Anyone know much about the WD Media Player?

Hi All,

This is probably revealing my complete ignorance in new technologies but I came across this post in audio asylum and I thought this is just what I'm looking for (I think).

I'm chasing something to be able to store my CD's on without having to keep a computer hooked up to it (we seem to get too many surges through our phone line so we keep our computer turned off most of the time and I don't have the patience to have to boot up the computer every time I want to listen to music - that would pretty much negate the convenience factor of ripping all of my music to digital).

Here's a link to the WD description of the product.

Has anyone set one of these up or are there better options out there to play digital without being permanently linked to a computer? The stereo is in the same room as the TV so using the TV screen isn't a problem (this system could also solve the perpetual problem of the lost Wiggles or Bob the Builder DVD )

Cheers,

John

Although I've got one I havn't had the time to really get the most out of it.

Yes you can rip everything to what ever format you want to,I trialled some Flac and it worked well.

The quality of movie replay will depend soley on the ripping progam also, they seems to vary alot.

It seems to do everything thats it claims.

It pretty much plays anything on your portable or external HDD but as you mentioned it does need to connect to a monitor or screen for for navigation of the menu.

But it seems I've taken on too many projects all at once and not really giving any of them the dedication that each deserves to run them successfully.

There are other systems around that do similar things which also may be worth a look.

but for less than $200 for the player I thought the gamble was worth it.

Thanks very much Joz.

Another pretty basic question: HDMI to the TV then L/R audio or optical to an amp? (I don't have a HT receiver, only an old 2 channel amp)

One bonus of this system is that I've already got a WD hard drive so I'll be able to play around without having to expend anything more than the unit itself.

Cheers

John

Yes you can I suppose, but I used the HDMI out to my reciever then to PJ.

But while just toying about I used the composite out to my tv.

I also had a WD hdd so it was worth the effort I believe.

My main reason was for getting the kids movies onto the hdd,must get back to it again.

My only gripe was not figuring out how to get the cover art displaying for movies,I believe that's to do with the way they're ripped though.

Because its all there for my music.

With the cover art the kids would find things much easier and it looks better.

Idealy you want each movie in its own folder imo, that makes finding them easier.

Nero gave me a great copy but the way it stores the files is a HF!

I must try another program.

My colleagues and I have used a couple dozen different media players between us, from Abigs and LaCie devices, to cheap no-name stuff from China. Whilst they all have their relative merits, we all agree that the WD unit is currently the best solution for what it does do (so assume you don't want web access, streaming network content, etc). It's also a no-brainer for less tech savvy users.

The UI is quite flexible, allowing for browsing through folder structures, as well as by date, recently viewed, etc. It also has a search facility. The UI is a critical component of any media player, and most of them are pretty crummy on this front.

In addition, the WD spits out HD without breaking a sweat, and also supports a very broad selection of codecs.

Overall, for $200 you really can't go wrong.

If you're just using it to watch compressed, downloaded movies, then the analogue out will suffice, but for anything more than that (BD and CD rips) you'd be better off using the optical out over analogue.

I haven't done a lot of music playing with my unit, but from what I recall it doesn't have a comprehensive playlist function (maybe someone with more experience on this front can chime in here). It'll work fine if you like to play albums straight through tho.

My colleagues and I have used a couple different media players between us, from Abigs and LaCie devices, to cheap no-name stuff from China. Whilst they all have their relative merits, we all agree that the WD unit is currently the best solution for what it does do (so assume you don't want web access, streaming network content, etc). It's also a no-brainer for less tech savvy users.

The UI is quite flexible, allowing for browsing through folder structures, as well as by date, recently viewed, etc. It also has a search facility. The UI is a critical component of any media player, and most of them are pretty crummy on this front.

In addition, the WD spits out HD without breaking a sweat, and also supports a very broad selection of codecs.

Overall, for $200 you really can't go wrong.

If you're just using it to watch compressed, downloaded movies, then the analogue out will suffice, but for anything more than that (BD and CD rips) you'd be better off using the optical out over analogue.

I haven't done a lot of music playing with my unit, but from what I recall it doesn't have a comprehensive playlist function (maybe someone with more experience on this front can chime in here). It'll work fine if you like to play albums straight through tho.

I didn't think you could rip BD because of all the handshaking that the various connections needed.

I wonder how long it will take Alan Rutlidge to see this thread. He has had one of these for a while now & was telling me how good it was at our recent GTG.

I wonder how long it will take Alan Rutlidge to see this thread. He has had one of these for a while now & was telling me how good it was at our recent GTG.

LOL wolster. What time is it? I never bothered to work out the clock on this forum.

Yep, the WD HDTV media box isn't bad value for the money you pay for it (about $179.00 or less at the right places). Plays just about everything, but the OP probably knows that already.

A couple of things not mentioned in the handbook for the device.

• the internal DAC is nothing to write home about, but what do you expect for under $200.
  
• the unit will simultaneously output digital audio on the optical TOSLink connector as well as via the HDMI connection. B)
  
• It converts all audio formats except Dolby Digital to LPCM so hooking up an external high quality DAC for your music listening is possible. I feed the output of my WD HDTV box into my CEC DX71 Mk2 and I can't pick the difference from the same CD played back from the WD box as a WAV file and the CD played back via the digital output from my $4000 CD player.
  
• It will playback 24bit/192kHz WAV files, but they will be downsampled to 24bit/48kHz before being digitally exported via both the HDMI and TOSLink digital connections.
  
• All audio is output digitally at 24bit depth except (AKAIK) Dolby Digital.
  
• The HDMI video output supports all resolutions to 1080p (including 24fps).
  
• You can simultaneously playback audio and have a high resolution slideshow running. Neat.
  
• If you want to playback any file larger than 4Gb, you must format your external drive to use NTFS or NTFS+. FAT32 has a file size limitation of 4Gb. It's not a fault of the media player it's a MS limitation of FAT32.
  
• Supports 2 x USB2.0 or USB1.1 devices, including memory sticks.
  

I currently run 1 x 1TB and 1 x 500G external USB drives off the box with no issues.

The best thing is no fan noise. They are absolutely silent. Box comes with a nifty small pocket sized remote.

Cheers,

Alan R.

I didn't think you could rip BD because of all the handshaking that the various connections needed.

You can, you need a program called HD anywhere (I think that is the program). Check out whirlpool as there is a thread dedicated to it.

another tip.

You can play .ISO files for movies.

Before getting one I ripped a whole bunch of movies to not be .ISO thinking you can only burn with .ISO files. But .ISO actually is easier to play - for me anyway.

Saves having several file types of the same movie.

I've seen this device in the stores, and read a little bit about it. Video output is only HDMI or composite, there is no component or S-video. Since I don't have HDMI, and I'm not considering purchasing a flat panel TV in the near future, I'm not really interested. Price is reasonable, though, and if it had component video out I might have been interested.

I've seen this device in the stores, and read a little bit about it. Video output is only HDMI or composite, there is no component or S-video. Since I don't have HDMI, and I'm not considering purchasing a flat panel TV in the near future, I'm not really interested. Price is reasonable, though, and if it had component video out I might have been interested.

Do you realise just how small this box is?

If you could get another set of connectors on the back of it you'd be doing better than most. Even the 2nd USB connector is on the side.

Cheers,

Alan R.

You can, you need a program called HD anywhere (I think that is the program). Check out whirlpool as there is a thread dedicated to it.

Thanks but I think I might have mixed up something I read about high def streaming from Vista with all other hi def formats. That being said, I'm not after anything to rip BD with but thanks.

Finally saw one of these toys yesterday....and I made the following observations:

1. it's bloody tiny;

2. it runs very hot;

3. it has optical digital audio out so it could feed my DAC; and

4. it strikes me as a little pricey for what it is.

The dealbreaker might be the down processing that Alan pointed out....what's the point of being able to handle high res if the output is going to chop it down to 24bit/48kHz (although one could wonder if my thick ears would notice).

Do you have any hi-res sources Seano?

If not it'd do fine for CD rips.

I know it runs warm but still cool compared to my pre.

Not sure if anyone knows but can it do random play with music files?

I have a small problem with mine - it only displays about half the album art. Every artist is in a separate folder, with each album in a separate folder beneath the artist. Then in each folder I have a jpg file with the album art. Maybe it is differing resolutions of the jpg files? Couldn't find anything on the net. Any ideas?

I've seen this device in the stores, and read a little bit about it. Video output is only HDMI or composite, there is no component or S-video. Since I don't have HDMI, and I'm not considering purchasing a flat panel TV in the near future, I'm not really interested. Price is reasonable, though, and if it had component video out I might have been interested.

What sort of TV are you running? I've tried running a proper 75ohm composite video cable on a HD TV, and the picture still looks decent for non-HD content. If you're mostly watching compressed/downloaded video files then it doesn't really matter. The great thing is, if you do get a new flat panel, you'll also be ready to go with HDMI!

Not sure if anyone knows but can it do random play with music files?

Hi Joz, pretty sure I saw some standard repeat and shuffle option in the settings menu last time I was in there.

I have a small problem with mine - it only displays about half the album art. Every artist is in a separate folder, with each album in a separate folder beneath the artist. Then in each folder I have a jpg file with the album art. Maybe it is differing resolutions of the jpg files? Couldn't find anything on the net. Any ideas?

Check what ID tag version you have. AFAIK artwork can only be supported if the ID tag is type 3. Also remember some music formats don't support ID tags. WAVs are such files which don't.

All I can suggest is you check the size (pixels x pixels) of the images it does display and compare them with the images it doesn't. I don't play MP3 sso I can't really hepl you out with that one. WD do ahave a website. Perhaps there is something in the FAQ section about that. Alternative email them. Apparently they do answer questions.

Cheers,

Alan R.

and I made the following observations:

1. it's bloody tiny;

2. it runs very hot;

3. it has optical digital audio out so it could feed my DAC; and

4. it strikes me as a little pricey for what it is.

The dealbreaker might be the down processing that Alan pointed out....what's the point of being able to handle high res if the output is going to chop it down to 24bit/48kHz (although one could wonder if my thick ears would notice).

Well it isn't my principle source. If I want to listen ultra seriously I still have a $4000 SACD player and a half decent DVD-A player. Mine was for convenience more than anything, plus my scungy mates can bring over their beloved MP3, WAV, movies or whateveron a USB stick and just plug in. Plus I've not yet found any other box in anywhere near the same price bracket that will do 1080p at 50/60Hz as well as 24fps. Of course I'll be happy to hear of any alternatives.

Feeding the SPDIF output into a CEC DX71 Mk2 external DAC, it is pretty hard to pick the difference between that an a $4,000 transport. Certainly not a $3,800 difference.

Cheers,

Alan R.

I spent considerable time researching this as an option to play my digital music. I ripped everyhting into Itunes no compression and stored it on a WD 1TB HDD. Just bought a secondone of these so I can back up my massive collection if the first HDD dies.

The alternative to this is a network media tank, popcorn or NXT for $390 before you put the HDD in it. This is a neater one box solution but the GUI is still undeveloped. The tanks are more for movies than audio so I passed on this solution.

My WDTV plays via optical to a CA Dacmagic into a Melody pre amp then my active Martin Logans. I am more than happy with this and the sound is as good as my previuos CD rig. I am now a fully converted fan to ripping and going digital.

I am still working through the same issues with folders and playlists as mentioned above. I have had only a week and have not done anything else except plug and play at the moment. For the $ you cant beat it

I spent considerable time researching this as an option to play my digital music. I ripped everyhting into Itunes no compression and stored it on a WD 1TB HDD. Just bought a secondone of these so I can back up my massive collection if the first HDD dies.

The alternative to this is a network media tank, popcorn or NXT for $390 before you put the HDD in it. This is a neater one box solution but the GUI is still undeveloped. The tanks are more for movies than audio so I passed on this solution.

My WDTV plays via optical to a CA Dacmagic into a Melody pre amp then my active Martin Logans. I am more than happy with this and the sound is as good as my previuos CD rig. I am now a fully converted fan to ripping and going digital.

I am still working through the same issues with folders and playlists as mentioned above. I have had only a week and have not done anything else except plug and play at the moment. For the $ you cant beat it

A few tips -

• Depending on the number of tracks you have ripped, sort your music into seperate folders by genre.
  
• Then by artist,
  
• Then by album, placing all the tracks from that album into that album folder. This will speed up access / search times.
  
• When you make changes to your drive content, enable indexing on your WD HDTV box. This will speed things up considerably, especially if using the search facility.
  
• If you want to store movies on your drive, format it using NTFS or NTFS+, not FAT32 as FAT32 has a file size limit of 4GBytes.
  

I realised the advantage of having seperate genre folders once the content of my 1TB drive got to over 600G. With literally hundreds of artists and about a thousand albums it was getting a bit sluggish reading from the drive as you browsed the folders.

Cheers,

Alan R.

Check what ID tag version you have. AFAIK artwork can only be supported if the ID tag is type 3. Also remember some music formats don't support ID tags. WAVs are such files which don't.

All I can suggest is you check the size (pixels x pixels) of the images it does display and compare them with the images it doesn't. I don't play MP3 sso I can't really hepl you out with that one. WD do ahave a website. Perhaps there is something in the FAQ section about that. Alternative email them. Apparently they do answer questions.

Cheers,

Alan R.

Thanks Alan

I think I have worked out the problem. The first couple of hundred albums I ripped using dbPowerAmp (trial version). These all display artwork perfectly. Then the trial period expired and (being a tightarse bean-counter from way back!!) I worked out how to keep using dbpoweramp and using freedb to get the song titles, etc. Then while ripping I jumped on the net and downloaded the album thumbnail into the same folder that the songs are being ripped to (eg from Amazon, etc).

This works fine for Winamp, as it recognises the album cover from the folder. However I guess that the individual song tags are not updated with a link to the album jpg, and I suspect that this is what the WD UI is looking for. So over the weekend I will test this & try to work out how to update the tags. Only a hundred or so albums to do !!

btw - I am using flac - mp3 is for the car only !!

Thanks for the hints re the folder structure - mine is all by artist then album, which works ok on the WD, but I will shift them all under genre to make it easier to search.

Since I dont have a TV near my system, I bought a DVI/HDMI adaptor ($16 at Jaycar) and am using a spare 20" LCD computer monitor - works great.

Thanks Alan some great suggestions to try this weekend. One issue I seem to have is that all the lossless material I ripped wont play and I get that error message to convert the file type even though the music files are m4a. I can see the track names, album names. it does play my older wav, aiff, mp3 material but when it is in the "all music" menu item playing these tracks it displays the files 3 times and plays them 3 times, before the next song??? .

What file format do you use and does it retain the metadata ie album art and track names etc?

Everything works nicely in Itunes but on the WDTV I can only play the older files. I did get the converter disc with the kit but havent looked at it yet. I would prefer not to loose my apple lossless 48khz file format as that was why I moved to digital.

I love this stuff and have just commenced ripping a 300 plus vinyl album collection, but its a sloooooooooooow process.

......what's the point of being able to handle high res if the output is going to chop it down to 24bit/48kHz (although one could wonder if my thick ears would notice).

Hmmmm seano, with your ears positioned as in your avatar, I doubt you'd be worried too much about missing out on a few highs - LOL

Cheers,

Alan R.

Has anyone upgraded to the WDLive I wonder?