I wasn’t happy as many were not when they announced that the Live would not work with netflix and that the Plus version was needed. The problem was the lack of macrovision in hardware support on the SMP8655 so the Plus uses the SMP8654, other than that the two chips are identical .
So today I see that the popbox has been released and the planned netflix support is not shipping with it. They are using the SMP8643 which also does not support macrovision. It seems odd to me that both WD and Popbox both announced for months they intended to support netflix then suddenly come out and say they cannot. It can take months to choose a chipset for a product and I am wondering if netflix did not string these companies along with possible netflix support to only tell them in the end , sorry not going to happen.
The more I think about it the more it makes sense. WD for months allowed users to request the feature and repeatedly told people that it was one of their highest priorities and they were looking into it. I doubt they did that with the intention of making people mad when they had to tell them they would not get it with the current hardware.
Netflix made a deal to use Macrovision back in 2007. Could companies like WD have planned to run macrovision in software and at some point were denied being able to use that by macrovision ? The reason would be simple. Macrovision gets far more licensing money from hardware sales than software, about a 110% difference. There is no reason that the hardware in the WDTV LIve or popbox could not run a software version of Macrovision unless they refused to license it.
Macrovision is a company with a anti-consumer past. I have dealt with them since the VCR days when they would scramble the AGC on tapes to prevent recording. Numerous people had trouble playing tapes. The VCR wouldn’t read the signal correctly causing distorted colors and loss of tracking. This wasn’t copying but playing a legally rented tape. When people complained they were told to buy new hardware.
I would really love to know how all this played out , but coorporate speel being what it is we will probably never know.
The one thing we DO know – WD wanted to add Netflix and the only way they could do it was to make an entire new unit. Trust me, it was the LAST thing they wanted to do (there was no upside to them in making two different units, which they have to do since they can’t ship the Netflix one in Europe).
Schooled! Haha.
Why is my WD Live TV Plus scrambling Netflix when I try to play it?! I have it running through a rocketfish hdmi hook-up, but I don’t see why that would matter.
The Plus has some HDMI handshaking issues with Netflix – they are working on it.
In the meantime you might try setting your HDMI output to something fixed rather than “auto” (the default). If that doesn’t work you’ll need to wait for new firmware (but don’t hold your breath).
bill_s wrote:
I’m sorry, but where did we ever say that we intended to support netflix? Just because an idea is launched, and we say that we will look into it, where does that mean anywhere that we will do it? You, guys, need to get over this. You built this expectation for yourselves, we didn’t.
Stringing along your users for 6+ months with responses like “It is a high priority for us” over and over and then releasing a product that does support it without informing current users ahead of time that the current product would not work shows a lack of class and respect for customers. WDC could have notified customers months before the plus that netflix was not possible on the current model. Instead they waited till they had something to sell to those customers before announcing it because they knew those customers might just go buy something from someone else. That is immoral behaviour towards customers. I spent a ton of time on here helping to support WDC customers and all I got for it was attitude . WDC has proven they do not care about their customers, they are selling another media player just this week ? This one without even a network interface ? I can see why the corporation is not where it once was. WDC really needs to get back those managers they once had when they were a decent company.
I really don’t care what they do with the live now. I have bought a competitors product that actually does answer emails, does produce updates that the customer request and has a more competent development team who actually interacts with the customer instead of treating them like some 3rd class person. WDC will never see another dime from me or my companies as long as I live.
ptricks wrote:
I spent a ton of time on here helping to support WDC customers
I really don’t care what they do with the live now. I have bought a competitors product that actually does answer emails, does produce updates that the customer request and has a more competent development team who actually interacts with the customer instead of treating them like some 3rd class person. WDC will never see another dime from me or my companies as long as I live.
Um – 100 or so posts = “a ton of time”? Really? (We must have different defintions of time).
But I am sincerely curious as to what other product you like better than the Live (I have no hidden agenda when it comes to media players. Despite owning many Live(s) I’m always in the market for something that’s truly a whole lot better – the problem is I haven’t even found anything that’s close to it yet (a lot of promises, yes, but no one else delivering)). If you have the magic answer I’d really like to know (because I *will* check it out and even buy it if it’s that much better and does the two or three things I wish the Live would do).
ptricks: I know you’re frustrated. But you’re way out of line. WD DID inform people (in APRIL)…
http://community.wdc.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Ideas/NETFLIX-streaming-support/idc-p/20183#M2018
…that the Live would not support netflix, TWO MONTHS ahead of the release of the Plus. So, on that stance, you’re just flat WRONG.
Plus, that was only FOUR months in the Idea’s lab, and only THREE as “In Review,” not SIX+ as you state.
I like ya, man, but I cannot STAND it when people stake their position on false information…
Some people are never satisfied. If they had notified THREE months ahead, they’d complain that it wasn’t FOUR. If it were, then they’d complain it should have been FIVE. And on, and on…
I’ve gone back and read a lot of your posts; you’ve been a valuable contributer, but I do agree with you: You should probably move on.
