Butter won't spoil the porridge. Folk wisdom
Editorial gg I've been looking for media players for a long time Western Digital - famous manufacturer hard drives. The Live TV model, at first glance, did not promise any surprises. Well, there is support for Internet services (YouTube and Facebook are everywhere now), well, there is built-in Wi-Fi (good, but not a feat). Well, there is support for FullHD video (who would be surprised?) But in practice, the device turned out to be damn user-friendly and extremely pleasant to use.
Along with the TV Live model, the WD line of media players also includes the TV Live Plus and TV Live Hub players. The first of them differs from TV Live in design and lack of Wi-Fi (a wireless network is available only as an option, you need to buy a special USB accessory). The second is the same lack of Wi-Fi and built-in terabyte hard drive. Thus, TV Live can be safely called the optimal and most popular model among other WD media players.
| WD TV Live Media Player Specifications (WDBGXT0000NBK) | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 125x100x30 mm |
| Weight | 190 g |
| Interface | Ethernet, Wi-Fi b/g/n, USB 2.0 (2 pcs), HDMI, composite output, optical output |
| Video signal format | PAL |
| Video file formats | VI (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) |
| Image File Formats | JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG |
| Music file formats | MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS |
| Playlist file formats | PLS, M3U, WPL |
| Subtitle file formats | SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI |
Appearance
A small, neat box, slightly larger than a pocket-sized paperback book. The front panel has the first USB port and a sensor for the remote control. Well, and of course, an LED operation indicator.
On the back there are elements designed for mounting the media player on the wall in both vertical and horizontal orientation. True, the question remains of how to use the remote control in this case. remote control, if the sensor for the remote control is aimed at the ceiling.
The rear panel has everything you need - an HDMI output, another USB, an optical output, a composite audio-video output (a corresponding cable is included in the package) and Ethernet. Although using such a device is much more pleasant if there is Wi-Fi (you can use an iPhone/iPad or Android smartphone/tablet for control).
The remote control is a little big for my liking. But it is very comfortable to hold in your hand thanks to the ergonomic design of its lower part.
Video review
The media player menu exceeds any expectations with its neat design, localized menu (though there is no Ukrainian language) and a large number of settings. You can change the background (and download new themes from the Internet). Manage the color, size, position of subtitles (and even adjust their synchronization with the video).
It is possible to enter parental passwords and program the remote control using its number keys to quickly navigate to certain menu sections or launch Internet services.
And here screen keyboard turned out to be not very convenient. To get to the punctuation marks, you need to switch the display page. There is no Cyrillic alphabet. But there is an option to install the WD TV Remote app from Google Play or App Store, then (provided there is a Wi-Fi connection, a smartphone or tablet will not work via Ethernet), the problem of entering text in any language immediately disappears.
As always, a significant part of the available web services are useless in our conditions. Traditionally, you can use Accuweather, Picasa, Flickr, Facebook (I never found the ability to write), vimeo and YouTube. By the way, YouTube has two options - regular and YouTube Leanback, designed to work with TVs. In this case, you can log in to your account without entering a password - the application will offer a code that you will need to enter on the page activate. After which you can return to the TV and use your saved channels and playlists.
The player has access to two online gaming services - Funspot and Playjam. The games there, of course, are simple (darts, Sudoku, chess), they can entertain/occupy guests. Especially if there is no game console or (oh, horror) computer or tablet in the house.
Bottom line
Despite the fact that I did not expect any special miracles from the media player, it managed to leave the best impression. He coped with the main task of playing video with a bang, never once finding a video that he could not play. Within a month and a half of operation, the player received two firmware updates, which indicates the serious intentions of the manufacturer. Everything about it turned out to be well done and thought out to the smallest detail - from the ergonomics of the remote control and the ability to program it to the excellent menu design and a large number of settings for playing music, photos and videos. The last straw was an excellent application (at least for Android, but I don’t believe it works worse on the iPhone) WD TV Remote, which, if you have a home Wi-Fi networks makes controlling the player and entering text (the same passwords in services or searching on YouTube) much more comfortable. In the end, I had no choice but to crown WD TV Live with our highest award - Editors' Choice.
five reasons to buy WD TV Live
- compact body dimensions
- built-in Wi-Fi module b/g/n
- ergonomically shaped programmable remote control
- firmware regularly updated by the manufacturer
- a special application for iOS and Android that makes it easier to work with the player and enter text
The appearance of a compact and inexpensive WD TV (Western Digital TV) player was greeted by users with enviable enthusiasm. Of course, because at that time it was, perhaps, the most affordable device from such a renowned manufacturer, capable of playing HD video files. But among the most advanced enthusiasts, the euphoria quickly subsided: the new product had too many shortcomings. The list of complaints includes, first of all, the HDMI interface old version, which did not allow HD audio streams to be transmitted “digitally” to the AV receiver; lack of a DTS decoder (without it, films with the appropriate soundtrack were shown without sound if the audio signal was taken from analog outputs). Also upsetting were the rather modest functionality, including lack of access to the network. We're talking about all this. What awaits us in the next generation model, called WD TV Live?
Differences between WD TV Live and first generation WD TV
Despite the fact that the devices are practically identical in appearance (color does not count), inside they are fundamentally different. WD TV Live is based on a more advanced Sigma Designs SMP8655 (500 MHz) processor, while its predecessor had a Sigma Designs SMP8635 (300 MHz). A wired controller has appeared LAN networks 10/100 Mbit, the HDMI interface has grown to version 1.3, providing the ability to transmit all audio streams to the AV receiver. Finally, a DTS decoder was introduced. This means that now the player can be connected directly to the TV, even “analog”, without fear of being left in complete silence while watching movies with a DTS track.
Packaging and delivery
Click on the picture to enlarge it
The device is supplied in a colorful cardboard box of a proprietary design, inside which there is itself, a remote control with two AAA batteries, a small amount of waste paper (the full version of the instructions is contained on the included CD), network adapter with attachments for the so-called European and English sockets, as well as two non-standard cables for outputting analog composite, component signals and stereo audio. On the one hand, they have the usual RCA (“tulips”), and on the other, 4-pin “minijacks”. An HDMI-HDMI cable is not included in the package and will have to be purchased separately. The same applies to the patch cord for connecting to local network. For an inexpensive device, such savings from the manufacturer are quite acceptable.
Appearance
Click on the picture to enlarge it
The black gloss that the first generation WD TV sported was beautiful, but extremely impractical (especially if you remember the “no” scratch resistance of the coating). Either this circumstance, or the desire to at least slightly change the design of the new product for the sake of its visual differentiation from the previous generation model was the reason, but the WD TV Live body is now matte and its color is dark gray. There's also a DTS icon on the top bar. There are no other changes compared to the “simple” WD TV. Perhaps it would be possible to make legs or revise the design so that the player could stand vertically. With the current version, this is not recommended, since when installed on the sidewall, the ventilation holes are completely blocked. However, the player is so small that it would hardly occur to anyone to save 5-6 cm of space in the nightstand in this way. But legs would definitely not hurt.
Switching
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As you can see, the device body is small, so the connectors on the rear panel are grouped extremely closely. Now it’s clear why the designers were tricky with non-standard adapter cables: there is simply nowhere to place full-fledged RCA outputs. Such a solution can hardly be considered inconvenient, since only a few of the WD TV Live buyers will connect the player analogue - the rest will use HDMI switching, and they will be entirely right. The photo does not require comments, however, we list the ports from left to right: connector for the power adapter, USB 2.0 port (the second is on the left side when looking at the device from the front), HDMI v1.3, optical digital audio output SPDIF TosLink, RJ45 port for connections to a local network and two “minijacks” - for outputting analog audio and video signals using the supplied adapter cables.
HDD
Like the first WD TV, WD TV Live is installed inside the case hard drive not provided - there is no free space for it. It is proposed to use any drives with a USB interface or network resources, including home computers, on spacious hard drives which can accommodate as many films and music as you like. The only question is - will it be enough? bandwidth network player controller for displaying high-bitrate recordings? We will find out this a little later.
Construction and cooling
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Click on the picture to enlarge it
The design of WD TV Live is like an onion: many layers. Having removed the top plastic “suit”, we see a metal shielding box with perforations. And only inside it is the only one electronic board. Let us remind you that the device’s power supply is external, and there is no space for an HDD at all. The main processor is hidden by an aluminum radiator, secured with a spring clamp and hot-melt adhesive. To dismantle the radiator, you have to warm it up thoroughly with a hairdryer, and then, grasping it and praying, carefully, but with effort, remove it - the main thing is that there is no fragment of the processor crystal left on the radiator, otherwise the player will turn into a heap of useless scrap metal. In general, everything worked out, but the bent ribs in the photo are our doing; we noticed it only later and corrected it immediately. The heart of the player is a modern media processor Sigma Designs SMP8655 (frequency 500 MHz).
Click on the picture to enlarge it
Unlike the SMP8652 and the “blue-ray” SMP8642, it does not support Macrovision and other protections, so by connecting an external optical drive WD TV Live cannot be turned into a licensed Blu-ray / DVD-Video player. In addition, we have serious doubts about the efficiency of processor cooling: the radiator is large, but the air exchange inside the two-layer case with small holes is weak, and it still happens naturally. It’s not surprising that after two hours of operation the player was like boiling water, although it didn’t freeze even once. But now it’s winter, the room is quite comfortable +23 Celsius. I wonder what will happen in the hot summer if there is no air conditioning at home? Will there be overheating? Now we cannot answer these questions; we can only rely on the competence of Western Digital designers...
Remote control
Click on the picture to enlarge it
Having paid much attention to the internals of WD TV Live, its creators somehow bypassed the remote control. Yes, the first WD TV had the same one, but that doesn’t mean anything. The remote control is far from the most comfortable for a man’s palm (this especially concerns the proximity of the “down” and “stop” buttons). It itself is small, and the buttons are located close. It’s good that the body is thick, so it fits well in the hand. Functionality is only basic. Many additional functions are called up by pressing Option, after which the desired position is selected on the pop-up on-screen menu using the cursor keys.
Main characteristics
| WD TV Live | |
| Firmware version during testing: | 1.01.24 |
| CPU: | Sigma Designs SMP8655 |
| Support for file types and containers: | |
| CPU Cooling: | Passive (aluminum radiator with hot-melt adhesive) |
| Interior HDD: | Not provided |
| Analog video outputs: | Composite (RCA, via adapter cable), component (3 RCA, via adapter cable) |
| Analog audio outputs: | 2 RCA (stereo), via adapter cable |
| Digital audio outputs: | Optical (TosLink) |
| HDMI: | v1.3 (up to 1080p inclusive; HD audio support) |
| Built-in audio decoder: | Dolby/DTS (downmix to stereo) |
| Connection to local network: | Wired (Ethernet 10/100 Mbit), Internet radio, YouTube |
| USB Host Ports: | 2 (1 side + 1 rear) |
| USB Slave: | No |
| eSATA Host: | No |
| eSATA Slave: | No |
| Dimensions: | 12.5 x 10 x 4 cm |
| Approximate price in Moscow at the time of publication of the article: | 3500 rubles (as of January 2011) |
Testing
The user interface has not changed: the first WD TV had the same single-level grid structure. Up and down - select a category, and go deeper into the functionality of this category - to the right. On the one hand, such a menu is extremely clear to master; you won’t get confused in it; however, unlike the usual one, when there is start page with icons leading to different nooks and crannies, there's a lot of button mashing. For example, to start a video from a connected USB hard The disk needs 5-7 "poke", and when working with a remote network drive - much more. But the launch of selected files occurs extremely quickly, in a matter of seconds. You can evaluate this speed, as well as see the menu design, in the video below. Please do not pay attention to the quality, since the shooting was carried out from a TV screen.
For those who did not have time to read the names of the test videos, we inform you that the player successfully coped with high-bitrate ones, one of which, an excerpt from the Bond film “Casino Royale,” has an average of 50-60 Mbits, and the takeoff of ducks goes off scale at 110 Mbits. The player displayed all of them smoothly, without any hitches. In general, in terms of omnivorousness, WD TV Live is a step higher than its predecessor. Of course, the baby from WD does not reach the standard level in this regard, but its price is completely different! But there is no playback of BD images here. and the player learned to display DVD images from the menu only by the end of 2010.
The settings menu offers a fairly large assortment so that the user does not feel offended. Two important points should be noted: for video via HDMI there is automatic frequency selection, and positions (files) can be displayed either in the form of a list or in the form of cover icons that must first be prepared.
The network operation was checked using the usual method: no useless numbers or complex manipulations. We do what the vast majority of users would do. Namely, they “shared” a folder on a Windows computer (SMB protocol) and entered it from the player. The entire system communicates through a 100-megabit Asus router. After completing the settings, we try to play several files with different bitrates. Of greatest interest is the already familiar excerpt from the opening sequence of the Bond film, in which the bitrate ranges from 50 to 60 Mbit. On the previously tested Dune HD Base 3.0 (using the same method, on the same equipment), this video was displayed without problems. At first, WD TV also pleased me, but after a few seconds the “brakes” began:
It's a pity, but this device is not suitable for playing high-bitrate files over the network. Perhaps, if you get smart with alternative firmware and settings; if you used a gigabit switch, and not a 100-megabit router, then the situation would change, but let’s not forget that the mentioned player from Dune coped with the task without doping, but WD TV did not. However, let's not be too strict. Firstly, so much has been said about the record network speed of the latest Dune models, and secondly, WD TV Live is a player of a lower class - it is intended for ordinary users, and not for HD video streaming enthusiasts.
Advantages:
- In relation to single video files, the player is almost “omnivorous”
- Quickly start playing any media files
- HDMI v1.3
- DTS audio decoding (in stereo mode)
- Access to YouTube and Internet radio
- Attractive price
Flaws:
- Potentially ineffective CPU cooling
- Average network speed
- Overly compact and poorly functional remote control
- Long menu structure makes content difficult to access
Conclusion
The relatively new WD TV Live corrected many of the critical shortcomings of the first generation WD TV, and also improved compatibility with various media files (thanks to the new processor). If we consider this device in relation to the price, then it is a very worthy product that can be safely recommended to ordinary users. We advise enthusiasts to be wary of this player - at least due to the lack of support for Blu-Ray images, as well as due to the inability to install an HDD inside, and not the fast work with the network. But, again, in its class of entry-level models, WD TV Live definitely deserves attention. And even in January 2011, when we updated the price and some nuances in the article (in particular, we added information about the new support for DVD images), that is, almost a year after testing, WD TV Live is still one of best players entry level.
Test conducted in February 2010, article updated in January 2011
From its first appearance, it immediately won the sympathy of a huge number of users - simply because it was very cheap, and the built-in functionality could be the envy of much more expensive models. However, the first model also had noticeable shortcomings. For example, it did not have a DTS audio decoder, there was no network support, and there was no support latest version HDMI. But Western Digital did not stand still and released the next version called WD TV Live, in which these shortcomings were eliminated. I kept meaning to test this model, but somehow never got around to it. And then they sent me from the States a special new US version called WD TV Live Plus (this is practically the same WD TV Live, only with support for several specific US network services), for which many thanks to the online store Reader-Sony.ru, and now we’ll just see what this player is. So, a compact universal media player WD TV Live Plus.
WD TV Live Plus
SpecificationsChipset- Sigma 8655
Dimensions- 126 × 40 × 100 mm
Weight- 330 g
Net- Ethernet 10/100
WiFi- using a special USB controller
Ports- Ethernet, HDMI, composite A/V, component video, USB 2.0
Audio File Types- MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS
Video file types- 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)
Image Types- JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
Playlists- PLS, M3U, WPL
Subtitle formats- SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI
Online services- Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, Live365, MediaFly networks
Drive unit- absent
HDD- absent Well, according to the characteristics - it supports at least the devil of a bald man. But let's see how it will look in practice. Equipment The device itself, remote control with batteries, AV cable (composite signal), AV cable (component signal), network power supply, guide quick installation and discs. Appearance and Controls There have been virtually no changes in the appearance of the player - a compact box the size of a pocket book.
Appearance
On the front panel there is a power indicator and an indicator for connecting an external drive. On the rear panel there are the corresponding outputs: power, USB, HDMI, optical, Ethernet, audio-video, component.
Rear end
There is another USB port on the left side. There are no control buttons on the body as a class; the player is controlled only by the remote control, which was small and primitive, and remains so.
Remote Control
Main menu
Preview images
While viewing a picture, you can call up a menu that contains zoom-out, rotation, and file information.
Menu
Also, if you are connected to the Internet, you can view images from your Flickr account. Listening to music Various types of selection: by artists, albums, compositions, playlists, recently listened to.
Compositions
Tracks and albums can also be viewed in preview mode or as a list. The player is simple, but during playback it displays information about the artist, album and genre.
Playback
Playback menu
Accelerated playback is done at 2-4-8 and 16x. You cannot jump to a specific time point - by the way, this is sad. The only "jump" that works here is jumping 10 minutes forward or backward when you press the "next chapter" or "previous chapter" button on fast forward.
Video with external subtitles
High resolution video
However, here you also cannot jump to a given time position or to the corresponding number of minutes, which is not particularly convenient. Acceleration from 2x to 16x works, but on some container codecs (especially on Matryoshka) it’s a little crooked. Jumping 10 minutes using the previous/next chapter keys during fast forwarding works here. The key point in my testing of HD media players is how they play folders with Blu-ray disc structures. Because modern players already play all kinds of rips decently, but Blu-ray folders - everything is much more complicated here. Players are divided into three categories based on their playback mechanism: 1. The player does not understand the structure of Blu-ray at all, and in order to play the desired stream stream, you need to select the appropriate file from tens or hundreds. And since the vast majority of players do not yet know how to sort files by size (this is the only way to find a file with a movie), it turns out that you really can’t really watch a movie in this format. 2. When playing a Blu-ray folder, the player automatically finds the movie and starts it. In this case, menus and extras are unavailable, but you can watch the movie. However, if among the additional stages there is a sufficiently long film about a film, then the player may miss and start it - I’ve encountered this. And then the movie itself can only be started manually. 3. The player reproduces the Blu-ray structure like a regular Blu-ray disc - with all the menus, extras, and so on. This, of course, is the most convenient. But in all my practice, only Dune players reproduced Blu-ray structures in this way. Some journalists explain the existing problems with the reproduction of such folders by the developers' concern for copyright - they say that pirated copies of BR discs are distributed in the folders, so they do not reproduce them, so as not to quarrel with the copyright holders. The explanation, in my opinion, is at least strange. Because the same “Matryoshka”, in which rips of BR films are distributed, is reproduced by all these players without any problems. And they are embarrassed to reproduce folders. By the way, in these folders I keep copies of normal licensed BR discs that I bought with my own hands. It’s just much more convenient for me to play them from a hard drive.
High resolution video in MKV with subtitles
So how does WD TV Live Plus behave with such folders? Behaves badly. Well, that is, it pretends that it understands these folders and seems to play the movie, but in reality it just grabs the first stream file that appears in the list - as a rule, this is a license warning in a hundred languages. Therefore, there is no point in using WD TV. Just search for the movie file and run it manually. Price In the States, this player costs about $90 - that is, two kopecks. Given such an ultra-low price, you are more than tolerant of its shortcomings. If you don’t need to watch Blu-ray folders, then the player is quite suitable for solving most light tasks of playing media content, including from the network. conclusions Well, the player is clearly developing - the developers have removed most of the problems of the WD TV model in WD TV Live. With the network, support for the DTS decoder and various Internet media services, the player has become very good. And if you also take into account that it really costs a penny, it’s simply one of the best budget models On the market. Among the shortcomings is the inability to scroll through videos more flexibly and get to the desired point, and problems with Blu-ray folders. Otherwise, it's a great player, just great.
gvrax 2 years ago
Yandex Market
I've been using it since about 2012!)
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Advantages: 1) Durability and reliability of the device! 2) Relevance - I still use it 3) UPDATE: I re-flashed it with a modified firmware, now youtube works again :)
Disadvantages: No longer supported - outdated software on it (but can be treated by updating the firmware with installing plugs)
alexey chugunov 3 years ago
Yandex Market
Great model, I use it all the time. Reads everything 95% of the time. I am 100% satisfied with the purchase and recommend it to everyone
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Pros: compact, reads everything
Disadvantages: after turning off and then turning on the electricity, it turns on itself
Vasily K. 4 years ago
Yandex Market
It's a shame they were discontinued - it's a successful model. But! I know where they still sell them! In the summer of 2016, I bought such a player in a store for 2,499 rubles. - This is the second such player in my home. The first one still works flawlessly.
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Advantages: Small, universal, plays any files both from USB drives and over the network. The remote control is convenient, the button layout is intuitive. Soft LED light on the front panel (does not hit the eye). With alternative firmware it gets new features.
Disadvantages: The side USB socket broke - it physically broke off from the board.
noname 5 years ago
Yandex Market
A few years ago I bought exactly the same device, but with a built-in 2 TB hard drive. It still works great, additional drives are easy to read.
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Advantages: There is only one advantage: you can connect an external storage device to this device.
Disadvantages: The huge disadvantage is that, in this device there is no (judging by the description of the characteristics) built-in HDD!
Dimitry-188 6 years ago
Yandex Market
Great device. An important point: if you simply press the red button on the remote control, the device goes to sleep, but in a very peculiar way: instead of 8 W (in “on mode”) it consumes 6 W. At the same time, it actively heats up and continues to keep WiFi turned on. But if you press the red button on the remote control and hold it down for 5 seconds, the device goes to sleep completely, does not heat up and does not consume extra energy.
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Advantages: 1. Almost all files play perfectly “over the air”. 2. High quality made.
Disadvantages: 1. Play files via DLNA with file storage It took a long time to force him to do so. 2. Connected to the TV via HDMI - the top of the picture is slightly “cropped”.
Andrey G. 6 years ago
Yandex Market
I've been using it for over 4 years. During this time, there were a couple of inadequate and inexplicable failures in the summer heat (spontaneous shutdown, inability to turn on). I don’t use Internet services or connections. Only watching movies (files up to 4GB) from three 1TB disks (2.5", USB 2.0 and 3.0, without power), sometimes photos from vacation, sometimes music in MP3 on an active analog triphonic for $ 100. Overall it works perfectly as Swiss Watches.
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Advantages: quality of workmanship, pictures, sound. Reliability, ease of control
Disadvantages: for such a price tag there are simply none
N. Roman 6 years ago
Yandex Market
An excellent box showing everything and everywhere. Works well with a properly configured media server
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Advantages: Reads everything (1% failure over 3 years of use), connects to any TV, good video signal on all wires, simplest interface, excellent functionality.
Disadvantages: Sometimes it glitches inside the grid (possibly it is configured incorrectly) and does not see everything that is shared. Not The best decision to view files larger than 20 gigs.
Evg B. 6 years ago
Yandex Market
Super machine for your money. A good opportunity to turn a somewhat outdated plasma model (like mine) into a real media center. Ideal for viewing downloaded rips. Viewing through this machine on a 40" plasma a whole MKV rip in size from 2 to 3 GB - the quality is acceptable/good, more good. Size from 4 to 6 GB. (720p) - the quality is very good. Rips AVI, in my opinion, is generally better than through a computer video card, with the exception of traditional soap in the dark areas of the frame. Recommended for purchase _______________________ Addition: after 3 years of use (quite intensive), there are glitches in playing movies (during movie 4). -5 times the image and sound are turned off for 2-3 seconds).
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Advantages: Plays all formats of video rips that I have. Sees a 2 TB hard drive. Great picture. For best quality must be connected via HDMI.
Disadvantages: 1. Out of about 600 films in MKV, only 2 films were not taken. The reason is unknown, possibly an outdated codec. But this is a funny flaw.2. Sound roads in AAS play worse than others (stutters every 10 seconds). Well, if you don't pay attention, it's unimportant. 3. If the hard drive connected to the media player contains a file that it does not read for one reason or another, then when you play back other files recorded on the hard drive and which it easily read before, the media player may not open them. It can be treated by disabling/enabling or deleting the unreadable file.
Guest 6 years ago
Yandex Market
I wanted to exchange the box for an android - I bought a minix neo x7 - but this android is resting - I sold it a month later on Avito.
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Advantages: everything that is available plays; if you turn it off, it continues from the same place. small and convenient, the remote control is what you need. knows how to play with VK - on alternative firmware.
Disadvantages: no wifi no ivi
Alexander p. 6 years ago
Yandex Market
I connected the device to the network with a twisted pair cable, connected a 1TB disk without additional ones. nutrition. I mercilessly installed an alternative firmware (b-rad) on it on the first day of purchase. The first requirement was the presence of a torrent downloader; the firmware has rtorrent, but I didn’t like it and an additional transmission plugin was installed. After which the hardware began to download/distribute files itself, at the same time you can play these files with the player. BUT... sometimes the toy freezes... the only thing I could achieve was the firmware/plugin ratio, in which after a hard reboot the rocker resumes operation. Currently distributes more than 100 video files. In general, we found a compromise with the device, although the hardware is apparently rather weak for full operation of the rocker. I am adding to the review on November 15, 2013, the player has been working as a torrent downloader/distributor since February 18, 2011, in addition to showing these films. I managed to give away approximately 35 TB, download 2 TB, and today I was sent to a well-deserved rest (read “to work as intended”) in connection with the acquisition of a NAS. Honor and praise to the manufacturer, durable piece of iron. Yes, by the way, I left the alternative firmware, downloaded a plugin for showing movies from external file storages, now simple TV series and all sorts of entertainment programs can be watched online without downloading.
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Advantages: The undisputed leader in terms of price/quality. A serious electronics manufacturer - WD screws have never failed. I have read 99% of the available video files. Dimensions of the player itself and the remote control.
Disadvantages: Perhaps the lack of a volume control, although I read somewhere on the forum that you can plug in a plugin and the volume will appear.
There is no doubt that WD TV, released almost a year ago, has significantly revitalized the market for media players that support high-definition video. It very successfully combines the “correct” processor, a convenient software shell, an impressive design and, most interestingly, low cost.
The only thing that disappointed us was the lack of network connection. This significantly complicated working with large media libraries, which are most conveniently stored on network drives or personal computers. Of course, since then enthusiasts have already solved this problem, but for the mass user this “upgrade” is not easy.
So the release of an updated version of the player with a built-in network controller looks very interesting. Western Digital clearly wants to repeat the success of the first model, and the timing of the announcement was chosen well - just before the New Year holidays. Let's see if this works.
Contents of delivery
The player is packaged in a compact cardboard box, decorated in dark colors. The name of the model looks the most contrasting. So if you are looking for a device on the shelves in a store, you will find it quickly. Also on the packaging you can find several photographs, a brief description, and specifications. Localization is only partial. The size is also pleasing - only about 20x18x10 centimeters. Several of these will fit in a regular plastic bag at once :).
Let's see what's inside and whether the package is sufficient to start working with the device. The box contains: player, remote control, batteries for it (2xAAA), leaflet with brief description installation process, CD with complete descriptions and programs, two audio-video cables, power supply (12 V 1.5 A), two sets of rubber feet.
Wiring comes in two options - composite video plus stereo audio and component video. Both cables on the player side use a four-pin minijack connector. Today this is a fairly common option. But you can’t buy them in any store.
On the CD the user can find pdf file With full version manuals on English language(the Russian version can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website), several samples of media files, a program for searching for a device on the network.
In general, we can say that the kit is quite sufficient. Sorry, of course not HDMI cable, but from a device positioned as “high quality and inexpensive”, this is probably not worth demanding.
Appearance
Like its predecessor, the model we are considering today causes nothing but delight upon first acquaintance. It’s simply impossible to believe that a modern multi-format device with full support for HD video can fit in such a compact case. A new model even more interesting - among other things, there is now a network controller.
Actually, the case itself remains almost the same - plastic is used, the dimensions are 12.5x10x4 cm. Only now, instead of glossy black, it has become matte gray. Of course, this is more practical in terms of cleanliness and preservation of appearance.
The included rubber feet can be attached to one of two sides, which corresponds to the horizontal and vertical orientation of the player. On the front panel there is a small window with indicators of device status and USB activity (two stylish white LEDs), as well as an IR signal receiver from the remote control.
On the side (or top) there is one USB port and a reset button. All other connectors are on the rear panel. Here you can find the power supply input, a second USB port, HDMI, optical digital audio output, network port, and analog audio-video connectors.
Compared to WD TV in new version We added a component video output and, of course, a network port. Since space is very limited, this has led to the replacement of conventional audio-video “tulips” with minijacks. This is a little less convenient, but the main connection option today is HDMI, so the remark is not very significant.
The player is cooled passively - the grilles are located at the ends. In this sense, vertical installation is more effective. Consumption is very small, so overheating is only possible in the event of an extremely unsuccessful installation. In particular, the manufacturer does not recommend installing an external hard drive on the player. This solution also has an undeniable advantage in the form of completely absent noise, especially when working over a network.
Let us once again praise the remote control - compact, with a reasonable minimum of buttons, convenient and functional design. As with the media player body itself, this time matte plastic was used for the remote control, which significantly affected appearance during operation. It is worth paying attention to the absence of any volume control from the remote control.
Internal organization
In terms of filling, the new model is similar to the first one - it again uses a platform based on the Sigma Designs media processor. But there are also differences: the main chip is now SMP8655, the memory volumes have increased noticeably (up to 512 MB RAM and 256 MB flash), a network chip has been added, and a separate HDMI output chip, on the contrary, has disappeared.
The main processor has a large heatsink. The remaining microcircuits do without cooling systems.
The player has one board, which ensures the reliability of the design. In addition to the indicated components, you can also find a console output on it, which will allow you to modify the firmware.
The filling is housed in a metal casing, which ensures structural rigidity and “solidity” of the player, thanks to its relatively large weight. Well, in turn, all this is in plastic case, consisting of two elements. If desired, it can be disassembled even without using a screwdriver.
Connection and settings
By and large, this entire section could be fit in one sentence - “connect the HDMI, network and power cables, turn on the player and start watching the video.” Indeed, in our case, we can do without preliminary settings - HDMI immediately started working in 1080p mode, LAN card received an address via DHCP and the player found several DLNA servers on the test network. Nevertheless, let's go through the player interface settings pages.
There are seven groups of parameters in total. The first - “Audio and Video” - is used to set the operation of the outputs - the type and mode of video output is configured, support for DeepColor on HDMI is activated, the screen aspect ratio and audio output mode (stereo analog or digital) are selected. We note here the lack of support for auto-selection of frame rate depending on the type of source material, although 1080p24 itself is present in the parameters.
The next three groups relate to video, photo and music playback, respectively. For all types of files, you can select the playback sequence and the type of list of files and directories (thumbnails, list, preview). The player supports the use of external jpeg files for designing folder icons.
In addition, subtitles can be adjusted for the video - font size, outline type, automatic use in the presence of. To view photos in slide show mode, select the interval and type of transition (one of seven options or random selection), as well as the zoom mode. For music files, the only additional option is to show the file name or song name.
Next comes “File Management”. In fact, this is not a settings page, but a built-in utility for copying and moving documents between network and local drives. It is also possible to delete files.
An obviously new item for this model is “ Network settings" We are talking about specifying network connection parameters. Supported manual mode setting IP addresses, as well as DHCP. Interestingly, the device can also be used with wireless networks, but for this you apparently need to connect a special USB adapter. The compatibility list on the website shows more than a dozen models, including 802.11n. Among those actually available in Russia, we note the D-Link DWA-140. You can remember five wireless networks and quickly switch between them. The modern WPA encryption standard is supported, so connecting the player in wireless network will not compromise security. Although, of course, it should be noted that for an HD player this option of integration into the network is not very interesting due to low (for the tasks under consideration) performance.
Here you can also find options that allow access to connected USB drives over the network, auto-connection of network resources, and resetting remembered network details (username and password). The network access speed is typical for this class of devices - about 5 MB/s for reading and 3 MB/s for writing (and writing is also supported on NTFS). The device name can be overridden from the default “WDTVLIVE”, but the workgroup does not change.
The last page is dedicated to system settings. In particular, selecting the interface language (Russian is available, although the translation is sometimes incorrect or has errors), enabling file indexing (a function similar to WD TV, which allows you to work with information from tags, and not with folders, applies only to local drives, creates hidden folder on removable disks, requires free space), selecting a timeout for the screen saver, setting the code page, resetting all parameters, checking for firmware updates and installing them (the tests used the recently released 1.01.17). Localization affected not only the menu - the player works correctly with Russian file names both locally and over the network, and tags are also read correctly. To access some updates from WD, you must register your device on the website. For WD TV Live, this can be done directly from the player interface. All you need to do is provide your name and email address.
So, we are done with the settings, you can start working with media files.
Working with multimedia
“Communication” with the player occurs through the menu using the remote control. Its design is quite pleasant and convenient - a “grid” version similar to its predecessor is used with a choice of items vertically and horizontally. We especially note good speed response without causing discomfort.
On FullHD devices the picture does not “ring” - clearly in the original version the design was oriented towards standard resolution or 720p. Although, of course, this does not affect the work with files and still looks very high quality.
The first selection consists of the "Video", "Photo", "Music" and "Settings" items, which were described above. After determining the content type (affects file filtering while viewing lists), you must select a source - local disks, network resources, media servers or Internet services (different for each type of content).
To connect local disks, there are two USB port 2.0. Working with USB hubs is not supported, which is not very convenient. But you can use several partitions on disks. File systems in this case there can be FAT/FAT32, NTFS, HFS+. When using disk indexing, it is advisable to use the corresponding button on the remote control to disable them.
There are no special presets for network resources. UPnP AV/DLNA servers are found automatically. The player works with WMP from Windows 7, TwonkyMedia and MediaTomb servers, as well as network drives with built-in DLNA service. The operating speed in this mode is very high - we were able to play back test files with a video bitrate of 52 Mbit/s and there was even room for fast forwarding. Of course, this is one of the positive features of the device in question.
To connect conventional network folders(SMB/CIFS protocols) has a built-in network browser. When accessing a resource, you are prompted for a username and password if necessary. This data is saved and does not need to be repeated later. In general, this option is not bad, although in the case large network perhaps it would be more convenient to have some list of selected resources for quick access. The speed of working with SMB is usually lower, but this time we were not able to accurately determine the limitation. As a rule, we check the speed of work with a regular PC under Windows control and network drives and the results are almost the same. But with the device in question, the numbers were very different, and the repeatability was poor - sometimes it was not possible to read a file with a video bitrate of 30 Mbit/s normally from the computer, but with the NAS, 50 Mbit/s video was shown well. As one of the tests, we looked at a m2ts file of about 40 GB from the disk image without any problems. So just keep in mind that the network speed may be enough for remixes, but we cannot predict success.
Let's start, as usual, with the simplest thing - photographs. The device can work with files jpeg formats, gif, tiff, bmp, png. The image can be rotated and scaled while viewing. The orientation flag from exif is read and used correctly. There is also a display mode brief information about the file - modification date, resolution, size. You can also change the repeat mode for the slide show on the fly. To set these options, use a special dedicated button on the remote control with the same name. Unfortunately, its action “interrupts” all other controls - if the “option” menu is visible on the screen, you must first remove it, even to stop playback.
Photo previews are visible only when working with local and network resources, as well as with a DLNA server. Indexing local disks allows you to use, in addition to “directory” navigation, also sorting by date (similarly for video files). There is a built-in library search system that works with indexed content.
The online photo viewing service is presented by flickr. When using it, you can select certain categories of files, such as the most interesting or recently published. But there are clearly some problems with the resolution of the pictures - they look very sad on a FullHD TV.
Let's move on to the music. According to the manufacturer, here we can use the formats mp3, wma, wav, aac, flac, mka, aiff, aac, ogg. In addition, you can decode DD and DTS directly in the player and output in stereo format. In general, all this was confirmed (we did not check some rare formats). Fans of high-quality sound will certainly enjoy working with flac. It’s a pity there aren’t enough developers for ape anymore. The audio output is also not very good - the maximum sample rate of the decoded signal is 48 kHz, even if the source file (for example, in wav format) was recorded at 96 or 192 kHz.
Tags are supported in mp3, wma and flac formats. Russian versions are visible in both Unicode and cp1251 (with the appropriate selection of the code page in the settings).
If your library is already boring, you can use the built-in clients for Live365 and Pandora services. They provide access to a huge number of Internet radio stations. True, the first one works in “VIP” mode for only five days (to demonstrate the full range of capabilities), and the second one is available only in the United States (and requires registration). However, in the free version of Live365 you can find something interesting to listen to. And if this is not enough, purchase a VIP account (about $8 per month).
By the way, if you first turn on the music and then return to photo mode, you will get a slide show with musical accompaniment.
Except separate files, the player also works with playlists in pls and m3u formats, which may be useful for some users. Sorting for local disks occurs by album, artist, genre, date.
This player model, of course, is primarily intended for viewing modern high-definition video formats. However, it is also quite compatible with “regular” video and can display such familiar formats as mpeg, avi/divx/xvid and wmv. It’s a pity that the manufacturer has not yet established how to work with DVD-Video: neither folders nor disk images can be fully used - only file by file or only the main movie (and even then not always). Although switching audio tracks and subtitles works fine with them. To fully enjoy the picture, you should look for something with FullHD resolution in mkv, ts/m2ts, mp4 or mov containers. There are also no problems with codecs - all the capabilities of the chip from Sigma Designs are used. The player successfully decodes mpeg1/2/4, wmv9, h.264/avc and vc-1. In particular, you can view recordings from modern HD video cameras without any editing or processing.
While watching, you can use rewind - up to 16x (depending on the format) in both directions. Certainly real speed depends on the performance of the data source. Unfortunately, there is no quick navigation using timecode. Some compensation for this can be the automatic memorization of the position when playback is stopped. If you then select the same file, the player will offer to start from there or from the very beginning. One more in a fast way navigation is to use the buttons to go to the next/previous file while rewinding - they allow you to “jump” 10 minutes at once.
Files can have multiple subtitles and multiple audio tracks. Switching is only through the options menu. This, of course, is not very convenient. You can also try scaling the image by 1/8x, 1/4x, 1/2x, 1.1x, 1.2x, 2x, 4x, 8x.
The situation with HD audio tracks is ambiguous. From the test set of files, some versions played successfully, while others had no sound (although the player correctly detected the track format). So there is no clear answer about the applicability of the player in this case. Among the successful options, we note DTS HD output as DTS, full DD TrueHD, LPCM output with downmix in stereo.
Subtitles are supported both external (srt, ssa, smi/sami, idx/sub) and embedded in the video file (mkv with ssa or srt). When setting the player to Russian, you can use cp1251, Unicode and UTF8 to display text correctly. You can also have several language versions of external subtitles, differing in suffixes. External subtitles do not work when playing files through a media server.
In addition to files, the user can watch videos from the popular YouTube service. There is a choice based on popularity, rating and other criteria. A good move is the support for HD formats broadcast from this service. In this case, on TVs with large screens The videos don't look as bad as they do in standard definition.
Complete programs
Full versions of user manuals and various documentation are recorded on disk in pdf format. Unfortunately, Acrobat Reader not included. Although, of course, most likely everyone already has it installed.
Also on the disk there are several examples of media files - photos in jpeg, music in mp3 and video in mp4. Note that the videos and photographs are in FullHD resolution, so the user can immediately evaluate the capabilities of his new acquisition.
The disk shell is presented as an interactive program that links both to files on the disk and to various network resources (for example, the Adobe website). There is also a WD Discovery utility that will help you find the player on the network and organize access to connected USB devices.
There are no programs for transcoding media files included. Apparently this time the manufacturer considers its product “omnivorous,” which was confirmed in our tests. Although, of course, several times we received a request for specific samples to recode the file for playback on the player.
conclusions
The new model of the WD TV Live player turned out to be certainly successful. In addition to all positive characteristics predecessor, it also received a very fast network, allowing you to view almost any type of content from remote resources.
Some users will also find it useful to increase the HDMI output version, which has led to support (in this moment partial) new HD audio track formats. Of course, to use them you will also need an appropriate receiver.
Unfortunately, in the pursuit of high-resolution video, the manufacturer forgot or did not have time to implement full support for the still popular DVD-Video today - the player cannot show the disc menu.
In our opinion, WD TV Live can successfully compete with numerous models of the NMT family today. First of all, it has a sleek design, a beautiful and convenient user interface, very fast network connection. The price announced by the manufacturer at the beginning of sales was $149.99 (we are, of course, talking about the USA) today has already dropped to $119.99 and looks great. On the local market, unfortunately, it differs markedly from this figure. The current average retail price of this model in Moscow is $128() .
We thank the 2L agency for providing the player for testing.
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