When I bought my WD TV Live Hub Media Center at Best Buy, I was informed that I could get Netflix and Blockbuster via my device (of course, I was also told it was wireless when it was really wireless capable and had to buy a $60 wireless adapter for it) but when I tried to sign up, I found out that these services are only available to the US (for WD). I can have them for my laptop… or my Ipad, but not my WD, because they obviously don’t have a ‘service contract’ for Canada. What a rip! Sad that I was misinformed (well, lied to) by the retailer but even sadder that WD isn’t honoring their Canadian customers (and that Roger’s or Shaw is probably behind preventing us from having these services!!!).
Youtube looks horrible via the WD (looks 100% better on the Ipad or any other computer), and the only other service that works in Canada is Flikr (yay!), so the ‘internet’ services of this device are virtually useless to Canadians (big surprise) and I bet it’s more expensive in Canada than the US, too!!! Why are we always getting the sh@!*y end of the ‘digital media’ stick?
A right to complain about what? That the description pages online and the manual and the box and everything else says it will only work in the U.S., and Netflix.ca doesn’t list it as a compatible device?
How about the rest of the world? Don’t they need to also start complaining that they can’t use Netflix and Blockbuster? After all, the Live Hub is sold worldwide.
Or do the devices’ actual capabilities (and what WD actually says about the device) actually matter in terms of what the device can/should offer the consumer?
I can totally understand that Blockbuster on Demand isn’t available in Canada. And I can totally understand that Pandora isn’t available in Canada. Neither of these services are available in Canada on any computer or device.
But Netflix is available in Canada, and it has been available since September 2010. There is an expectation these days that there will be firmware updates when you buy a device like this. And despite the warning on the box, there is an expectation that the firmware updates will trump whatever was printed on the box 6 months to a year ago. If I walk into Best Buy, and look at the Samsung Blu Ray players, they also say “US Only” on the box next to the NetFlix logo. But I can bring home a samsung Blu Ray player, update the firmware, and watch Netflix Canada.
Western Digital has never issued a statement saying 'We will never support Netflix canada on the WD TV Live Plus or the WD TV Live Hub". I own both of these devices, so every 3 of 4 days, I come back to these forums, and search for the word “Canada” to see if there is any progress in supporting Netflix.ca. I’m getting really tired of waiting.
All I can say is that it is not plain that it is not available in Canada. It is in very small writing on the box. Also as far as Netflix are concerned they too are not what they are cracked up to be. There is every program imaginable on US Netflix, All that is on the Canadian version is ■■■■. Great place to find a 20 year old movie or TV show but certainly nothing recent. Costs the same though. I am not sure I understand why I can watch it on satelite but not on Netflix or this WD TV POS.