WD Player and HDD from US

[kapilg]

Hi guys,

Am planning to get these 2 items from US this time.

1) WD TV Live Plus - USD 119 + 9% tax = USD 130 -
Is the price OK (Approx Rs 6100) ---- Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player in Multimedia Networking at JR.com
Voltage - Will I need a step down transformer
Will Xtreamer from India a better option than this

2) WD external HDD - 2 TB = USD 129 +9% tax - Is the price OK (Approx Rs 6600) --------- Western Digital WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN Elements 2TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive in Hard Drives at JR.com
Will it work well with above media player
Are there any speed issues with HDD of such a huge capacity
What other options do I have for HDD
Another option is Western Digital 2TB Elements Desktop Hard WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN - But I do not know the difference in these 2 drives.

Please give your valuable inputs so that I can pull the trigger.

 

[rahuljonline]

WD Tv Live is available for 7200 odd bucks in ebay. No step down needed, plus the 1 year warranty. Save yourself the headaches...

 

[kapilg]

Below one is WD TV Live Plus..... is there a difference ??

 

[VSG12777]

The WD Live Plus can do full DVD Navigation with DVD Menus, if you have a full DVD folder structure in your HDD/flash drive. Meaning, you can view and navigate the DVD as if the disc were in your DVD player. Another extra feature (not applicable in India) is the wireless streaming of Netflix and other premium content which is restricted to the USA at this time. Apart from these 2 features, the WD Live and Live Plus are the same. But I feel the DVD navigation is a big plus. Worth it from my point of view.

---Venkat

 

[cmsajith]

I think WD Live Plus is of no use outside US. WDLive is available in amazon for 100$ and Plus for 119$ w/ free shipping in US. I bought WD Live from amazon. It works in 230v.

 

[VSG12777]

If you have lots of DVD backups (as folder/file structures) in your movie collection, the WD Live Plus is worth it. Otherwise you might as well go for WD Live. The Live Plus will prevent an unnecessary step of converting your DVD backups to MKVs. I have lots of original DVDs and would love the DVD Navigation feature of the WD Live Plus, already being an owner of the WDTV Gen 1 player. But yes; the Netflix streaming feature can't be used outside the USA.

---Venkat

 

[kapilg]

Thanks,

Can someone throw some light on HDD also. I have mentioned 2 links and I am unable to decide. What all should I keep in mind while buying a HDD?

Secondly,WDTV Live Plus has power rating of 110-240 Volts so I do not think I will have to use a step down. This is a big plus !!

 

[srinisundar]

Why cant you consider Xtreamer sidewinder version which will pass thru Latest HD Audio( Futureproof>>>>), still if you dont have HD capable AV receiver too... If you are reluctant to pay 8500+++ quoted in Xtreamer India, buy it from USA for $150 with Wifi antenna.

For the 2TB price it is a good deal, since refurbished one in USA is selling for the nearabout rates. Just check my book essential too. Will have some additional features..

 

[kapilg]

Srini,
Can you explain a bit more on pros of Xtremer sidewinder version over WDlive plus ?
Also could not understand your comment on HDD. The one I am mentioning is a new one and not refurbished.

 

[sanjgupt]

Hi guys,

Am planning to get these 2 items from US this time.

1) WD TV Live Plus - USD 119 + 9% tax = USD 130 -
Is the price OK (Approx Rs 6100) ---- Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player in Multimedia Networking at JR.com
Voltage - Will I need a step down transformer
Will Xtreamer from India a better option than this

2) WD external HDD - 2 TB = USD 129 +9% tax - Is the price OK (Approx Rs 6600) --------- Western Digital WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN Elements 2TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive in Hard Drives at JR.com
Will it work well with above media player
Are there any speed issues with HDD of such a huge capacity
What other options do I have for HDD
Another option is Western Digital 2TB Elements Desktop Hard WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN - But I do not know the difference in these 2 drives.

Please give your valuable inputs so that I can pull the trigger.

Hi kapilg
WD live connects with HDD though USB 2.0 so streaming bigger files & playing HD content will be an issue. if you can get WD live/HDD with USB 3.0 that will be very great.

Thanks
Sanjeev

 

[VSG12777]

Kapilg that's not really true. I own the WDTV Gen 1 player bought in June 2009. Sometimes it takes a few more seconds to load a 1080p file, but it plays 720p and 1080p files without a sweat. So that's not an issue at all. DivX AVI files are just dust for the player. I've never had a problem with them. It does not support certain audio/video combinations though, like MP4 with 5.1 AAC audio, MKV with 5.1 AAC audio etc. MP4 with stereo audio is supported and MKV with AC3 5.1 or DTS 5.1 is supported. So if you get files with the unsupported combinations, you just have to convert them and that's not that hard either. Most of my files however are MKVs (720p or 1080p blu ray rips) with DTS 1536 Kbps or AC3 640 Kbps audio.

---Venkat

 

[venkatcr]

Can someone throw some light on HDD also. I have mentioned 2 links and I am unable to decide. What all should I keep in mind while buying a HDD?

Both products are the same. When you are buying a HDD from say Western Digital, what makes the difference is the connectivity. The models you have mentioned both have ONLY USB 2.0 connectivity. This is sufficient unless you are using high quantum of data transfer on a daily basis. I have also noticed that when you play a HD movie from the HDD through an USB, the movie tends to stutter sometimes. Generally I transfer the movie into the internal hard disk and play from there.

When you are comparing HDDs from multiple companies you have to look for speed, MTBF, connectivity, and reputation. In self powered external drives, Western Digital leads the world.

Cheers

 

[kapilg]

Thanks Venkat,

I intend to play HD movies through WD Live from this HDD. I hope it should work.

Secondly, which other good options are there in 2 TB capacity.

 

[server3249]

Hi kapilg
WD live connects with HDD though USB 2.0 so streaming bigger files & playing HD content will be an issue. if you can get WD live/HDD with USB 3.0 that will be very great.

Thanks
Sanjeev

This is incorrect. USB 2.0 can transfer at 30MB/s at least, which far exceeds any HD requirements.

 

[argho]

Thanks,

Can someone throw some light on HDD also. I have mentioned 2 links and I am unable to decide. What all should I keep in mind while buying a HDD?

Secondly,WDTV Live Plus has power rating of 110-240 Volts so I do not think I will have to use a step down. This is a big plus !!

Both the links are to the same product at 2 different stores - WD Elements 2 TB.
I have this HDD, and have it hooked up to my WD Live. It works perfect. Reccomend that you go for this one and do not spend anything extra on External HDDs with more "features" (eg. 1 button backup, softeware etc.).