Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player - a HTPC replacement??

[madbullram]

madbullram,

My AVI files are not rips of anything. They are home video files.
The closest you could get is to play the clock.avi that comes with MS Windows, though it is lower resolution.

Thanks,
Sharad

Can you let me know what codec is used for avi then i can tell

 

[tinny9]

hi guys......

i was planning to buy WD tv but then i come across that it has some problem passing thru DTS to the reciever via optical out...

pls tell me if i'm wrong
will there be any problems in it.?

i will be using this player to play mkv rips (DTS sound)

and one thing more is popcorn hour better than WD or both at par?
my set up

Panasonic 42pv8
yamaha rx-v463 reciever

thanks

 

[smedhavi]

AVI is just a wrapper file, it can have a video in any format. For instance, we can save an MPEG4 video as an AVI file.
I think you can make an uncompressed AVI file using VirtualDub

When I say that I have uncompressed video in the AVI, it is raw RGB_BITMAP, and doesn't require any codec.

Calculating the Disk Space Required for an AVI File


1. Transfer rate (bytes/minute) = (frame height [pixels] * frame width [pixels] * frame rate [frames/second] * 60 [sec/min] * color depth [bits/pixel]) / 8 (byte/bits)

NOTE: The frame height in pixels multiplied by the frame width in pixels yields pixels per frame. The color depth could be 8 bits per pixel, 16 bits per pixel or 24 bits per pixel.
2. Disk space (bytes) = transfer rate (bytes/minutes) * length of captured video (minutes)

Thanks,
Sharad

 

[madbullram]

hi guys......

i was planning to buy WD tv but then i come across that it has some problem passing thru DTS to the reciever via optical out...

pls tell me if i'm wrong
will there be any problems in it.?

i will be using this player to play mkv rips (DTS sound)

and one thing more is popcorn hour better than WD or both at par?
my set up

Panasonic 42pv8
yamaha rx-v463 reciever

thanks

I play mkv with DTS all the time. Last played Dark Night in all its iMax glory and watched it. It passes DTS without any problem via the optical out.

WD TV and Pop Corn share the same chipset. So PQ shd be the same. Pop corn has networking capability, inbuilt harddrive, and DD/DTS decoder in built. Its costs almost 14k. So you decide based on your need.

You just need a good media box and will be using the PC to do your downloading etc, buy WD TV and invest that extra cash in something else

 

[madbullram]

AVI is just a wrapper file, it can have a video in any format. For instance, we can save an MPEG4 video as an AVI file.
I think you can make an uncompressed AVI file using VirtualDub

When I say that I have uncompressed video in the AVI, it is raw RGB_BITMAP, and doesn't require any codec.

Calculating the Disk Space Required for an AVI File


1. Transfer rate (bytes/minute) = (frame height [pixels] * frame width [pixels] * frame rate [frames/second] * 60 [sec/min] * color depth [bits/pixel]) / 8 (byte/bits)

NOTE: The frame height in pixels multiplied by the frame width in pixels yields pixels per frame. The color depth could be 8 bits per pixel, 16 bits per pixel or 24 bits per pixel.
2. Disk space (bytes) = transfer rate (bytes/minutes) * length of captured video (minutes)

Thanks,
Sharad

Got that sir, will check out and let you know. I asked to be sure bcos sometimes people compress and save as avi so just wanted to make sure bcos WD TV does not support avi in MPEG2.

 

[tinny9]

I play mkv with DTS all the time. Last played Dark Night in all its iMax glory and watched it. It passes DTS without any problem via the optical out.

WD TV and Pop Corn share the same chipset. So PQ shd be the same. Pop corn has networking capability, inbuilt harddrive, and DD/DTS decoder in built. Its costs almost 14k. So you decide based on your need.

You just need a good media box and will be using the PC to do your downloading etc, buy WD TV and invest that extra cash in something else

thanks buddy for ur reply

i will go for WD

can u tell me the approximate price of optical cable.
and one thing more

there are lots of portable hard drives
can u suggest me which one to go for:

min capacity : 320 gb

i mean should i brought usb powered or ac powered?
i dont want any hiccups.

and also the tentative price

thanks a ton

 

[venkatcr]

there are lots of portable hard drives
can u suggest me which one to go for:
min capacity : 320 gb

Tinny, when you start transferring movies and music, you will find disk space disappearing very very quickly. If I were in your shoes I will look for 1TB minimum. A 1TB drive should be available from about 5,500 to about 8K. Look for WD, Maxtor, Hitachi, Samsung. Avoid Seagate, as I have read elsewhere that their 1TB give trouble.

Cheers

 

[moserw]

thanks buddy for ur reply

i will go for WD

can u tell me the approximate price of optical cable.
and one thing more

there are lots of portable hard drives
can u suggest me which one to go for:

min capacity : 320 gb

i mean should i brought usb powered or ac powered?
i dont want any hiccups.

and also the tentative price

thanks a ton

@MBR - Another question, does WDTV work on 2.5" HDD too or only 3.5" HDD?

@tinny9 - Venkatji is correct. Go with 1TB or more. Do read up on Seagate HDD since their 1TB had some issues early on, but I think its fixed now. If you do have a PC where you keep the movies stored then a USB also makes sense. Try to get a 16-32GB USB which you can use instead of an external HDD.

 

[moserw]

can u tell me the approximate price of optical cable.
and one thing more

Bandridge has good coaxial and optical cables, very good VFM and they work well too. Optical was Rs. 695 and coaxial was around Rs. 395 or so. You will get them at Croma or Reliance Digital or any electronics mall.

 

[tinny9]

i think 1tb hard drive will be available only in ac powered (non usb powered)

isin't it guys.
which one to go for in western digital since WD has too many products

and guys wats the diffference between 2.5" & 3.5"?
r both compatible?

thanks

 

[madbullram]

@MBR - Another question, does WDTV work on 2.5" HDD too or only 3.5" HDD?

I read in few forums some had success and some didn't. I haven't tried it personally. But I think it should work.

i think 1tb hard drive will be available only in ac powered (non usb powered)

isin't it guys.
which one to go for in western digital since WD has too many products

and guys wats the diffference between 2.5" & 3.5"?
r both compatible?

thanks

Like Venkat said, buy a 1 TB and soon even that wont be enough. I am not really happy with SeaGate. I have a Maxtor External 1TB which works like a charm. I bought it for 5800 rs 2 months back. I believe Maxtor is very good VFM

You can check latest prices at:
http://www.deltapage.com/

Its a chennai based IT shop and I use it as a reference for price point.

All 1TBs are a/c powered and I always trust such systems in comparison to USB powered as they are power hungry. In fact, even though 500GB is available in USB powered I would still buy a/c powered. They are better in longer run.

2.5" is used in Laptops and 3.5" is used in Desktop. Thats all the difference. Since you are buying now, buy a 1 TB external a/c powered hard drive. Don't buy 1.5 TB as the prices are not worth it.

Hope it helps!

 

[spirovious]

WD has developed 2TB HD.

WD Caviar Green 2 TB SATA Hard Drives ( WD20EADS )

 

[tinny9]

I read in few forums some had success and some didn't. I haven't tried it personally. But I think it should work.



Like Venkat said, buy a 1 TB and soon even that wont be enough. I am not really happy with SeaGate. I have a Maxtor External 1TB which works like a charm. I bought it for 5800 rs 2 months back. I believe Maxtor is very good VFM

You can check latest prices at:
http://www.deltapage.com/

Its a chennai based IT shop and I use it as a reference for price point.

All 1TBs are a/c powered and I always trust such systems in comparison to USB powered as they are power hungry. In fact, even though 500GB is available in USB powered I would still buy a/c powered. They are better in longer run.

2.5" is used in Laptops and 3.5" is used in Desktop. Thats all the difference. Since you are buying now, buy a 1 TB external a/c powered hard drive. Don't buy 1.5 TB as the prices are not worth it.

Hope it helps!

thanks buddy.....

i also found this:
List of compatible USB devices that can be connected to a WD TV HD Media Player.

 

[thevortex]

Ram - I am not sure how you found the USB powered portable drives to be power hungrier than the AC powered ones. I have just found them to be so very convenient. And without the AC power connection there is one less wire to worry about!

 

[madbullram]

Ram - I am not sure how you found the USB powered portable drives to be power hungrier than the AC powered ones. I have just found them to be so very convenient. And without the AC power connection there is one less wire to worry about!

Not in that sense, a/c powered ones seems to have lesser fail rate and also they run cooler compared to USB ones. Below 500GB I am fine with USB ones but above that I would trust a A/C powered one.

This is based on my experience with hardware guys

 

[thevortex]

Yes, well, I currently have a 1 TB disc running on AC power. But I just love the convenience of my 80 GB USB powered portable hard drive.

When setting up with laptops the AC powered drives are a real pain for me. About fail rates I will have to agree with you. Recently the USB connector on my USB powered hard drive has broken and is suffering from loose connection problems.

Touch wood nothing on my AC powered drive till now.

 

[tinny9]

one thing more buddy::::

howz the performance of WD tv in producing dark pictures?

currently i own pioneer dv-410
and it is a disaster as compared to my earlier dvd player (philips)
pioneer just darkens the picture a bit more.

i do hope that wd tv is better than pioneer one.

thanks

 

[phantom76]

one thing more buddy::::

howz the performance of WD tv in producing dark pictures?

currently i own pioneer dv-410
and it is a disaster as compared to my earlier dvd player (philips)
pioneer just darkens the picture a bit more.

i do hope that wd tv is better than pioneer one.

thanks

I have the Pioneer 610 and it has the same problem. This is because the official firmware does not have BTB and WTW enabled. (Blacker than black and Whiter than White). Update with the latest firmware (at your own risk!) at pioneerfaq site and you should see better darks on your pioneer.

In my observation, WD TV produces better black levels than the Pioneer DV 610 with standard firmware.

 

[tinny9]

I have the Pioneer 610 and it has the same problem. This is because the official firmware does not have BTB and WTW enabled. (Blacker than black and Whiter than White). Update with the latest firmware (at your own risk!) at pioneerfaq site and you should see better darks on your pioneer.

In my observation, WD TV produces better black levels than the Pioneer DV 610 with standard firmware.

have u updated from the mentioned site?
pls tell me the changes u felt

is the update worth?

thanks

 

[moserw]

Hey Mods!!!

How come this thread is not deleted? I mean they are talking of d/l movies and torrents here too right. Or are threads only a so-so will object to deleted? Get a life guys or at the very least demonstrate equality in all things and make sure all threads are moderated/deleted on an equal footing instead of being selective/letting one person choose. Every forum has some guys like that who cannot contribute in a positive way, but have to nitpick and find fault with everyone/everything else. Please don't let this forum be held to ransom by such guys. What say???