mrvander wrote:
at no point were your assertions the impetus for my review of this box.
I never said they were. So much for reading comprehension on your part, eh? But since you are DONE WITH, I guess you’ll just keep going on. Fine by me.
Techflaws wrote:
mrvander wrote:
at no point were your assertions the impetus for my review of this box.
I never said they were. So much for reading comprehension on your part, eh? But since you are DONE WITH, I guess you’ll just keep going on. Fine by me.
Well, that’s a relief! I was really worried about your approval about my moving on from the SMP! whew! Now I can finally sleep. 
Yep, this Netflix things all in my head…everyone’s works flawless except mine.
mrvander wrote:> Well, that’s a relief! I was really worried about your approval about my moving on from the SMP! whew! Now I can finally sleep.
Your reading comprehension again, funny that. I was referring to you going on whining in this thread. Which of course you did and most likely will despite having moved on from WD. Have fun with that, I’m out.
You remind me of Gob from Arrested Development (which is also an apt description for you.) I expect you to break out in Gob’s chicken dance any moment. Ka-kaw! ka-kaw! Speaking of descriptions, You have an ironic username, Techflaws.
I’ll let you in on a little secret, you thankfully keep alive my thread where I share my experience with others who may come here researching a purchase of the WD SMP. Not only do they get to see my experience and others who are chiming in with similar if not the same issues, they also get to see the kind of “community” being fostered by “respected contributors” such as yourself. So for that, thanks for helping!
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Well, let’s get my little self-indulgent thread back on track now, shall we? After a couple of months, I have to report I am actually NOT done with the WD SMP - as much as I wanted to be. I tried, I really did.
mike27oct wrote:
mvander:
Please report back to this thread and let us know how well your new HTPC works for you. Curious minds want to know.
Also, you didn’t seem to like my idea that you buy a Roku for the (non-tech) family members. Even a child can operate a Roku. Even if you don’t want to pop the $ for a new one, check on eBay for a good deal. Surely, there are some there for sale by folks who couldn’t even get this simple device to work for them!
So here I am, reporting back. I actually did try your suggestion, Mike. I went and bought a Roku. It is easy to use and offers lots of channels. Like most cable/satellite packages, I think an average user would only use a handful anyway. However, the Netflix interface leaved a lot to be desired. I didn’t like the horizontal nature of the GUI and episodes were also horizontal, sequentially. So if I wanted to watch eight season of Cheers for instance, I’d have to scroll waaaaaaay to the right to get to a specific episode (assuming I wasn’t using the automatic play feature to go one-by-one.) Also - no “Just for Kids” on the Roku - deal breaker for me.
So on my HTPC front, the machine is built and running then it dawned on me. Netflix doesn’t stream 5.1 audio to PC’s - only “devices”. So all of that was enough for me to KEEP the WD box despite the occasional locking up glitch. It’s Netflix interface is simply superior for my needs.
So now, I’m rocking a nice XBMC media center and using the SMP for Netflix & Pandora essentially. I didn’t want to go with two devices but after reviewing and auditioning multiple devices, it’s simply the best solution for my needs. As long as my Universal Customizer URC-300 remote is setup - the family doesn’t even care how many devices there are as long as the “buttons work” and get them to the media they want.
Key points to take away: SMP = troublesome but worth the Netflix interface, especially Just for Kids. Here’s hoping the Netflix glitch is resolved. The troublesome aspect of the SMP is much reduced since I only use it for a couple streaming services now.
Ho, I almost missed seeing this resurrected thread from you. Interesting you got a Roku. I actually prefer the horizontal GUI; maybe because it seems less cluttered and has bigger icons, and – I have crummy vision anymore, too.
Anyway you said >>>> Also - no “Just for Kids” on the Roku - deal breaker for me.
Agree, this does stink. Why in the world can’t Roku have it; if WD does? Go figure. Another thing missing from Roku: YouTube. Fortunately, a few years ago a “private” channel was created for YouTube, but it had to be taken down (licensing, stuff or whatever). Anyway, anyone who had added the channel could keep it, so I have it to this day. But, it also stinks that Roku doesn’t yet have their own channel for this now.
Glad your HTPC is working out, and with the SMP and Roku, too, you can select the best unit for a specific purpose.
