Digital Lifestyle

Quote
El Jeffe
Got a WD Live TV thingy - don't love that so much. But it does do some basic stuff. Far inferior to the Netgear.

Aw crap. I just got one of those. Didn't think they were that bad.

I love mine.

they do make a variety. Let me see which one I got...
I am pretty sure this is it...
http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=320

I think it's not current. Superseded by other stuff. This category moves quickly.
But it can't hold a candle to how my Netgear works for us.

But the NetGear has some beta-feel to its internet content. But again, I am focusing mainly on my LAN/NAS stored content.
The NetGear is NOT the one to get for Netflixxy, Hulupy, Pandoragy stuff. It instead has YouTube (free/not paid), Flickr, RadioTime/nee TuneIn. The remote control is just how I like it, too. I find the WD too small, slippery, rubbery buttons and not laid out as well as I'd like. The Netgear remote I cruise with. It also allows local storage with USB and SD cards. But has no accommodation right now for a keyboard. I detest on-screen keyboards in ANY OS (iOS included).

There are just so many small details I like about the NetGear, too. I do wish it would speed up on some things, but I will shortly see (once HDs are available) if it's partly due to my NAS speed when taking into account my kids' online/internet usage too.

I have two different WD boxes and that is one of the models I have (the other is the WD TV Live Hub with the 1TB drive built in).

I agree about the remote... it sucks. I don't use it, though. I use a Harmony remote.

The UI on the TV Live Hub is quite a bit nicer (and faster) than the TV Live Plus. They also have a new model that they just call the "WD TV Live" which has the same UI as the TV Live Hub.

Unfortunately, none of the WD boxes support Amazon streaming. That's the only thing I wish they had.

Otherwise they do everything... pretty much every codec and container I've thrown at them plays just fine including DVD and Blu-Ray ISO files (complete with menus).

I only picked up the WD because it was $60 on some site a bit back. Seemed cheap enough. Can't complain overall. Just nit picking

You actually might want to check out the
N600 WIRELESS DUAL BAND GIGABIT ROUTER—Premium Edition
WNDR3800

As it supports Time Machine.

Daniel

I saw that online. I printed out all the specs. I picked it up at Fry's. (not bought, just looked at box)
My new NAS enclosure (still in box next to me) Synology DS211j has timemachine support, too. I was intending on using that. And plugging it INto whichever router I buy.

Quote
Cloudscout
I have two different WD boxes and that is one of the models I have (the other is the WD TV Live Hub with the 1TB drive built in).

I agree about the remote... it sucks. I don't use it, though. I use a Harmony remote.

The UI on the TV Live Hub is quite a bit nicer (and faster) than the TV Live Plus. They also have a new model that they just call the "WD TV Live" which has the same UI as the TV Live Hub.

Unfortunately, none of the WD boxes support Amazon streaming. That's the only thing I wish they had.

Otherwise they do everything... pretty much every codec and container I've thrown at them plays just fine including DVD and Blu-Ray ISO files (complete with menus).

Hey CS and Bill,

Have you ever had problems with choppy video? (both avi and mpeg2 files that play fine on QT or vlc)

This is both via streaming and via a USB hard drive. I've since found out that HFS+ journaled drives make the WD TV go a bit nutty and it's also not a good idea to have a pile of irrelevant files (like say, 10.6 to make it a boot drive) as it spends hours trying to create an index.

What frustrates me is 10 or 20 minutes will play perfectly and then out of the blue it chokes so I know it can theoretically stream the files fine.

Will a non-journaled HFS+ USB drive make my problems go away?

Any tips?

T.I.A.,

TL

[edit] I have this one: http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=330



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2011 08:08PM by Tony Leggett.

On a tangent, anyone jailbroken an Apple TV to run http://www.plexapp.com/ on it?

Not at all. Both devices are smooth for me. I am gigabit all the way 'round. Even though I think the boxes are 100(fast).

Everything I play on mine is done via an SMB file share or from Netflix. I don't use DLNA because it doesn't support playing ISO files.

Quote
El Jeffe
... Now, when WILL those damned hard drives come the freak down in price???? Fry's shelves are nearly BARE --- no kidding. They have crap for selection right now. (not that it matters in the interwebs age)

FWIW, my brother (who lives in Chiang Mai) reports that the flooded areas of Thailand are still in very rough shape. He doesn't know about the hard drive situation in particular, but many cars are built in the same area (most of the Japanese companies have factories there), and he says that new cars are basically unavailable at the moment. He and his wife are trying to buy a Honda Civic and have been told, in essence, "no way."

Sorry to hear that. What line of work is he in?
I thought I might run into you at the Auto Show yesterday. I did run into one of my doctors, my endocrinologist.

He's the business manager for his wife's ballet studio.

Sorry I missed you at the auto show. I was there on the opening day. I spent the last five days of the year in (and traveling to and from) Puerto Rico with my kids for a family reunion.

Edit: I should add that Chiang Mai (where Paul lives) wasn't badly hit by the floods--it's well north of the area that took the most severe damage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2012 02:17PM by Jeff Cooper.

Has anyone else gotten the "fuck you and your own decisions, click on the 'yes, take me to the new appearance even if I want to change back'" message when logging into gmail via a web page?

Did they learn _almost_ nothing from Buzz?

ddt

$90 down from $200 for this fairly appointed media player with gigabit ethernet, USB3, hot-swappable HD. Not bad

AIOS HD Media Center

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005M1QP7O
http://www.pivosgroup.com/#!vstc6=drop-menu5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhfUQv8-TFo

Bright House Networks just added HBO Go today. I'm going to be very busy with work for the next week, but after that I know my iPad is going to get even more use.

Returned my WDTV for a replacement today. Works flawlessly. Very happy...

the first TWO I bought were DOA. This third one works fine.

Having played with Plex lately, very very impressed. Definitely going to Jailbreak the AppleTV3 once plex is available for it.

No glitches streaming from the server to my laptop.

Two thumbs way way up.

One thing I can't figure out though, subtitles?