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Western Digital WD TV Live Plus 1080p HD Media Player

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Western Digital WD TV Live Plus 1080p HD Media Player

(571 customer reviews)

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SYNX2710423

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Features

Full-HD video playback and navigation - up to 1080p
Stream Netflix and other online media
Play almost any type of media file
Access media anywhere on your home network
Supports DVD Navigation

Description

WDTV LIVE PLUS HD MEDIA PLYR HDMI AV USB 2.0 ETH Play media from your home network and the Internet on your big screen TV. Plus, enjoy access to your Netflix unlimited membership and other premium content. Dont confine your movies, music, and photos to your small computer screen. Experience them as big as life on your TV in Full-HD 1080p with WD TV Live Plus HD media player.

Product Details

Product Length:	3.94 inches
Product Width:	4.94 inches
Product Height:	1.57 inches
Product Weight:	0.67 pounds
Package Length:	8.0 inches
Package Width:	7.2 inches
Package Height:	3.7 inches
Package Weight:	1.96 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 571 reviews

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: 3.5

( 571 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

335 of 361 found the following review helpful:

Now I'm Happy with WD Live Plus Jul 20, 2010 By R. Fuller
I purchased the WD Live Plus HD Media Player to watch movies from my Windows Home server. I got tired of all the DVD's and no where to store them so I built a WHS from an old computer and ordered the WD Live plus. I ran a CAT5 cable to my LCD, hooked up the WD Live Plus and it automatically connected to my WHS. I was up and running in as little as 5 minutes streaming a video on the big screen. The 1st movie played flawlessly until I started to watch the 2nd movie. Towards the middle of the movie, WD Live started to freeze up. At first I thought it was my server so I rebooted the WHS and was back up and running again. Started to watch the movie and froze again. Now I'm getting very upset. Now I powered off/on the WD Live Plus and same issue. Some movies played with no issues and some movies just locked up. Now I'm getting upset with this media Player. I checked WD's website and could not find any solution to the device freezing so I ordered the "Asus O! Player" unit to replace my piece of crap WD live Plus. I was already to mail it back and connect the Asus O! Player but something told me to check the WD support website one more time before I mail back WD Live Plus HD Media Player.

I found this on their site:

"When playing a movie over a Network location on a WD TV Live HD Media Player, the video may slow down

Problem:
When playing a high bitrate movie from a Network location (computer or NAS), after a period of time, the video may slow down and jitter.
Cause:
Samba (the method the WD TV Live uses to read a network location) cannot play back high bitrate movies.
Solution:
If this problem is encountered there are two solutions:
1. Try playing the content from the Media Server selection on the WD TV Live HD Media Player. This may require installation of a Media Server on your computer. Windows Media Player 11 has a built in Media Server. There are other alternatives such as TwonkyMedia, and TVersity which may also work for these videos.
2. Copy the high bitrate content to a USB drive, attach the USB drive to the WD TV Live HD Media Player and play the content from the local drive".

I said Hmmm, "playing a high bitrate movie from a Network location", well this was my problem. I went to TVersity and they explained how the software transcodes any video depending on your network speed and devices for proper streaming settings. So I installed the software on my WHS. During the installation it prompted to install the additional AC3 codec. So I installed it on my server. After installation completed, I configured TVersity to use my Video folder on the WHS and behold video was streaming to my LCD with no issues. Actually I believe the video quality is slighter better now than it was before.

So I'll take that back about calling the WD player crap. Now I can say I'm very happy with WD Live Plus and will give it a 4 star rating now. TVersity is excellent software for streaming videos and will help any media player handle video streaming. Oh did it mention that it's free! So go ahead and purchase the WD Live Plus HD Media Player and install TVersity on either your WHS or desktop/laptop and the 2 together they'll make a perfect couple.

Enjoy.

205 of 232 found the following review helpful:

A Real Review from a Real Owner Jun 14, 2010 By O. Prusak
I just got the WD TV Live Plus and I have to say that I've finally found the perfect media streamer (for now).

I've had the WD TV Live (not plus version) for about 5 months and it's served me well, streaming up just about every type of movie file that I've ever encountered. When I purchased the non-plus version, the only two features that I really wanted that it was missing was NetFlix support and full DVD menu support.

Yes, I am a bummered that my existing non-plus version can't support NetFlix, but I very well knew that what I purchased it.

Please Note: Most of the non-plus version marketing material says that it doesn't support full DVD menu navigation, but WD just came out with a firmware update that DOES add DVD menu support - Kuddos to WD for listening to their customers and giving them what they want.

Regarding the NetFlix support, the PLUS version has a different chip inside of it that is required for NetFlix support (something about copy protection). The non-plus version does not have the required chip in order to support NetFlix so if you read some rants about WD trying to !@#$% their customers, it's probably non-plus owners who feel cheated that they have to buy a new product to get NetFlix support.

I understand their frustration, but the truth of the matter is that there is nothing WD can do in order to get the non-plus to support NetFlix.

On the other hand, they *have* just added DVD menu support to the non-plus version, so anyone who says that they stop supporting the older products doesn't know what they're talking about.

To the point of the review, the NetFlix supports both queue playing (when you already have stuff added to your play now queue) AND browsing.

This is my first NetFlix player (other than my PC) so I can't really compare it to other NetFlix players. I know the Xbox also supports browsing, but I think that most other stand alone players do not support browsing.

The activation process was surprisingly easy (I just went to the NetFlix site and entered a code the Plus gave me).

Regarding HD content, I'm not 100% sure if the Plus supports this, but last night I was viewing some 30 rock episodes and it looked *really* good, better than viewing a DVD.

When starting to view a NetFlix video, it took about 15-20 seconds from when I clicked on play to when the video started playing. I don't know if this is good or bad. No streaming issues once it started playing. My device is connected directly to my router.

I also played around with the new MediaFly feature. Never heard of it before. Basically it aggregates some audio and video podcasts by topic. I saw some CNN and NPR content which is cool.

Overall I'd say this is the best media streamer ->currently<- on the market.

I emphasize currently as I REALLY wanted to get a POPBOX, which sounds like a better option (at least on paper), but it still isn't out and I got tired of waiting for it to be released.

Lastly, I know I didn't cover other aspects of the PLUS, but other than NetFlix support (and I think MediaFly support) the plus and non-plus devices are identical so go read some non-plus reviews for more info :)

[UPDATE June 21]
A few people correctly mentioned that the DVD menu support for the non plus version isn't officially out yet since it's still in beta.
You can see the entire thread of people who have download the beta version and successfully played DVDs with menus on the non-plus version here:
[...]

222 of 253 found the following review helpful:

Stick with the Non-Plus version - Buggy! Aug 04, 2010 By Scott Beauchemin
Before I get started, let me give you some background. I've owned 2 WD Live (non-plus) models for about a year. I upgraded the 2 non-plus models to (2 of them, so you can't blame faulty hardware) plus models, which was a big mistake. The reason I did this was that the WD Live is a great product and I wanted to add Netflix support.

So let me start with the positives
*It plays practically everything
*The interface is simple and straight forward
*Support for Youtube, Pandora, Netflix
*Streams 1080p with no issue
*Really easy to setup

Now for the negatives
*The firmware is buggy. There hasn't been a single firmware released since the product has been out either.
*If your networked drive is asleep, the Plus will hang at connecting 95% of the time (non-plus wouldn't do that). You have to do something else on the device before trying again or turn it off and on again to try to connect again - It's like it caches the info
*Takes like 30 seconds to turn on (non-plus takes like 2)
*Menu navigation is slower compared to the non-plus
*It won't remember the place you stopped in a movie/show if you turn off the device (non-plus didn't have this issue)
*Netflix - you can't 'search' for a movie. You can only pick from the selection that is presented. If you want add other movies, you have to do that from you computer.
*If you drop connection while connecting to Netflix, then the device will not try the connection again after you fix network issue. You have to shut off the box and turn it back on
*You can't customize what network devices to show on the menu. It shows all devices on your network (same issue with non-plus)

So I would suggest skipping the buggy Plus version getting the WD Live Non-Plus, because that is a great unit, and do netflix via your tv, wii, ps3 or 360.

UPDATE After 6 months: Western Digital has issued updates to this device, but broke other things and made things worse. If you have bought this device, I would suggest a custom firmware from b-rad. This fixes most of the complaints I listed above.

20 of 20 found the following review helpful:

WD TV Live Plus vs. Apple TV Mar 27, 2011 By AlphaGearX "Gear to feed your inner alpha dog"
Trying to decide between an Apple TV and the WD TV Live Plus?

Both are great devices that basically perform as advertised, I recommend them both. Each gets 4 stars in my book. Interestingly enough, for two devices that are supposed to do more-or-less the same thing, I found them to have very different capabilities and uses. I use both regularly, depending on your setup and planned uses, one will likely be far better for you than the other. A detail review is on my website blog, but here is the bottom line:

Get the Apple TV if:
* All (or at least most) of your music and videos are already in iTunes. The Apple TV will play everything that your iPhone, iPad, and iPod can play, but not much else.
* You can connect it to your home theater receiver or TV via HDMI. The Apple TV only has an HDMI video output. Optical audio output is also provided.
* You want to impress your friends by streaming and controlling your media from you iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch (AirPlay and the Apple Remote app)
* You only have a wireless network available to your home theater AND you don't want to buy a USB WiFi adapter too.
* You want everything to "just work," or you feel comfortable with Apple stuff and don't want any new challenges in your life. The Apple TV is easier to use and has a simpler, sleeker interface.

Get the WD TV Live Plus if:
* You need to connect your media streamer to your home theater rig via something other than HDMI (it can output to HDMI, Composite A/V, Component video, and digital optical audio).
* Your media is in a non-apple supported formats (MPEG-2 from DVD rips, .ts or .m2ts BD rips, AVIs, WMV, WMA, VOB, MKV, FLV, FLAC, OGG, etc.)
* You want to play 1080p high def video and new HD audio formats (DTS-HD, Dolby HD)
* You want to play media that is on USB hard disks, thumb drives, Windows media servers, or DLNA servers.
* You don't mind paying extra for WiFi capability
* You don't have (or need to play) protected media (m4v iTunes purchased videos, m4p protected audio, or other DRM protected media)

22 of 23 found the following review helpful:

WD TV Live Plus - Better than most Dec 16, 2010 By Nate - Austin
WD TV Live Plus
Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player WDBABX0000NBK-NESN

I have been using the WD Live+ for several weeks now, and am ready to write a review.

********* EDIT **********
One BIG factor I forgot to mention about the WD. NO VOLUME CONTROL on the remote (nor is it a feature of the WD Live Plus at all).
All volume must be controlled either by your TV or receiver remote, depending on how you connect it to your media center.
I found this to be a particularly embarrassing issue when watching a 'video' at midnight and not being able to lower the volume quickly. :-)
The Asus does have volume control, which can be lowered to a sufficient level BEFORE playing the video.
In order for WD to enable this feature, they'll have to flash the firmware and completely rework the remote control, as there are no buttons for volume.

UNBOXING:
Included in the box -
+ WD Live+ itself
+ A/V Cables
+ Power
+ Install CD (why?)
+ Instructions

- No HDMI cable
- No TOSLINK optical audio cable

FIRST POWER ON:
Once I had connected the power, network, HDMI, and TOSLINK cables (all 3 cables not included), I powered the unit on.
It came up, in what I thought was a fairly long amount of time (compared with the Asus O!Play Air in the bedroom).
The menu showed a new firmware update was found and asked if I wanted to install.
Yes.
Went through the firmware update and about 2 reboots.
The reboots took slightly under 1 minute each - no change from the initial boot.
Got another message about a firmware update.
I looked at the current version and compared to the new one.
Looks like the firmware updates are done in steps. No problem.
Updated again, went through the reboots.

About 15 minutes total for both firmware updates, now I'm ready to explore the menus.

NETWORK:
I tried to explore the network computer shares when it first booted, but it found none.
Went to networking, which by default is set up for DHCP. Great - my router assigned an IP.
There's an option to run through and verify various networking functions work. All green checks.
Then I wonder why it didn't see my computers.
Go back to the network, and now it picks up all of them, including the 'Media' share on the router.

Tested again.
-Power cycled WD Live+ unit
-Went to network shares: Nothing.
-Checked network settings - still getting green checks...

Tested one more time.
-Power cycled.
-This time I waited about a minute before doing anything in the menus.
-Now it sees the shares. Interesting.

Apparently the user must wait ~45 seconds to boot, then another 45-60 before using the networking features of the WD Live Plus. Not a good sign.

VIDEO PLAYBACK:
After setting to 1080p, 60Hz, I queued up some videos.
Tested MKV, DVD (on hdd), AVI (divx and xvid), MP4, and MPEG. All worked fine.
Then I threw a MKV video with DTS audio. Nothing. Tried another - same issue.
Note: Found that my TOSLINK cable wasn't properly connected. Now I have that going to the receiver and have sound through the receiver only - not the TV. The receiver has a center, so not a big deal... or is it?
Now that the TOSLINK cable is going to the receiver and the HDMI to the TV, there's an audio sync issue.
It's slight, but enough to notice that it's off.
So I have to turn the TV volume all the way down to enjoy a video that is not DTS. Ok, not a good solution, but an acceptable work-around for now.

In all, video playback handles all the 1080p you can throw at it. Even my dual core computer with a 9800GT lags a bit with some of them, so cudos to WD for using such a capable video chipset.

AUDIO PLAYBACK:
Audio has gotten to be such an easy thing lately. There are a lot of options available from various vendors.
The WD Live Plus doesn't disappoint. It did 5.1 music with no issues. Even simulated 5.1 from a stereo mp3 file sounded decent, and was played through the surround speakers. Good job guys. Some audio players only played the stereo files through the front L/R speakers, so it's great this one handles the full surround.

INTERNET APPS:
Used several apps, including Pandora, Netflix, Mediafly, and a few others.
The video on all apps is not 1080p, but you can't expect that yet. Maybe in the next 5 years.

Netflix - After setting up account info, it logs you in automatically and takes you to the Instant Play videos. Navigating is just ok, since you use the arrows and OK buttons to look around. Down-side is no search function. Guys writing firmware - ADD A SEARCH FOR NETFLIX.

Pandora - Entered account info, and it logged in quickly. Selected 'Quick Mix', and it started playing the channels I had previously set up on my PC. Sounds great, and an added bonus - NO COMMERCIALS (at this time).
Another good feature of the Pandora app is the login screen. When first starting Pandora, it lists all the users that have previously been logged in. Select your profile, and you'll be listening to your music in seconds.

MediaFly - Flipped through the various channels, watched a few videos. Some are interesting, others suck. Can't win them all. Otherwise, it looks like this pulls video off other websites and full-screens them on your TV. Good for NOT seeing all the ads from around the web.

Youtube - Looks like Youtube. Videos are low quality, as you'd expect from the web. Only problem is, even though most videos give you a 480p or 720p option on the browser, there appears to be NO OPTION to increase the video resolution. This means you're watching the 320p (or even worse, 240p) video on your humongously humongous big screen TV. Can anyone say 'BLURRY'? That's one feature that should also be included in the next firmware revision.

Another thing to mention about Youtube. It looks like content can be viewed, as long as there is no copyright on any of the material (audio track included). If it has a copyright, it doesn't show up in Youtube for the WD Live Plus. I guess they can't make their ad revenue if they did show it.

Other apps are available, and I suggest checking them out. Depending on your tastes, you'll like some more than others.

CONCLUSION:
Comparing this to other players (Asus O!Play Air, Boxee Box), the $99 price point gives this a clear advantage over the $199 Boxee Box, and is on-par with the Asus (although Boxee has a great remote and does ship with HDMI in the box).
Features on both the Asus and WD Live Plus are comparable, with the WD winning in the internet apps department.
The Asus wins on boot time, network location, and some navigation (it has shortcuts you can configure).
The WD Live Plus is worth $99, but it would be nice to see HDMI included by default. Who needs L/R audio cables anyway? This isn't a VCR connected to a CRT TV.
Recommendation - Power on the WD Live Plus first, then your TV, then receiver, etc. It might be booted and have access to the network file shares.
It's not a Boxee Box, but it's also $100 less. I can deal with a few minor navigation issues and have 2 for the price of one Boxee.

BONUS:
I read some of the firmware update notes, and apparently this supports USB keyboards.
I connected my bluetooth USB adapter and tested. Works great! Any time you need to type, just click away instead of going through the mind-numbingly slow on-screen keyboard.

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