initial impressions:
UI: usable, nothing much to say about it. i don't like the icon based item listing, unless you can put thumbnails on it. Operation is straightforward though, and very... usable.
PQ: nothing obviously different at first glance. this is like, 3 hours worth of scrolling through 1080p titles. nothing conclusive at this point.
Compatibility: doesn't play some of the bigger files, probably a compatibility issue. cannot play m2ts files. some of the files play but has artifacts present (pixel-isation) one file had sound skipping (skipping was evident on the egreat, but theses were half second pauses) lasting 2-3 seconds. Everything points to codec/firmware issues, which seem correctible.
Package: dismal, but for the price, acceptable -- no hdmi is a real bummer. No component option. Has two types of power plugs though (round/flat) which is somewhat useful.
Other notes: starts up rather slow sometimes, not sure how it goes. Takes almost as long as NMTs, and sometimes doesn't show the picture at all. But these are probably just quirks that you can live with, once you know them.
Audio: some out of sync issues were present that were not present in NMTs. Seems like a codec issue again.
Bottom line: none of the flaws that were noted seemed to be permanent, or something that could not be fixed with firmware updates. However, you do get the impression that the features/UI is as good as it gets, which isn't a bad thing, as it is very usable. I reserve judgment until we see how well/often WD updates the firmware for this device. Remember, always look at the total cost of ownership versus one time costs -- you'd spend more on storage, audio and your TV, not too mention time managing and keeping your content, versus the seemingly small cost of this player.
As it is, so far so good, you get what you pay for and it does work as advertised (Full HD playback).
