# Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player



## BlueZero

Does anyone have one? What do you think?

Looks like what I've been looking for. I started ripping everything to an external for use with my PS3 but I might just pick up one of these instead.

One thing I noticed and liked was you can use NTFS formatted drives instead of FAT32 like with the PS3. No more pesky 4 gb file size limit.

Take care,

Scott


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## Tate10

I was wondering about this also, Ive been using WD 1T External Hard Drive plugged into my PS3 to play my backed up media. Can you plug the External to the WD TV HD Media Player and get the clip art and a better menu. Tate


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## Harpmaker

I don't own one of these devices, but I'm thinking about it. Like you Scott, the 4GB file size limit of the PS3 concerns me since I have many DVD's backed up as ISO files and don't want to have to compress them.

After looking at WD TV™ HD Media Player's specs, it comes up a bit short for me since they don't specifically say it supports ISO, VOB or VIDEO_TS playback. It plays back most other video formats though. It also doesn't have a component connection. Some folks are worried because Divx isn't specifically stated as being supported, and others don't like that it doesn't have a network connection.
http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=572

Another media player I'm looking at is the INOi MH720. I don't believe it will take external hard drives, but it can be used with an internal drive up to 1TB and does have a USB connection so it can be moved between your home theater and PC. This is an older player so be sure to check it's specs. BTW, it will play VOB files. However; I just found out that, unlike the WD device above, the INOi player will not make it's own playlists; this could be the kiss-of-death for this player for me since I have an earlier INOi DVD player that takes a proprietary removable USB hard drive, and everything on the HDD is in the order of date copied to the drive; very frustrating.


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## Harpmaker

Here is a link to the best review I have seen so far on the WD Media Player.
http://maddhat.com/?p=31

Like all new devices, it will take a little while for all the bugs to be worked out, but right now this looks like a pretty good player for the money.

While I don't have 100% confirmation, I believe the device will play ISO files. This just might be on my Christmas list!


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## BlueZero

Thanks for the review link Don!

Seemed like there was a few issues but for the $100 price it might work perfect for me. My TV is only a 720p so I don't think the 1080p issues would affect me.

One of my biggest complaints with using my PS3 is the fan noise. It's pretty much out in the open since it gets so hot but then you can hear the fan all the time. This little thing would be silent. Just need to get a good quite external hard drive. I can picture a matching WD 1TB sitting next to it on the shelf now.

There are some pretty informative reviews over on Amazon also. Seems like there might be a freezing issue when fast forwarding ISO files. To be honest I don't fast forward or rewind much so that should be a big deal. ISO would be great. So much faster to rip to an ISO than to have to convert to something else. I wouldn't even know what the next best file type would be. Too much information for me.

My Christmas list is pretty full so I might have to wait till after. :innocent:


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## Harpmaker

I'll have to check out the reviews at Amazon... I don't know why I keep forgetting to check them on stuff like this. I guess being an old bugger, I still think of them as just a book store.:bigsmile:

As far as external hard drives go, I just got a Fantom GD1000EU 1TB USB 2.0 / eSATA Silver GreenDrive external Hard Drive and *I LOVE it!* It is super quiet, doesn't have an obnoxious super-bright blue LED like most of my external drives, and runs so cool you almost wonder if it's working! IMO, it would be the perfect drive to use with the WD Media Player.


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## eugovector

I know it's twice the money, but an NMT device like the popcorn hour might serve you better (more file support like iso, vob, and network support as well).


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## Harpmaker

The Popcorn solutions indeed look great, but for us po' folk their extra cost puts a damper on things.


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## eugovector

WD has a 1.01 firmware that improves functionality greatly. If you have this device, make sure you upgrade.


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## JohnnyBlaze

I like to just add that presently I'm using the Western Digital TV HD Media player; Let me start by saying that by it being one of the new and popular companies to introduce the whole HD media concept it is definitely according to my family & friends the HOTTEST thing since Blu-ray. Now, I've been seriously thinking of building my own HTPC for a while now and during my research I came across this little black box and considering that a properly built HTPC will run me a few hundred dollars; I jumped on the Western Digital at the steal price of $119 (Newegg) or $129(Bestbuy). I must admit the play-back of downloaded HD video (1080p) are GREAT! It's nice to just download and play using this device w/o having to convert/burn onto dvd just to play on my HDTV. At first I was in awe for awhile until I needed and wanted more, such as, network/wi-fi capability. It is annoying to have to constantly connect/disconnect my external hard drive to add more videos; also at times some videos need to be converted with the included software (ArcSoft MediaConverter) which at times can take hours. Another minor headache is the video player's lack of skip back or skip forward. Sure, you can rewind or fast forward the movie that you're watching but if you restart a movie and want to jump forward to the part you were at you have to sit there and slowly fast forward until you get to the scene you want. Considering how great the WD TV is the lack of a quick skip button is something of a disappointment. For the average user who needs basic media play-back e.g.(music,pictures) and video at 1080p on your HDTV at this price this little unit is awesome!


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## Tate10

Does the 1.01 firmware update allow the play back of vob files?


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## Harpmaker

Tate10 said:


> Does the 1.01 firmware update allow the play back of vob files?


I thought it always did play .VOB's?


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## Harpmaker

JohnnyBlaze said:


> I like to just add that presently I'm using the Western Digital TV HD Media player; Let me start by saying that by it being one of the new and popular companies to introduce the whole HD media concept it is definitely according to my family & friends the HOTTEST thing since Blu-ray. Now, I've been seriously thinking of building my own HTPC for a while now and during my research I came across this little black box and considering that a properly built HTPC will run me a few hundred dollars; I jumped on the Western Digital at the steal price of $119 (Newegg) or $129(Bestbuy). I must admit the play-back of downloaded HD video (1080p) are GREAT! It's nice to just download and play using this device w/o having to convert/burn onto dvd just to play on my HDTV. At first I was in awe for awhile until I needed and wanted more, such as, network/wi-fi capability. It is annoying to have to constantly connect/disconnect my external hard drive to add more videos; also at times some videos need to be converted with the included software (ArcSoft MediaConverter) which at times can take hours. Another minor headache is the video player's lack of skip back or skip forward. Sure, you can rewind or fast forward the movie that you're watching but if you restart a movie and want to jump forward to the part you were at you have to sit there and slowly fast forward until you get to the scene you want. Considering how great the WD TV is the lack of a quick skip button is something of a disappointment. For the average user who needs basic media play-back e.g.(music,pictures) and video at 1080p on your HDTV at this price this little unit is awesome!


Welcome to HTS!

If you need to convert programming from one format to another, you might want to give MediaCoder a try. It's free and contains no spyware or other nasties. See this thread for more info: http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...1-what-really-good-wmv-avi-dvd-converter.html


I believe the WDMP will play standard TS_VIDEO folders, and even DVD .ISO images without needing a virtual drive. Both of these methods will preserve the Chapters that are on the DVD so you can use those to skip to the areas of the disc that are so marked.

It would surprise me if WD isn't working feverishly on a unit that will add network capability.


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## JohnnyBlaze

Harpmaker said:


> Welcome to HTS!
> 
> If you need to convert programming from one format to another, you might want to give MediaCoder a try. It's free and contains no spyware or other nasties. See this thread for more info: http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...1-what-really-good-wmv-avi-dvd-converter.html
> 
> 
> I believe the WDMP will play standard TS_VIDEO folders, and even DVD .ISO images without needing a virtual drive. Both of these methods will preserve the Chapters that are on the DVD so you can use those to skip to the areas of the disc that are so marked.
> 
> It would surprise me if WD isn't working feverishly on a unit that will add network capability.


I'm glad I found this site...It Rocks! Thanks for the info on the video conversion software, I'll give it a try.


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## dazroth

first of all great thread and replies guys on the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player , i am seriously bought with this piece of equipment and ready for buying it but my question is:

1) is this the best piece of equipment out at the moment for the price? or is there other alternatives?
2) if i was to purchase this,what would be the best external hard drives to compliment this around the 1TB size

I have a very large collection of films,mp3s etc and looking for the very best solution for storage and playback on my tv with the convenience of an easy accessible menu for search and playback of the files

Im in the UK so if anyone knows any good sites to purchase these from would also be very much appreciated

Darren


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## eugovector

dazroth said:


> first of all great thread and replies guys on the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player , i am seriously bought with this piece of equipment and ready for buying it but my question is:
> 
> 1) is this the best piece of equipment out at the moment for the price? or is there other alternatives?
> 2) if i was to purchase this,what would be the best external hard drives to compliment this around the 1TB size
> 
> I have a very large collection of films,mp3s etc and looking for the very best solution for storage and playback on my tv with the convenience of an easy accessible menu for search and playback of the files
> 
> Im in the UK so if anyone knows any good sites to purchase these from would also be very much appreciated
> 
> Darren


If you think you might like to pull files over the network in addition to a local hard drive, look into a Network Media Device like the Popcorn Hour, Emptek EHP-606, or others. That solution will cost you a little more though at a bit over $200.

For the best MP3 navigation, the AppleTV is my current pick, but it won't handle quite as many file types as either the NMT or the WD.

But, for the money, the WD device seems like a real winner.


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## wbassett

My brother just bought one of these babies.

He was interested in it for awhile now and I just went down to visit him and took my PS3 along. After seeing it work and play movies and TV series directly from an external drive he was sold! He already has a very nice BD player, so he had no interest in a PS3. As for the Popcorn Hour, he doesn't have a cat5 cable down in his HT area, and doesn't plan on it. Plus since he's new at archiving to a drive, he didn't want to spend a lot of money and then decide he didn't like it afterall.

As far as file compatability, from what I see it plays everything, including .vob files, so that's a moot point. 

He couldn't get the unit while I was down there because Best Buy was completely sold out. He tried later and they were sold out again so he ended up ordering it online and just got it the other day. So right now I haven't seen it in person.

I did give him a 320GB My Book knowing he was going to get this baby soon and this way he'd have a drive to play around with. While I was down there I reformatted the My Book to NTFS. This way he would have no 4GB file size limitation and no compression at all no matter how slight.

I then loaded it up with all four seasons of The Man from U.N.C.L.E, 48 DVDs worth of TV series right there! Then we did all the U.N.C.L.E movies, which was another 8 DVDs, and then the entire series of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. ... another 15 DVDs. Again nothing was compressed one bit. This pretty much filled the 320GB drive, but him and I were geeking out that something the size of a Stephen King novel had around 72 DVDs worth of UNCLE on it! (The shelf space for the TVseries DVDS alone takes up around a foot!)

Until he got the Media player, he had the drive hooked to his computer and 22" HDTV/monitor in his bedroom. He got the player yesterday, plugged it in, hooked it to his receiver and 60" SXRD and plugged the drive in. He said it took quite awhile for the Media Player to sort through everything on the drive, around 20 minutes I think he said. After that, he was clicking away with the remote and watching everything on his big set!

I asked him if there was any video quality issues, or audio sync issues and he said none at all. So the method I outlined to use the PS3 as a media server also works like a champ for the WD Media player.

He wasn't too impressed with the remote or the menu sytem, and as of now he hasn't played around with thumbnail images or anything like that. Overall though he is extremely happy right now and I have have him hooked on the idea of archiving things to external drives like I'm doing!

I've heard comments about the WD's short comings, and on other forum have seen people trash it because it doesn't have a network connection, but guys come on... this baby is just a bit over $100, (I think he paid $129) and it's bound to come down in price some too. It seems to upconvert okay, but that's a hard one to really tell because the SXRD also upconverts. For $100 you couldn't build anything that does what this thing does that's for sure.

Sure it doesn't have networking, but not everyone wants or needs that. If you do, then yeah sure spend the extra on a Popcorn Hour. If you don't have a Bluray player yet and want one as well as this functionality... then take a good look at the PS3. It now even decodes True HD onboard as well as supports play lists and streaming video over a network. 

For the money, this is one slick little device, and the menu system as well as other things could be improved and added with future firmware updates. Don't sell it short!


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## JohnnyBlaze

*WD TV™ HD Media Player Firmware Update Release Notes*

*New Features:*
•Added .MKV chapter selection for video playback for MKV with chapter support
•Added .MTS file extension support
•Added .TP file extension support
•Added .TS file extension support
•Added 1080p 24hz support
•Added disk volume name to folder navigation in list mode
•Added EXIF orientation flag functionality for auto picture rotate
•Added file size in filename
•Added jump feature to the remote: While fast forwarding or reversing, if the “Next” or “Prev” buttons are pressed, video will jump 10 minutes in the respective direction
•Added progress indicator for the duration of the FF or REV function
•Added a blinking status LED behavior while drive is mounting; previously the light just stayed on
•Added sequential .M2TS file playback function
•Added additional subtitle support (SMI, SUB, , SSA)
•Added user selectable font size for subtitle support
•Added song title scroll in music playback to prevent truncation
•Added embedded subtitle display in .MKV files
•Added additional subtitle encoding support for the following: Western Europe (ISO), Traditional Chinese (Big5), Simplified Chinese (GB18030), Japanese (Shift-JIS), Korean (EUC-KR), Cyrillic (Windows-1251), Cyrillic (KOI8-R), Greek (ISO); previously only UTF-8 was supported
•Added display sizing menu for photo playback: Fit to Screen, Full Screen, Keep as Original
•Added accelerating scroll speed based on how long the arrow is held down on the remote when navigating folders with a large number of files; previously only one, constant speed was available

*Resolved Issues:*
•Resolved issue when 2 drives were connected, then one drive was disconnected, the files from the disconnected drive still showed up on the file list but were not playable
•Resolved "repeat one" failure during music playback; previously songs would not repeat
•Resolved artist name truncation issue during music playback
•Resolved issue where WD TV would not turn back on with remote after extended period of inactivity; previously WD TV had to be unplugged and was unrecoverable with the remote
•Resolved image size and position issues during video playback; previously the image displayed did not fill the screen until the picture was zoomed in and then out again.
:T


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## Harpmaker

Thanks for the update Jblaze! :T

Not a bad list of added features and resolved issues for a box only about 3 or 4 months out of the gate!

I just checked and another update is available.

Version 1.01.02:
*Resolved Issues*:
•
Resolved the issue surrounding updating the firmware from a large (500GB or larger) drive, previously the WDTV™ would not recognize the updated firmware on a large drive

*Known Issues*:
•
When image is rotated 90 degrees there is some elongation in the rotated view
•
If the user unsafely removes an HFS+ formatted drive from the media player without using the Eject button, the drive will become read only media


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## dh2005

Hey folks,

I've not been around for a while, but could anyone advise as to whether or not these little devices play back DVD images in the form of .ISOs and/or VIDEO_TS? If so, does the WD TV provide full-disc support - menus, special features, audio tracks, subtitles etc...?

I'm currently using a Popcorn Hour A-110, but I'm keen to know what the WD TV can do. I'm considering buying one as a birthday present for my father.

Thanks,


DH.


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## Harpmaker

I can't find the link I saved to the review that had this info in it, but I believe that the Western Digital Media Player will play .ISO files and VIDEO_TS folders.


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## JohnnyBlaze

Back Again Guys!

***Update***
I just like to let those of you who want to know....The WD does play ISO and TS VOB files with no problem!
Also, my WD is connected to an external "ANTEC" MX-1 enclosure w/ Seagate SATA 1TB HD. The reason why I mention this is because I've heard rumors that the WD doesn't support 1TB external hd's... Not True!
*Note: .mkv HD/ BluRay backed-up files LOOK AWESOME!!:T


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## msfullen

I have the WD Media Player and have 2 1TB WD hard drives, all the movies are in ISO file format and works like a charm, i am using DVD Shrink to convert to ISO since i cannot copy movies on the external drive more than 4GB, but now i am in the process of getting 2 2TB WD external hard drives so i can put all my movies on both instead of having 4 1TB since their is only 2 USB ports on the WD Media Player. """Does anybody know if you can add a movie clipart to an ISO file and view on the WD Media Player instead of the boring circled disk it shows""", thanks

I have hooked up a WD 2TB My mirror External Hard Drive up to the WD Media Player and the player detected it, still does anyone know if you can add a clipart to an ISO file? Thanks


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## dh2005

JohnnyBlaze;

Would you mind if I dropped you a private message about backing-up Blu-ray? I'm really having trouble with it, and no-one seems able to help.


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## JohnnyBlaze

**I'm Back Again!** 
Well, while on my endeavors of an "Ultimate Home Theater System" and on a never ending crusade to hack the WD to it's maximum potential.......I came across something very interesting, which I couldn't wait to share with you! **READ* >>*


Code:


http://chrishowells.co.uk/?p=68

 "I am sure there are those of you who will find this very interesting as well":cunning:


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## JohnnyBlaze

**Update**

Just like to continue to share what is in the unofficial works with WD >>
*Read*


Code:


http://root.unknown.sk/wdtv/wiki/doku.php?id=wdtv_faq

I knew it wouldn't be long before guyz would tap into the WD to get LAN to work along with addressing a number of other issues, but remember this is in the early stages so there are plenty of mixed results. As you will read WD has the source code of their binaries:foottap:; We can only add features to the the linux system that it was not suppose to have like: internet to stream videos via a pc, etc.,etc. ....Not until someone has the source code of what controls the hdmi port, composite port, etc.

Would be nice if WD would add these features to the firmware but I seriously doubt it because of marketing reasons such as, the sale of their own hard drives or even a newer model WD.
So for now.......kudos to the tech_:nerd:'s (no disrespect intended), who continue to provide the rest of us with the best value to our well spent dollars:T


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## Harpmaker

Amazing stuff JBlaze! Thanks :T


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## BlueZero

Okay you guys twisted my arm! I picked one up on the way home tonight. :bigsmile:


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## ergegd

I got the confusion too!

But I think EHP-606 is more suitable!


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## JohnnyBlaze

I'm Back! It's been awhile 

***New uPdate***

*Version 1.02.07 Now Available!*

What's New?
Release 1.02.07 (4/27/2009)
(includes all previously released updates)

* Enhanced cover art, album art, and thumbnail support for media files and folders
* Additional subtitle languages and decoding support
* Improved media playback and navigation
* More audio formats for MKV container
* Fixed bugs reported by the WD TV user community



Code:


http://www.wdc.com/en/products/wdtv/index.asp?wdc_lang=en

-------------------------------------------------------
Glad to see that the people @ WD are really taking their consumers serious and are really listening to our feedback!
eNjOy!:T


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## wbassett

I just spent a week playing with one of these puppies up close and personal.

Yes there are alternatives out there, but nothing even close price wise. 

Probably the biggest complaint is that the WDTV doesn't have network support. Well it does and doesn't. Let me explain- It doesn't officially have the capability, but the source code is out there and people have been rewriting it. With the custom code update it now supports networking via a USB ethernet adapter.

I can also state that even though Western Digital states it does not work with USB hubs, up to FW version x.07 it does. I had multiple drives plugged into a hub that was attached to one of the WDTV's USB ports. They don't come up as seperate drives like when you have a drive plugged into each USB port. Instead you see a Video folder icon, and when you select that you then see the icons for the drives on the hub. Your mileage may vary though... .8 seems to have disabled hubs from working. I don't think that was done intentionally though. Also I'd use a powered hub for the best results.

We set up a couple of drives. One with all of the Man from U.N.C.L.E, Mission Impossible, and other spy genre TV series and big screen movies. I setup thumbnails for each episode, and each folder has it's own custom icon too. All in all it was very easy to setup.

It also plays anything we threw at it. For those that want to wait for an official company supported network feature, WD is introducing a second unit this fall that has networking. I don't know what the price will be though, but if they are smart they will keep it lower than the PCH.

In the end each device of this type has its pros and cons. There is nothing out there right now that is a total solution for everything, but the WDTV's price makes this very attractive. I have a PS3 and because I have it (and spent so much money on it!) I use it as my media hub because I want to keep gear and remotes to a minumum as well as see what all the PS3 can do. That said... I am seriously thinking about picking up a WDTV myself! This is one slick unit that won't break the bank and Western Digital seems to be very serious about supporting it and providing quick updates. They also seem to listen to user feedback and try to implement requests in new FW updates.


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## epereira

I have been using a WD TV HD Media Player now for bout 2 months and am pleased with it. I have it hooked up to an external 1TB USB hard drive which holds all my video and movies. My only complaint is that the UI and remote are pretty lame and now that I have my Harmony ONE programmed, I am smiling again


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## JohnnyBlaze

Hey "epereira" you mentioned the the Harmony One programed, I'm curious to know more, as to how well does it work with the WD TV HD? I presently own the Harmony 550 and it seemed to be limited in operating all of the functions of the WD vs. the remote.
:T


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## epereira

Hi Johnny:

The Harmony ONE works really well with the WD Media Player - I was a little skeptical at first but once I figured out the options/buttons, it is great! I like it a lot better than the WD remote :jump:

The Logitech software (latest version) allowed my to select the WD player - I believe it was under stereaming media or something similar. I don't know if the software options are remote-specific but would imagine that would be similar with the 550. How the buttons are mapped to your remote might be an issue though - the Harmony ONE has large touch-screen buttons and is easy to navigate to other options.


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## JohnnyBlaze

Thank........ I'll check it out.:T


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## el_stifler

You'll need to format the drive as NTFS to allow more than 4gb file sizes. You can do this by right clicking My Computer, choose Manage, then Disk Management > Right Click your drive and choose Format and select NTFS as the type of format. (This is on a Windows machine)

For viewing images of your movies, just drop a jpg into the same folder on the hard drive that your movie resides in. 

I have my drive set as F:\ then each movie has its own folder. In each folder I have an ISO of the film and a jpg. The jpg will come up as the movie pic rather than a blank folder.

Hope this helps.


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## wbassett

el_stifler said:


> You'll need to format the drive as NTFS to allow more than 4gb file sizes. You can do this by right clicking My Computer, choose Manage, then Disk Management > Right Click your drive and choose Format and select NTFS as the type of format. (This is on a Windows machine)
> 
> For viewing images of your movies, just drop a jpg into the same folder on the hard drive that your movie resides in.
> 
> I have my drive set as F:\ then each movie has its own folder. In each folder I have an ISO of the film and a jpg. The jpg will come up as the movie pic rather than a blank folder.
> 
> Hope this helps.


Question about using an ISO disc image...

Does it play back as if the DVD is in? Meaning do you have the DVD menu, can you select the chapters, setup, special features, and things like that the same as if you had the disc in?


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## eugovector

My understanding is that it does not, unlike the popcorn hour, but current owners may want to chime in. They may have done a firmware update since most of the reviews were done.


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## wbassett

Then what would be the purpose of using an ISO disc image?


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## eugovector

Single file vs multiple files/folders?


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## wbassett

I guess lol... that's a lot of wasted space though.

My guess is if it doesn't work now, it will shortly after a firmware update. Otherwise there is no reason to have ISO support.


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## JohnnyBlaze

Hey GuyZ, What's uP?.....I know its been awhile!

**New UpDate**
*Version 1.03.01 Now Available!*


Release 1.03 (11/9/2009)
(includes all previously released updates)

* Added video playlist support
* Added support for the drive lock function on the new My Passport and My Book external storage devices
* Improved metadata support for music. For example, browsing by genre is broken down into artists, then albums, then tracks
* Enhanced cover art, album art, and thumbnail support for media files and folders
* Fixed bugs reported by the WD TV user community 

VersioN 1.03.01:
New Features:
· Added support for video playlists functions which were limited to music files only
· Added support for the drive lock function on the new My Passport™ and My Book® external storage devices
Resolved Issues:
· Resolved the language displayed as OFF when English was selected
· Resolved the “Contains” button displayed as "ContainsWWW" in the search function
· Resolved MKV audio which was out of sync with the video
· Resolved slow rendering of Greek subtitles in Greek character encoding mode
· Resolved disappearance of Korean subtitle during video playback
· Resolved missing characters from the Greek subtitle font
· Resolved playback issues with VC-1 codec in an MKV container
· Resolved gain being applied to audio output that resulted in signal clipping
· Resolved playlists playing audio tracks in alphabetical order by playing them in track order
· Resolved the appearance of tracks in alphabetical order by displaying them in track order
· Resolved the spacing issue seen in Korean subtitles during video playback

*DownLoaD:*


Code:


http://www.wdc.com/global/webtracking/index.asp?id=1077&url=http://support.wdc.com/download/wdtv/WDTV_1_03_01.zip

eNjOy!:T


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## dazroth

Hi Guyz

I've owned this since February 09' now and really a good player for the money but after a while you get a bit fed up of the unplugging and plugging back in etc.
To tell you the truth maybe i should have listened to eugovector and purchased the popcorn hour?
but i have now decided to go down the HTPC route giving even bigger headaches and late night searching lol.
A couple of unofficial WDTV sites below but haven't tried them personally if anybody likes anything like this >>>>>>>>>>>

http://b-rad.cc/wdlxtv/

http://wiki.wdtv.org/doku.php


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## doctorcilantro

I bought the non-network version for my in-laws since my son spends some time there every week.

I know there are issues with certain audio streams which I need to research, and you can't even output this stream over the analog output.

Great device. Menu is lacking, and you can't tweak anything.

J. River is getting serious about DLNA support. If you already have a PS3, you might want to look that way as they have the best software for audio and video playback imo.

Short of building a small HTPC, which gives you the most flexibility, DLNA may be the way to go.


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## dazroth

Hi Doctorcilantro

You can make the version 1 into a network version,you can also alter the menu with some of the modifications,take a look at links in my previous post


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## JohnnyBlaze

For those of you who may not already know and who are very much interested in streaming video/internet connection through a media player............
Western Digital has released the WD TV Live HD Media Player [Known as WD HDTV II], which offers a number of features including better video playback and navigation, access to online services like YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, and more, support for more file formats, and connectivity to both local networks and the internet via WiFi and ethernet. About $120.00
**Note:*
The only drawback for the cost of upgrading to WiFi. You will need to purchase a USB dongle approximately $50-$70, which makes the total price of the setup more.
Info:


Code:


http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=735

Read a review here:


Code:


http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/review-wd-tv-live-hd-media-player-2009128/

*I've enjoyed this device (WD HDTV) and I'm also considering the upgrade myself!*

eNjOy!:T


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## JohnnyBlaze

Hey GuyZ, What's uP?.....I know its been awhile!

*Keeping the Updates*
Release 1.01.77 (12/3/09)
**This critical update improves the reliability and performance of the WD TV product update manager. It's important to install this update to ensure the reliability of all future software and firmware updates.**

New Features:
· Added a warning and confirmation message before a file is overwritten using the file manager;
previously there was no warning
· Added multiple page support for file management functions; previously only one page could be
managed through the file manager
· Added a user selectable “on/off” for the fade in and fade out effect while browsing files; previously
this was defaulted to on all the time
· Added a message when the USB device is improperly removed without being ejected first
· Added cover art display function when viewing music files in album view
· Added more character spaces for filenames when viewing videos in preview mode; previously the
filenames were very short before being cut off
Resolved Issues:
· Resolved issue where “Repeat” and “Shuffle” icons were overlapping filename
· Resolved issue of no audio when there is only a single, center channel audio stream in a video
· Resolved issue with Korean subtitles displaying irregular spacing between lines
· Resolved filename display issue in preview mode where filenames were being truncated to “…”
even if there were only 3 remaining characters to be displayed
· Resolved issue of files sorting and sequencing first by capital letters, then by lowercase letters; files
previously displaying in this order: A.jpg, B.jpg, a.jpg, now display properly as: A.jpg, a.jpg, B.jpg
· Resolved playback issue where green blocks would appear on the screen when using “FF” or “Rev”
during VOB playback
· Resolved issue of the progress indicator not automatically disappearing after “FF” or “Rev” was
used during playback
· Resolved issue of the info bar not appearing after using a “Next” or “Prev” function during file
playback
· Resolved font issue in the drive unlock password menu
· Changed error message from “Folder could not be accessed” to “Auto Play content could not be
accessed” when Auto Play is on and there is no playable content on the root of the drive
· Resolved issue when trying to playback an empty folder; previously it would process infinitely with
no result or error
· Resolved Spanish translation issues
· Removed unnecessary icon in file management page
· Resolved playback issues with some AVI files where audio would de-sync from the video,
previously audio would keep playing but video would re-start halfway through
· Resolved issue where WD TV HD Media Player kept trying to catalog the hard drive after it had
been ejected
· Resolved playback issues with some MPEG2 video files
· Resolved issue where file skip (“Prev” and “Next”) doesn’t work properly when there are only 2
files in the folder.

*Download:*


Code:


http://www.wdc.com/global/webtracking/index.asp?id=1090&url=http://download.wdc.com/wdtv/WDTV_1.01.77.zip

eNjOy!:T


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## taoggniklat

So...can I use this with my Netgear ReadyNAS Duo? If so how does it work? Has anyone used the WD with a network harddrive and not USB?


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## JohnnyBlaze

taoggniklat said:


> So...can I use this with my Netgear ReadyNAS Duo? If so how does it work? Has anyone used the WD with a network harddrive and not USB?


Maybe this will help you some:


Code:


http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=3805#nas

Quoted from above link about Western Digital Network Attached Storage Devices
Important:
* While most NAS drives that have either UPnP streaming, or appear as a SAMBA device on your network, will work with the WD TV Live HD Media Player, we have done the majority of our testing using Western Digital NAS drives. As a result we cannot guarantee compatibility with any specific third-party NAS drives.
* The My Book World (Blue Rings) does not support UPnP Streaming so will only be accessible by the WD TV Live Media Player as a Samba Device. Additionally as the drive was not designed as a media streaming device it may have trouble streaming video or streaming to multiple sources.
* Western Digital recommends using an "N" class router when streaming wirelessly to the WD TV Live HD Media Player. Playback of video may be unstable when using a "G" class router.

Of course no company is going to advice using anything other than there own products!
:T


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## steiny93

we did an install where we used 4 of the WD Live HD players to stream content to 4 different screens in a particular room

in that install the intent was to play some looped content off a home server; the WD boxes did they just fine

we also played with their iso support and they were able to recognize and play iso's
like the earlier posts stated their menu's are 'so-so' but when you consider the cost they are a pretty good value


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