Can WD TV Play (or similar) work as a DIY NAS when using a USB hard drive

mrqpr

Hi,
I am looking to buy something like the WD TV Play media box:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-TV-Play-Media-Player/dp/B00CL61A5A/ref=pd_cp_computers_1

One of the features is that the box can also play media from an attached usb hard drive. As I have another tv on the network that is smart, I am wondering if this smart tv could see the contents on the attached hard drive that's connected to a WD TV / Android box/ Roku (via some additional software on the WD TV, etc)??

The price of the WD TV is pretty decent and being able to play from the hard drive is a handy plus. I am looking to avoid purchasing a dedicated NAS to act as a media server as that would become too great an expense for my requirements. My eircom router sadly won't seem allow me to use it's usb file sharing option so that doesn't look a runner to me. I am hoping to avoid getting a cheap android mini pc unless there was one that works as well as the WD TV's/Roku boxes and comes in around the same price point.

Any thoughts, alternatives or workarounds are appreciated.

Thanks!

dubrov

Looks like you need a DLNA server.
From the Amazon spec, it looks like the WD TV Play won't do what you need.

I have the WDTV Live (not the Streaming version) and have installed the latest WDLXTV (B-RAD custom) firmware on it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-TV-Live-Media-Player/dp/B005NYOKC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382969406&sr=8-1&keywords=wd+tv+live

I have a 1TB USB HDD hooked up to it and can play media on a Samsung Smart Tv over the network.
The WDTV is wired to the network but the TV is wirelessly connected and plays 1080p video without issue.

I can also wirelessly connect with my laptop and transfer files to the HDD which is useful

Yes, they can. Im not sure about the WDTV Play but the better models (Live, Live Hub) can share files on an attached HDD across your network. The performance wouldn't be particularly good compared to a dedicated NAS but should be okay for the typical bitrates required for media.

What you'd want to do is find out what streaming protocols your TV supports. There is different ways of sharing media - standard file shares (SMB, NFS) or media streaming (UPNP, DLNA, Airplay) and of course various filetypes, video/audio codecs. You need to make sure all the things will work in your own scenario.

Five Lamps

Have you considered the WD MyBook live NAS? I have one - works really well. They are coming down in price all the time. I also have a WD TV live unit which can access the NAS but you can also attach a HDD which can be seen on your network.

mrqpr

Thanks for the feedback. I have considered the wd tv hub but I haven't seen any alternatives to it. The ratings I've seen are ok but not spectacular. I notice the NAS prices are indeed coming down. My requirements aren't too demanding. I suppose I'll just need to go for a dedicated NAS, with torrent client support, and upgrade my other non smart tv with the wd tv box. Having looked at some of those android smart tv adapters I am not convinced that the hardware is good enough for HD streaming, unless at the top of the price bracket.

dubrov

Why not just get a WDTV Live (non-streaming) and install the latest WDLXTV firmware on it? It has an rtorrent and DLNA server apps available (minidlna) for it. The rtorrent servercan even be controlled on an android phone with the transdroid app cllient.

There is a little bit of technical fiddling involved to set it up but it isn't too difficult.

You could hook up the WDTV Live directly to your non-Smart TV and as long as you can get a LAN cable to it, your smart TV will be able to stream the content via DLNA.