Hi all, I have read a number of posts and reviewed the manuals for the WD TV media players, and am stil unsure which way to go… so, I am looking for some assistance. First, I am in Canada, so no Netflix, and I don’t want to watch you-tube videos etc… I want to watch movies that are mostly xvid or avi etc which (currently )reside on my pc. based on this, I believe I should go with the WD TV Live (not Plus).
I do run a Dlink wireless network in the home, but based on some of the posts on the user group, streaming vidoes and movies from a PC directly to the WD TV unit seems to be hit and miss. I really don’t want to spend countless hours tweaking settings etc to get this to work. My Dlink Router is on another floor of my home from the TV I wish to use, so Ethernet to the media player is also not an option.
I guess I am debating two options;
- Purchase some terabyte storage drive, network that, and connect the terabyte drive to the WD TV unit. This way I can transfer the movies over to the terabyte drive (via wireless), and as it will be directly connected to the WD TV unit, I shouldn’t experience skipping etc…
OR
- Network the WD TV unit by purchasing an approved network adapter and stream movies etc from my PC over the wireless network directly to it (in hopes of no stuttering etc…) although after reading a number of posts, i’m still not sure this is 100% doable or will give me the quality I’m after.
ps. sales reps at both Tiger Direct and Best Buy were of no help…
So, any words of wisdom before I go out and buy would be greatrly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Welcome to the forum!
First, Netflix is coming to Canada later this year. As a subscriber, I have to say it’s almost entirely replaced regular TV for me.
Given the similar price point, I would recommend the Plus just to keep that option open.
Of your two storage options, the 1st is the safest if you intend to stream any 1080p media. It’s unlikely to work satisfactorily on anything but the strongest wireless N networks (and even then, maybe not completely stutter free).
If you’re pretty sure you’re unlikely to be streaming anything above 720p, I can confirm that a wireless N network is fine for medium bitrate (under 10Mbps) 720p movies.
Be aware that in your first option the Live/Plus cannot address more than 2TB in any drive (and you can’t put a drive array directly attached to the Live, as it will then only see the first disc). Even the 2TB drives it can handle are limited, so make sure whatever you buy can be returned if it doesn’t work for you.
The absolute best thing is to get an NAS and then hard wire your Live to your network. I started with wireless and because I had so many blu-ray rips that were problematic I went to wired and I’ve never been happier. While wired seems difficult, if you are in your own home (as opposed to renting or staying somewhere temporarily) it’s very easy to do and will pay off big time (it’s actually also much cheaper than buying a USB adapter). On that subject, if you DO get an adapter make sure it’s on the approved list (which also means it has to have the right firmware, as even adapters on the list won’t work unless they are also the right version, which isn’t always the latest version).
I ended up wiring two of my Lives and only go wireless for a third (which I tend to move around the house). This last unit is really only used for Netflix, so it works fine in that way.
I have a ‘G’ router (a few years old) see below
ftp://ftp10.dlink.com/pdfs/products/DI-724GU/DI-724GU_ds.pdf
Perhaps I’d better go with an external drive USB’d to the WD device (and network that) as most of the movies I have now are 780P but I imagine I’ll be going to 1080p soon.
Seems like even if I connect an access point and ethernet to the WD, over a wireless network it may still not be ideal. Does WD have any external drives with wireless connectivity ?
-Stephen
