I have the WDTV HD Live unit, which I bought about 7 months ago. I am running firmware release 1.02.21 (3/30/10).
I see now people mentioning something about Generation 1 and Generation 2 version of this product. Can someone tell me:
1) What is the difference between the two?
3) I see that there is a beta software which is 1.03.38 from August 8. Does it work with both GEN units?
Thanks for clarifying this.
Gen1 and Gen2 refer to different versions of the original WDTV HD Devices that did not network. There is not a “generation 1” and “generation 2” of the WDTV Live.
Model WDBAAL0000NBK is WDTV Mini. Its latest firmware us 1.00.60.
Model WDAVN00 is Generation 1 WDTV HD. Its latest firmware is 1.03.01.
Model WDBABF0000NBK is Generation 2 WDTV HD. Its latest firmware is 1.01.77.
Model WDBAAN0000NBK is WDTV Live. Its latest firmware is 1.02.21.
Model WDBABX0000NBK is WDTV Live Plus. Its latest firmware is a limited public Beta version.
The firmware you have is the most recently released firmware for your device.
<< Model WDBAAN0000NBK is WDTV Live. Its latest firmware is 1.02.21 >>.
Thanks for the clarification. What about the beta drivers version 1.03.38 – are they compatible with the WDTV HD Live that I have?
The 1.03.38 Beta for the Live would have installed in your device, but its release was limited… it has been now withdrawn… you can’t download it any longer.
<< The 1.03.38 Beta for the Live would have installed in your device, but its release was limited… it has been now withdrawn… you can’t download it any longer.>>
I realize that, but I found it via other sources (just google for it). I assume there is a major problem with it?
I’m not sure if “major problem” is the correct term, or not.
There are several issues being reported to WD by the Guinea pigs about things not working well with the .38. That’s the whole point of the limited releases… they let a few people poke around with them, without being flooded by tens of thousands of people screaming when something isn’t quite working right.
I believe for the Live Plus there was also a .40 released beacuse the LivePlus .38 wasn’t working with many HDMI TVs, or something like that. I can’t tell you for sure whether that’s getting reported by the (non-Plus) Live .38 testers, or not. I guess if your TV stopped working with the WDTV Live you might end up calling that a major problem. 
If you’re not in the mood to poke around and find out what still needs WD’s attention, I’d hold off for a full public release.
Incidentally, if you’re itching to install the .38 due to the header compression bug with Matroska files, I hate to tell you, but I’ve seen other users reporting that .38 still won’t play when the video header is compressed. You’d be better off just taking the 60-90 seconds to re-mux any files that have compression “on”.
