WD Media Player vs Xbox 360

silvine

Someone here recently posted about the WD media player. I am considering getting one.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=572

How does it compare to the Xbox 360 for playing music and video and is it worth the money (€100) if you already own a console?

Flaccus

I don't have one but your question prompted me to look it up.

Got a fairly impressive review here :
http://www.trustedreviews.com/multimedia/review/2008/12/02/Western-Digital-WD-TV-HD-Media-Player/p1

Seems like it would be lot more convenient than using the 360. Less noisy. And it takes up very little room. Still, another remote to contend with

Tempting all the same.

silvine

That's what I figured. It'd be handy for MKV files any playing a large music collection too.

Vic Vinegar

I got one, it's bloody amazing! it's played anything i've thrown at it so far, ultra smooth playback. It wazzes all over the 360 as a media player! if you can spare the cash, definitely go for one, you won't be sorry!

kaimera

Bombleswizzum wrote: »

I got one, it's bloody amazing! it's played anything i've thrown at it so far, ultra smooth playback. It wazzes all over the 360 as a media player! if you can spare the cash, definitely go for one, you won't be sorry!

Will it play native mkv files?

I'm having horrible problems getting mkv to hd mp4/avi that will play on my 360

Vic Vinegar

kaimera wrote: »

Will it play native mkv files?

I'm having horrible problems getting mkv to hd mp4/avi that will play on my 360

That's the main file type i have for video, it plays 720p and 1080p no worries! it's only ever glitched on one file (out of a hundred or so, so far)

silvine

Can it play ISOs?

Vic Vinegar

silvine wrote: »

Can it play ISOs?

I don't think it does, but if you extract the iso, it will play it then. The WDTV will receive regular updates apparently, so iso support could be added later!

Just getting a firmware update for it there for more file support and better subtitle support. Good stuff WD

J-blk

Bombleswizzum wrote: »

That's the main file type i have for video, it plays 720p and 1080p no worries! it's only ever glitched on one file (out of a hundred or so, so far)

Excellent stuff - I've been looking at the reviews and though many mention that .mkv works fine, I wanted confirmation from a "real" user that 1080p files work fine. The only thing missing from this is the ability to play files over a network connection, but it is very impressive for a first attempt from WD.

silvine

Not bad for a hundred euro!

There's a lot to be said for streaming video and music wirelessly though.

Vic Vinegar

J-blk wrote: »

Excellent stuff - I've been looking at the reviews and though many mention that .mkv works fine

The only file i had a real problem with was some old profile divx file. MKV playback has been faultless really! the new update has added support for more files and subtitles (it was only srt before, now it's added ass and more)

silvine wrote: »

Not bad for a hundred euro!

There's a lot to be said for streaming video and music wirelessly though.

It's positively bargainous (if that's a word)

I think it's better to play direct rather than stream over a network though, less chance of things going wrong/slowing down/being jumpy etc.

J-blk

Bombleswizzum wrote: »

I think it's better to play direct rather than stream over a network though, less chance of things going wrong/slowing down/being jumpy etc.

It is, but for some people it's not very practical any more - I keep all my media on a Windows Home Server and stream to PCs/Macs and the Xbox within my network, so it's nice to be able to access the data that way. But yeah, every now and then, even with an 802.11n connection, things go wonky and mkvs especially slow down...

I like the WD unit though and I'm thinking it would be an ideal solution for some people I know that still play their media from local drives mostly.

silvine

I've only had the occasional problem with jerky video clips although I find audio files streamed to the Xbox don't sound as good. Similarly, films are only streamed in stereo. I'm guessing they're down sampled.

If Microsoft opt for a Bluray add-on I'll get it and make do with my home network. If not this looks like a realistic alternative for 5.1 and MKV support.

ROC1977

if you haven't a 360 already then it looks like a good buy. But then again for an extra 60 euro you can get a 360 that will do most of the WDTV and play games.

The only thing the 360 can't do at the moment is play MKV files via Tversity in 5.1. Which will come in future tversity releases. Everything else it can do perfectly if your home pc/server is good enough, and set up correctly. Don't use wireless use high speed homeplugs. These work brilliantly and are the easiest thing to set up.

360 can be a little on the noisy side late at night when you have the volume low.

Personally I'll stick with the 360. Like someone else posted another remote, another power brick, another input to the tv and another audio connection to the home cinema. For me I've about 10 plugs and power bricks behind my TV and about a mile of cables. and endless amounts of controllers, remotes, plastic guitars etc in my living room already.

silvine

Unfortunately Tversity still lacks Mac support. Agree about the hassle about having an extra box,power cable etc.

I'd never heard of home plugs before. Found info here: http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=5351

I'm guessing they make streaming high-def clips easier, ie less lag?

Flaccus

Considering these homeplugs myself. Does each homeplug need it's own electical socket as only have 1 socket where router/modem/dect phone plugs into downstairs....so using a power adaptor. Same story for upstairs where PC is..only 1 socket in room and have a surge protector/power adaptor plugged into it.