WD Tv Live Hub discontinued?

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live Hub Discussions
1

Hi

A few weeks ago I found on several online purchase sites WD TV Live Hub 2TB ‘soon available’.

Then it went automatically to ‘not available anymore’.

Currently I cannot find any online site where I can purchase either the 1 or 2 TB Live Hub.

On the WD website, it is still being listed, without any notice of possible discontinue. Also nowhere on the web

I find any related info.

Any ideas ?

2

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Hub-1TB-Media-Center/dp/B004GK0GKO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377776593&sr=8-1&keywords=wd+tv+live+hub

3

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

I noticed that one too, but it is US Amazon, and only for 1TB version.

I’m in Europe. I cannot find it anywhere being sold.

Another link is from B&H and they mention it is discontinued …

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918057-REG/western_digital_wdbabz0020bbk_nesn_2tb_tv_live_hub.html

Also on WD store they are ‘out of stock’.

Even if I could find one, if it is discontinued, I’m afraid for future support and updates.

Would the WD Tv Live be a valid alternative, connecting an external HDD via usb?

For what I can find, it seems to have the same specs and functionalities, apart from the internal HDD.

Would the throughput be fast enough over usb from HDD to WD Live to avoid stutter or issues?

Looking to replace my Lacie HD Classic asap [Deleted]

4

no news or opinions on this ?

5

We don´t know yet.

This year WD started working on Android based media player.

I guess it will be out next year.

But so far these are only assumptions.

6

ok thanks

7

just my 2cents

this is a user to user forum, so you will not get any official answers here

but

a couple of months ago

WD removed the idea’s forum for WD Live Hub

you’ll notice the WD Live SMP still has an idea’s forum

although, I would expect both near the end of life

8

i wonder does it mean no more support for the live hub firmware wise, and if their working on a new generation of media player, what would it be system wise os etc

9

fender62 wrote:

i wonder does it mean no more support for the live hub firmware wise, and if their working on a new generation of media player, what would it be system wise os etc

They will do at least one stable FW before dumping Hub. Than you will have to find FW that works for you.

I still use the first WD TV HD media player, when I travel and when I have to hold presentation.

10

Hi

Thanks for the replies.

I’m aware this is a user forum; I’m not looking for official WD answers, or a vision in to the future what products might come in the near or distant future.

I was just looking for a replacement for my Lacie mediaplayer since it is not working for me…since I have several WD

HDD’s which I am very happy with I am looking into replacing in with a WD Tv Live or Hub.

I moved towards the hub due to the initernal storage. When I wanted to order one, I saw it was almost nowhere available, or on some sites, mentioned as being discontinues.

So 1. I cannot find or buy one and 2. if I do find one, I not sure about support (hardware, firmware) in the future.

On the WD official site though, it is still being marketed in the products section, though it cannot be ordered in their own shop (out of stock).

So I moved towards considering the WD TV Live. Seems to have the same capabilities…though no internal drive.

If I read correctly, it is a little more recent, with more RAM … which is a good thing.

My question would be, if I get the WD TV live, add an external HDD, would it be as performant and good and the Hub ?

Or is the usb 2 connection not fast enough to transport 1080p video ?

Also, would I be able to use WD Photos or WD 2GO app with the Live to connect remotely? It is not mentioned anywhere, only of the hub and the personal cloud disk. Since the Live and the hub are more or less the same, it should work, no ?

Any experiences on this ?

Thx

11

I am using Hub from the day 1 and so far it covers all my needs.

My friend was using SMP, he was bit annoyed by it and bought Hub too.

I guess, adding external HDD to SMP is like having Hub with build in wireless adapter.

WD Photos or WD 2GO are almost not working for anyone, you can check forum for this,

but WD Remote app is working just fine with all WD media players.

12

my 2 cents…

I own …

WDTV HD Media Player (the original Black One with no network capabilities)

WDTV Live Media Player (the Light grey one)

WDTV Live Hub Media Player (1TB Internal HDD)

All Play 720p/1080p video fine … with a couple of exceptions

The original WDTV HD Media Player

* No DTS2.0 Stereo passthrough

* Limited “Reference Frames” support for MKV’s (ie. too many “Reference Frames” and playback would “stutter”)

* “Header Compression/Striping” in MKV’s resulted in no Audio

P.S. the WDTV Live Hub is virtually a WDTV Live Plus with an added HDD (according to the WIKI)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD_TV

End Statement: Ive been very happy with my WDTV Live Hub for the past 2 years and have had no problems with video playback … MKV,MP4,WMV,AVI,Bluray/Dvd Rips etc

(lot’s of posts say “mkv’s” won’t play, "mp4’s won’t play … but ive had NO problems whatsoever)

1 Like
13

The hub is surely on the way out since its almost 3 yrs old and it is overdue to be replaced so if the hub is not available the SMP is your best choice. It is basically a hub without a hard drive but with an internal wireless adapter and the USB connection is fast enough to play any compatible videos.

I’ve been using the hub for 2 years and 9 months now and I’ve been very happy with it and I didn’t experience any significant problem except for the earlier power button issue which has been resolved since WD replaced my hub.

14

Fast forward to March 2014, the WD TV Live Hub latest firmware hardly works for me.  What is the replacement option from WD for this unit that appears to be end of life and no longer working?

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If the latest Firmware doesnt work for you, then Rollback the Firmware

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5860/

or at least state what “Hardly Works for Me” … means ?

Maybe you’ll get some assistance ? … but you need to post what the problem is :confounded:

16

I submitted my posting like others on another thread what the issue is…

http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Hub-Issues/quot-File-In-Use-quot-Issue-When-Copying-Files-From-OSX/idc-p/702244#M3158

My question to this group… what is the WD TV Live Hub being replaced with?

17

Well that’s issue is with Apple Mavericks

http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Streaming/Did-anyone-update-to-OS-X-Maverick/td-p/610715

circadianswing wrote:

My question to this group… what is the WD TV Live Hub being replaced with?

Until WD see fit to Announce a new device (or even if there will be a new device … who knows ? i don’t :neutral_face:)

nobody here knows … it’s a question no-one here can answer.

18

I’m probably one of the original Live Hub users and I’m of the opinon they’re looking to replace it with an updated model soon.  When I bought the Live Hub it wasn’t available in the mainstream electronic stores and I had to order it online.  I haven’t seen it sold this way in 3 years now and just the last year or two they started selling the version without the HDD in places like Best Buy etc.

There is a huge need for this type of device on the market so I know they’re going to continue selling them.  I’m sure the newer models will include either a Gigabyte connection or go wireless.  I would prefer to have both (hope WD is reading this) as I would use the wired for my home and the wireless when I go on vacation and might want to add a movie to the hub without attaching to my laptop.  I never use any of the extra internet features like the netflix and youtube stuff I simply use it for streaming or playing my media direct from the HDD.  With the latest 3-4TB capacity drives I’m sure a future model may include more storage but I really hope they build the newer models where we can swap out the drives ourselves in case they fail after the warranty expires.  As a huge WD fan my only frustration is usually when the HDD drives on one of my WD storage devices and it’s not designed to simply replace with an aftermarket WD drive.  No reason not to do this other than WD not wanting anyone to use another manufacturer’s drive instead of theirs.  Also while most of us should probably be using the HDMI ports right now, I hope they keep the composite connections intact in case we travel and are forced to connect to an older TV with no HDMI.  Keep up the good work on these devices.

I love WD so much for building such a device I would love to work on their team to continue developing and marketing these devices.  FYI, they did a terrible job marketing such a wonderful device as I’ve NEVER seen it sold in a store.  No reason consumers should have to purchase these online like I did.

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19

Jumpman wrote:

 

…I’m sure the newer models will include either a Gigabyte connection or go wireless.

 

…I really hope they build the newer models where we can swap out the drives ourselves in case they fail after the warranty expires.  As a huge WD fan my only frustration is usually when the HDD drives on one of my WD storage devices and it’s not designed to simply replace with an aftermarket WD drive.  

Seems to me that essentially you are asking for a device that already exists, the Gen3 SMP. It has wireless, and you can use any aftermarket USB drive that you want. I know it’s not pysically inside the unit, but if you want to be able to swap drives in an out, you already have that functionality. And for that matter, you don;t have to open the unit to do it. For travel, you just have to bring along an external drive with you. An SMP and a small form factor external takes up the samee or even less space in suitcase then a Live Hub does.

I really like the Hub as well, and I do understand that an SMP is a not the same without the drive, but it certainly provides all the functionality you are asking for. I think you can see the direction that WD is going in by the fact that the new devices do not have drives, and the HUB appears to have reached EOL with no new FW releases in quite some time.

-P