Conclusion:

Overall, the Western Digital WD TV Live media player packs a lot of features in to a little box. Couple this with a great price, and you have a very attractive device. It is remarkably easy to setup, has tons of connectivity options, has great file support, easy network integration with built in wireless, and it offers many useful apps. On top of that the user interface is very clean, intuitive, and responsive.



But without a solution to the 1080P glitches I experienced I can’t recommend it. Other than this glaring playback issue, the other cons are fairly minor. Changing the line of sight remote to Bluetooth would only be possible on future models, but a few other wishlist items could possibly be addressed by a firmware update. Some things I think would improve the device would be to make the user manual, which was actually quite useful, available on the device and accessible by the user interface. Compatibility with Amazon's Instant Video would be an excellent addition to the app selection! Making an attached USB drive capable of buffering remotely streamed content would be welcome, and could possibly eliminate the annoying interruptions I experienced in some online apps. And, while the device did offer parental controls, they only applied to online content. It would be great to have a way to restrict access to local content with the help of the WD TV Live.

A search of the Bigbruin.com shopping pages finds the WD TV Live media player for just under $100 (US). This is in line with other media players which don't offer nearly the selection of online apps and may not be as easy to use, which definitely increase the value of WD's product.

Pros:

» Intuitive, fast interface.
» Connectivity options allow it to be used almost anywhere.
» Sound and video quality are very good.
» Built in wireless.
» Plays most file formats.
» Manual is quite extensive in covering features.

Cons:

» Potential 1080P playback issue.
» Line of site remote.
» Since manual is actually useful it would be nice to have a searchable version on the device.
» No support for Amazon.
» Would like USB buffer support.
» Parental controls only work for online content.

Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.