I don’t own the WDTV Live Media Player but the other WDTV HD media player. I do love it but I’m a little frustrated with it. Will WDTV ever create anything like a DVD player-like remote control? I would really like to see this, as Brite-View has one that looks pretty impressive. I find the controls on the WDTV remote control very limiting and below basic for what they could offer in it.
I too would like to see a larger remote…I have big hands and it can be diffcult sometimes to hit the button I intend to. That being said, it’s a tiny complaint about a phenominal product that knocks the socks (in my opinion) off of its competition.
I bought a cheap learning remote from Walgreens (RCRP05B) and taught it all the WD’s buttons. Took maybe 5 minutes max. It even controls my Xbox360. Cost is anywhere from $15 to $20.
Yeah, I always assumed they assumed people would just use their own learner remotes and use that instead, and so didn’t spend a lot of money on a bigger remote.
Of course they should make an Android remote app, that would be nifty 
At the moment the only one on the Android Market is one for brads modded firmware.
whattheheck wrote:
Yeah, I always assumed they assumed people would just use their own learner remotes and use that instead, and so didn’t spend a lot of money on a bigger remote.
Of course they should make an Android remote app, that would be nifty
At the moment the only one on the Android Market is one for brads modded firmware.
Yes, I hope they will add some basic IR codes for programmable remotes.
I use Harmony and love it. It’s way more easy to use than any other remote.
If WD makes an “enhanced remote”, I would consider buying it. Some of these are features WD TV Live/+ needs to have first and not a factor the remote alone, but I sure like to have it.
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A small keyboard would be very nice. Even if it is like the phone’s number pad with 3 letters to a number is still a plus.
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Random chapter access - for example, press “1” then “3” to get to chapter 13 directly.
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Chapter Icon (regardless of whether DVD itself has scene selection). My cheap DVD player has a summary button that shows a list of chapters (screenshot as icon) and allow me to select even if the DVD doesn’t have a “scene selection” feature.
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Subtitle key, menu key as a hard key instead of a soft multi-function key. I use subtitle a lot at night so I can turn the volume to very low while my family is asleep.
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Make that a learning remote so I can power-up and control volume on my TV (serving as monitor really).
Your post sounds more like an Idea or a Feature Request. The best place for this is in our Ideas Lab. This way someone from WD will be sure to see it. However, I would search first and make sure that there isn’t another idea similar to yours that you could add your post to and vote on.
Ideas Lab
http://community.wdc.com/t5/community/categorypage/category-id/idea
bill_s wrote:
Your post sounds more like an Idea or a Feature Request. The best place for this is in our Ideas Lab. This way someone from WD will be sure to see it. However, I would search first and make sure that there isn’t another idea similar to yours that you could add your post to and vote on.
Ideas Lab
http://community.wdc.com/t5/community/categorypage/category-id/idea
Will they be sure to see it before or after it’s automatically marked ‘acknowledged’ like every other idea that’s submitted?
I’m sorry, but the Ideas Lab - while nice in theory - is a joke in practice. Yes, a few things that have been brought up there have been implemented, but there are *many* more enhancements and fixes that this unit needs that have just been sitting there, marked as acknowledged, for MONTHS with no apparent traction on them.
Frankly, WD’s approach to the Ideas Lab comes across as one of lip service to its users - “OK, here’s somewhere you can submit ideas. And here’s a nice pat on the head to keep you occupied while we get on with ignoring your suggestion.”
bill_s, you’re the Community Manager. Is there anyone in management who attention can be drawn to the forums in order to improve development for this unit? The present approach is leading to unhappy customers, which is probably something WD would like to try to avoid creating.
casm23 wrote:
Frankly, WD’s approach to the Ideas Lab comes across as one of lip service to its users - “OK, here’s somewhere you can submit ideas. And here’s a nice pat on the head to keep you occupied while we get on with ignoring your suggestion.”
bill_s, you’re the Community Manager. Is there anyone in management who attention can be drawn to the forums in order to improve development for this unit? The present approach is leading to unhappy customers, which is probably something WD would like to try to avoid creating.
Acknowledged means nothing as far as whether the idea will be implemented. It’s just to let you know that the idea has been seen. We already have staff people that are responsible for overseeing the Ideas Lab. How they plan to utilitize the ideas is entirely up to them.
It’s a lengthy process to get these ideas looked at and implemented. However, you must understand that what seems like a critical idea to you may not be part of our original specs for the product. So, some things may fit in to what we are doing, and others not. Then there may be other ideas that are a pretty simple implementation, so we can add them. It all depends on how far we can go with a particular product. Right now, our focus is on getting the firmware, we are shooting to release, as functional as possible with our existing commitments. Adding other features depends on other things.
As for our customers being unhappy is concerned, I think they’d prefer the device to work like it’s supposed to, first. And, as for your ideas for a specific type of remote, you’re talking about something that’s a brand new product, which has nothing to do with the function of the WD TV, itself. I doubt it’ll happen, but you never know. Maybe we’ll start producing remotes also.
Instead of producing a remote, maybe WD can come up with an iPod touch/iPhone app (or Android app) that can control the WDTV over the network. Or, even easier, publish the network protocol to do so, and let others implement the Android/iPhone app.
bill_s wrote:> Acknowledged means nothing as far as whether the idea will be implemented. It’s just to let you know that the idea has been seen. We already have staff people that are responsible for overseeing the Ideas Lab. How they plan to utilitize the ideas is entirely up to them.
This doesn’t answer the point that I was making. If someone posts an idea in the Ideas Lab, it is automatically marked as ‘acknowledged’. Please explain to me how it can have been read and acknowledged by a human being in the time between when ‘submit’ was clicked and it appeared in the Ideas Lab less than a second later. It simply isn’t possible.
bill_s wrote:
It’s a lengthy process to get these ideas looked at and implemented. However, you must understand that what seems like a critical idea to you may not be part of our original specs for the product. So, some things may fit in to what we are doing, and others not. Then there may be other ideas that are a pretty simple implementation, so we can add them. It all depends on how far we can go with a particular product. Right now, our focus is on getting the firmware, we are shooting to release, as functional as possible with our existing commitments. Adding other features depends on other things.
I’m not asking for features to be added: I’m asking for existing features to be improved. The UI - while sound in terms of its fundamental design - is a mess. It lacks consistency and intuitiveness across its different sections, and the problem only seems to be getting worse as more features are added throughout the beta cycle.
bill_s wrote:
As for our customers being unhappy is concerned, I think they’d prefer the device to work like it’s supposed to, first.
There’s a novel concept; it’s a shame WD didn’t take that approach during the initial development since we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion if they had.
Again, this isn’t about adding features. This isn’t even about cleaning up the UI. This is about WD on the one hand presenting a channel (the Ideas Lab) by which suggestions can be made, then approaching that channel in such a manner as to basically fob off anyone who makes use of it - and this is precisely why I asked that upper management be brought up to speed with what’s being said here.
It seems as though this product (from what I can see of the firmware releases, both beta and stable) suffers from poor project management, which in turn is hampering its continued development. There are likely other factors at play here as well, but speaking as someone who makes his living managing projects, this product reeks of one that’s being developed without clear milestones or oversight of what few goals may be a part of the development process.
This will not result in a good final product , and the cracks have been showing for some time. Couple this with the fact that WD has been given plenty of time by its userbase to address problem areas which remain untouched. At this point, it appears as though WD has no intention of listening to its customers in any meaningful way, nor does it intend to put the effort necessary into these units to repair that damaged goodwill.
bill_s wrote:
And, as for your ideas for a specific type of remote, you’re talking about something that’s a brand new product, which has nothing to do with the function of the WD TV, itself. I doubt it’ll happen, but you never know. Maybe we’ll start producing remotes also.
The remote suggestions were someone else; please do not attribute them to me.
However, I would suggest given my experiences with the TV Live that WD not go into the business of making remotes. Taking it as read that this comment has been acknowledged.
ottawaguy wrote:
Instead of producing a remote, maybe WD can come up with an iPod touch/iPhone app (or Android app) that can control the WDTV over the network. Or, even easier, publish the network protocol to do so, and let others implement the Android/iPhone app.
Indeed - they should (so they wont)
There is already an Android app on the market which will control the WDTV Live if you have brads firmware installed.
There’s a novel concept; it’s a shame WD didn’t take that approach during the initial development since we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion if they had.
Again, this isn’t about adding features. This isn’t even about cleaning up the UI. This is about WD on the one hand presenting a channel (the Ideas Lab) by which suggestions can be made, then approaching that channel in such a manner as to basically fob off anyone who makes use of it - and this is precisely why I asked that upper management be brought up to speed with what’s being said here.
It seems as though this product (from what I can see of the firmware releases, both beta and stable) suffers from poor project management, which in turn is hampering its continued development. There are likely other factors at play here as well, but speaking as someone who makes his living managing projects, this product reeks of one that’s being developed without clear milestones or oversight of what few goals may be a part of the development process.
This will not result in a good final product , and the cracks have been showing for some time. Couple this with the fact that WD has been given plenty of time by its userbase to address problem areas which remain untouched. At this point, it appears as though WD has no intention of listening to its customers in any meaningful way, nor does it intend to put the effort necessary into these units to repair that damaged goodwill.
With web technology people have been getting used to much faster iterations, changes can be made much faster. These hardware companies are still using old ways which takes months and years, and the more people there are the longer it takes.
(I contacted an android programmer about changing something in his app, and the next day it was fixed - that’s what I’m talking about!)
whattheheck wrote:
(I contacted an android programmer about changing something in his app, and the next day it was fixed - that’s what I’m talking about!)
I doubt that your “android programmer” is constrained by any concern for controls such as SDLC (System Development Life Cycle) which governs most commercial software development. Properly developed commercial software requires more (or as much) effort in testing ( particularly regression testing to make certain that existing features aren’t broken when fixes / new features are added) as in development. This explains the iterations of betas between official firmware releases.
