*Official* WD TV Live Streaming Media Player Thread - Page 36

Well, 4-6 tb (2 drive config) is still alot of space, but I guess it depends on what all you have.

My Windows "Media File Server" currently has 8tb online, but about 4tb is a backup ... no way I'm ripping all my disks again. (due to HDD failure) I'll need to add another couple of drives soon.

Sounds like you need a new receiver ... but I guess you know that.

It comes with a special cable that plugs into a 1/8" jack. It outputs analog (RCA jack) stereo and Composite video.

http://www.frontx.com/pro/c216_042p2.gif
It's such a cable right, or maybe it has more than 2 male connectors on the other end.
It looks kinda thin and cheap.. my other RCA cable is atleast 4 times thicker, with gold plated contacts and stuff, so how would the sound quality be with that cable..?

Yes i know my receiver sucks.
But i bought my receiver 2 years ago for 435 USD, doesn't people usually keep their receivers for more than 2 years..? lol

so to play media files and such , you don't play them directly from the WD?
there is a nas, HDD or usb attached?
of even a PC ? so the SMP will access my pc , open the folder on my pc and play the files directly from that?

No, you can't use an off-the-shelf cable. You need to use the one that came with it.

A 2-year old 435 dollar receiver with no digital input? Wow. My $299 receiver that's 5 years old has 8 digital inputs.

No, I really doubt it. Like I said ... it's a special cable. If you want to make sure it works, you will have to contact WD and buy it directly from them. Or, find the one that came with it in the box.

Something doesn't "add up" about your receiver. What Make and Model is it? What country are you in?

Jakmal or wdfan, Is there any writeup on this wd, as to what it does and what it does not do?? may be comparison with boxee box atleast limiting to playback of local files under different formats?? Are you guys using 1.05.18 firmware?

Wow ... I didn't realize Synology had gotten the price on the entry level 2-bay models down to $199. Get you some drives and a UPS Battery and you are all set. Buy one of those, and use large USB-2 drives for the backups.

When it fills up, buy the slightly upgraded model in a year or so (that has USB-3 as standard). Plus, this way ... you send up with two Gigabit links to your "network backbone". I like it!

Did some checking and the DS411j is going for $360, maybe someday........lol.... Any suggestions which drives to populate 212j with?

BTW, took your earlier advice on the dvdfab, but got the full lifetime special on that instead....

This SMP better be worth all the support I am throwing at it........lol

Bill

@csrini1 - you looking for writeups on the SMP?

Here's a bunch:

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=330
(Click on "Reviews and Awards")
I am using 1.05.18.

Hello!

We have a older 65 inch Mitsibushi projection set at my parents, and I want to set up a WDTV Live Streaming Player to take advantage of the HD (TV max is 1080i). The TV does not have HDMI inputs (just s-video/ 2 component and one VGA), the WD TV outputs HD only via HDMI.

Are there any solutions that have worked for you all? I have researched the HDFury and others mentioned, I don't want to spend 100 on the device.
Are there any decent HDMI to Component convertor devices out there?

Amazon has mixed reviews on the various convertors that run for $40 to $60. Anyone have luck with any of those? I know that I will have to set the WDTV SMP to output at 1080i in the settings.

The largest ones that have good reliability reviews. I like to buy nicer "desktop drives" ... usually one step below raid or enterprise class ... when drives crash it's a real pain for me (pulling drives, arranging RMAs, re-installing new drive, re-copy data from backup, hope it works, etc). Life it too short.

In retail packaging (so it's protected the minute it leaves the factory). I got tired of how poorly Amazon, Tiger, and Newegg pack bare OEM drives (so I don't deal with that part any more). And just generally not handled very much ... you DO know how packages are treated at UPS, right?

And the above is only for home business, pro-sumer installs. For business servers or NAS ... only enterprise class drives.

If you can, get a WDTV Live Plus or HUB, they have component output. Don't waste your money on converters.

Hmm, I thought the new one has a faster processor and it is better, will wait/watch for your review then...

Appreciate all the help Tesla, awaiting delivery of the SMP Friday, the 212j the following week, and then deciding which drives to pit into it. All this just to use as a functional media server....... almost got the DS411+II instead of the 212j just to be able to connect an esata device (see url below), but again, maybe in the future.......

http://www.lg.com/us/computer-produc...y-BE12LU38.jsp

Bill

When I dream, I dream big!!!

The WD TV Live's 1080p Netflix resolution is a little worse than on the Roku 2 or PS3, because it crops 1 pixel each from two sides of the image, then resizes to fill.

Bottom-right circle of test pattern on Roku 2 vs WD TV Live SMP


I've described the steps to see the cropping on the Issues site. If you also see the problem, upvotes would be appreciated.

I want to connect my 2TB Western Digital HD to my network somehow so I can access it from various rooms in the house with a WD TV player.
I have an E3000 Cisco Lynksys router, which has a USB port on it.
I have the router flashed with DD-WRT firmware.
How would I be able to accomplish this?
I tried connecting a 4GB flashdrive to my router as a test but it did not seem to work.
How would I go about getting this setup?

Too late, already have the SMP, got it two days ago.
I have the original WDTV Live (Non plus) and wanted another unit that did Netflix, plus the GUI is much easier for the wife/parents/kids to navigate.

I thought the SMP did have component, I just did not read the specs carefully enough before ordering it.

So now that I am here, with the SMP, attached to an ancient TV, any options for an HD (720/1080i) signal?

Nice job picking that one up. I'm still trying to get Vudu to fix the DD+ audio bitstream issue. Let's see if they fix it.

Can't you just connect the USB-HDD it to the SMP and turn it into a "media hub"?

Your other way ... read directions carefully in the E3000 docs (or rather, DD-WRT docs). Post in their forums. I like your 4gb flash drive test. Maybe the storage devices need to be formatted a certain way?

Some people have said this converter works but you'll have to read the reviews and decide whether it's worth the gamble.

so thats why the picture quailty is better on roku than wdtv?

Maybe try to interface to the VGA port ...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Although, be armed with the exact resolutions the TV accepts via VGA ... most are pretty picky. If it's 16:9 I think you want something around 720p ...

1280x720 16:9 Widescreen
1360x768 16:9 Widescreen

but even 480p looks good when the source is clean ...

852x480 16:9 Widescreen

I agree it's weird that my receiver don't have digital inputs.
The model is Yamaha RX-497, and i live in Sweden.

I checked up the most expensive stereo receiver i could find, i found NAD C725BEE, and it doesn't have a single HDMI connection, and apparently it doesn't have a single digital input either, except some ipod thing but who cares about that.
Stereo receivers are really a joke.

I forgot to mention that I have the older WD TV Live (not the newest version) flashed with B-rad's firmware.
Can the HDD still be attached to the streamer and be turned into a "media hub"?

You two are talking about two different types of receivers. The Yamaha RX-497 is a stereo receiver. It has a few 2-channel analog inputs. Some people would just call it integrated amp.

Most people use AVRs (Audio Video Receivers) for home theater/movie applications. These AVRs usually have more than 2 channels of amplification, and take both digital/analog inputs.

I'm looking for a streamer to provide Netflix access, and stream SD movies from a Windows Home Server share wirelessly, to my kids' TV. The files on the server are mostly h.264 MP4 files with AAC passthru audio (EDIT: I won't be plugging this into a receiver, so the WDTVLS will need to be able to down-mix to 2.0), with a smattering of MKV files and a couple AVI files which I can re-rip to MP4 if need be.

I don't need anything fancy, and I'm not concerned with a super top-quality image, since the TV is a basic 26" Panny Viera. I'm mainly concerned with ease-of-use, format compatibility, and stable wireless operation. Although if streaming over wifi proves troublesome, I can always manually copy the kids' movies to a portable HDD.

Would the WDTVLS fit the bill here? I've been searching the internet for a clear video of the network streaming interface, but I can't tell if it's really very kid-friendly or not.

Also, how is the user experience browsing and playing music over the network?

[quote=WDFan1970;21429557]No, you can't use an off-the-shelf cable. You need to use the one that came with it.

What's special about the A/V cable that comes with the SMP? It looks standard to me. Thanks!

I know.
Doesn't there exist a AV stereo receiver?
I don't understand why stereo receivers have no HDMI, no digital connections, no internet stuff or anything, but surround receivers suddenly have it all.
Stereo= has nothing
Surround= has everything