New Release - Firmware Version 1.06.16_B for WD TV Live Plus (8/2/11)

Community Archives WD TV Live Firmware
261

I have restated below…

In the meantime I have moved the WD to the guest room and allowed my LG Blu-Ray to do operate the shares in my bedroom instead. Just as nice (plays everything but Iso’s and I don’t care about them) and none of the hassles. I will see if I can set it up and get it to work in the guest room , good place for something with a part time job…lol.

There are 4 systems in my network, all are win7 x64 pro. One is an HTPC, One is used to share media. I have 3 smart Blu-Ray players that read these files and one TV that does it as well. I rip my BR Discs to the media system as h264 ac.3 in mkv container, this makes my collection much easier to manage and view in any of my other rooms that have a tv in them. I was hoping to use the WDTV Live Plus in my bedroom because the remote is simpler and my wife the Blu-Ray remote that is there now. All systems are hardwired as is the house with cat 6. The router I use is a Netgear 3500L as we do like to use some wireless gadgets…lol. there is a Prosafe 8-port switch for the home theater, a 5-port for my home office and a 24-port for the entire house. Everything on this netwrok works like a dream except the WDTV Live Plus. Including a much older series netgear media player I have in the garage that runs with an older tv. 

None of these things drop the network or each other unless something is intentionally being rebooted, however with the WDTV it seems to only take to the network after the media system is restarted and the WDTV is reset. it then sees my shares, until it is turned off or goes into to it’s automatic sleep/shut down.

I racked my brain enough on this. Since it was a WD product I thought I would give it a try, but it has cost me more in time than it should have, considering what it should be able to do. When it works, it is fabulous, it just doesn’t work much  :(

Thanks for any help

**Just a note, i do actuall shares w/full permissions to everybody…not that useless homegroup **bleep**  :)

262

I just tested a server reboot an hour ago.
My “net share” is R/O for specific logon.  WD is set with the proper userID/PW for the share.  

I tested it by playing an ISO, and while in the middle of it, I purposely rebooted my server (in this case, Windows Server2003).  It resumed just fine.  The movie hung there while the server was rebooting, but once the rebooting was done, WD continued.  During the first minute or so of the resume, the film hiccup at bit.  During the entire test, the WD box was untouched.  I just left it sitting while the server power down and then back up.

I am preping my Suse Linux (I don’t have Ubuntu) and see if WD will resume on that server.

One conclusion I can draw, WD resume nicely when the server dropped out and came back - even with re-logon back to my windows server.  Question now is not if WD resumes, it now is what was the hiccup when WD tries to re-logon to Ubuntu to resume.

I have to call it a night.  I will test it with Linux soon.

263

Rick-in-NJ wrote:

I just tested a server reboot an hour ago.
My “net share” is R/O for specific logon.  WD is set with the proper userID/PW for the share.  

 

I tested it by playing an ISO, and while in the middle of it, I purposely rebooted my server (in this case, Windows Server2003).  It resumed just fine.  The movie hung there while the server was rebooting, but once the rebooting was done, WD continued.  During the first minute or so of the resume, the film hiccup at bit.  During the entire test, the WD box was untouched.  I just left it sitting while the server power down and then back up.

 

I am preping my Suse Linux (I don’t have Ubuntu) and see if WD will resume on that server.

 

One conclusion I can draw, WD resume nicely when the server dropped out and came back - even with re-logon back to my windows server.  Question now is not if WD resumes, it now is what was the hiccup when WD tries to re-logon to Ubuntu to resume.

 

I have to call it a night.  I will test it with Linux soon.

TheOne thing I can see right of is thst your useing a Windows based server and not a Linux based server as your Main server where as most NAS systems are Linux based. Next the WD unit can see what is on the network just fine but my Windows systems lose seeing the device when samba share disappers from the network.

264

Good reminder.  Today is Saturday.  I should be able to complete my load and test in the next two days…

Stay tuned.

265

Ok, I tested it with Samba.  I was having problem reloading my linux (vga card was replaced and can’t find driver), so I decided to use my other WD Live Plus box as the Samba server.  Two WD Live Plus, one running as the Samba server, and the other as the player.  Both are running 1.04.31_B.

Test 1 ---------

While the player WD Live Plus is playing an ISO, I turned off the Samba Server WD Live Plus.  The player frozen on the scene.  I waited a minute or so, and turn it back on.  I left the player WD box totally untouched.  After the Server WD box completes reboot, the player resumes properly.  The WD Samba server was set NOT to need user-id/pw.

Test 2 ---------

I tried it again, this time with user-id/pw protection.  Same thing.  The WD player box resumed properly after the WD Samba Server reboots.

Test 3 ---------

Now I tried it again - this time, I simulate your incomplete Samba boot.   I pulled the USB drive with the ISO file before turning the Samba WD back on.  The player WD box was as before, in the middle of playing an ISO.  This time, it remain frozen as expected - there is no USB drive on the WD to share.

I let the player WD box sit frozen for a minute or so, then I restarting the Samba WD (this time with the USB drive with ISO).  This time the player WD stay frozen.  I cannot even power off the WD player with the remote.  I had to pull the power plug.  But after the power recycled, the player sees the Samba files again and plays normally.

My assessment ---------

Looks like when Samba is interupted but restarted properly, WD player resumes properly.  With or without user ID/PW does not matter.  But if the Samba server itself becomes visible on the network and the shared file is not available, the player WD freaks out and went to never-never land.  It can only be restarted by pulling the power.  I did not need to restart the entire network, just the WD player itself.

I am not sure what to think yet. I am sharing the results of the tests.  Try  power-cycle the WD player and see if your WD works again.

Try it and tell us if your WD comes back normal  after a power cycle without rebooting your entire network.

Rick

266

Rick-in-NJ wrote:

Ok, I tested it with Samba.  I was having problem reloading my linux (vga card was replaced and can’t find driver), so I decided to use my other WD Live Plus box as the Samba server.  Two WD Live Plus, one running as the Samba server, and the other as the player.  Both are running 1.04.31_B.

 

Test 1 ---------

 

While the player WD Live Plus is playing an ISO, I turned off the Samba Server WD Live Plus.  The player frozen on the scene.  I waited a minute or so, and turn it back on.  I left the player WD box totally untouched.  After the Server WD box completes reboot, the player resumes properly.  The WD Samba server was set NOT to need user-id/pw.

 

Test 2 ---------

 

I tried it again, this time with user-id/pw protection.  Same thing.  The WD player box resumed properly after the WD Samba Server reboots.

 

Test 3 ---------

 

Now I tried it again - this time, I simulate your incomplete Samba boot.   I pulled the USB drive with the ISO file before turning the Samba WD back on.  The player WD box was as before, in the middle of playing an ISO.  This time, it remain frozen as expected - there is no USB drive on the WD to share.

 

I let the player WD box sit frozen for a minute or so, then I restarting the Samba WD (this time with the USB drive with ISO).  This time the player WD stay frozen.  I cannot even power off the WD player with the remote.  I had to pull the power plug.  But after the power recycled, the player sees the Samba files again and plays normally.

 

My assessment ---------

Looks like when Samba is interupted but restarted properly, WD player resumes properly.  With or without user ID/PW does not matter.  But if the Samba server itself becomes visible on the network and the shared file is not available, the player WD freaks out and went to never-never land.  It can only be restarted by pulling the power.  I did not need to restart the entire network, just the WD player itself.

 

I am not sure what to think yet. I am sharing the results of the tests.  Try  power-cycle the WD player and see if your WD works again.

 

Try it and tell us if your WD comes back normal  after a power cycle without rebooting your entire network.

 

Rick

Your tests have been server → WD unit and not WD unit → Windows based computer with samba share inactive on network. it apears to me that the WD unit is not set to assert the samba share notification on the net work if there is another samba share active and will not auto assert if that share gose down.

267

Is there ever going to be another firmware update, or has this been relegated to legacy device?

268

johnchitown wrote:

Is there ever going to be another firmware update

 

 

Same “who knows???” answer as with every other WDTV device.

 

 

or has this been relegated to legacy device?

It’s in the Twilight Zone inbetween the current products and the legacy products.  The WDTV HD Gen1 and Gen2 are legacy devices and no longer supported.

 

The Live and Live Plus are no longer “current” models, but they’re still officially being supported by WD.

 

But “supported” doesn’t guarantee any further firmwares.

269

lol, like I said/did,I put mine on a shelf to gather dust until I have a lot more time to mess with it, or just get a another BR Player for the guest room. Which is probably the way I will go, since they are almost the same price and you get more functionality out of a blu-ray player 

270

I agree with you totally about the WD.  I can’t believe a company that big have left people cold and not fixed the problems.  Mine has been shelved too.

But the problem with a BR player is that they are so limited in the file types they will play.  I have a PCH and I haven’t come across a file that “doesn’t” play on it yet. In regards to video, I don’t use it for music.

271

I don’t seem to have that issue with the three BR players I have and both are over a year old. Of course I only play MKV’s and flac ripped from my own Library, so I am not that demanding. these all cost considerably less than a PCH that will do what I need and look pretty too (Wife…lol)

272

I’ve noticed a couple of annoying audio issues with this release:

1)  If using optical output, no audio is produced from Flingo, Netflix etc.

2)  If you turn on the WD, and do not access it for a period of time (say 5 minutes when the screen saver comes on), there is no audio from optical.  You need to power cycle it to get it back.  I’ve confirmed this bug on the previous version as well.

3)  This version only allows optical OR HDMI audio.  The previous version 1.05.04_B allowed “digital passthrough”, which would pass both at the same time, and doesn’t exhibit the bug in 2) above.

I’m with others, this version has more negatives than positives.  :frowning:

273

Screensaver turns on during mp4 playback, very annoying…

A year since last firmware update! Any news from another? Thanks!

274

we were told more than likely in Feb… now its almost April and poor Bill is running out of stall tactics.

275

This lack of  service seems to be the norm for WD now, I do not see how they expect to retain customers with such a disregard for them.The Live and the Live Plus never  worked as advertised and IMO WD did a poor job of supporting and troubling shooting both.If you read though these forums the same situation applies to the first two generations of WDTV and many of their other products as well.

It is not enough to get the consumer to buy the product, the goal should be to keep them for life.This concept seems to be lost on WD.

At this point WDTV is a low end alternative in the media player market and as a someone in the industry I steer people away for WD products whenever possible because of their poor level of support on all products.

276

videoveteran wrote:

 now its almost April and poor Bill is running out of stall tactics.

Or not since he’s got no influence whatsoever on when/if the firmware will be released.

277

Folks, don’t throw Bill_S under the bus.

People here beg (nay, demand) information, and crucity the mods for not supplying it.

Or

Mods supply what limitted information or news they have, in order to provide some transparency, and then get vilified when it’s not accurate.

That puts the mods into a no-win situation.   There’s no wondering, then, why they would then prefer to remain silent.

278

This is really a yes or no question. The leading on is what is creating the fury of frenzy.  No dates needed, just will there be another firmware - yes -or- no?

279

Yes.

[edit]

Thanks Tony and Techflaws.  But I’ve become impervious to bus tires…

280

Iceman wrote:

This is really a yes or no question. The leading on is what is creating the fury of frenzy.  No dates needed, just will there be another firmware - yes -or- no?

 

And it’s been “yessed” at least a half dozen times.