[mythtv-users] Recommendation for WD Live/similar player for not-tech-savvy sister?

Steve Gonnella sgonnell at isd.net
Mon Dec 13 04:54:54 UTC 2010


On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:52:15 -0500, Bobby Gill <bobbygill at rogers.com>
wrote:

>Hey folks just curious what y'all might recommend is a solid player that can
>play video files (.avi, .mkv, etc.) hooked up to a TV, voila that is all. Is
>intended for my sister who knows how to use Facebook and it stops there.
>
>All I need is for example she will come over to my place every few weeks and
>I plug it into my box, pop over a boatload of files, she takes it home,
>plugs it in and can watch (gotta be that simple for her lol). I have been
>checking out the WD Live on Amazon and it looks great and great reviews,
>curious what the experts here may know of.
>
>Thanks!
>Bobby

Since no one except Brian has chimed in here I'll add my 2 cents. I've
got 2 WDTV units and love them. They'll do everything the Myka will
(except for maybe the telnet interface) and more. It has all the same
connectors. I looked at the Myka but was leery of it only being
available online from an unknown (to me) company. I preferred
something backed by a big company like WD and local availability. I
bought both of mine at Best buy.

There are (were) 3 models of the WDTV. The original generation one
didn't have network support and DTS was only supported as a
pass-through to an amp. These are available now as refurbs/recertified
for about $50 and may be all you need.

The WDTV Live added a network port and DTS decoding. It will play
video, pictures or music off a USB HD or thumb drive, local UpNP
server or network shares. It also has an interface for streaming
content from YouTtube, Flickr and several internet radio sites. I've
seen these in the $90 to $100 range but the Live Plus is available for
the same price on sale.

The WDTV Live Plus adds Netflix and Blockbuster On Demand capability
plus DVD menu navigation. I've seen these on sale at Amazon and Newegg
for $99. Firmware for all 3 can be updated from a thumb drive, the
Live and Live Plus can update themselves over an internet connection.

I'm not interested in getting into a contest on which is better but
will address two concerns Brian had. The RMA thing is no big deal. I'm
sure Myka has something similar somewhere on their site. The fact that
WD put it in their FAQ shows they stand behind their products. As for
"downgrading" the firmware, this is simply a failsafe in case an
upgrade gets hosed due to a power glitch, corrupt upgrade file etc. It
has never happened to me. It means that if a problem occurs it's an
easy fix to reflash rather than having to send the unit in for repair.

I'm sure Brian loves his Myka as much as I do my WDTV media players.
I'm sure you won't go wrong with either one.


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