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

[kneo]

I would suggest that you connect the HDMI out form the WD directly to your TV, and you connect your AVR to the WD by Digital / Optical audio.

Thats the setup I have, and it works perfectly.

In my view, the TVs have far better image processing capabilities than AVRs. I have not seen any benefit in passing the video signal through my AVR (I have a Denon 2310).


Rgds.........Argho

That's the way it's working now. The AVR does not add to the processing but it's convenience that I was after. If I want to change any settings on the AVR, I have to rely on the AVR mini-display panel rather than on the large TV screen. Also, optical would not be able to passthrough DTS HD-MA and TruHD, which is essential for me.

 

[manniraj]

That's the way it's working now. The AVR does not add to the processing but it's convenience that I was after. If I want to change any settings on the AVR, I have to rely on the AVR mini-display panel rather than on the large TV screen. Also, I am not convinced that the digital output of both HDMI and optical would be exactly the same. I had read somewhere about optical having some limit to the bitrate that it can transmit although I am not sure about the veracity of it.

Yes you are correct the digital signal (optical/coaxial) can carry only DTS and DD 5.1 channels whereas HDMI carries even HD streams (DTS-HDMA and Dolby TruHD) as well along with DTS & DD. But above all HDMI is the best because it can carry both audio and video reducing the clutter of different cables.

 

[kneo]

I can live with clutter but not without DTS-HDMA and TruHD! I am not sure whether I would be able to make out the difference but I am frustrated by the fact that the device is capable of the feature but I have to make a compromise

 

[elangoas]

I can live with clutter but not without DTS-HDMA and TruHD! I am not sure whether I would be able to make out the difference but I am frustrated by the fact that the device is capable of the feature but I have to make a compromise

I think the problem is with your AVR & not with WD....is your AVR under warranty ?

 

[kneo]

I think the problem is with your AVR & not with WD....is your AVR under warranty ?

Fortunately yes, it's under warranty !!

But all tests suggests otherwise. My BDP runs fine on the same HDMI input on the AVR ! Shouldn't it fail if there was any issue with the AVR? Apart from BDP and WDTV I don't handy access to any other HDMI devices to test this out. Maybe by next month end I can get hold of my old gen 1 WDTV.

Today I'll try and see whether the current WDTV works on a different AVR, but I am not sure what that will tell me as the video out directly to the TV is indeed working fine. I have a feeling that I may need to take the receiver to the service center but I am not sure whether they would accept this as an issue in the first place.

 

[elangoas]

Fortunately yes, it's under warranty !!

But all tests suggests otherwise. My BDP runs fine on the same HDMI input on the AVR ! Shouldn't it fail if there was any issue with the AVR? Apart from BDP and WDTV I don't handy access to any other HDMI devices to test this out. Maybe by next month end I can get hold of my old gen 1 WDTV.

Today I'll try and see whether the current WDTV works on a different AVR, but I am not sure what that will tell me as the video out directly to the TV is indeed working fine. I have a feeling that I may need to take the receiver to the service center but I am not sure whether they would accept this as an issue in the first place.

Great.... So if your WD works fine with other AVR, then the problem is very evident with your AVR...

Did you try getting assistance from WD technical team ?

 

[kneo]

Great.... So if your WD works fine with other AVR, then the problem is very evident with your AVR...

Did you try getting assistance from WD technical team ?

I've posted in their forums, but there's not much help from there. Is it possible that the HDMI inputs would work for one device but not other? My WDTV does not work, but the BDP is working fine. WDTV does some strange HDMI communication for the resolution.

 

[elangoas]

I've posted in their forums, but there's not much help from there. Is it possible that the HDMI inputs would work for one device but not other? My WDTV does not work, but the BDP is working fine. WDTV does some strange HDMI communication for the resolution.

Hmm Ok... May be if you could call them & explain on the call, you might get some help....

There could be problems with one of the HDMI inputs in your AVR....

I hope in your WD settings, when you selected HDMI as connection, it would select "auto" by default....

 

[kneo]

Yes. It does select Auto by default, but I've tried setting it to 720p 60Hz which my TV supports, but even that does not work.

 

[elangoas]

Yes. It does select Auto by default, but I've tried setting it to 720p 60Hz which my TV supports, but even that does not work.

Ok.. Leave it with Auto & recheck if you have any luck.... It communicates with the display & sets the resolution.... For Audio it will bitsream....

 

[kneo]

Ok.. Leave it with Auto & recheck if you have any luck.... It communicates with the display & sets the resolution.... For Audio it will bitsream....

Have already tried multiple options in the A/V settings in WDTV. Just to be sure, I am definitely taking my AVR to the dealer (he also has a repair shop), so that we can test this out this weekend.

 

[elangoas]

Have already tried multiple options in the A/V settings in WDTV. Just to be sure, I am definitely taking my AVR to the dealer (he also has a repair shop), so that we can test this out this weekend.

Letz hope if there is an issue with AVR & get it fixed there....

 

[kneo]

Just tested on a different AVR and the WDTV worked without any glitches whatsover. The only component which is untested now is the AVR. Looks like the AVR is indeed causing some glitch in the HDMI handshake. Will take it to the service center early next week.

 

[Nero9]

Hi

My WD TV live streaming player keep restarting?

 

[kneo]

Revert to the old firmware if you have upgraded. 1.16.xx is supposed to be more stable than 2.01.xx

 

[Rockfella]

1. Wrong. It cannot process DD/DTS but it will output it through Optical output. For example, the WD TV Optical Out is connected to my Philips HTiB digital in. WD TV sends the unprocessed signal to my HTiB and my HTiB process and decodes the Dolby and DTS and plays it. As long as you have a receiver or player that decode you are fine.

2. It plays almost everything you throw on it. Check : WD TV HD Media Player ( WDAVN00 ) (click the specification tab)

3. I would love to say 100% yes but not till we get a clear picture. This is based on the Sigma chipset and WD has promised that they will release firmware updates to support new formats. For example, they recently released firmware with subtitle support etc. You can check the info @ http://www.wdc.com/en/products/wdtv/releasenotes/WDTVreleasenotes101.pdf

4. You cannot place it inside the system as it does not have a provision for installing hard drive. It has two USB 2.0 ports through which you can connect your hard drive. For lappy hard drive you need external USB enclosure. What I have done is, I bought a Maxtor 1TB for 6k and have transferred all files to it. WD TV takes 30 to 40 secs to scan and display the files.

5. Bad subtitle support and non-support for MPEG 2. Also, the HD WMV clips I downloaded from Microsoft site the Audio was not supported I am yet to research on that due to lack of time. Haven't seen any hanging or crashed in last 2 months usage.

Hope it helps!

Helpful post. You may disable "hdd scan" and the player won't scan any hdd when connected. This will save time and you won't have to wait for 30/40 secs everytime you switch it on.

 

[pmvali]

External HDD with Built-in torrent client

Dear friends,

I enjoy a lot of movies particularly Hollywood movies. I download from torrent sites and watch them on TV through AVR set-up. For downloading large movie file (like 10 gb) I had to keep my PC on for a long time or else I have to stop down loading.

I am searching for an external HDD with built-in torrent client and LAN port or a wifi feature in its place. A few years back I came across a 1 TB iomega HDD with media player built -in and a bit torrent application. This is not available now in the market, if I am right.

Can anyone suggest me a similar device. What I need is:

1. HDD
2. LAN/WIFI ENABLED
3. TORRENT CLIENT

It should enable me download media files through a Torrent Clent like utorrent, vuze, etc. without having to connect to p.c.

Thank you

 

[kneo]

Quite a few wifi routers have this feature nowadays. Get a good router having this feature and you can then use any hdd for this purpose. I have a similar setup with my asus n66

 

[umapati]

Quite a few wifi routers have this feature nowadays. Get a good router having this feature and you can then use any hdd for this purpose. I have a similar setup with my asus n66

Which route you are using and can you please elaborate the set up..?

 

[kneo]

I have an Asus N66. It has 2 USB slots where I can connect the external disks. The firmware has a torrent downloader built in. The files are downloaded on the disks directly. The torrents can be manually added. Google for 'Download Master Asus' and you may see a few screens too.

The firmware also has a dlna server and samba sharing options. This is available to all devices connected to the same router. You can control the folder to be exposed and the rights too. It's quite straightforward actually.