Nothing But Problems Since Day One

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live Hub Discussions
1

I cannot believe a device supposedly worth $200 can be such rubbish. I talked myself into buying this Live Hub after being told about all the problems with the WD Media Players in the last few years. Within 12 hours of buying this, and plugging it in, I realised I should have listened and not bought this rubbish. Regardless of the fact, the amount of issues with this device is appauling, and if I were WD Management I would have pulled this device from the shelves long ago.

Its just pathectic to have so many issues with a product over such a long period of time. Reading through the issues with this unit on this site is nothing short of disgracful. I bought my unit not even a week ago, and I will be taking it back for a refund, its a shame I live 1200 kilometres from place of purchase, otherwise I would have already taken it back.

Rolling back the firmware might fix one problem, but you will have 3 different issues when you do.

I would NOT recommend purchasing the WD Live Hub. Their Hard Drives might be good, but anything else is just rubbish.

2

Hi,

Sad that you are so unhappy with your purchase.  I run (3) 24/7, for years, and have delt with, what I consider growing pains or minor problems.  If one of mine should fail, I will replace with another one.

I guess I am confused, you say:

_ “such rubbish. I talked myself into buying this Live Hub after being told about all the problems with the WD Media Players in the last few years.” _

If you spent years watching the WDTVLiveHub, seeing problems and fixes, you surely knew what you were buying.

Almost sounds like a bash on WD, with no info to back it up.  All things dealing with computers are likely to encounter problems at one time or another.  Do you use Windoze?  Did you complain about them too?

To be fair here,  beating up on a new toy, shortly after getting it is not good.  This forum is here to help folks with problems they may encounter.  I’m sure if you present the things you have issues with, asking for help and/or searching for you problem that may already have been solved, you may get the intended enjoyment from your WD.

No, I do not work for WD or have any ties with them, but do recommend the live hub to others.

Hope you reconsider, best wishes, Dan:smiley:

3

Too bad you spent so much effort bashing the unit without expressing any specific problem(s). This is a user supported forum and I doubt WD will ever give you any reply. Especially with no defined problem. I had problems at first with mine but it was my lack of understanding some basic stuff and after RTFM I had a much better understanding of the units abilities as well as what it is lacking in. After 2 years of owning it I can say i’m a very satisified customer. 

 

So tell us what’s wrong and maybe we can help… 

4

This rubbish works 24/7 for last 3 years, making me and my family happy and entertained.

5

Happy with mine for the last 2 years :smiley:

I also recommended one to a friend … He’s happy as well, for the last 6 Months

(if he has a problem, he asks me … if i don’t know the answer, i suggest he posts his problem here)

6

Im not asking for help, but thanks to those who offered even after my rant, and I didnt expect WD to comment here anyway, I was simply voicing my concern for a $200 device that fails to work brand new straight from the box, if it was $19.95 it would probably not be such an issue.

For the record, I have not ever had a bad thing to say about WD, and the only reason I made this account, was to voice my opinion on this peice of technology that shouldnt have been released. I have no previous agenda for any other issues.

Ok, for those that want to know whats wrong, here is the list, which I would expect from an electronic device after 8 months of constant use, not 48 hours. Like I said, the fact this unit doesnt do what its supposed to do straight from the box, is why I am so pissed off. I think the fact I gave WD the benefit of my doubt and purchased a device a few years after hearing all the issues about their “Media Players”, thinking by now things must be a lot better.

  1. Doesnt show folder content of curtain directories, but does for others without movies in them, even after changing “folder view filters.”

  2. Unit doesnt want to play most videos at different times on its own, even after playing content previously.

  3. Network seems to drop out after standby or when a movie has finished, selecting the next movie displays the arrow.

  4. Pressing stop button, doesnt actually stop the movie, even after trying another movie which also fails.

  5. When movie being played has finally allowed me to return to the menu, I can still hear the movie audio playing.

  6. Same as above really, having to restart the unit virtually everytime I wish to play a movie.

  7. After setting up network and a share, I select “Files” then press “Red” button, then select “Network Share” even after I input the share username and password it hangs for a few moments then says “Unable to connect to selected source”. I can connect via computer, I can connect via Sony BluRay Player, why the **bleep** not the WD Media Player.

Another example. The unit was powered off, after turning it on, I select a movie from my Qnap TS-419 PII NAS server, the movie wont play, instead the arrow just goes around in circles. I then go into the setup, select “device restart” and the unit restarts, I go back into the same folder and select the same movie, it now plays. If I select any movie the same way except using my Sony BluRay player over the network, the movies play fine everytime.

I purchased this unit brand new, on the 4th June 2013. The firmware I beleive was 3_10_09.

Then 48 hours after the purchase, once I flew home 1200kms away in the bush, I thought a firmware update would help, which it didnt. I have rolled back the firmware after updating to 3_11_10 (even before joining this site) which fixed one issue but opended up new problems. Yes I did do a FULL factory reset after the firmware upgrade, and also after the downgrade, just want to make that clear.

I am not going to ask for help, if you want to offer your opinion, by all means do so, but I am NOT asking for, nor do I expect any help here after my attitude, and I knew this before joining. I may not even bother trying any further, and just send it back before my next trip to the city.

Like I said in my first post, regardless of anything else, having a $200 device which doesnt do what its supposed to do “out of the box” is just ridiculous to say the least. I am NOT a WD hater, but I am disgusted in their Media Players.

This probably wont stop me buying anymore WD hard drives (I have 6), but I wont buy anything else other than that from WD ever again.

7

WDjunky wrote:

If you spent years watching the WDTVLiveHub, seeing problems and fixes, you surely knew what you were buying.

Dan,

To answer this, I had no previous knowledge of the Live Hub, my experience has been with the basic Media Player WD has been selling. I virtually always spend the extra money and buy the better unit, as my previous media player was a Mediagate MD350HD, which worked great for many years “straight out of the box”.

My negativity has stemmed from other people I know, and those I have only spoken to who have purchased WD Media Players. I have many years of computer experience, again, I dont hate WD the company, I have many WD hard drives, my QNAP NAS server so far has 2 WD Enterprise HDDs in it, and I will soon be buying 2 more.

Jarvis Walker have some good products, however their fishing gear is rubbish, see my point…?

Regards

8

Well now we are getting somewhere.

Can you post media info on files that won’t play?

9

Hi again,

The 1st and best thing I would recommend is a cooling off time.  The number of satisfied customers is much larger than the ones with issues.  Even most of them do not get so excited, that they condemn the WD b4 asking for help.

If you look at it from out side the box, you are more or less saying we are all wrong for buying our WD’s and you, (a new guy) are pointing out to us that we (and WD) made a mistake.

I would also point out, you have been offered help, and do not seem to want to fix the problem.

If you do not want to go through the return process, chill for a while, and try to see if you can (like others have) resolve you problems.  You can always take it back, if you don’t want to learn how to fix it.

_ I have many years of computer experience, again, I dont hate WD the company, I have many WD hard drives, my QNAP NAS server so far has 2 WD Enterprise HDDs in it, and I will soon be buying 2 more. _

_   _

_ Jarvis Walker have some good products, however their fishing gear is rubbish, see my point…? _

You, having years of computer experience, must surely have some trouble shooting skills, but then that Jarvis Walker statement, kinda implys, that maybe you are quick to judge a product. (Don’t know the product, myself)

Really, this form is here to help folks, not bash the hub without trying to fix it.

You should try the hub by it’s self. (no other local or network drives connected)  Problems fixed?

Note:

Two big obstacles for some folks, are wifi & nas connections.

If your problem is not there, you should try to pin down all the info about it you can and post it here.

If you let us, we just might make another satisfied customer out of you yet.

Oh yah, read the WD manual (even though it may be out of date?), I have read it many times and come away with something new most every time.

DON"T give up!  YOU CAN DO IT, Dan:laughing:

10

@ThisisRubbish

 

Most of the problems listed above are associated with video file formatting issues.

I have encountered several of these problems myself, and especially frustrating wa the ones where you cannot get a video to stop, or the sound continues even when you back out to the main menu until you reboot or sometimes even have to pull the plug.  I found that when I had ripped several of my DVDs , I had not set all the options correctly which caused many of my problems. 

I think one of the main user issues we see on these boards are the assumption that the ability to play a container type (MKV, ISO, AVI etc), means that the device will play anything you put in that container. You still have a lot of other options to be aware of. I think you will find that understanding the HUBs capabilities and deficiencies with video specs will fix most of your problems.

On this board though, you will find lots of posts and people who can answer very specific file format quotations. For example, I just did a quick search and found a recent post where a user was unable to get their MKV files to play. Luckily “wdtvhub” and “JoeySmyth” were able to look at the video’s media info and determine that the file was setup as a 10 bit encode which the HUB (and most other media players) cannot play. They advised the poster to re-encode to 8 bit and the issue was solved. Don’t assume that because the HUB can play a container type (MKV, AVI, ISO etc) that it can play anything that is wrapped in that container. Also just because a file work fine in VLC etc on your computer does not mean that your HUB supports it either.

Though not comprehensive the link to the manual below gives some detail of the specs for each container type on page 36. For more in depth t-shooting, do as Foetus noted above and post the media specs. I am pretty sure that all is solveable with a little help

WD Live HUB Manual

BTW, I have no interest in convincing a person who want to get rid of their HUB not to do so. But I do believe that if you have lots of video issues, while most of us are playing videos perfectly all the time, it may be worth investigating your own video formatting before getting rid of the product. It has required specs and formats just like every other piece of hardware and software on the market.

-P

11

Thanks Pearl, you may have just opened up the direction for me to follow to resolve the Spinning Orange Circle issue after playing MKV Blu-Ray rip files.

Last week I tried to isolate what for me has been the major failing which is the lack of reponse after playing. I bought a second Hub and put only one MKV file in its on-board storage.

It failed/stalled with orange circle immediately after playing when trying to load Tunein.

So thanks I have a direction to follow now as I suspect you are right on the button with the cause and solution of one of the major issues with the Hub/SMP.

12

First of all, thanks to those that have taken the time to try and help even after my initial bad attitide. It would be good to be able to explain myself and my issues in a better way, but that pretty difficult.

I suppose my main issue is the fact that this shouldnt have so many problems with it straight out of the box. Like I mentioned, if it was 8 months after paying even $49.95 for it, then I most likely wouldnt even be here, but the fact I payed $200 for it, and it doesnt do what its supposed to do, and requires problem solving straight out of the box is riduculous.

Every other piece of electronic equipment I have ever purchased has worked properly, and done whats its supposed to do out of the box. You may be thinking my expectations are or were too high, while I can see your point, I say thats not true.

My issue isnt that say 8/10 problems can be fixed over time with alot of troubleshooting, my issue is that 8/10 problems shouldnt exist for a device that you pay $200 for.

I respect what you guys are saying, honestly I do, and although it possibly looks that way Dan, I am not saying you are wrong for buying yours. If you want to pay $200 for something that has so many issues, and needs so much troubleshooting, time and patience to work, then thats your right and that fine, its also my right to complain about it.

I know it **bleep**, I mean well, but I have a hard time trying to explain myself properly, I know what I mean and what I want to say, but it nearly always doesnt come across like I want it too.

Regards to you all.

13

10 or 200 $ device should do what is supposed to do out if the box. Now, it could be faulty device or human error. I am betting on human error.

14

How could it be human error when I press the STOP button and it continues to play, even backing out to the main menu I can still hear the audio. How can it be human error when I press play after powering on the device, and the arrow spins but wont play until I restart the device and reselect a video. How can it be human error when if a video is actually playing, I press the OK button to see how far the video has played, the information bar reads zero, the decimal places to the right of the slider are reading 00.00.00 / 00.00.00, the video is playing because I can see and hear it.

I couldnt really say its the device itself specifically, but I can say the software or firmware is pathetic.

There is NOTHING wrong with my video and audio files, my computers, my ipad, and my Sony BluRay Player doesnt have a problem with ANY of these files.

Since my previous post, I have upgraded the firmware for the second time to version 3_11_10, after which I also reset ALL settings to factory default upon rebooting. I have also spend around 4 hours going through things again.

I have now decided this device is going to be returned for my money back, and I will buy a better product, this just has too many issues. Those that have read my second post once, the one where I list the issues I have, I have previously edited that post and added a few more issues.

Thanks for your support Dan, I tried again from the beginning, but this unit is a lost cause and its going back. Good luck to you lot, I am going to buy something that does what its supposed to do without stuffing around with it, bad luck Western Digital, I may still buy your hard drives, but you can bet I wont ever buy any other of your products.

I will bow out with this comment to you all…

If I wanted to stuff around so much, I would of pulled out one of my old linux machines and configure something using the free software available. Building and configuring a new machine wouldnt nearly take as long as the time I have put into this rubbish.

15

Maybe your house was build on old Indian cemetery?
Anyway, all those bugs happen before, and I remember at least two really bad firmwares, but never in just one.

16

Well, it looks like we lost one…:angry:

I would liked to have heard if he took the time to try the WD, all by it’s self and still had problems.

Any time we add hardware(X), (Y) & (Z) by different companies, we should expect possible issues.(Any hardware)

My Hubs (all 3) DID WORK right out the box.  He may have a dud, but I guess we will never know, because he has decided from the beginning, to bash instead of asking for help and/or reading the user manual.

I may be wrong, but I think I read posts/help for the things he has in his bash/rant.

If you are still out there reading our forum, I wish you the best of luck.

Also, finding a better media player, good luck with that…

I am a Linux user.  One of the reasons I choose the WDTVLiveHub was it’s Linux OS.

The point here is YES, you could do a Linux media center, but I suspect if you are having problems with our hub, you will likely give up before you start.  Also, why then is the Linux box in the closet?

Again best of luck, Dan:neutral_face:

17

So long and thanks for all the fish

18

I guess the mods can lock this thread ;)