by Mike Bowser
Editor’s Note: We’re giving away a Western Digital Home Entertainment bundle, valued at $400! See below to find out how you can WIN IT!
The WD TV Live Streaming Media Player is probably one of the coolest pieces of technology to come out in the last couple of years. It competes directly with a popular device you have probably heard of, the Roku.
There are a number of features included in the WD TV Live:
1.) You have access to all your online media services through your WD TV Live.
2.) The player itself comes with a built in RJ45 network adapter just like you would have on the back of your home computer to hook into your home network.
3.) If cables are hassle, no worries the WD TV Live also supports WiFi (b,g,n) speeds.
4.) You have two options to hook up WDTV Live to your TV.
The WD TV Live hooks directly into your television via 2 options. You have standard component cable which comes with the device (for older televisions white, yellow and red wires) and HDMI which you will have to purchase on your own (not a big deal as you can find a decent HDMI cable for under $10 online). If you have an HDMI connection on your television I would highly recommend using that so you can take advantage of the High Definition content available for download online.
5.) Stream your content from your computer to your TV.
The best feature that makes the WD TV Live player stand out for me is its ability to stream your personal content from an external drive or a shared drive on your home network. You can either directly connect a USB external hard drive to your WD TV Live via the 2 open USB ports or connect to a network drive on your home network to access your personal content.
I decided to hook up my WD external hard drive to my WD router and make it shared on my home network as a test to see how well the video played. I was able to play a Phineas and Ferb episode and the Lorax movie flawlessly with no delays and no wires!!! One thing to note though is if you plan on streaming media wirelessly, I highly suggest you have a router that can support the bandwidth as video especially high-definition takes up a lot. I recently reviewed the Western Digital MyNet 900, which I used to stream these two shows. It’s ideal for video streaming.
6.) Support of multiple file formats.
The player supports multiple formats which really makes it stand out among its competitors when you look at all the different types of video and audio formats that are on the market today. It can be so frustrating to have to convert your media to one specific type of format in order to play it, but with this player, there is not one type of audio/video format I own that it could not play.
| File Formats Supported |
| Video – AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9, FLV (h.264) |
| Photo – JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG |
| Audio – MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS |
| Playlist – PLS, M3U, WPL |
| Subtitle – SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI |
7.) You can hook up a wired/wireless keyboard.
Another nifty feature I appreciated very much was the ability to hookup a wired/wireless keyboard to the WD TV Live. It can be extremely tedious to sign into accounts with only a remote control that lacks a qwerty keyboard forcing you to arrow to all the letters/numbers to enter your login information for Netflix or Hulu Plus. I hooked up my own wired keyboard and it worked perfectly saving me the headache of using the remote to enter my account information.
8.) Netflix in full streaming color!
I also tested my Netflix account on the WD TV Live and I had no issues logging into my account or streaming the movie Rat Race with no delays or skipping in the video. The picture looked beautiful in full 1080p.
8.) There’s an App for That!
One final feature I really enjoyed about the WD TV Live media player was the free WD TV Remote app that you can download through iTunes or Google Play for the Android that gives you wireless capability of your player. You can login to your online accounts using your smartphone’s keyboard which is a great convenience and you can even use the gesture screen to navigate through the menus on your player with ease.
Pricing
The WD TV Live is available on Amazon.com with Free Super Saver Shipping for $$89.99 or Bestbuy.com for $99.99 with free shipping. This is a solid media player and is well worth the price you pay!
A Dad’s Perspective
The WD TV Live is a solid and well-rounded streaming media player. The only thing I think Western Digital could improve upon is to widen their channel selection to also include HBO Go, Disney, Amazon Instant Video and NBA Game Time. I’m not a big online service streaming consumer so it was not that big of a setback for me. The ability to stream my own content to my television far outweighed the online service options. I can see how someone might like a specific online service like Disney and may lean toward another competing media player; however, if the online options available on the WD TV Live meet your needs, then the WD TV Live player is definitely for you.
Win It!
Interested in trying out the WDTV Live? Western Digital is generously offering to one of our readers a digital home networking bundle, valued at $400. The bundle includes:
- My Net N900 Router Model: WDBWVK0000NSL-HESN $159.99
- My Book Live 1tb Model: WDBACG0010HCH-NESN $139.99
- WDTV Live Model: WDBHG70000NBK-HESN $99.99
Sign up below to enter, with lots of extra chances to win. Good luck!
Read more about the My Net N900 in our review on our sister site, The WellConnectedHome.com: WD My Net N900. A Router for a New Generation.
* I was given the WD TV Live in exchange for my honest review. All expressed opinions are my own.
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We recently ditched cable for a Roku, with mixed results. I'd be curious to try this system out and see how it compares. Especially with an upgraded router!
Cool, you cut the cable! if you have a smart TV, I just came back from CES and found a free app you'd probably like called Fredio TV. Check it out: http://www.fredio.com/
Nice contest
I like that you can use Genius to just say what you what and the phone finds it. I'd love to be able to use my phone to check my email and surf the internet. I also love that the camera on the MyTouch is even better than the digital camera I own now; it would be great for taking pictures wherever I go. (Michelle Hudak)
I think this would be perfect for my house since we only use Netflix to watch shows at home. My kids would love to have it stream to the tv!
so much more they do
I'd like a cellphone like the mytouch because I don't have one currently. Anything would be an upgrade.
Sorry for the confusion, meant to ask for comments on the WD Entertainment bundle. But will try to have another T-Mobile giveaway down the road.
I will be 65 years old on January 11th, and being on a LOW fixed income, I would be able to keep in touch with my sons and grandsons better. Right now I can only afford pre-paid minutes
i would like an i phone so i become a hipster
Really, by Christmas I'll need an upgrade
it would get me to be more organized
I want a smartphone so i can stay in better touch with my contacts
because it looks easy to use
I would like a smartphone like the myTouch from T-Mobile because it would be such an upgrade to my current slow old phone. Plus I am looking for a new plan
Now that's something even I could figure out. I'm a little to low tech to work most, but I do own Western Digital, and like what I have. With them, it's not rocket science. It's all laid out for those of us that can read, but aren't likely to interpret on our own.
Yes, Greg, the WD items are pretty easy to install. Good luck!
I would use the WDTV Live player to watch Netflix on my TV in the living room. Also like that I can use my smartphone as a remote. Too cool!
I would give it to me sister so that her kids can use it.
easier to do everything at same place
My family loves to watch movies together and being life is so busy we try to make the time to get together to connect and have fun!
I could use it to connect streaming media to my TV.
Honestly I would like to LEARN how to use all this stuff if I won it. My husband is the one that knows how to use all the gadgets and gizmos in the house! I'd like to learn how to hook it all up and use it all to it's fullest capacity!
Tricia, it's really quite interesting and the more you learn about installing these products, the more knowledge you have for installing future gadgets down the road.
nice
nice giveaway
I would use it to watch Netflix!
I love Netflix! Good call.
I have a PS3, so I have some similar capability with that, but it's time for me to upgrade my router and get that extra 1TB of storage.
I'm in need of a new router and I would setup WDTV Live in my bedroom tv to stream Netflix.
We have some old tv's and some nice ones. it would be nice to easily be able to access netflix, instant amazon, hulu, etc on all the tv's.
Would love to add the WD TV Live to our media center! The hard drive is a plus as well.
I like the idea of being able to stream my entertainment whenever I want.
Would love to use it for Netflix….so fun! Thanks for the chance.
Being able to stream content to the TV in my bedroom would be great, being able to control the device via my smartphone would really rock. WD makes great products!
Would love being able to stream everything to my tv!!!
Looks like a great prize for my family. We'd love to win it!
I would be able to do so much more than now. Streaming Media!!!
technology is the greatest and can always use an update.
i would love to be able to stream my computer to my tv since i have a really small monitor this would be awesome
I need a new router. The other things would be the fun stuff.
I would stream Netflix movies
I would like to have the system so I could watch Netflix and choose what I want to see instead of hoping for something good on cable.
We are Netflix subscribers and lately have been having a lot of trouble with it due to cable. I would like to try this to see if it works better.
I'd use this bundle to upgrade the media set-up in our bedroom — we just got a new TV but have no media accessories for it yet, so this would be perfect. Thanks!
The cable companies are a ripoff in my area. I have been looking into the online streaming option but have been hesitant to make the investment.
We recently ditched cable for a Roku, with mixed results. I'd be curious to try this system out and see how it compares. Especially with an upgraded router!
Awesome giveaway!
Our router is ancient! This one would be a great upgrade, and improve our household connectivity. The external HD is also a big need for us. All of our important family photos are are a single computer, and this would allow us to backup our data and store 'off-site'. The WDTV just looks cool …never tried one, but would like to!!
I would like to win Because we don't have cable and stream 90% of our television watching(and love it) but need some better equipment to make a better experience.
I would love to have this setup so that I can stream our movies and programs to our television for the whole family to enjoy together instead of being huddled around our monitors. It even sounds simple enough for me to be able to hook up on my own.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I love technology, I'd love to connect it all with a network.
I would use it for my sister who doesn't have a smart TV.
We watch a lot of netflix so this package would be an awesome answer to our viewing movies in our living room
I'd love to have the new router. I'm constantly having problems with mine. All the rest of the package would be a huge bonus.
id stream all my movies from my computer without having to burn dvds! awesome!
We only have network tv and it is sometimes very complicated to watch what we want. It would make it so much easier!
I would love to be able to stream my own content, as well as online streaming and all the other bells and whistles
I would love for my son to be able to have netflix in his room!
I would just love to be able to watch YouTube videos and other online content on my big-screen TV
I would like to have the system so I could watch Netflix in my bedroom.
Need a new router – the other stuff would make it all extra fun.
I currently have movies, TV shows, etc. stored on my laptop, desktop, and a very old external hard drive. I would love to be able to consolidate all of my files in one location and stream them to my TV. Using my Android phone as a remote would be the icing on the cake!
I'd love to have a better router and more storage!
this looks like a great system and easy to use..
been wanting some kind of streaming solution, looks great!
i would save so much money at home
I am very computer savey I can think of many ways I can link this to my gaming system pc and my hd tvs ho the fun i can have .
My fiance and I are always playing MMOs, streaming movies, and running multiple systems at the same time (one Wii in each girls bedroom, PS3 in the living room, my tablet, my computer, his massive gaming PC).
What an awesome contest. I have to admit that most of it sounds greek to me, but hubby states it's awesome.
This is a direct competitor to the roku