WDTV Live Plus remote is less responsive than the Live! To get the best results the remote must be pointed directly at the unit and you may have to click buttons twice before you get any response. Odd!
Youtube quality on the Live Plus is not as sharp as on the live! I read a few posts that noticed this too. I am going to try direct input of my ethernet cable and unplug the wirless router to see what change occurs.
That 1 out of every 100 covers fails to show up is just annoying. This problem did not exist with WDTV1 or Live. I have the WDTV1 plugged up and it sees every cover in thumbnail mode.

-Questions?-

How do I browse all of Netflix? Or do I just get to browse what they offer? Thanks!


Overall the unit works great, but the turning on and off to correct issues is a real bummer!! They improved alot of bugs the WDTV Live had but went backwards when it comes to others.

I compared the spec. It's about the same. The Sony will play almost all movie file except rmvb like the wdtv. Maybe wdtv have more audio codec like flac. I still think the Sony n100 is a much better device overall. Most people are ripping movie in mkv h.264 with dts or ac3 so that's my biggest concern.

If you own a samsung led 8000 tv, why do you need a wd tv live plus? The tv have built in samsung apps for netflix, hulu plus, and vudu. The tv can also play most ripped movie off of USB or dlna, like mkv, mp4, m2ts, h.264 files with dts and ac3.

It doesn't play DVD Iso, for example. The Sony site says it has the same capacity of the S570 plus MKV. I have the Sony S570 and it doesn't play 6 or 7 video formats I have stored in my PC. The WDLIVE+ plays all of them. I am not sure about the USB HDD support. The WDLIVE+ supports NTFS and you can address the HDD from any PC on the network. The Sony S570 only supports FAT32, VERY limited and I wonder if the n100 is different. Why is the Sony a much better device ? What does it do that the WDLIVE+ doesn't ?

A media player like the WDTV or any really good streamer is a must for any HDTV set up.
Onto the Samsung 8000 3D LED, The Samsung apps are not very good. I have it online right now and you can not always load them. They are VERY faulty. They loose connection or take alot of time to update or refresh. The 3D content via the net only has a pitcure of MegaMind and it takes along time to load the trailer. Then the Netflix service is by far the worst. 90% of the time it will not load Netflix. So I have to use the Samsung 3D bluray player, which netflix service is hard to use. I got the series 8000 with the Amazon.com HDTV bundle which included two blu-ray disc of my choice, plus the 3D glasses, plus the 3d Blu Ray Player all for under 2000. I think the promo is over now? Anyway the media content on this LED is faulty and some of the apps work better than others. So it is best to just use a PC like my Acer Aspire Revo or an HTPC for net stuff instead. The USB player is a mess too. It only plays certain files and does not even see all of my content, unlike my WDTV. Also you can not view folders with cover art or covers for your videos. As for what types of files the Samsung LED can play, its so picky I think it only plays AVI and MKV. The Samsung apps always require updates and only half of them ever work the rest are faulty.

You're comparing the wdtv to the Sony s570. The n100 and s570 are two different product. Look at Sony n100 spec sheet. It does support ntfs. So far the n100 has played everything I thrown at it, except rmvb as expected.

I think the Sony is better because it's only $120 on amazon, 802.11n wireless built-in, and the build quality on the unit and remote is superior to the wdtv.

The Sony n100 isn't as popular as the wdtv yet because it's just released. I just want to inform everyone that the n100 might be the better alternative to the wdtv.

Does it play DVD/ bd iso with or without menus? Plus dts and high def audio?

No, I am not. Sony website does, however, when they mention the BD player and say the n100 also plays MKV. I said I was not sure if the n100 supports or not NTFS and you are right, it does. I had 4 different media players and all of them play almost every known video formats. The n100 does not. ISO is very important if you wanna keep the same quality as the original.

If your only interest is MKV, which is fine , go with the Sony. The DLNA implementation on all other Sony devices, bluray players and TVs, are VERY basic, to say the least.

I don't know about the Netflix implementation on the n100 but if it's like the Sx70, its the worst I have ever seen.

I don't think there is iso support. People are replying it can handle vob files.

The netflix app on the n100 is good, not great. You can't browse the catalog. It only plays the item on the instant queue. It streams hd content flawlessly. Hopefully a future update would bring content browsing.

Yes, it does handle dts. Please read the official n100 spec sheet instead of assuming that it's a s570 with a bluray drive.

I know there is no ISO support. That's the biggest flaw, IMO.

If you can't add/play from the catalog, it's a very poor implementation of Netflix, like the Sx70.

Where did I say it doesn't play DTS ? Please stop misquoting me. Another member asked if it plays HD audio (DTSHD-MA/Dolby Truehd).

Once again, I never said it's a X70 without bluray but the press did. This is a quote from one of the press releases:

" This SMP-N100 Netbox has everything the Sony BDP-S570 has, minus the Blu-ray drive and plus the support of additional video formats including DivX and MKV"

As you probably guess, I have the S570 and the DLNA implementation, file support and Netflix interface are pretty bad. The Bravia TV is not too much different and perhaps this makes me a little skepical regarding the N100.

I don't have any agenda, just think most other "cheap" media players do more than the N100 and disagree with the original comment that "the Sony is better". Better why ?

This guy asked. I was referring to him. Sorry I didn't do multi quote. No hd audio. I don't think the wdtv can handle hd audio. Maybe in bypass mode.

I said the build quality is better. Don't believe me? Just buy the unit and feel it. I think the n100 xbm interface is nicer than the wdtv. But I think the biggest advantage of the n100 is the built in wireless. If that isn't enough if persuade then I give up. I am not a Sony rep, so no lost to me.