Hi folks,
- First off looking around on Amazon I’ve seen:
WD TV Live £69.99
WD TV Live HD Media Player £140.81
WD TV Live Stream Media Player £70.30
What’s the difference, or are the last 2 older models and still available for some reason?
- Also, what kind of data rate can I expect to get to work?
I have a MBL with the movies on, but then a WiFi connection only to the WD TV Live (cables are not an easy option) and then playing currently to an SD PAL TV.
I guess the bottleneck is the Router’s capabilities is it?
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Is it the WD TV LIve that does any resizing?
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To know if something will play is it simply (Size of Movie) / (Length of Movie) has to be < the data rate of the connection. As long as it’s not processing power I guess.
Cheers
- Without knowing the model numbers you’re seeing, it’s not possible to be certain, but from what I can see in the description:
WD TV Live: I have no idea what this is.
WD Live HD: 2009 model.
WD TV Live Streaming Media Player: 2011 model (the newest, aside from the Play.)
The differences are numerous.
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For playing SD content, WiFi will probably be OK (but no one hear can guarantee that…) If it’s wired, then all of the above models can play even un-compressed Bluray streams with no issue.
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Resizing of what?
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No, it also has to be a compatible set of Container and Video/Audio codecs.
Here is the product page detailing the current players WD sells. Anything else is old and should be ignored. I would also ignore the WDTV Play model as it appears to be some sort of crippled SMP version with no real value. You can generally find sales on the SMP model for the 50-60 dollar range as refurbs. It struck me as odd that WD released the play instead of an updated and more powerful SMP version with amazon and a better remote/ui. Imagine an SMP version with dual band wireless a wireless based remote with no LOS issues and the addition of better streaming options like amazon crackle etc. Gigabit ethernet port and theming support and perhaps an hdmi input to add an overlay and guide to any existing cable box etc.
One can dream.
Wireless works fine for even reasonable HD content. It’s really going to hinge on your router and signal strength. A great router like an asus rt n56u or 66u version with upgradable antennas or something similar is hard to beat.
Thanks guys.
Cool thx. I was confused over the naming. So it’s just one item I’m interested in, the WDTV Live SMP. It seemed to be called WD TV Live while i was googling but hey ho.
I’m worried my router is rubbish though, it was provided by my ISP. To judge it, is it down to a specification or just how it performs in situation.
I mean, can I compare it somehow, with it’s specs or maybe by a test running on my laptop while it is near where the WDTV Live SMP would be.
Alos is the AV socket on the machine one of those 3 channel jack plugs? Comp Vid and stereo.
Cheers
The older versions have a nice community built up so you will run across it. Custom firmware and usually an enhanced experience. Understandable why you would be confused.
Random thought but I wonder why they didn’t update the live hub with built in wireless like the smp?
