WD TV Live Plus

Absolutely superb WD TV Live Plus – Easy to use, easy to set up, plays nearly everything. The HDD is excellent - I have used 4 other brands with HDD and the drives all failed. Not this one - more than 7 years old now. Any problems setting it up on a network are not the fault of the device - Windows 10 networking needs to be set up properly.  Show details

Not sure why it gets low stars, as it shines brightly – Okay, it's not particularly aesthetically pleasing, nor are the menus something you'd write home to mum about, however it does everything you want it to and it does it well. Disadvantages include how it takes quite some time to load up from Off. It also takes a little while (not painful though) to scroll through to where you may want to go. … Read more

So far there's not a been a format it doesn't handle. Picture is good, sound is good, in fact as already stated, it does the job it's supposed to do.

On a parting note, I've purchased three of the units (for mother and friend as well as for myself) and they have all worked a treat.

horrible – remote is horrible unresponsive at times and nearly all of the apps available are geo blocked in australia what rubbish why have the apps on the screen when most of them are unusable, big waste of money and treats australian consumers of this product as idiots really bad, don't buy waste of money

Buggy, terribly slow & constantly loses connectivity with drives & network – Awful performance, connectivity with wireless network needs to be constantly reset & if you get it to read from a hard drive, you'd better not ever remove that drive or turn the system off as it will no longer recognise it. Takes an absolute eternity to scan files, often gives up and drops out meaning you have to restart the whole process. Going back to hooking up a spare PC to my TV.

In theory great, in practice terrible – Initial controls work erratically, so unit was replaced. Now constantly have problems recognising a hard drive, also frequently freezes whether using hard drive or Wi-Fi; remote becomes totally unresponsive, only way to get it working again is to unplug supply and plug it back in. Don't waste your money unless you enjoy constant interruptions in your viewing or being frustrated.

Worst Player Ever – To begin, it takes a very long time to start up and often rejects hard drives several times and needs to be restarted constantly. This would be understandable if it was 2007 but it's not, it's 2015. There is no play all feature and the format is lacking efficacy. Slow. Painful and expensive for what it is. Worst media player ever.

Decline in quality without an upgrade – I am having the same problems and as frustrated as the last reviewer. My media player has gone from perfect a year ago to recordings freezing increasingly (a couple of times within an hour now) and the remote neither starting nor overcoming the freeze. Like the previous reviewer, I have to pull out the power cord on the media player and start… Read more

again.

I do not wish this experience on anyone, hence my review of a 4 a year ago to one or less now.

Grossly wrong by WD

WD TV Live Plus Unit is SUB PAR IN PERFORMANCE QUALITY – Really disappointing piece of garb. Freezes up all the time in the middle of your show. I have to pull the power plug on and off to get it to unfreeze and re-boot. Re-booting is just a nightmare, takes forever. Try watching a 90 minute movie can take upto 2hrs+ if you're lucky, by the time you keep trying to get this crap to work and fast forward… Read more

back to where it froze on you, you're just about snoring away. Remote is unresponsive. Gosh, I am guessing that I will pull it off and throw it on the floor within the next few days and stomp the crap out of this utterly piece of garbage. JUNK JUNK JUNK, just to get my frustrations out. I wish I had donated my money rather than spent it on this garbage that's challenging my patience.

Troubled device – Unsure whether I got a dud device but I experienced an array of problems from day one. Have to pull the plug in and out to try get it to work. Once on the youtube client, it goes into an infinite loop of rebooting itself after connecting to a vod stream. Remote commonly unresponsive.

This is a complete dud. Do not buy – I have just bought the WD TV media player. It is a complete and utter dud. Where do they get this rubbish in the 21 st century. It takes forever and forever to load from my hard drive. Even then it cannot load all my movies files as it freezes up. What a dud. The worst buy that I have ever made! Do not touch it!

Good for the price – I bought this media player last year with the 1TB build in hard drive. It connects quickly and is very user friendly. The remote is easy to use and Te display is simple. It plays all of the .mp4, .avi, .mkv files I've put on it but occasionally won't play the odd one even though it's an accepted file type. One complaint I have is that it… Read more

doesn't connect easily with other hard drives and is only really compatible with WD brand materials. It also occasionally has a hissy fit and needs to reload all its files which is just a 3 minutes exercise of 10s power on, wait 10s and then 10s power on. It loads everything again and works after 3mins

WD Live TV unit: bitterly disappointed – Have owned one for 12 months, The unit regularly fails to open any files (the annoying orange 'wait' circle turns and turns...). In fact it regularly fails to do anything. Even though it is supposed to open a variety of file types, it doesn't. Extremely disappointed. I deliberately didn't but an Apple TV because I have enjoyed other WD products, but this one is a dud (and yes, I have installed the latest firmware). Apple TV, here I come....

Shockingly bad. Is this the 21st century or not??? – Bad. Bad. Bad. Hangs more often than not, sometimes for eternity....I.e. until I give up and go do something worthwhile. Very often apps don't work. My phone runs faster from the same wifI connection! Clunky search function. Don't buy it. Rubbish. A waste of hard earned cash. Disappointed in the extreme.

Great for use with a HDD – Whenever I buy a Movie on DVD I copy it onto a Hard Disk Drive, that way I can use the HDD to play the Movie, and store the original DVD to avoid scratches. I bought a new Dick Smith TV, which for some reason will not play Movies from my Hard Disk Drive. A friend suggested using a WD TV Live as it will recognise most video files. I picked a unit… Read more

up from Officeworks, and voila, all my Movies are now playable off the HDD.

I have been using this unit for a few weeks now, and really cannot fault it.

Waste of money – Extremely poor quality 1) It takes a long time to start up 2) It takes even a longer time to detect the usb external HDD and to “compile” the file 3) The box randomly hangs or freezes 4) There is a delay when pressing the remote button and the update/selection on the screen 5) You need to use some strength to press the buttons on the remote

Don't buy the WD TV if you want to connect to Netflix USA – On the recommendation of a friend I bought the WD TV from Officeworks just a week ago. I also signed up with Getflix and Netflix USA and installed and configured it. No matter what I did Netflix would not show up on Services so I contacted Getflix support. They were prompt and had me try several things but after nothing worked they finally said… Read more

that the latest version of the WD TV no longer supports Netflix. I couldn't believe this so I contacted WD support and it is true. They have removed Netflix support from devices sold outside of the USA. Note that there is nothing on the WD TV box to say it no longer supports Netflix from outside of the USA so beware. Do not buy the WD TV device if, like me, your main objective was to sign up to Netflix USA.

Not sure what these people are doing? I've had mine for years and its never missed a beat – Had my WDTV for around 4 years now and it has never missed a beat. It plays 99% of the files I throw at it, which is enough for me. Occasionally it can struggle with highly compressed video (ie.10 bit HD) and unusual codecs but that's very rare. I can't comment on the internet or network sharing features as I haven't used them, but playing off an… Read more

external hard drive works a treat.

The only reason that I can think why everyones having these problems is due to not updating the firmware on the unit. Just like a PC, you have to regularly update the WDTV software otherwise you won't get rid of the bugs and play the latest codecs. I update mine about once every 6 months and have never had any issues. Some basic instructions on how to update the firmware is available Cheap, reliable, energy efficient and great compatibility. Can occasionally struggle with highly compressed HD video or unusual codecs, but for the age of the device this is understandable.

A bit disappointed – Pros: - Has all the right ammo like 2xUSB, HDMI, LAN socket, WiFi. - Plays almost any media files. Cons: - Slow to start. - Reading network share can be buggy. - Slow to access local HDD because it needs to build file meta data. I'm a bit disappointed to be honest.. Was expecting better.

Terrible – Brought for $150. the app remote doesn't work! Stopped playing MP3 just now. and you can tell they don't care about you. WD just Stop making junk!!

Soudns good in theory, in reality, its much worse!! – When I first bought it, I was really excited about what it is supposed to do. It only works properly 20% of the time! I get the 'circle of death' or it just can't read ant of my data! When it does work, it works well! But those times are few and far between!! VERY FRUSTRATING! I like what the product does offer, when it works, it works well. It does not work 80% of the time. It either has trouble reading the files or finding the files at all.

Utter garbage – I'm on my third unit in six months now Unit 1 worked well for three months. Then it decided it wouldn't recognize new files on the HDD. I was advised that because the HDD contained Mac files it wouldn't recognize windows files Unit 2 wouldn't recognize anything Unit 3 doesn't even turn on Avoid this thing like the plague. Utter rubbish Pretty box Not enough space here

Falls short a little – I've traditionally used a HTPC. MediaPortal with FDDshow and Reclock into a Onkyo Amp via Glass Fibre. Video - I find this unit with fast moving action. Someone Running has lag and a little ghosting, The color tone on actors faces is slightly yellow and the sharpening produces Jagged Edges. It also doesnt output the full Color scale 0-255,… Read more

but 16-240. Eg the Whites are not pure white and the blacks are not pure black.

Audio - There is some static. My Htpc I can send out an empty signal to the amp via the fibre with amp at 200w and crystal clear. This unit produces a little hissing and static down the fibre

Unit - It is a very good unit for what it is, took 1.5 Minutes to link to nas and play a movie. The unit unfortunately needs a little more grunt to play bluray smoothly as Frame / Bitrate output are a little low. It is small very small and the remote nice and responsive.

For Someone Not technical it is ideal. For someone that likes to fiddle and is technical build a HTPC and use MediaPortal and thow in a Good Nvidia card and you will see the difference. For me I'm giving my unit to a Friend as I'm used to a HTPC Small, Responsive, Easy to Setup Graphic output could be better, Underpowered to play Bluray Smoothly compare to HTPC

Totally Unreliable - not worth the hassel – While this unit has good features, it has a ridiculously high failure rate. It has corrupted two external hdds and a usb stick, even when using eject feature correctly. Have wasted so much time resetting the unit and re-formatting storage devices, have had a replacement unit and the second one is now doing the same thing. WD service and support… Read more

were ok but had to fedex unit to Malaysia so was completely without it for over a month until the faulty unit was received before a new one could be sent out. Now I'm looking at doing the whole thing again with the replacement unit. I don't understand how Western Digital, who have been around for so long, can develop such a cool unit but can't make it do the things it is meant to do. This is great when it works but a disappointing waste of time with the frequency that it falls into a screaming heap and won't even recognise devices or play compatible files. In theory, the features are awesome - it can play wirelessly from multiple devices (pc, mac, mobile, tablet) High failure rate, frequent drop-outs and needing to be reset and replaced

Avoid this rubbish – It can play some media files, but it can't cope with things like fast-forward or review, which my 1990s VCR could do. Fast forward to 4 minutes 30 seconds and the player jumps to 8 minutes. Review back to 4 :30, and the player jumps back to 8 min again. Some files will not FF or review at all. It also can't play the MLB.TV app when connected via… Read more

cable to very fast internet, so I don't know why it this app was installed. So wish I hadn't bought it. Hate it.

massively overrated

Good for a few months – Started off really well, first few months were great. However, new firmware upgraded stopped my media player from connecting to network, only media server, which is a horrid connection. Fortunately i was able to downgrade to previous version and it worked again! But now it only plays a few minutes of a show before freezing, then fast forwards… Read more

without sound and freezes again. Just out warranty now and its rubbish, wish i never brought it, really disappointed as my WD hard drives work great. Really disappointed overall. initially worked well stopped working

Doesnt play mp4 files – This is advertised as being able to play mp4 files and it doesnt. I'm aware that i can convert them but i shouldnt have to. I Have over 2tb of movies- so i dont fancy sitting there converting for days. Other than that, no issues and its a great player!

Has faults... But has taken a lot of abuse – This is a good media box, possibly the best out there right now... But the best isn't without it's annoyances. Steaming is near impossible so expect a challenge. In saying that, when it works- its fantastic. Some weeks I use it for 12 hours a day. NON STOP and it still works! Despite its issues, it's still worth it if you're watching a lot of… Read more ·  3

downloaded content. Simple & effective interface, easy to use, looks sleek. Has various faults, streaming is a nightmare.

Simply a must have for any home theatre system – Easy to set up and use and plays everything I've loaded on it so far. Buy a cheap USB wireless dongle and insert it into the side usb port and you've got wireless connectivity to the internet and your computer (PC or Mac). Cheap, reliable, plays everything I've loaded on it and very easy and intuitive to use.

A very good and well priced media player – This WDTV plays just about anything you throw at it. Everything is right and virtually nothing is wrong with this baby. For me the biggest beauty of this player is that it can play ISO files(!) just like they're DVD's...which enables an excellent backup solution for your physical collection, plus it once and for all, ends the headache of… Read more ·  1

choosing which compression format to use, or what of maybe many extras on a DVD do I sacrifice when doing a rip.

If there are any caveats it's that it takes a while for this WDTV Live unit to fully fire up. It can be slower than some other media players.

But it shouldn't be a problem, as many DVD/BluRay players can take their sweet time getting ready to play a disc after hitting the on switch.

Very classy looking menus, always has a nice picture, and has always played my media in the correct aspect ratio, whether or not 16x9 enhancement was incorporated in the original rip.

I have come across a file which this unit wouldn't play, turns out it was a badly corrupted FLV file (and these usually are corrupted). Plays virtually anything, and does it with aplomb. Very compact. Good connectivity. Requires a USB dongle for WiFi. Can be slow to start up.

An excellent Media player - with a few faults that can be overlooked - It replaced my blu-ray player – This media player is very good mainly due to its simplicity. It has replaced my DVD and Blu-ray player. If I want to watch a movie/show all I do now is transfer it into a usb stick, or a mobile HDD (can support HDDs up to 3TB!) and watch it! No scratched disks anymore! It has 2 USB ports meaning you can either connect 2 external hard drives… Read more

simultaneously or connect a wi-fi dongle on one, and a hard drive on another if you want to stream media from your PC!

The problem is there is no wi-fi out of the box, however the upside is that Media player supports around 40 different dongles from a number of companies such as D-link, Netgear, Linksys and Netcomm. So chances are if you already own one you can probably use it! (TIP: it also supports dongles from a company called TRENDnet which can be found as little as $10 on ebay!).

I have played .mkv, .avi, .mov and dozens of other files and it plays each and everyone of them seamlessly. It does NOT play Blu-ray .iso images though, so for those who convert their blu-rays to .iso images this player is not for you. It plays Full HD files and if you have a Dolby digital surround system, you can hook it up via HDMI/optical out and the sound will 'pass through' in 5.1 Dolby digital!

The remote is very functional, but very basic, there is no Alphanumerical buttons which makes it hard to search youtube videos for example, but it supports USB keyboards so you can plug one in if you have a spare!

All in all, it is a great little device, this is the future of entertainment, no more disks to carry around. Plays every media file you throw at it - Regular firmware updates from WD - Produces HD sound - 2 USB ports - streams media from PC via Wi-fi -supports USB keyboard! Load times can be reduced - Remote control has no A-Z buttons - No wi-fi out of the box - Wi-fi dongle extra

Nice handy little product, with several faults – I purchased this product late 2010 as I was getting sick of watching my downloads on my 15" laptop. I knew roughly what to expect having seen them in action prior to purchase. Setup was a breeze, it's quite simply 'plug n play'. With a price tag of around $120 - $130, is it worth it? Yes. I use this roughly 3 - 4 times a week and it is… Read more ·  1

constantly running ready to go and it doesn't miss a beat. The unit also runs quiet.

So what about the downsides? Unfortunately, the user interface is out of date, most likely designed by someone with little imagination. Also, if your external storage device is large with a lot of media on it, then it will take quite long for your media to load. My external hard drive has roughly 250gb of media and it takes around 10 - 15 minutes to fully load and respond at a reasonable pace. To get around this, I simply browse by folder instead of viewing all media and waiting for it all to load. Alternatively, you can simply buy a cheap usb drive and transfer media onto that each time you intend to watch something.

The remote control that comes with it is simple, nothing special. It does it's job. It also has a good range.

Overall I am quite happy with this product, I am a huge fan of Western Digital and will continue to buy their products. I would really like to see an updated UI though and for them to come up with a solution for the load time. Reasonably priced, compact, reliable and quiet. Outdated user interface, slow load times.

a fine product with a fine price ! – - You can plug in a wireless USB dongle to connect WDTV live to a wireless network router. - Works with USB keyboard to type in WDTV live and use it for searching in youtube. - Streaming videos from another pc works flawlessy even on wifi connection. - plays MKV files very well. Plays avi and mkv files smoothly, streams video without any… Read more

problems and plays youtube videos nicely. remote control is a bit slow respond, but you just got to be patient with it :-)

My favourite device – I am very happy with this device. I have 2 external hard drives connected to it and we use the TV 90% of the time with this device. Browsing is easy when the folders in the external hard drives are organised. There are a few small problems that don't happen very often, such as it will be very slow on the rare occasion when turned on. This… Read more

is fixed easily with a restart. There are very few formats the media player cannot play, so I haven't often had files I cannot play. If the file is of good quality, it plays good quality. I haven't used it connected to the internet and have no desire to. Same goes with networking the device so I cannot comment on the reliability of those functions. Reliable, inexpensive, fantastic. The remote is a bit small. We have lost it completely before, and there is no hard power button on the device. Everything has to be done with the remote. They sell separate remotes on the WD website though (I think it was $20).